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Free Statistical Analysis App!

The ROI Alliance is pleased to announce our free statistical analysis app! Whether you are teaching, learning, or using stats to make decisions, stats4ROI can make it faster and easier! Learn more!

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Have you been considering The ROI Alliance's Six Sigma Black Belt training? Try the first week for free right now!

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Weekly Written Blog

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Learn and contribute your questions about achieving Performance Excellence

Next Book is Released!

Next Book is Released!

Data-Driven Leadership by Steven Ouellette is a compelling guide for managers seeking to understand and harness the power of statistics in their decision-making processes. In a business world increasingly reliant on data, Ouellette offers a gentle introduction to statistical concepts for managers with limited statistical backgrounds.

Create Metrics, Manage, and Lead

Create Metrics, Manage, and Lead

Why is everybody else working on the wrong things? Galileo's Telescope explains why and presents a process to fix it. How to generate good integrated metrics and strategic plans that work. If you would like to learn more, click the icon!

Business Performance Excellence now available in Kindle!

Business Performance Excellence now available in Kindle!

Steve Ouellette's first book Business Performance Excellence is now available in hard cover or Kindle from Amazon! Click here to take a look!

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Recent Posts
Training the Team: Building MSA Competency
The Role of MSA in Regulatory Compliance
Hidden Consequences: The True Cost of Ignoring MSA
Busting the Myths: Top 5 Misconceptions About MSA Debunked
5 Common Mistakes in Defining Acceptance Criteria for MSA
Breaking Down Gauge R&R: A Beginner's Guide
Creating Measurement Acceptance Criteria
Why Your Data Might Be Lying to You: The Importance of MSA
From False Confidence to Trust: How MSA Transforms Quality Control
How To Do a Long-Term Study
Most Popular Posts
Measuring and Improving Employee Empowerment with Data
This one weird trick will help you create the right metrics – Doctors hate it!
The Metrics Catch-22
Hoshin Kanri and Strategic Plans Part 1 - Why Strategic Plans Fail
Measurement System Analysis - Potential Study with Steve Ouellette
Interview: What You Don’t Know Will Cost You: Becoming a Data-Driven Manager
Overview of the Performance Excellence Process
Hoshin Kanri - Making Organization-Wide Metrics
Is Your Company An Orchestra or a Jazz Band?
It’s Going to be Harder Than You Think to Go Back to the Workplace

About Us

Expertise and Results

At The ROI Alliance, we have deep and broad skills around creating a management infrastructure and using it to make both strategic and tactical improvements.
How we do it

By The Numbers

28
Years of Experience
100
Satisfied Clients
115
Million Dollars Saved

Services

We help organizations achieve their objectives


Whether its aligning metrics from the CEO on down or running an experiment on the floor, we help our clients take their organizations to the next level of performance...and beyond.
Management Consulting

Management Consulting

We can help you turn your aspirations into a set of aligned metrics, link these to the front line, and deploy your strategic plan.
Experimental Design

Experimental Design

Our industrial and service research capabilities are unmatched. We can help you answer difficult questions with data.

Change Management

Change Management

If your process change involves people, you won't get any of the benefits unless they change as well. Let us help you manage change.
Training

Training

Six Sigma, Lean, or any of a number of courses are available. With options for online or on-site training, we can accommodate your needs.

Testimonials

What Our Clients Say

Working with ROI is fun, thought-provoking, intense, and practical. Here are a few thoughts from our clients about what it is like working with our President, Steven Ouellette.
Denitta Ward
Steve brought to the Office of Contracts and Grants' work his process improvement and project management skills in support of the University's $3b research portfolio and led a significant change initiative that altered business practices that had been embedding for more than five decades.

