Practical Application in the Workplace

After the quality control has been done, companies are able to start applying new techniques to improve the workplace.  One of the methods suggested is to start using continuous data, like the average sales per region as opposed to sales per day.  This allows workers to draw more/better generalizations from the data overall.  In the long run this allows businesses to find more effective data collecting methods and make subsequent improvements over time. 

Another implementation in the workplace is training workers to be better organized.  They are trained to keep their workspaces in better order and for some workers to keep a better eye on the inventory.  By keeping better tabs and organization on what’s going on in the process and production the workplace becomes much more efficient.  By taking part in these methods companies are able to monitor ongoing performance and if something comes up that is wrong it is much more easily and efficiently corrected. 

Cassar, Calvin. "The Value of Numbers: Applying Six Sigma at the Workplace Featured." The Executive.   N.p., 19 Dec. 2013. Web. 15 Feb. 2014. <http://the-executive.biz/issues/issue-56/item/245-the-         value-of-numbers-applying-six-sigma-at-the-workplace/245-the-value-of-numbers-applying-six-     sigma-at-the-workplace>.

Chen, Wendy. "Lean Six Sigma -Industrial Applications." Slide Share. N.p., 2 Apr. 2008. Web. 15 Feb.        2014. <http://www.slideshare.net/wendy_chen_toronto/for-posting-smeuoftpresentation-               2apr2008>.

Goals of Lean Six Sigma

Goals

-          One of the main goals of Lean Six Sigma is satisfying the customer.  The idea is to delight the customer and draw in new clients.

-          The next goal in the Lean Six Sigma plan ties in to satisfying the customer.  The idea is to add value to the client’s service or product.

-          The next goal is to eliminate errors with quality control.  To do this the quality of all factors of production must be evaluated.  If any step in the production process is inefficient it must be either eliminated or changed.

o   Part of this goal is to know the major forms of waste in production:

§  Defects

§  Overproduction

§  Waiting

§  Non-utilized talent

§  Transportation

§  Inventory

§  Extra processing

§  Motion: this is any unnecessary displacement of people, equipment, or information.

-          Going along with quality control is analyzing management quality.  It is important that all of the people responsible for the production process are effectively monitoring and controlling production. 

-          The last major goal of Lean Six Sigma is to capitalize on all opportunities.  This means that if an area of the market is not being ‘targeted’ then it is important to capitalize on it and aim towards drawing it in.

Skinner, David. "Lean 101: The Four Goals Of Lean Six Sigma." Web log post. Gimbal Lean Practice            Management Advisors. Gimbal Canada Inc., 26 June 2012. Web. 15 Feb. 2014.                 <http://gimbalcanada.com/blog/2012/6/26/lean-101-the-four-goals-of-lean-six-sigma.html>.

"Key Six Sigma Goals." Six Sigma Online. Aveta Business Institute, 2012. Web. 15 Feb. 2014.                 <http://www.sixsigmaonline.org/six-sigma-training-certification-information/articles/key-six-sigma-goals.html>.

History of Lean Six Sigma

Back in the 1920’s, Walter Shewhart showed that if there was a three sigma from the mean of a particular point in the process, it required correction. This measurement was then coined “Six Sigma” by Bill Smith who worked for Motorola as an engineer. These people got the information from Carl Federick Gauss who developed the Gauss’s law still used in physics today. Back in the 1850’s introduced the concept of a normal curve. Six Sigma is a standard measurement in product variation.

Bill Smith, while working with Motorola, developed a new standard and created the procedure and needed update to the outdated standards that were currently being used. Since then, countries around the world use this method when doing business.

Over the years many businesses have utilized the Six Sigma process to streamline their production. Some examples are The Ford Motor Company, Toyota, and John Deere all have seen improvements with the Six Sigma process.

Terry, K.. N.p.. Web. 14 Feb 2014. http://www.isixsigma.com/new-to-six-sigma/history/history-six-sigma/.

"Lean Six Sigma Training & Six Sigma Consulting| Lean Sigma Training |Lean Black Belt." Lean Six Sigma Training & Six Sigma Consulting| Lean Sigma Training |Lean Black Belt. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Feb. 2014.

Lean Six Sigma Process

"Dual Accredited Six Sigma." Pyzdek Institute Lean Six Sigma Training RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Feb. 2014.

Management with Lean Six Sigma

Lean Six Sigma

 

Total Quality Management

 

      ·         Emphasizes quality over cost

·         Emphasizes customer requirements for improvement

·         Management Participation in committees to guide improvement processes

      ·         Prominent in 1980s, early 1990s

·         Lean component emphasizes efficiency; reduced cost and reduced waste

·         Six Sigma component emphasizes statistical analysis for continues improvement

·         “Black Belt” expert consultants to guide improvement processes

 

Quick Response Management

 

·         Emphasizes efficiency in product revision and development lead times; forsakes cost

·         Emphasizes ability to quickly implement product changes and updates

·         Utilizes “planning teams” under management to form “cells” of practice within different company departments such as operations, supply chain, production floor, etc.

