Lean Six Sigma > FAQ

Lean Six Sigma is an integrated set of methodologies that encompasses both Lean and Six Sigma concepts. It combines two powerful toolsets to address all aspects of quality, cost, and delivery. Both sets of methodologies have a strong customer and quality focus and rely on continual improvement, which enable them to be very complimentary.
Lean focuses on providing products and services at competitive prices by eliminating waste and its drivers, whereas Six Sigma focuses on minimizing and reducing process variation that cause nonconformities.

Lean Six Sigma combines the strength of Six Sigma rigor and data-driven analysis with the straightforward Lean tools to eliminate waste and its drivers. The combination of the two methodologies provides a more robust toolset for organizations to apply to solve problems, using those tools and techniques that are best suited for the specific problem being addressed. Instead of the traditional separate use of the tools, Lean Six Sigma blends Lean approaches within the Six Sigma DMAIC (DEFINE, MEASURE, ANALYZE, IMPROVE, CONTROL) model as well as allows Lean approaches to be used on their own within the DMAIC model.

Process improvement is required when an organization’s performance is not meeting customer requirements. Lean Six Sigma provides a comprehensive set of tools, techniques, and approaches to allow an organization to gather customer requirements, analyze existing performance against those requirements, implement solutions to address performance gaps, and maintain the improved state ongoing. Tools and techniques are used that are best suited for the specific problem being addressed.

Lean Six Sigma provides a comprehensive set of tools, techniques, and approaches to allow an organization to gather customer requirements, develop specifications based on those requirements, design and implement solutions to meet the requirements, and verify the requirements have been met by the new product or service. Solutions are built to drive out waste while aligning processes with customers.

Yes, many organizations that have started with Six Sigma are incorporating Lean into their programs. Oriel STAT A MATRIX can work with your organization to integrate Lean concepts and tools into your existing structure, giving you the ability to use the tools and techniques that are best suited for the specific problem being addressed.

Yes, because of the complimentary nature of both methodologies, Six Sigma can be integrated into an existing Lean program. Oriel STAT A MATRIX can work with your organization to integrate Six Sigma concepts and tools into your current Lean efforts, giving you the ability to use the tools and techniques that are best suited for the specific problem being addressed.

There are seven essential steps to implementing Lean Six Sigma:

1. Understanding and commitment of top management
2. Access to current information on customer needs—your critical data pool
3. A process-management system to measure current performance and identify where you need to make improvements
4. Resources—Coaches, Black Belts, and Green Belts—trained to design and improve processes and to assist process owners
5. Ongoing management involvement and review to reinforce process management, improvement, and design
6. Communication to ensure that customer focus and Lean Six Sigma methods are embraced throughout the organization
7. Assigned responsibilities for Six Sigma within the organization
    

Although there is no concrete timeline for Lean Six Sigma to become successfully established in an organization, our experience has shown us that it takes anywhere from 2 to 5 years. There are no shortcuts. Progress depends very much on how well top management leads the initiative. If top management is out front leading the effort, then Lean Six Sigma will permeate the organization quickly and more permanently.

Not every process needs immediate improvement. Start by considering which processes concern your customers the most and place your priorities there. For example, a hospital might learn from surveys that their customers care less about the time it takes to be admitted than they do about safe medical procedures and proper medications.

There is a systematic process for selection that begins with the organization’s strategy and top management. They identify what processes are “hurting” the organization the most and then translate the broad topics into executable projects. Based on the nature of the problem being addressed, the appropriate Lean Six Sigma tools and techniques are applied. Once the projects are prioritized, then process improvement teams are assigned to work on the problems.

Based on the nature of the problem being addressed, the appropriate Lean Six Sigma tools are applied. When the detailed solution and root causes are unknown and more advanced statistical tools are needed, the DMAIC method can be applied—this involves incorporating known Lean approaches in the Improve phase and executing the improvement in a project manner.

When the detailed solution is unknown, less rigorous tools are needed, and a known Lean DMAIC approach can be applied to address the problem—this involves using mainly Lean tools throughout the DMAIC phases and executing the improvement in a Lean (kaizen or blitz) event.

A Lean (kaizen or blitz) event is an intense, brief team effort to apply specific Lean approaches to reduce waste, defects, and cycle time and to implement improvements in a particular process or department.