Lean Six Sigma is the synthesis of two principles: Lean Methodology and Six Sigma which both improve organization efficiency and quality. Developed by Toyota in the 1940s, it was a strategy to eliminate inefficient work and eliminate procedures that do not add great value. Six Sigma is best known with Motorola when it was introduced in 1986 and trademarked in 1993 to eliminate variability and defects through rigorous statistical analysis and process improvements.
In the 1990s, the integration of these strategies catered to the necessity of the US manufacturers to take upon the Japanese high-quality product competition. Michael George and Robert Lawrence Jr. popularized this integrated approach in the year 2002 in their famous book, "Lean Six Sigma: Combining Six Sigma with Lean Speed." This combines the efficiency of lean with the tight focus on quality associated with Six Sigma to create powerful approaches for simultaneously optimizing speed and accuracy in production and service processes.
What Is Lean Six Sigma?
Lean Six Sigma certification is one of the most credible certifications, allowing you to demonstrate your competencies in process improvement methodologies. Combining the "Go Lean" principles that focus on waste removal and performance improvement with Six Sigma's data-based approach to minimizing process variation and maximizing quality, this certification can indeed put a fierce tool in the hands of operational excellence. People are certified based on a stringent level of training and examination and exist at many levels, beginning with the Yellow Belt and culminating with the Black Belt for experts.
Certified individuals have the capability of utilizing process analysis, and hence, they can identify the ineffective areas to develop and implement improvement strategies. This particular certification is highly in demand with organizations from every field that sensitivity leads to deliverables and strong value propositions for an organization, and the development of a culture of continuous improvement within an organization. It contributes to positioning professionals as leading and capable agents in the processes of transforming organizational productivity and driving sustainable growth.
Principles Of Lean Six Sigma
- Focus on the Customer
The Lean Six Sigma builds off of a strong foundation for understanding and meeting the needs of customers. Bringing a focus on what makes customers happy allows a business to improve its processes to deliver a better overall experience for the customer.
- Measure and Find Problems
Lean Six Sigma aims to examine each element of the process in an attempt to quantify how things are running. By scrutinizing every step, a business can find problems, inefficiencies, and areas that need improvement.
- Waste less and Improved Flow
One of the essential ideas in Lean Six Sigma is to eliminate waste and facilitate the smooth running of processes. It entails removing delays and steps that do not create value to increase productivity, and efficiency, reduce costs, and so on.
- Reduce Variation
Variation can lead to inconsistencies and defects in the processes. Lean Six Sigma reduces these variations to bring forth stable processes that turn out consistent and reliable results.
- Improve Systematically
It has an organized way of improving, just like the DMAIC model: Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve, and Control. This methodology ensures changes are data-based and improvement-oriented in a manner that sustains results.
- Train and Engage People
Lean Six Sigma stresses training and involving everyone in the organization. Empowering and engaging workers helps companies utilize their talents and thoughts for further improvement.
- Understand Your Workflow
Through Lean Six Sigma, companies are better capable of understanding the workflows involved. If there is an effort to see beyond the obvious, one would find those many 'hidden' opportunities for addressing the root causes that will make a meaningful change in the decision-making process.