Acknowledgments

Central to this book are the case studies that allow us to show Visual Six Sigma in some specific, real-world settings. We would like to thank all those who had a hand in shaping the case studies, giving specific mention to Joe Ficalora (Global Services for Sigma Breakthrough Technologies Inc., SBTI), who contributed the "Reducing Hospital Late Charge Incidents" case study in Chapter 4, Andrew Ruddick (Catalyst Consulting) for the "Transforming Pricing Management in a Chemical Supplier" case study in Chapter 5, and Andy Liddle (Catalyst Consulting) for the "Improving a Polymer Manufacturing Process" case study in Chapter 8. Their contributions were valuable in making the book more relevant and useful to prospective readers and are indicative of a consulting approach that is both pragmatic and enlightened.

The book was substantially improved by suggestions from the following individuals: Mark Bailey, Monica Beals, Duane Hayes, Bradley Jones, Ann Lehman, Paul Marovich, Tonya Mauldin, Malcolm Moore, Heath Rushing, Laura Ryan, and Scott Wise. We greatly appreciate their time, interest, valuable feedback, and insights.

This project was greatly facilitated by Stacey Hamilton and Stephenie Joyner, of SAS Publishing. Their support, encouragement, and attention to detail at every step of this adventure were invaluable.

Finally, we would like to thank John Leary, Dave Richardson, and Jon Weisz for their support and encouragement in the writing of this book. A special thank-you goes to John Sall and the JMP Development Team for their work on a visionary product that makes Visual Six Sigma possible.