Quote from the article:

“Through Lean Six Sigma, soldiers and leaders will learn how to properly manage time and resources while delivering a top quality product the first time,” said Chief Warrant Officer Jackie Vuorinen, the TF-Resolute safety officer. “This is a program all soldiers can use to save Army resources while providing higher quality products.”

Tim appeared on the Business901 podcast, Are right brain thinkers better leaders? Tim is a University of Kentucky Certified Lean Master, a Goldratt Institute Theory of Constraint Supply Chain Expert, an ASQ-Certified Six Sigma Black Belt, and a Licensed Social Worker with a SECRET clearance and his website, BusinessLeadership.com is a popular venue for leading edge thinking.

Thanks Tim for passing this on and wish you and everyone else at Kandahar Airfield a safe and Happy Holiday!

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There will always be a strong debate between Lean and Six Sigma people about using the 2 terms jointly. I am not positive of the lineage of it but I believe Michael George at the time of the George Group (later to be Accenture) coined the term. I assume he viewed the two methodologies as compatible and more effective in conjunction with each other versus separately. I am not even sure that many (Case in point being that many of today’s “Lean” consultants were trained as Lean Six Sigma Black Belts) disagreed at the time except for the very traditional Lean stalwarts.

Dr. Mikel Harry, credited as one of the founders of Six Sigma states that Six Sigma is not a culture and was developed as a quality tool to gain breakthrough performance for an organization. I adhere to that statement and think Six Sigma offers great opportunities for an organization and provides a very precise and workable structure in achieving this. I am not against the hierarchy of belts and the formalities of DMAIC, DFSS, etc. Many organizations need this type of structure to be successful. I am avid defender of Six Sigma in the Lean circles many times to the chagrin of others.

Lean was developed by the MIT group under Dr. James Womack from a study of automotive companies and more specifically the Toyota Production System. Its approach is based on continuous improvement with a direct correlation to PDCA and Dr. Deming’s philosophies. Lean made its first inroads in many companies and gains in popularities (IMHO) because of the ease of entry into the methodology. Removing waste and improving flow was Lean’s mantra in the 90’s and the tools of 5s and Value Stream Mapping soared in popularity. However, as Lean continued developing tools of A3, Hoshin and Standard Work became common place. But even more so, the culture of PDCA and the spirit of Kaizen started to take hold.

Six Sigma was the methodology of choice for many manufacturers as a result of the significant strides that GE and Motorola had made. Later, Lean seemed to gain and Six Sigma wane in popularity. Lean became the path to a customer as an enabler of some quick wins. You could then take the deep dive with Six Sigma when you wanted to get “serious”. As Lean continued to steamroll and Six Sigma still continued with somewhat lackluster performance many organizations and consultants dropped the attachment to Six Sigma and became “Lean”. Popularity does create a crowd. This may not be an entirely accurate description but it serves as a basis for my views and the following comments.

What makes Lean Six Sigma work? When you first start using any methodology, you are typically introduced through the tools. Using Lean initially versus Six Sigma makes perfect sense, it is an easier introduction. And why reduce variability on non-value activities? But sooner or later you get to the fork in the road. One path says Six Sigma and the other path is this thing they call culture (Lean). So do you want to take the deep dive with a breakthrough structured approach (still has a steep incline) or do you want to try and instill a culture of empowerment. There is not a right or wrong answer. You can take either. Where I disagree, is that you can take both.

Six Sigma has always been about structure and tools. It is very, very good and does an outstanding job when applied properly. In Six Sigma thinking, you can use Lean tools initially and get to 95%. To finish the job, you use Six Sigma. And as a result, Lean Six Sigma was developed. If your organization grew out of the Motorola and G.E. world it seems like a perfect fit.

If you adopt the Lean mentality and the spirit of Kaizen (continuous improvement is not an event) you become immersed in the culture of Lean, as Dr. Balle wonderfully described in the Zen Story about the mountain. Summed up in the blog post: Lean Tools and Culture as it Relates to Zen

Have you ever played yourself in a game? On a basketball court or even a simple game of checkers, sooner or later you have to pick a side to win. It is inevitable. This is the ultimate wedge between the two methodologies and can simply be stated. Six Sigma is a structured methodology and Lean is a cultural driven learn by doing approach. That is not to say that Six Sigma does not have its prototyping options and that Lean is not without statistical control (it did evolve from Deming). But it is saying that they are both on two completely different paths that you must choose between.

If you take the path of and see Lean as Lean, Six Sigma does not make sense and is not a compatible technology. There is a significant culture difference and approach. If you take the path of Six Sigma, you view Lean as only a set of tools nothing more and why not, Lean has a great toolbox. If you take the path of Lean you still can be just as efficient and just as effective as Six Sigma, you just do it differently.