Working with Steve, I saw and experienced first-hand his ability to collaboratively develop a strategic plan for change, identify policy and business process impacts and modifications needed, and to continually assess the project, need for stakeholder buy-in, and minimize impacts where possible. This was critical to a successful campus-wide implementation that Steve oversaw for us. He was a calm and thoughtful partner amid the swirl of change and I greatly appreciated both his professional guidance and the personal approach he brought to make this initiative a resounding success.
Denitta Ward https://www.linkedin.com/in/denittaward/ Assistant Vice-Chancellor of Research, University of Colorado Boulder
Amy Biesterfeld
I've had the good fortune to work with Steve while at the University of Colorado. Recently, Steve expertly guided our upper management team through all aspects of developing our next strategic plan. Steve's knowledge of the Business Performance Excellence (BPE) model and his natural leadership skills helped our team of Directors develop a strategic plan over the course of several full-day retreats and months of ongoing communication. What's more, Steve did this with a great attitude and complete professionalism, even when our team of Directors were sometimes spinning their wheels and it felt like progress was not being made. Thanks to Steve's ability to keep us on track and moving forward, we were able to stick to our timeline and complete this task on time. I enjoyed working with Steve and hope to have another opportunity in the future.
Amy Biesterfeld https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-biesterfeld-b35115a/ Director of Strategic Planning and Assessment at Housing and Dining Services, University of Colorado at Boulder
Dirk Dusharme
Steve Ouellette has been one of Quality Digest's most popular columnists for almost four years. His practical, and often humorous approach to statistics make him popular with beginning and advanced practitioners of statistical process control. What makes his columns such a pleasure to read is that Ouellette approaches statistical problems from a shop floor perspective. When it comes to practical application, Ouellette has been there and done that. Key word: relevance.
Dirk Dusharme https://www.linkedin.com/in/dirk-dusharme-7111773/ Editor in Chief at Quality Digest
Anthony Porter
Steve was—and may still be, for all I know—a terrific columnist for InsideSixSigma. I wasn't familiar with the world of quality, and still Steve could make me understand the most abstruse math and statistics. He's erudite, witty, and eminently readable. I'd hire him in a heartbeat. You should, too.
Anthony Porter https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthony-porter-5289154/ Author of Can He Say That? and creative-writing teacher for the William James Association
David Soucie
Steve is an exceptionally gifted communicator and knowledgeable professional. He was able to bring my executive management team together while explaining advanced business improvement techniques; not an easy thing to do! The Business Performance Excellence process is outstanding and left me with useful business performance metrics systems ..not complex performance processes.
David Soucie https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidsoucie/ CNN Safety Analyst and Contributor
Anonymous Feedback
[Steve's] insights and input to the process were invaluable.
Anonymous Feedback
Anonymous Feedback
We love working with Steve...thank you for everything you do!
Anonymous Feedback
Anonymous Feedback
Steve rocks...I couldn't have done it without Steve.
Anonymous Feedback
Anonymous Feedback
Thank you!  As always, your knowledge and guidance are truly appreciated!
Anonymous Feedback
Anonymous Feedback
Steve did an exemplary job in supporting [us] with our strategic efforts.
Anonymous Feedback
Anonymous Feedback
Steve is a patient facilitator who reads the room well and brings empathy to stakeholders' expressions.
Anonymous Feedback

Projects

Our Recent Engagements

Our clients often consider even the fact that they are working with us to be proprietary, but hover over the photo to see what we can tell you about some of our recent engagements.

Aerospace Creating a set of integrated metrics for a new Center of Excellence by cascading upper-level success metrics to every individual

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Higher Education Instituting front-line management to enable local continuous improvement

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Hotel Management Creating a plan to achieve long-term business objectives

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See Case Studies

Alliance Reports (Blogs)

