I'm self employed and have to deal with a thick pile of paperwork that ends up with me paying various sums of money to HMRC. The calculations involved can be complex and they are certainly time consuming! Free UK Internet Payroll Star looks like a good (and free!) way of getting round that hassle.
From the Sloodle website SLOODLE (Simulation Linked Object Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment) is an Open Source project which integrates the multi-user virtual environment of Second Life® with the Moodle® learning-management system.
I'm interested in using Sloodle to deliver online process improvement training and simulation. I've taken a number of online training courses using Moodle and it's a robust and well established tool for delivering online learning. Combining Moodle with Second Life looks like a great opportunity to provide effective online training.
When I have the time, I'll be investigating this and updating the blog with my progress.
When I read Kaoru Ishikawa's book 'What is Total Quality Control? The Japanese Way' in the early 90's, one that he gave for the success of Total Quality Management in Japan was the influence of Buddhism. The very readable article linked below, Buddism and TQM: An alternative explanation of Japan's adoption of Total Quality Management' expands on this theory
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The Mighty WOMBAT: A Simple Approach to Finding Muda at http://www.sixsigmaiq.com/article.cfm?externalid=2022
WOMBATS cab be institutional/systemic or accidental. The institutional WOMBATS inhabit the area under the normal distribution curve. These are within the normal variation of process - the "this is how we've always done it' territory. To the left and right of the normal distribution curve, are the accidental or extreme WOMBATS. These are the ones that are exceptionally bad or exceptionally good ways of working. The bad ones require quick elimination, while the good ones need capturing, understanding and interaction with those under the normal distribution curve.