I make no qualms about stating that I believe and follow a Lean philosophy. Lean works in my world much better. PDCA which is basically form a hypothesis, test it and adjust is what sales and marketing is all about.

I support the idea of Lean Six Sigma without hesitation. What I have trouble understanding is how you can be philosophically aligned in Lean thinking and practice Six Sigma. So I believe you must ask yourself; Which fork in the road do you take?

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Using a structured approach, such as the Lean thinking tool of A3, the mind remains open, enabling one to examine each element of the decision or problem separately or systematically, and sufficiently, ensuring that all alternatives are considered. The outcome is almost always more comprehensive and more effective than the instinctive approach.

Visit the Marketing with A3 Website

Sample A3s

A3 Podcasts

A3 Community

A3 Experts

Amazon Links

The first tool I use may not be considered a tool at all, it is a mind set, This is NOT WHAT to DO. I keep this diagram around and embed it in most of things that are printed. It is very simple but the key to making a successful Poka-Yoke campaign.

The Fishbone Diagram is a graphical compilation used to identify and explore the possible causes which lead to a given mistake. The ultimate aim is to work down through the causes to identify basic root causes of a problem. Related Blog Post.

Organize your mistakes(errors) and group them according to the Matrix. This will simplify the selection process on what mistake to tackle first.

I also have a list of Common Red Flag Conditions. These are quick places to look to assist you in finding the reason for the defect. You could maybe determine these to be your first “WHY” in your search for the root cause. The only thing I would warn you is not to jump to a conclusion. Insert a few these into your fishbone and go through the steps. Use at a brainstorming session to get those ideas flowing.

1. Frequent changes to a job
2. Complex processes
3. Lack of Standards
4. Lack of measurement systems
5. Lack of training
6. Long cycle times
7. Infrequent jobs
8. High output
9. Environmental conditions
10. Attitude ( Motivation)

The one tool that I left is the project sheet. We will start completing the components of this in the next blog and start creating a Poka-Yoke process in it’s entirety.

Technorati : Lean, Lean Six Sigma, Marketing, Poka-Yoke, Six Sigma

Other Blog Posts on Lean Six Sigma

Technorati : duct-tape-marketing, lean-six-sigma, six-sigma, six-sigma certification, six-sigma training

Some may have been thinking that we have been wasting our time. But changing the process without the data is cause for failure. You have heard it time and time again, JUST DO IT! We have been trained that way, action is accomplishment. But the wrong action may accomplish little or drive you deeper into a hole. Without the data from the previous steps, you will not be able to make as effective and dramatic improvements that you desire. Seek 200% procees improvements and cost reductions of half!

If you have Defined, Measured and Analyzed, if nothing else you are one smart cookie. More importantly, if your team has survived, this is the stage they will come back together and the excitement can be re-kindled. Let’s put it all into action: In the Improved stage, we must find and implement solutions that will eliminate the cause of problems. We typically go through a five step process.

1. Generate ideas.

2. Refine ideas.

3. Select a solution

4. Test.

5. Implement

I have a tendency to use two different tools at this point: One being an impact/effort matrix and the other being a tree diagram. As we are generating ideas are refining ideas. If we can place the ideas in impact/effort matrix it simplifies the solution process. So, after we are done brainstorming using the famous posted notes method, just post the notes into their appropriate squares, as we see fit. You may even segment them in the squares themselves as your reviewing them. Ask yourself is this easier to do than this? Or will this have minimum impact from a customer standpoint. It is even great to have an online focus group of customers, operations, sales, etc., that are willing to participate and pick which solutions will have the greatest impact.

So let’s say we have narrowed our solutions but we have 2 or 3 really good ideas but have difficulty deciding on which one to test. A tree diagram is what I use. The reason I wait to this stage is that I did not want to limit any ideas at the beginning. Using the tree diagram allows me to expand on each idea and drill down on how difficult it will be to implement and the exact strategies and tactics and even resources that may be needed.

Testing follows a project planning guideline that is somewhat beyond the scope of this blog post, but what it is a mini-project in itself with one more important ingredient. Ask yourself two questions: Did we get the results we wanted and did we follow the procedures outline? Don’t fall in love with your idea that you compromise the results.

After the testing, we are actually ready to implement, except we have to put some controls in for stability of the process! Don’t settle for routine improvements. If you want your creative juices to flow, push yourself to eliminate and make radical improvement of 200% or more. Seek cost reductions of half or more. Go for it!

Technorati : DMAIC, Improve, lean, lean-six-sigma, marketing, six sigma