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Lean Six Sigma Principles
In the fast-paced and globalized world of business today, competitors are fierce. In such a climate, it is important to maintain a competitive edge, which drives business professionals to explore new management techniques and leadership approaches. It may not be the new method that provides the best solution. For example, combining the tried-and-true Lean approach with Six Sigma certification principles like DMAIC might be the key to success for your salary and for companies working towards maximizing efficiency and maintaining superior quality standards.
The Lean Six Sigma Concept
Lean management is a concept that focuses on reducing and eliminating eight types of waste, known as DOWNTIME. This acronym is formed by the words defects (overproduction), waiting, non-utilized talents, transportation, inventories, motion, and extra-processing. Lean is any tool, method, or measure that assists in identifying and eliminating waste.
Six Sigma is a term used to describe tools and techniques to improve manufacturing processes. The strategy aims to eliminate defects and variations in business and manufacturing processes.
For example, Lean Six Sigma certification uses the DMAIC phases. The acronym is defined, measure, analyze, improve, and control. This is the lean six sigma certification five-step data-driven method of improving, optimizing, and stabilizing manufacturing and business processes that can promote a generous salary for their professionals.
Lean Six Sigma is a combination of Lean strategy with Six Sigma tools and techniques that highlight waste, defects, and variations and reduces them. Six Sigma ensures improvement in the company’s operations and promotes a generous salary for professionals.
The 7 Lean Six Sigma Principles
1. Focus on your customer.
Every company’s main goal is to provide a product or a service that the customers will pay for. For example, Lean Six Sigma principles recommend putting customers and their requirements first. Try to put yourself in your customer’s position and see if your product matches their expectations. Successful companies provide added value based on their customers’ requirements.
It doesn’t really matter if you have a brilliant idea if your customer isn’t getting any benefit from it.
2. To understand the process, map the value streams.
Value stream maps show all steps of your work process that are necessary to provide value to the client. It shows the flow of resources and work from your company to the customer.
It is important to identify and map your value streams in order to create a successful business. This helps you improve and streamline your processes.
3. Improve the flow of work and manage it.
It is not sufficient to map your value streams. This is only the beginning. You can then identify problems in your workflow and discover bottlenecks, as well as investigate the root causes of any process issues.
You can use different techniques and tools to uncover bottlenecks. With a Kanban Board, for example, you can visualize the workflow, identify bottlenecks and analyze where work is stuck. You can then use techniques like 5 whys to identify the root causes of problems and find solutions.
4. Reduce waste and non-value-added steps.
Toyota Production System is the source of this idea. Taiichi Ohno is considered to be one of the founders of TPS. He dedicated his life to creating a reliable and efficient working process.
Lean is all about “non-value added activity”. Toyota’s Mr. Ohno describes the work of Toyota with this sentence: “All that we do is look at the timeline from the time the customer places an order until the point where we collect the money.” We are reducing the timeline by eliminating non-value-added wastes.
By eliminating wasteful activities, companies can dramatically increase their operational efficiency and optimize resources while increasing profitability.
There are seven types of waste.
- Transport Waste
- Wastage of Inventory
- Waste of Motion
- Wasting Time
- Waste of Overproduction
- Overprocessing is a waste
- Waste of Defects
You must first distinguish between Pure and Necessary Waste.
Unnecessary Waste– This is an activity that does not add value but is necessary to complete tasks in a high-quality manner.
Pure Waste This is a non-value-adding and unnecessary activity. This is anything that does not add value to the customer and can be eliminated from the process.
5. Reduce variation by managing facts.
Cost efficiency and customer satisfaction are the two main goals of every organization. For example, Lean Six Sigma advocates standardization and a reduction in variation.
Standardization and reduction of variation can help companies be more cost-efficient and increase customer satisfaction.
- Document all your processes.
- Make sure everyone understands and follows the same steps.
- Share and establish best practices
- All employees should receive adequate training.
6. Include and equip the people involved in the process.
Lean Six Sigma culture is based on process improvement. Listening to those who are involved in the daily process is essential to making the best decisions. Remember that employees on the front line are likely to provide valuable feedback about how a particular process can be improved.
Lean Six Sigma principles also strongly recommend that you have a dedicated Six Sigma process improvement team. It is important to note that improvements are not made randomly, but rather as a result collective efforts and shared vision. Your organization must provide training on process improvement and ensure that employees are familiarized with different tools for Lean Six Sigma and measurement methods.
7. Take improvement activities in a systematic manner.
Lean Six Sigma is a complex process that requires many changes. It is important to build a culture that encourages employees to accept change. But, random changes are not liked by anyone. It is for this reason that they should be supported by data.
How does data help?
By using data to support your arguments, you will be able to show workers the origins of a change and how it was made. Using numbers makes it easier to communicate the benefits of a change in work processes.
A Lean Six Sigma certification provides highly scientific and systematic tools and approaches for collecting, quantifying, and analyzing information, including the DMAIC, Kanban boards, 5S, and more that promotes a generous salary for their professionals.
Lean Six Sigma Techniques
Techniques and tools that are used to achieve the essential principles of Lean Six Sigma include, for example:
- Kanban Workflow management techniques, such as visualizing work and limiting the amount of work in progress. These practices maximize efficiency and encourage continuous improvement.
- Kaizen: Practices to engage employees, and promote a workplace that emphasizes continuous improvement and self-development.
- Value Stream Mapping: Identify areas to reduce waste and optimize processes.
- Tool 5S: A method to improve the efficiency, productivity, safety, and success of the workplace.
Lean Six Sigma Phases
DMAIC stands for Define, Measure Analyze Improve and Control. These DMAIC certification phases are used to improve process problems that have unknown root causes. 2
Define
Define the issue from all perspectives: company, stakeholder, and customer. Determine the customer’s quality expectations and the scope of the problem.
Measure
Examine how the process contributes to a problem. Check if the process meets the quality standards of the customers. Each process step should be matched to your quality criteria. Measurements should be backed up by actual performance data.
Analyze
Analyze all the information you have gathered so far to determine the nature, scope, and cause of the problem.
You can Improve Yourself
Solve the issue and check the results. Work together to create a solution that eliminates the problem as well as its root cause. Utilize your data to make sure that the solution is appropriate for the problem. Test the solution, and use performance data to back it up.
Control
Continue to monitor improvement. Finalize acceptable performance criteria. Create a plan to deal with any variations, maintain improvements and prevent a repeat of the original issue.
Which do you think is the most important principle and why?
Leave your answer in the comments below!
