re: Lean Six Sigma - Anyone Tried This?

lean > six sigma

Lean = find waste (usually time/waiting)

Six Sigma = avoid defects (quality)

most companies will benefit from the lean

I have a black belt in it. It's very valuable if used correctly. The problem is always in getting management to make sure actions are carrried to completion. Actions get bastardized to become more bureaucratic

What field was the project in? Can you see the application of the principles taught as transferable across various different fields? Or, as notiger1997 suggested, is the application pretty much based in manufacturing?

The project was a continuous manufacturing process, but just like any quality improvement tool, it can be applied to other processes.

Sounds like it's more about evaluating and refining processes than management. You can have the best process in the world, but if you don't know how to management, you're back to square 1 of having an inefficient system. [/quote]

This is why top management needs to fully understand and support the DMAIC process, otherwise you will just be spinning your wheels, and no one will be happy with the outcome. Most people want to jump right into the measurement step of the process, but my instructors made it clear that the define step should be rigorously implemented for the process to be successful.

LSUtoBOOT - thank you for the analysis; that explains a lot.

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the define step should be rigorously implemented for the process to be successful

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Couldn't agree with this more, although this I feel like this was taught early on in business courses. You have to define what your goal is - otherwise, just like you said, you're spinning your wheels and getting nowhere.

I work for GE. It was Jack Welch's staple.

Lean manufacturing focuses on the 8 deadly sins of waste, and six sigma focuses on the six kazien princples.

Everything we do falls underneath Lean Six Sigma, and they are both great tools. We do less of six sigma now though, fewer black belts.

There are certain situations where LSS is quite effective, but in most cases just knowing how to build a "good enough" process will work fine.

Especially if you're a small nonmanufacturing firm I wouldn't waste the time on it. If you're a Fortune 500 manufacturer selling millions of widgets that must be of uniform quality, then yes you should care.

I put together a Board of Directors for a 501c3 years ago. One of the people I chose was a disciple, guru, and Pope of the LEAN six sigma. Made his living off it for a while. He was as worthless as tits on a boar in any situation that was not discussing the merits of said program.

Go read a few books on it, and save yourself the $$. Certifications from any non-name brand entity in that sort of thing doesn't hold very much weight.

I work in Business Management Consulting, seems like 1 out of every 5 people have some sort of belt these days...

Edit: for reference, I have a black belt from CAT with projects producing $1m+ in financial benefit to the dealership I worked for.

What Caterpillar does, and what your dealer is currently doing with it are not necessarily congruent.