Although eliminating waste and reducing variation are essential for successful improvement initiatives, few books integrate Lean, Six Sigma, and cultural issues into a single management and improvement initiative. Filling this void, this book details a proven recipe for applying Lean, Six Sigma, and the Theory of Constraints in a manner that will maximize return on investment, cash flow, and net profits. The "Success or Die" Ultimatum: Saving Companies with Blended, Long-Term Improvement Formulas uses a compelling story format to guide readers through a collection of stories that illustrate best practices for finding and fixing common issues found in today's organizations. It uses in-depth case studies to illustrate a range of scenarios at a call center, pharmaceutical company, automotive parts supplier, and metals distributor and processor. Readers will learn simple techniques, such as face-to-face discussions to gather data, as well as more complex diagnostic techniques, such as Four-Field Mapping and process mapping. Readers will better understand the complexities in newly formed working relationships, as well as how to: Hire and work with consultants Interact with management to get things done Engage workers on the front line Handle those who are actively against improvements Build and sustain a culture of improvement The book covers simple, yet effective, statistics and explains how Minitab (R) can be used to simplify and speed up data analysis. In addition, it explains one way to use Statistical Process Control (SPC) to anticipate problems from data and what the results mean. The book includes coverage of project planning, strategy, Lean manufacturing, command and control, finance, PDCA, SPC/root cause analysis, OEE, allocating responsibilities and times to fix, Big Picture mapping, and four-point planning.