What are the key differences and similarities between Lean and Six Sigma approaches to change management?

The goal of Lean is to find areas of waste and to permanently eliminate them. The key word here is "permanently". That goal directly connects Lean to managing and continuously improving processes. Lean organizations have simple processes that are under continuous review for improvement opportunities. To permanently eliminate waste, they use simple tools and simple methods that can be applied to any process, whether it is on the office floor or the shop floor.

Lean is one of the world's most followed and effective approaches to drive process improvement in an organization regardless of the industry. It is a tool that helps in the identification and elimination of Wastes from a process which is commonly referred to as NVA's (Non value-adding) activities in a process. There a 7 types of wastes defined in lean - Transportation, Inventory, Motion, Waiting, Over-production, Over-processing and Defects. By eliminating these wastes, it helps in improving the quality of the deliverable and reducing the Cycle time/TAT/AHT of the process.

Choosing between Lean and Six Sigma for change management can be a real head-scratcher. Here's a quick rundown to help you out: - Lean: Great for cutting waste and boosting speed. It focuses on adding customer value and is quick to implement. - Six Sigma: This is your pick for minimizing errors and upping quality. It uses a lot of data and takes more time to roll out. - Similarities: Both aim for improvement and rely on data. - Differences: Lean is faster but less detailed on quality, while Six Sigma is thorough but takes more time. Deciding between Lean and Six Sigma comes down to your goals: speed or precision. #LeanVsSixSigma #ChangeManagement #ContinuousImprovement Hit "Like" if this helps.

Semelhan?as: - Foco na Eficiência: Ambas as abordagens visam aumentar a eficiência operacional, eliminando desperdícios e melhorando processos. - ênfase nos Resultados: Tanto Lean quanto Seis Sigma priorizam a obten??o de resultados mensuráveis e a melhoria contínua. Diferen?as: - Filosofia Fundamental: O Lean concentra-se na elimina??o de desperdícios, enquanto o Seis Sigma visa reduzir varia??es e defeitos nos processos. - Abordagem de Melhoria: O Lean utiliza ferramentas como Kaizen para melhorias incrementais, enquanto o Seis Sigma emprega DMAIC (Definir, Medir, Analisar, Melhorar, Controlar) para mudan?as mais estruturadas e focadas em dados.

Lean for me is focused around people, yes the processes that they are involved in are essentially the focus, however it's about improving the life of the employees by improving these processes and reducing waste. Six Sigma is a data driven methodology that works on improving processes within the business to improve overall business figures, and solve problems.

I believe that Six Sigma is all about changing your thinking about both the problem and its solution. The whole idea of Six Sigma is to provide reliable, consistent, dependable products to your customers. The process focuses on three things: defects, variability, and the customer. It's important to understand how these three aspects work together. With a focus on the customer, Six Sigma projects strive for more of a “breakthrough” approach to process improvement, rather than a gradual approach.

Six Sigma is another most popular process improvement method used to drive continuous improvements in an organization. Six Sigma as an approach helps in studying and reducing the 'Variation' in the process by utilizing various data-driven statistical tools. Six Sigma and Lean are mostly clubbed together into a common project to help eliminate waste and reduce the variation from a process. There are multiple frameworks for implementing a Six Sigma project and the most common framework is DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control) which is used to improve an existing process.

Six Sigma é um sistema de gest?o focado no aperfei?oamento de processos. Suas principais características s?o a abordagem estatística e a implementa??o através de um método consistente. O método tem como base o conceito matemático de desvio padr?o e o utiliza para reduzir a varia??o e gerar eficiência.

Six Sigma is a CI methodology, focused on aspects considered critical by the clients, which seeks to identify causes of errors, defects and delays (variation) based on statistical methods. It uses the SCIENTIFIC method, validating hypotheses with the use of available processes' statistical information.

Six Sigma is applied by DMAIC in order to improve processes. DMAIC stands for: Define - the business opportunity Measure - the process current state Analyze - determine Root Cause or Y= f (x) Improve - eliminate waste and variation Control - evidence of sustained results

As I mentioned in my previous comment, Lean and Six Sigma target different aspects of a process, but put together they both help in improving the process performance. Marrying both these approaches in the same project is the most common cross-industry best practice. Both these approaches require studying the process, and help in delivering excellence to the customers improving customer satisfaction. They are fact-based approaches that are dependent on evidence to identify the process bottlenecks and drive improvements.

