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 What is Lean Six Sigma?

 Lean Six Sigma is a combination of two popular Continuous


Improvement methods—Lean and Six Sigma—that pave the
way for operational excellence. These time-tested approaches
provide organizations with a clear path to achieving their
missions as fast and efficiently as possible.
 Before diving into details, it’s important to clarify the concept of process
improvement. Since Lean Six Sigma is a system for analyzing and improving
processes we’ll break down those terms first.
 What is a Process?
 A process is a series of steps involved in building a product or delivering a
service. Almost everything we do is a process—tying our shoes, baking a cake,
treating a cancer patient, or manufacturing a cell phone.
 What is Process Improvement?
 Process improvement requires employees to better understand the current state of
how a process functions in order to remove the barriers to serving customers.
Since each product or service is the result of a process, gaining the skills required
to remove waste, rework or inefficiency is critical for the growth of an
organization.
  
 Working On a Process vs In a Process
 Employees are hired based on their expertise in a given field. Bakers are good at
baking and surgeons are good at performing surgery. Professionals are experts at
working in a process, but they are not necessarily experts at working on a process.
Learning to work on and improve processes requires experience and education in
Continuous Improvement. That’s where Lean Six Sigma comes in.
 Combining Lean & Six Sigma
 Lean Six Sigma provides a systematic approach and a combined toolkit to help
employees build their problem-solving muscles. Both Lean and Six Sigma are
based on the Scientific Method and together they support organizations looking to
build a problem-solving culture. This means that “finding a better way” becomes
a daily habit.
 The Origins of Lean Six Sigma
 Lean originated at Toyota in the 40’s and Six Sigma originated at Motorola in the
80’s. Although they’ve been taught as separate methods for many years, the line
has blurred and it’s now common to see Lean & Six Sigma teachings combined in
order to reap the best of both worlds.
 Understanding both approaches and accompanying toolkits is extremely valuable
when solving problems. It doesn’t matter where a tool comes from—Lean or Six
Sigma—as long as it does the job. By combining these methods you have the best
shot at applying the right mindset, tactics and tools to solve the problem.
 The two methods at a glance:
 Lean uses the PDCA—Plan-Do-Check-Act/Adjust—method and tools like 
8 Wastes and 5S to achieve continuous improvement.
 Six Sigma uses the DMAIC— Define-Measure-Analyze-Improve-Control—
method and tools like Control Charts and FMEA to achieve continuous
improvement.
  
 What Are the Benefits of Using Lean Six Sigma?
 Organizations face rising costs and new challenges every day. Lean Six Sigma
provides a competitive advantage in the following ways:
 Streamlining processes results in Improved customer experience and increased
loyalty
 Developing more efficient process flows drives higher bottom-line results
 Switching from defect detection to defect prevention reduces costs and removes
waste
 Standardizing processes leads to organizational “nimbleness” and the ability to
pivot to everyday challenges
 Decreasing lead times increases capacity and profitability
 Engaging employees in the effort improves morale and accelerates people
development
 Who Benefits From Using It?
 The Business & Their Customers
 Lean Six Sigma works for any size organization. The same success achieved by
large businesses can be attained by small and medium businesses. Smaller
organizations may actually be more nimble with fewer people and lower levels of
red tape to navigate.
 This method works for businesses looking for a roadmap to effectively meet their
strategic goals. Applying it helps to increase revenue and reduce costs, while
freeing up resources to add value where the organization needs them most. The
ultimate winners are the customers of the business who receive consistent, reliable
products and services.
 The Employees
 Lean Six Sigma not only improves profit margins, it positively affects employees
by engaging them in the work of improving their own processes. Since employees
are closest to the actual work of an organization—the delivery of products and
services—their intimate knowledge makes them the best resources to analyze and
improve the efficiency and effectiveness of those processes.
 By participating in successful Lean Six Sigma efforts, employees build
confidence and become increasingly valuable assets to the business. Studies show
that employees who feel they’re able to positively impact an organization will
perform better, be more accountable and live happier lives. By quickly mastering
basic Lean Six Sigma skills, they will continually standardize work, root out
problems and remove waste in an organization.

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