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.
A Definition of Terms
Before defining Lean Six Sigma in more detail, 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 organisation.
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
Lean originated at Toyota in the ’40s and Six Sigma originated at Motorola in the ’80s. 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.
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.
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