Lean Six Sigma For Dummies

Become a process improvement star with Lean Six Sigma! 

Thinking Lean? Not in terms of weight loss, but operational efficiency? Then you can get into the Lean mindset with Lean Six Sigma For Dummies.  A popular process improvement strategy used in many corporations, Lean Six Sigma exemplifies eliminating waste and optimizing flow at an operational level. With the strategies outlined in this book, you’ll have your projects, team, and maybe even your organization running at peak efficiency. 

Written by two experts that have been teaching Lean Six Sigma for over 20 years, Lean Six Sigma For Dummies explains the jargon surrounding this organizational practice, outlines the key principles of both Lean thinking and the Six Sigma process, and breaks it all down into easy-to-follow steps. 

• Use Lean Six Sigma to develop a culture of continuous improvement 
• Complete repetitive tasks through robotic process automation 
• Assess how well your company and employees adapt to Lean Six Sigma 
• Discover tips on how to implement Lean Six Sigma every day 
• Find best practices to sustain ongoing improvements 

With handy checklists and helpful advice, Lean Six Sigma For Dummies shows you how to implement Lean Six Sigma in any industry, within any size organization. Pick up your copy to successfully lean into the Lean Six Sigma mindset yourself.  

Martin Brenig-Jones is CEO of Catalyst Consulting, Europe’s leading Lean Six Sigma solutions provider. He has 30 years of experience in Quality and Change Management.

Jo Dowdall has 21 years of experience as a Continuous Improvement profes­sional, coach, trainer, and advocate. She is an accomplished Quality Manager and Master Black Belt.

