Today new technologies are advancing your competition and it is not enough to make simple adjustments to your current practises in a hope to stay ahead of the game. Organizations will need to reinvent and re-engineer their processes to be agile so that they can quickly adapt to the new world order of unprecedented change with external influences that can dramatically influence how work gets done.
igma
When you are stuck with productivity and/or quality challenges that can’t be solved, Lean Six Sigma provides a combination of two powerful methods that will reduce waste, improve efficiency and eliminate variability through process improvements. What this means essentially, is that it is a solution to get better results, more consistent quality and higher productivity while reducing or removing the associated risks.
At the heart of Lean Six Sigma is a systematic effort intended to improve customer experience and product or service requirements. Process reengineering differs in that it takes a more holistic view, focusing on creating an entirely new, more effective process which will dramatically improve performance.
The outcomes of a Lean Six Sigma or Process Reengineering project, invariably lead to competitive advantages for product and service-oriented companies. This approach can be applied to any process from the back office to the shop floor.
Let’s break it down:
Lean is a systematic approach to reduce or eliminate activities that don’t add value to the process. It emphasizes removing wasteful steps in a process and keeping only value-added steps. The Lean method ensures high quality and customer satisfaction.
Six Sigma is a data-driven problem-solving methodology. The focus here is on process variation with an emphasis on customer satisfaction. The goal of Six Sigma is to achieve a level of quality that is nearly perfect, with only 3.4 defects per million opportunities.
DMAIC is an integral part of a Six Sigma initiative. As a data-driven quality strategy, it is used to improve processes and can be implemented as a standalone quality improvement procedure or as part of other process improvement initiatives such as lean.
Prioritize projects based on business impact and alignment with organizational imperatives. Lean Six Sigma projects start by capturing the voice of the customer:
Measurements drive the Lean Six Sigma improvement process – what gets measured gets done!
Analytical tools are used to dissect the root cause of process variability and separate the vital few inputs from the trivial many
The Improve phase turns analysis into action.
After implementing improvement actions, the Control step verifies results and consolidates the gains:
Lean Six Sigma combines these two strategies of Lean and Six Sigma to accelerate problem solving to improve processes to be faster and more efficient.
Although these are distinct methodologies, in the “real world” projects rarely fit neatly under Lean or Six Sigma.
Consider the following questions to identify if your challenge would respond to a lean six sigma approach:Sigma in Practice
If the above challenges sound familiar to you, Lean Six Sigma may be the best solution for sustainable results. Here’s what you can expect:
When you really need a win and don’t have the time or expertise in house, you want a team of Lean Six Sigma experts who have earned their certifications through a rigorous curriculum (unlike the many online certification bodies) requiring demonstrated experience in practise utilizating appropriate tools, knowledge and methodologies to drive performance and add value for the customer. Based on our training, work experience, credentials and the results we achieve, our reputation puts us amongst the top Lean Six Sigma consulting firms in North America.
When results matter, we are confident you will achieve your goals when you partner with us.