Videos

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Editor's Note: This presentation was streamed live on April 13, 2021 as part of the FestQuali...
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We use measurement systems to make decisions every day, but how do you know if these measurements...
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Video Blog
Editor's Note: This presentation was streamed live on April 13, 2021 as part of the FestQuali...
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Joseph Heller’s dark satire Catch-22 proposes the term for problems that inherently prevent their...
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I grew up in New Orleans, a city justly renowned for its music history. Watching a band play in...
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I lived in Western Europe for a year after college when I was a Watson Fellow. Adapting to new...
Blog
If Abe Lincoln had been a marketing manager today, well, the US would be a whole lot worse off....
Blog
“Big Data” is big right now. It offers the promise of turning vast amounts of data into profits....
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I was looking for a quick source to give a client an overview of what statistical process control...
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You’ve seen the situation – a manager makes the same mistakes over and over, an executive reads a...
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Even a small business is pretty complicated. I have heard some people say that business is so...
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One thing I run into at many clients is that they don’t differentiate between metrics for a...
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Most businesses know the importance of using metrics to manage, but a lot of them struggle with...
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There are a number of barriers that prevent small companies from transitioning to big companies....
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Creating and translating metrics to every level of a business is essential to get and stay...
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Well, the genie is out of the bottle now. Millennials (and others) have been asking for more...
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In previous posts I have explained the importance of metrics for any company. One thing that is...
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As I described in the last blog , we can measure and improve empowerment using a simple model and...
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Listen, I don’t know how this current pandemic is going to play out, but is there something...
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From a very young age, we in the West we are trained with movies, books, and graphic novels to...
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Has someone ever told you, "Your employees are not engaged," or "I don't feel empowered"? Would...
Blog
If you want to engage your employees, first you need to empower them. But what does that even...
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If you had a new client offer you $1 million revenue, should you take it? Or is there a price in...
Blog
As part of the Business Performance Excellence (BPE) process, we help clients create and align...
Blog
Empowering employees sounds great, but is there a way to measure empowerment and actually take...
Blog
In the past few blogs, I have been building a model to understand and improve employee empowerment...
Blog
My clients report that things are both crazy busy in some ways while also being crazy slow in...
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We use measurement systems to make decisions every day, but how do you know if these measurements...
Video Blog
In manufacturing and process industries, the difference between success and failure often comes...
Blog
Measurement System Analysis (MSA) plays a crucial role in any quality management system. It...
Blog
In today’s data-driven world, we trust numbers to guide critical decisions. Whether you’re...
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If you’re just starting to explore Measurement System Analysis (MSA), one term you’ll encounter...
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Measurement System Analysis (MSA) is one of the most critical tools in ensuring quality and...
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Organizations that want to remain competitive and compliant in today’s global marketplace must...
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Measurement System Analysis (MSA) is more than a regulatory checkbox. It is the cornerstone of...
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In today’s competitive landscape, organizations across industries face growing pressure to meet...
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(Originally appeared in Quality Digest, 04/03/2025) Many industries, from aerospace to medical...
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Previously Published in Quality Digest

