Lean Six Sigma

Lean Six Sigma is an organizational process improvement methodology. Motorola initiated Six Sigma in the 1980s to address company quality issues.

GE under Jack Welch popularized Six Sigma deployments in the mid-1990s. Many companies have followed the GE Six Sigma model. The GE model for Six Sigma incorporated process improvement practitioners called black belts and green belts to facility improvement efforts. Champions are to be executives that support the completion of the process improvement efforts, which are to have significant financial benefit.

Lean was added to Six Sigma around the beginning of the 21st century.

Six Sigma is traditional considered a methodology for reducing defects. Lean efforts focus on reducing organization waste. The seven types of lean waste are overproduction, waiting, transportation, inventory, over-processing, motion, and defects.

The metrics often associated with Six Sigma are striving to achieve a process output response of Six Sigma or 3.4 parts per million non-conformance rate. This rate of issue occurrence could be expressed as defects per million opportunities. Other metrics associated with Six Sigma are process capability indices such as Cp and Cpk.

Both Six Sigma and lean deployments have issues relative to metric reporting and silo implementations. These issues are overcome with the Integrated Enterprise Excellence (IEE) system.

Enhanced Lean Six Sigma Leadership Training

Lean Six Sigma, Process Improvement Training and Certification /

Effective Lean Six Sigma Executive and Lean Six Sigma Champion training is essential for a successful deployment. However, one needs to closely examine not only the content of this training but the strategy for the deployment of the Lean Six Sigma tools and techniques. Consider how many Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belts and Lean Six Sigma Black Belts are now losing their jobs in these tough corporate economic times. What does this tell us? In my mind, what we are experiencing is the ramifications of executive management not realizing the value of process improvement effort from their Lean Six Sigma deployments. We would think that when times get tough financially Lean Six Sigma work should be in even more demand but that is not the case. Why is there a title of a Lean Six Sigma Champion? This white paper suggests that there are basically three reasons and has a description of the deployment scope and benefits for each alternative.

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Evaluating Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt Course Options

Lean Six Sigma, Process Improvement Training and Certification /

Many appreciate the advantages of Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt certification (MBB certification). There are many sources for Master Black Belt training; however, not all training is created equal. In addition to certification, attendees need to consider their reason for taking the training and what long-lasting skill sets do they expect from the MBB certification training. This whitepaper discusses the following five reasons for Master Black Belt certification, which can help individuals and organizations determine what approach is best for them: (1) Achieve Master Black Belt certification quickly for resume building; e.g., job-security attempt or loss of job. (2) Learn how to use Six Sigma statistical tools better for project execution. (3) Learn how to use Lean tools better for reduction of waste through kaizen events. (4) Apply a roadmap for project execution of the integration of Lean and Six Sigma tools so that the right tool is used at the right time. (5) Apply Lean, Six Sigma, Theory of Constraints (TOC), and beyond the balanced scorecard tools for not only the execution of improvement projects but also application of the tools at the business level as well.

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Enhanced Lean Six Sigma Black Belt Training Material

Lean Six Sigma, Process Improvement Training and Certification /

It is important that there needs to be new understanding of exactly what role Lean Six Sigma Black Belts (BBs) should play in today’s economy. Gone are the days when businesses deployed BBs as troubleshooters. Today, BBs, together with other Six Sigma practitioners, are indispensable partners in organizationwide initiatives that are grounded strategically and implemented on a highly structured basis to meet critical organizational goals. Included is the fostering of ongoing innovation, the use of business scorecards in ways that enhance rather than inhibit organizational improvement and the establishment of priorities that allow everyone in the organization to contribute to profit improvement. In this environment, everything that matters is measured, the only measurements made are those that matter, and every metric has an owner. The organization is practicing the Three Rs of business: Everyone is doing the right thing right at the right time.

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Enhanced Six Sigma Framework

DMAIC process improvement project, Lean Six Sigma /

Six Sigma does five principal things: It emphasizes the need to recognize opportunities and eliminate customer-defined defects. It recognizes that variation hinders ability to reliably deliver high-quality services. It requires data-driven decisions and incorporates a comprehensive set of quality tools under a framework for effective problem solving. It provides a highly perspective cultural infrastructure to effectively obtain sustainable results. And, when implemented correctly, it promises and delivers substantial improved operating profit.

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Enhanced Method for Starting a Lean Six Sigma Program

Lean Six Sigma, Process Improvement Deployment /

An enhanced method for starting a lean Six Sigma program is to integrate process improvement with Business Management System scorecards, strategic planning and other business managing techniques.  The Integrated Enterprise Excellence (IEE) business management system provides this needed framework for an effective, long-lasting lean Six Sigma (LSS) deployment.

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