I think many of the posters have exceptionally covered the differences in the approaches. One very important similarity is that BOTH approaches rely on the acceptance to change and will require a level of Change Management that neither training typically covers well. This is an additional and critical skill set that practitioners of either, or hopefully BOTH approaches will need in their toolboxes.

Lean and Six Sigma are complementary methodologies, both aim to improve business processes and enhance efficiency. Both focus on reducing waste and minimizing defects to improve quality and performance. Lean emphasizes streamlining operations by eliminating non-value-added activities, thereby enhancing flow and speed. Six Sigma, on the other hand, centers on reducing process variation and defects through a data-driven approach, utilizing statistical tools and techniques. Together, they foster a culture of continuous improvement, aiming to deliver higher customer satisfaction and better operational results.

This is a nice summary - simply put, Lean and Six Sigma are toolsets used to help make the process better meet customer needs, and those tools depend on use of the correct metrics that matter to the customer.

Whether through waste reduction (Lean) or reducing variation (6-sigma), both have the same point in common: CUSTOMER SATISFACTION.

Lean focuses on reducing waste and improving efficiency by identifying and eliminating non-value adding activities. It employs techniques like Value Stream Mapping for process improvement. Six Sigma aims at reducing variation and defects in processes by using statistical methods. It employs DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control) for problem-solving. In change management, Lean often emphasizes continuous improvement through small, incremental changes, while Six Sigma focuses on data-driven, structured, and more substantial process improvements. Both methods, when combined (Lean Six Sigma), offer a comprehensive approach to change management, emphasizing efficiency and quality simultaneously.

LEAN: focuses on eliminating WASTE through different techniques. 6-SIGMA: reduces processes VARIATION to increase throughput.

We have found that a balanced approach of using Lean Tools to eliminate (or at least greatly reduce) the sources of special cause variation in a product or process. It is then possible to get a true measurement of capability and leverage Six Sigma methodology to reduce common cause variation to a level where we can delight our customers. Lean tools, often supported by technology, can then be leveraged to implement the appropriate controls to prevent backsliding into the old ways.

Most Lean Six Sigma companies place a very high priority on simplifying every aspect of their business operations as they reduce waste across the organization. I believe this is the starting point of any successful Lean Six Sigma launch. You must first look to your operations with the goal of simplification and build your program from there. I discuss this, and more, in my Lean Six Sigma Foundations course: https://www.dhirubhai.net/learning/lean-six-sigma-foundations .

As an example, a six sigma could be launched to reduce variation in end to end cycle time. We would leverage a lean tool like Activity of the Product to take a closer look at what is driving the cycle time. Your toolbag should contain Lean and Six Sigma tools!

Develop a system that integrates the Lean Methodology, Data Analytics (Six Sigma), and the Theory of Constraints. Theory of Constraints takes a throughput perspective and helps to identify the bottleneck in the system. Six Sigma provides statistical analysis to identify variation within the system and implements multiple tools to monitor the control of the process. Lean is the mechanism for continuous improvement. This approach is used to improve processes, people, and systems. It provides various tools and strategies that can eliminate waste, add value to customers, and develop the workforce. The path to excellence: identify the bottleneck, optimize with Lean, and use data analytics to monitor and visualize the system’s performance.

Actually, a lot of companies combine Lean and Six Sigma and refer to the combined process as Operational Excellence, or OpEx for short. The core concept of OpEx is DMAIC. DMAIC a problem solving methodology for improving processes and sustaining process improvements in a production facility.

You can learn much from the famous Police Chief Bill Bratton in one of my favorite HBR articles, Tipping Point Leadership, by W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne. Bratton transformed New York City, the most dangerous city in the United States at the time, into one of its safest by overcoming the following hurdles: 1. Break through the cognitive hurdle: Make key managers experience your organization’s problems. 2. Sidestep the resource hurdle: Concentrate current resources on areas most needing change. 3. Jump the motivational hurdle: Motivate key influences and informal leaders with strong connections. 4. Knock over the political hurdle: Identify and silence key naysayers early by putting a respected senior insider on your top team.