 

 Baudin, Michel. "MIT Article Comparing Lean, TQM, Six Sigma, "and Related Enterprise Process Improvement Methods"" Weblog post. MIT Article Comparing Lean, TQM, Six Sigma, "and Related Enterprise Process Improvement Methods" Michel Baudin, 9 Jan. 2013. Web. 12 Feb. 2014. <http://michelbaudin.com/2013/01/09/mit-article-comparing-lean-tqm-six-sigma-and-related-enterprise-process-improvement-methods/>.

 

"Integrating Lean and Six Sigma." BPMInstitute.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Feb. 2014.

"All Aboard: Lean/Six Sigma Is a Journey Best Travelled with Change Management :: Change Management :: Resource Library :: Life Cycle Engineering." All Aboard: Lean/Six Sigma Is a Journey Best Travelled with Change Management :: Change Management :: Resource Library :: Life Cycle Engineering. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Feb. 2014.

Background

Lean- The background for Lean is very simplistic and yet can also be difficult to grasp,  it involves the use of common sense. These principles go as far back as Poor Richard's Almanac in which Benjamin Franklin wrote "Save and have".  As time went on more and more concepts were driven into the work place. Frank Gilbreth tripled the swiftness in which a mason could build a house. Later Henry Ford took his turn at creating a productive industry, My Life and Work(1922) is a single paragraph in which Henry Ford very aptly describes the concept of waste.

" I believe that the average farmer puts to a really useful purpose only about 5% of the energy he expends.... Not only is everything done by hand, but seldom is a thought given to a logical arrangement. A farmer doing his chores will walk up and down a rickety ladder a dozen times. He will carry water for years instead of putting in a few lengths of pipe. His whole idea, when there is extra work to do, is to hire extra men. He thinks of putting money into improvements as an expense.... It is waste motion— waste effort— that makes farm prices high and profits low."

Six Sigma-  Six Sigma is not as simplistic as the concept of Lean, but that may be because of its sheer specificity.  Six Sigma in order to ensure that proper techniques are practiced has a very specific set of doctrines and other methods that accompany it.  The basic doctrine is to use continuous effort to achieve predictable  and stable results.  These efforts must constantly be analyzed and organized to help ensure that the whole process works as smoothly as possible as much of the time as it can.  A company is like an enormous clock, it will only work if all the little clogs mesh together.  There are two methodologies which help this "machine" stay in working order, duh-may-ick (DMAIC) and duh-mad-vee (DMADV). Each of these are a set up of specific acronyms that are fitted to a specific purpose.  First you define  the voice of the customer and therefore the goals you want this machine to achieve. Secondly,  you must  measure the capabilities of the machine: product capabilities, production outputs, risks, and other relevant data.  Third, there must be analysis in order to create new methods or alternative strategies in the most productive manner to be rid of any and all defects. Either design or improve  is the next step in which the analysis is looked over and the process is either recreated or replaced to make it more efficient. Lastly, verify or control to ensure that the process remains as capable as possible and no defects will arise in the future.

"Integrating Lean and Six Sigma." BPMInstitute.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Feb. 2014.

 

Concept of Lean Six Sigma

 

 

Lean Six Sigma is a methodology, which combines both the six sigma and lean approaches to manufacturing. The concept of this approach is to minimize waste and streamline processes, ultimately resulting in an overall increase of revenue and consistent, quality product. Lean six sigma uses the core principles of Lean. Lean is an identification of the value and waste of an activity using a systematic process. Throughout this process many questions are asked and processes are evaluated in terms of “value added” ( and “non-value added” (waste). Six Sigma is a term that comes from the DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Identify, Control), a process improvement approach. “The goal of the method is to achieve 3.4 defects per million parts (or opportunities of doing it wrong), most commonly known as 6 Sigma..”

 

While “Lean” taking out the excess from the process and getting it more streamlined, “Six Sigma” is about consistency, and when the two are combine you get a very efficient product.

 

 

(http://academic.uprm.edu/ispeprsc/media/(2012.04.28)_Principles_of_Lean_Six_Sigma_2012.pdf)

 

Principles of Lean Six Sigma and CAPA

By Eugenio Longo, PhD. Industrial Advisor & Visiting Professor for Universities

 "Online Lean Six Sigma Training & Certification – GoLeanSixSigma.com." Online Lean Six Sigma Training & Certification – GoLeanSixSigma.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Feb. 2014.