There are an abundance of tools in the Lean Six Sigma toolkit but what really makes the difference is getting a little guidance and seeing some practical examples. Once you see how these tools and concepts function in the real world, it’s easier to apply them to your own processes and you’re more likely to see significant results.
By eliminating bottlenecks and promoting innovations in your business processes, you can propel your business to lasting organizational growth and increased revenue within a short time frame. When you build your business using Lean Six Sigma, it becomes easy to share initiatives, handle projects, track deliverables, and pay attention to…
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.” - Margaret Mead Fellow Lean community practitioners, as the recent Coronavirus outbreak is showing us, there is a tremendous gap between the current situation and the state of…
Surely everyone knows that process improvement has changed dramatically over the last 20 years, and certainly there are generational differences in the practitioners then and now. The first post in this series, The Next Generation of Lean Six Sigma (Part 1): Then and Now, was about the generational shifts in…
I reached out to the broader Lean Six Sigma community to find out how they’re putting their collective skills to use during the COVID-19 fallout. I wanted to hear from them for myself, but also to bring that wisdom to our learners. This group is experiencing the pandemic in different…
Imagine yourself in the room. The cross-functional team had just started their project review meeting. Things started out smoothly—but then deteriorated quickly into a tense exchange of thoughts and opinions. The body language clearly indicated that several team members had “dug in their heels” and were no longer actively problem-solving.…
Given the current pandemic, organizations are following social distancing recommendations and arranging for employees to work virtually. But that doesn’t mean everyone knows how best to navigate the virtual world. Schools are mandating in-class teaching to move to a virtual online environment. But not every “classroom” is the same. This…
Circa 2005, one of our employers, who had adopted Lean in the early 90s, decided to make Six Sigma mandatory for salaried employees. As a Lean zealot, I went kicking and screaming down the path of my Green Belt Certification. The only thing that made the experience fun was that…
Surely everyone knows that process improvement has changed dramatically over the last 20 years, and certainly there are generational differences in the practitioners then and now. The first post in this series, The Next Generation of Lean Six Sigma (Part 1): Then and Now, was about the generational shifts in…
Improving a process takes time and organization, but what if your project path was laid out for you? What if all the templates and examples were at your fingertips so you could focus your efforts on collecting data and digging to root cause? That's the secret of the Project…
Do you struggle getting people on board with change? Do your project goals fail to inspire? Move past tactical targets like "save money" and "reduce cycle time" and get to the "why" by clarifying purpose. Answer the question, "For the sake of what?", and watch people get on board. Explain…