Getting Started – Lean Six Sigma in Your Business?

All companies want to do better. Whether it is hiring rock star talent, launching a new product, expanding sales channels or reducing overhead, organizations are continuously looking for ways to improve performance.

One way to improve performance is by finding ways to do more with less. In exploring ways to achieve measurable results of those types of improvements, many organizations have turned to Lean Six Sigma to meet their goals. This methodology when implemented will increase revenue by streamlining processes resulting in products or services that are completed faster and more efficiently and still meet and, in some cases, exceed both internal and external customer expectations.

Fixing Processes Saves Resources and Money
Lean Six Sigma attacks an organization’s entire process, not just the part that is broken. A team is gathered which includes a representative from every part of the process. The problem solving methodology behind Lean Six Sigma is explored in five phases which are: Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control (DMAIC).

• Define – This phase identifies what needs to be fixed for the team working on the project and the organization’s leadership.
• Measure – This phase maps out the current process and looks for loops, or redundancies, and idle time in the process.
• Analyze – This phase consists of narrowing down and verifying the root causes of waste, such as bottlenecks and delays.
• Improve – This phase moves into execution. Now that the areas of waste have been identified, solutions can be created and implemented.
• Control – This phase involves the measuring and monitoring of the solution(s) for success as well as sharing the improvements with the team effected and ensuring that they are all onboard with the changes.*

*https://goleansixsigma.com/dmaic-five-basic-phases-of-lean-Six-Sigma/

Improvements Lead to Greater Customer Satisfaction
By identifying and eliminating loops, bottlenecks and defects in the delivery of an organization’s products or services, it can now focus on maximizing efforts to deliver a high quality product or service to customers. This can lead to the allocation of resources or revenue generated from the more efficient processes to be used toward growing the business. Lean Six Sigma allows an organization to deliver more products or services with more satisfied customers by creating capacity to do more with less.

Implementation Helps Develop More Effective Employees
Lean Six Sigma is a collaborative effort that involves employees in the improvement process. This active participation creates an engaged and accountable team. It also builds trust. Lean Six Sigma emphasizes transparency throughout all levels of the organization and identifies how each person is important to the organization’s success.

This sense of ownership in the process increases employees’ effectiveness in delivering results for any improvement project they are involved in. This benefit is often overlooked by organizations who implement Lean Six Sigma, but it is important because it dramatically increases the chances of continued success of Lean Six Sigma, and the business itself.

Is your company looking to do more with less?
It is time to explore Lean Six Sigma. It helps identify the cause of a problem and implement a fix based on facts, rather than assumptions. The benefits include increased customer satisfaction, increased revenue and/or resources and production of results that the organization’s employees are engaged in and proud to be a part of.

Interested in learning more about Lean Six Sigma? Contact Claudia R. Wolter, at cwolter@katzabosch.com