Lean, Six Sigma, and Lean Six Sigma Elevator Speech

I teach that by itself Lean is a way to redesign a value stream according to certain principles to improve flow in a value stream, thereby reducing cycle time and achieving a number of other benefits quickly. Six Sigma has two modes: project and operational. The project mode involves a framework such as DMAIC or DfSS. The operational mode employs Six Sigma principles (management by facts and data, statistical thinking, systematic identification of root causes of outcomes, etc.) to achieve stakeholder goals. Lean Six Sigma can be used to provide a framework for kaizen bursts, or to solve other problems preventing continuous flow in an organization or value stream. Hmmm…Upon re-reading this it strikes me that it’s full of jargon. Let’s try putting it into layman’s terms. Lean helps you make things with minimal waste and delay. Six Sigma helps you find out why things vary and how to reduce variation. Lean Six Sigma helps you solve challenging problems causing waste...

Lean Six Sigma Improvement and Work Design

This article is an excerpt from a lesson in Pyzdek Institute Lean Six Sigma Black Belt training. Future posts will continue the topic. In previous lessons you learned how to change a traditional batch-and-queue value stream into a lean value stream. Now we will discuss the design of the actual work that will take place within the processes of the value stream. By going a level deeper we will be able to improve the flow of work within the different processes in the value stream. Specifically, you will learn how to design continuous flow work cells. While the discussion here focuses mainly on manufacturing work cells, the lean principles described apply to any work, including that done in administrative, transaction, or services such as healthcare, retail, and so on. Selecting Subprojects The first step is to identify subprojects within the value stream. Subprojects, sometimes called project “loops,” are determined by looking at the future state value stream map and choosing groups...

How to Lie With Statistics-Schwab Chart

Normally when the bottom axis represents time periods, the more recent time periods are on the right side. Not so with this graphic of Schwab U.S. Treasury Money Fund dated April 30, 2010. On this chart the most recent period is on the left, not the right. Nice try Schwab! When using graphics in quality and process improvement, care must be taken not to inadvertently “lie” with statistics. Sometimes even the best get it wrong. GD Star Ratingloading...

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5.0/5: Does Normality Really Matter in ANOVA?
5.0/5: President Obama, Rush Limbaugh, and me
5.0/5: Six Sigma Project Guidelines in Plain English
5.0/5: P.F. Chang's Simple Recipe for Profits
5.0/5: Six Sigma: 5 Reasons why Big Business is Going Geek
5.0/5: Study: Ford Quality Rivaling Japanese Counterparts - Industry Headlines - Quality
5.0/5: Peter L. Bersbach
5.0/5: Tough Times and Lean Six Sigma
5.0/5: 101 Things a Black Belt Should Know
5.0/5: U.S. airlines continue on-time improvement in February - USATODAY.com

Resources for Six Sigma

Introduction to Six Sigma

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Six Sigma Statistics

Six Sigma Videos (Requires QuickTime)

Leading Six Sigma

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Good books on Six Sigma and other topics

What is Six Sigma?

By Thomas Pyzdek, Author of The Six Sigma Handbook

For Motorola, the originator of Six Sigma, the answer to the question "Why Six Sigma?" was simple: survival. Motorola came to Six Sigma because it was being consistently beaten in the competitive marketplace by foreign firms that were able to produce higher quality products at a lower cost. When a Japanese firm took over a Motorola factory that manufactured Quasar television sets in the United States in the 1970s, they promptly set about making drastic changes in the way the factory operated. Under Japanese management, the factory was soon producing TV sets with 1/20^th the number of defects they had produced under Motorola management. They did this using the same workforce, technology, and designs, making it clear that the problem was Motorola's management. Eventually, even Motorola's own executives had to admit "our quality stinks." Read More...