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What is Lean Six Sigma?





Today, Lean and Six Sigma are the most popular business strategies for enabling continuous improvement, CI, in the manufacturing, service, and public sectors. 

CI is the main goal for any organization wishing to achieve quality and operational excellence and to enhance performance.

Therefore, the integration of the two approaches improves efficiency and effectiveness and helps to achieve superior performance faster than the implementation of each approach in isolation. 

As the competition continues to get tougher, there is much pressure on product development, manufacturing, and service organizations to become more productive and efficient.




What is LEAN? 

The National Institute of Standards and Technology, NIST, through its Manufacturing Extension Partnership, defines LEAN as a systematic approach to identifying and eliminating waste, non-value-added activities, through continuous improvement by flowing the product at the pull of the customer in pursuit of perfection.




What is Six Sigma? 

Six Sigma is a fact-based, data-driven philosophy of improvement that values defect prevention over defect detection. 

It drives customer satisfaction and bottom-line results by reducing variation and waste, thereby promoting a competitive advantage. It applies anywhere variation and waste exist, and every employee should be involved.

LSS organizations are constantly searching for more effective ways to deliver value for the customer. 




How do we define value and distinguish it from activities that produce no value? 

To better understand this term, we have provided you with a practical definition of value-added, VA, non-value-added, NVA, and non-value-added but necessary.

Value-added is an activity that transforms or shapes raw material or information to meet customer requirements. 

Non-value-added is an activity that takes time, resources, or space, but does not add to the value of the product or service itself from the customer perspective. 

Non-value-added but necessary is an activity that does not add value to the product or service but is required.

For example accounting, health and safety, governmental regulations, etc. In the business process management methodology this is called business value added. 

Traditionally, Lean has classified waste into 8 major categories. These categories were developed based upon visual symptoms in the organization.



The eight waste categories are overproduction, excess inventory, defects, extra processing, waiting, motion, transportation and underutilized people.

Lean Six Sigma is a comprehensive approach that fosters a culture of continuous improvement, aiming to enhance performance across various industries. By integrating Lean's efficiency focus with Six Sigma's quality emphasis, organizations can achieve significant operational improvements.


Video Link:

https://youtu.be/dD4sHE9vbZs?si=EC6gN9CUOkZxUrZO




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