Introduction 1

About This Book 1

Foolish Assumptions 2

Icons Used In This Book 2

Beyond This Book 3

Where to Go From Here 3

Part 1: Understanding Lean Six Sigma 5

Chapter 1: Defining Lean Six Sigma 7

Introducing Lean Thinking 7

Bringing on the basics of Lean 8

Perusing the principles of Lean thinking 13

Sussing Six Sigma 13

Considering the key elements of Six Sigma 14

Getting to grips with variation 15

Calculating Process Sigma values 18

Bringing Lean and Six Sigma together 22

Adding More to the Mix 22

Managing change 22

Applying Agility 23

Employing innovation 24

Practicing Project Management 24

Chapter 2: Understanding the Principles of Lean Six Sigma 27

Considering the Key Principles of Lean Six Sigma 27

Focus on the customer 28

Identify and understand how the work gets done 28

Manage, improve and smooth the process flow 28

Remove non-value-adding steps and waste 29

Manage by fact and reduce variation 29

Involve and equip the people in the process 29

Undertake improvement activity in a systematic way 29

Improving Existing Processes: Introducing DMAIC 30

Defining your project 31

Measuring how the work is done 35

Analyzing your process 35

Improving your process 36

Coming up with a control plan 36

Reviewing Your DMAIC Phases 37

Taking a Pragmatic Approach 40

Part 2: Lean Six Sigma Foundations 43

Chapter 3: Identifying Your Process Customers 45

Understanding the Process Basics 45

Pinpointing the elements of a process 46

Identifying internal and external customers 47

Getting a High-Level Picture 49

Drawing a high-level process map 50

Segmenting customers 53

Chapter 4: Understanding Your Customers’ Needs 55

Considering Kano 55

Obtaining the Voice of the Customer 57

Taking an outside-in view 58

Seeing customer segments 58

Prioritizing your customers 59

Researching the Requirements 60

Interviewing your customers 62

Focusing on focus groups 63

Considering customer surveys 64

Using observations 64

Avoiding Bias 65

Considering Critical To Quality Customer Requirements 65

Establishing the Real CTQs 69

Prioritizing the requirements 69

Measuring performance using customer-focused measures 70

Chapter 5: Understanding the Process 73

Finding Out How the Work Gets Done 73

Practicing Process Stapling 74

Drawing spaghetti diagrams 76

Painting a Picture of the Process 78

Keeping things simple 80

Developing a deployment flowchart 80

Constructing a Value Stream Map 84

Identifying moments of truth 94

Chapter 6: Managing People and Change 97

Getting into the Grey Matter 98

Gaining Acceptance 98

Sizing Up the Status Quo 99

Using a forcefield diagram 99

Analyzing your stakeholders 100

Coping with Change 101

Creating the Vision 103

Busting Assumptions 105

Part 3: Understanding Performance and Analyzing the Process 109

Chapter 7: Gathering Data 111

Managing by Fact 111

Realizing the importance of good data 112

Reviewing what you currently measure 112

Deciding what to measure 113

Developing a Data Collection Plan 114

Step 1: Agreeing on the measures 114

Step 2: Creating clear operational definitions 116

Step 3: Validating your measurement system 118

Step 4: Developing the Sampling Plan 120

Step 5: Collecting the data 128

Identifying ways to improve your approach 130

Chapter 8: Presenting Your Data 133

Delving into Different Types of Variation 133

Understanding natural variation 134

Spotlighting special cause variation 135

Distinguishing between variation types 135

Avoiding tampering 135

Displaying data differently 136

Recognizing the Importance of Control Charts 137

Creating a control chart 138

Spotting special causes 139

Choosing the right control chart 142

Examining the state of your processes 143

Considering the capability of your processes 145

Handling a histogram 149

Using Pareto charts 151

Chapter 9: Identifying Root Causes 153

Unearthing the Suspects 153

Generating Your List of Suspects 154

Creating a cause and effect diagram 154

Applying affinity mapping 155

Digging deeper with the Five Whys 156

Understanding the key drivers 157

Confirming the Causes 158

Investigating the suspects and getting the facts 158

Succeeding with scatter plots 159

Measuring the relationship between X and Y 160

Handling hypothesis tests 162

Moving on 165

Chapter 10: Identifying Non-Value-Adding Steps and Waste 167

Defining Value-Adding 167

Providing a common definition 168

Carrying out a value-add/non-value-add analysis 169

Assessing opportunity 171

Looking at the Eight Wastes 172

Troubling over transportation 172

Investigating inventory 173

Moving in on motion 173

Playing the waiting game 174

Owning up to overproduction 175

Picking on overprocessing 175

Dealing with defects 176

Realizing the potential in people 176

Going greener with Lean Six Sigma 177

Considering customer perspectives 177

Going for a Waste Walk 178

Chapter 11: Getting the Process to Flow 179

Applying the Theory of Constraints 179

Identifying the weakest link 180

Improving the process flow 180

Building a buffer 182

Managing the Production Cycle 183

Using pull rather than push production 183

Moving to single piece flow 184

Recognizing the problem with batches 184

Looking at Your Layout 185

Identifying wasted movement 185

Using cell manufacturing (a.k.a autonomous working) 185

Applying cell manufacturing in the office 187

Identifying product families 187

Taking takt time into account 188

Part 4: Improving and Innovating 191

Chapter 12: Thinking Differently and Generating Solutions 193