The Six Sigma Heretic

Applied research the smart way Although we may use the define, measure, analyze, improve, control...
Six Sigma Heretic
There is real competitive danger to a one-size-fits-all approach to specifications "Come and...
Six Sigma Heretic
The better your reputation for quality, the more you get slammed from an adverse event With the...
Six Sigma Heretic
Black Belt or not, common sense is quite rare After my last column citing some really bizarre...
Six Sigma Heretic
Rules for statistical thinking I know we have been talking about statistics a lot in my last few...
Six Sigma Heretic
The power of the central limit theorem Throughout the last couple of articles, I have explained...
Six Sigma Heretic
Random sampling distribution are really something delightful Last month I wrote about how the...
Six Sigma Heretic
Every answer to statistical problems lies within RSD As I was teaching class the other day, I told...
Six Sigma Heretic
You must balance risk and benefits when determining acceptability. So I thought I was done with...
Six Sigma Heretic
Can they co-exist? We have recently covered a lot of ground on the topic of measurement system...
Six Sigma Heretic
Testing through time stability Ahh, measurement system analysis—the basis for all our jobs...
Six Sigma Heretic
Gauging your conformance decisions n the past couple of articles, we have been having fun together...
Six Sigma Heretic
Determining sources of variations if you can’t trust your measurement system, you can’t do...
Six Sigma Heretic
'Cause I’m a nice guy, I’m going to give you articles that explain the basics of MSA. You know how...
Six Sigma Heretic
Oh, the perils of mastering Six Sigma I'm not saying that the following apply to you really....
Six Sigma Heretic
Does this data make my shape look funny? If you have been following my articles over the last few...
Six Sigma Heretic
The chart isn't strange, it's just misunderstood. Over the past couple of articles , we have...
Six Sigma Heretic
To err is human, but to really mess things up you need a statistician. Have you ever met people...
Six Sigma Heretic
To err is human, but to really mess things up you need a statistician… One of the most useful...
Six Sigma Heretic
Statistics from end to beginning A colleague of mine made an interesting point about how we teach...
Six Sigma Heretic
Guidelines to help your project succeed One of the most frequent questions I get from Black Belts...
Six Sigma Heretic
Don't believe what you see; at least at first. Many people go through a point in their lives where...
Six Sigma Heretic
Hang on to your integrity As you read this you will, no doubt, have already made (and perhaps...
Six Sigma Heretic
Have your cake and eat it too What purpose, if any, does Six Sigma serve in economic downturns?...
Six Sigma Heretic
More on Acceptance Sampling By the time you read this, the amazingly long U.S. presidential...
Six Sigma Heretic
Fix your business, that is Every once in a while, people ask about acceptance sampling plans and I...
Six Sigma Heretic
What your complaints process never told you In the Six Sigma world, we give a lot of lip service...
Six Sigma Heretic
And Make Black Belts Obsolete? I read an article in Wired magazine the other day that got me to...
Six Sigma Heretic
Destroying Company Morale in One Easy Step I was working with a client to create their business’s...
Six Sigma Heretic
Translating Plans into Action I thought this month we would get away from the stats of the last...
Six Sigma Heretic
Choosing the Right Material (finally!) If you have been following my articles for the last few...
Six Sigma Heretic
Nothing to be afraid of For the last couple of columns, we have been analyzing a simple experiment...
Six Sigma Heretic
If there is a difference, what is it? Last month, I described a simple problem to determine which...
Six Sigma Heretic
Elegance Rules By the time you are reading this, you will have made your New Year’s resolutions,...
Six Sigma Heretic
Digging Out From a Data Blizzard As I’m writing this, our first big snowfall of the year is piling...
Six Sigma Heretic
For the Soul Harvest time—vegetables fresh from the local farmer’s market going right into a...
Six Sigma Heretic
Measurement System Analysis I seem to be thinking about the measurement phase a lot recently. I...
Six Sigma Heretic
Measurement Levels There is something that will get you into trouble if you don’t know about it,...
Six Sigma Heretic
Measurements, Part 3 I spent my June and July articles beating up on the “sigma” index commonly...
Six Sigma Heretic
Measurements Part 2 Last month I talked about the “sigma” index and how it can be used. So what...
Six Sigma Heretic
Measurements Now that we have talked about defining Six Sigma and 10 stupid Six Sigma tricks ,...
Six Sigma Heretic
The End is Here! Repent of your wicked ways O fellow Six Sigma Heretics, or surely you shall be...
Six Sigma Heretic
Neglecting Daily Management The end is near! Well, at least the end of the Top Ten Stupid Six...
Six Sigma Heretic
Don't read further until you have read Top Ten Stupid Six Sigma Tricks #3 !...
Six Sigma Heretic
Pruient Photographs (not really) I had a lot of feedback from interested readers in regards to...
Six Sigma Heretic
Overusing DMAIC We are more than halfway through the countdown of our exploration of the kooky,...
Six Sigma Heretic
Don't read further until you have read and answered Top Ten Stupid Six Sigma Tricks , #5!...
Six Sigma Heretic
Pop Stars Without Clothing (not really) Today marks a milestone in our countdown of the Top Ten...
Six Sigma Heretic
Constraining Your Improvement Activities to Manufacturing Processes In this installment of my...
Six Sigma Heretic
Inadequate Infrastructure The Stupid Six Sigma Tricks countdown continues this month with an...
Six Sigma Heretic
Optimizing Processes That Lose Money So far, we’ve discussed Stupid Six Sigma Tricks #10:...
Six Sigma Heretic
Six Sigma Isn't Continuous Improvement This month let’s examine another common mistake that some...
Six Sigma Heretic
Conflating Systems, Strategies, and Tools As I said in my premier Heretic column, “ Dogma and...
Six Sigma Heretic
In Dirk Dusharme’s First Word in the April 2006 issue of Quality Digest , he sneaks into the back...
Six Sigma Heretic

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