Getting Immersed in Ideas 193

Showering and storming 194

Negative brainstorming 194

Using words and pictures 195

Brainwriting 195

Identifying the attributes 196

Additional tools for idea generation 197

Prioritizing the Ideas 198

Feeling dotty with n/3 199

Using a criteria selection matrix 199

Testing the Ideas to See What Will Fly 201

Chapter 13: Discovering the Opportunity for Prevention 203

Looking at Prevention Tools and Techniques 204

Introducing Jidoka 204

Recognizing risk with Failure Mode and Effects Analysis 205

Error proofing your processes 206

Workplace Organization 208

Introducing the Five Ss 209

Carrying out a red-tag exercise 210

Using Visual Management 210

Profiting from Preventive Maintenance 213

Avoiding Peaks and Troughs 213

Introducing Heijunka 214

Spreading the load 214

Carrying out work in a standard way 215

Building in Business Process Robotics 216

Chapter 14: Introducing Design for Six Sigma 217

Introducing DfSS 217

Introducing DMADV 218

Defining What Needs Designing 219

Getting the measure of needs 220

Analyzing for design 221

Developing the detailed design 222

Verifying that the design works 222

Choosing between DMAIC and DMADV 223

Considering Quality Function Deployment (QFD) 224

Clarifying the floorplan 225

Undertaking a QFD drill-down 231

Making Decisions 232

Chapter 15: Discovering Design Thinking 235

The Principles of Design Thinking 236

Comparing DMADV and Design Thinking 236

Walking through the Design Thinking Steps 237

Understanding the task 237

Empathizing and observing 239

Redefining the problem 240

Finding ideas (ideation) 241

Designing prototypes 243

Testing ideas and assumptions 244

Deciding on Design Thinking 245

Chapter 16: Applying Agile to Lean Six Sigma Projects 247

Understanding Agile Principles 248

Embracing an Agile Mindset 249

Succeeding in the Scrum 250

Understanding Agile roles 252

Concentrating on customer requirements 253

Capitalizing on Kanbans 254

Combining Agile and Lean Six Sigma 256

Part 5: Deploying Lean Six Sigma and Making Change Happen 257

Chapter 17: Running Rapid Improvement Events and Solving Problems with DMAIC 259

Raving about Rapid Improvement 260

Understanding the Facilitator’s Role 262

Planning and preparation 262

Running the event 265

Following up and action planning 266

Creating a Checklist for Running Successful Events 266

Practicing Problem Solving 267

Chapter 18: Ensuring Everyday Operational Excellence 269

Standardizing the Process 270

Perfecting the process handover 270

Populating the Process Management Chart 271

Making Everyday Operational Excellence a Reality 272

Embracing Leader Standard Work 272

Engaging the team 274

Using the right methodology 276

Creating a culture of Continuous Improvement 276

Understanding Organizational Culture 277

Chapter 19: Leading the Deployment and Selecting the Right Projects 279

Considering Key Factors for Successful Deployment 280

Understanding Executive Sponsorship 280

Considering Size and Sector 282

Recognizing the Important Role of Managers 283

Introducing the Deployment Program Manager 284

Starting Your Lean Six Sigma Program 286

Understanding What Project Sponsors Do 287

Driving Strategy Deployment with Lean Six Sigma 288

Generating a List of Candidate Improvement Projects 288

Deciding Whether Lean Six Sigma Is the Right Approach 291

Prioritizing projects 292

Deciding on which approach fits which project 294

Setting Up a DMAIC Project 295

Chapter 20: Putting It All Together: Checklists to Support Your DMAIC Project 297

Defining the Project 298

Delivering the Define phase 298

Getting through the Define phase tollgate 299

Moving into the Measure Phase 300

Making good on Measure phase deliverables 300

Getting through the Measure phase tollgate 301

Analyzing to Identify Root Causes 302

Acing the Analyze phase 302

Getting through the Analyze phase tollgate 303

Quantifying the Opportunity 303

Identifying and Planning the Improvements 304

Executing the Improve phase 304

Getting through the Improve phase tollgate 305

Confirming the Customer and Business Benefits 306

Implementing the Solutions and Controlling the Process 307

Completing the Control phase               .308

Getting through the Control phase tollgate 308

Conducting the Final Benefit Review 309

Part 6: The Part of Tens 311

Chapter 21: Ten Tips for Best-Practice Project Storyboards 313

Keep It Brief 314

Make It Visual 314

Make It Flow 314

Weave the Story Together with a Golden Thread 315

Keep It Up to Date as You Go Along 315

Don’t Forget the “Happily Ever After” Part 316

Keep It Simple 316

Develop a One-Page Summary 316

Reflect on the Lessons Learned 317

Share, Share, Share! 317

Chapter 22: Ten Pitfalls to Avoid 319

Jumping to Solutions 319

Coming Down with Analysis Paralysis 320

Falling into Common Project Traps 321

Stifling the Program Before You’ve Started 322

Ignoring Change Management 323

Getting Complacent 323

Thinking That You’re Already Doing It 323

Believing the Myths 324

Doing the Wrong Things Right 324

Overtraining 325

Chapter 23: Ten (Plus One) Places to Go for Help 327

Your Colleagues 327

Your Sponsor 328

Other Organizations 328

The Internet 328

Social Media 330

Networks and Associations 330

Conferences 330

Books 331

Periodicals 332

Software 332

Statistical analysis 333

Simulation 333

Deployment management 334

Online collaboration tools 334

Training and Consulting Companies 334

Index 335

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