How do you define Lean Six Sigma
Zoe Brooks
Consultant, Author, International Lecturer, and AI Enthusiast Co-Founder and Product Manager at ElevateQC Passionate about Teaching, Innovation, and Improving Laboratory Quality
I am posting this here so those who are not members of ASQ can see the comments - good, bad and ugly. (Hope that's legal!) I marked the negative comments in bold italic.
New post in ASQ - The Global Voice of Quality
Consultant, Operational Excellence and Reengineering at Abacus Team Inc
Let's get this discussion going ! What is your personal definition of Lean Six Sigma? How do you best explain it to someone who has NO clue what it is ? I am really curious to see how you all go around it.
59 reactions, 64 Comments
Lean: Henry Ford put iron ore on a barge on the Great Lakes and a Model T came off the assembly line 84 hours later. The Toyoda’s (yes, that’s how their name is spelled) travelled to Detroit to see it. Six Sigma: Eli Whitney, not the cotton gin, rifles for the US Government with interchangeable parts. Parts are not interchangeable if there is high variability. Most folks can relate to this explanation. The rest is in the details of how it’s implemented.
a wonderful process improvement statistical tool , once put in practice will lead to reduction in down time , in wastage and defects.
The process improvement tool. process variations within +- 3 sigma.
Zoe Brooks, Get M.O.R.E. Quality YouConsultant, Quality/Risk Management
Six sigma is the world's most complicated way to calculate percent failure..
Atul L.Consulting Partner at Nova Vision Business Solutions
For a layman "When a pilot lands on half the width of the landing strip, consistently, every time, then his landing process qualifies as a Six-Sigma process".
Al Smith Probably you are confusing between length and width of the landing strip! I stated width. Meaning, if the width is 50 metres for example, and if the pilot is able to manage his landing in 25 metres width (12.5 metres on both sides of centre line), leaving a margin of another 12.5 metres on either side for any eventuality, then this is process has Cpk equal to 2 and hence a six sigma process. Think about it.
Probably your statement should have been When a Pilot lands in the exact center of the runway and not on 1/2 the width of the runway. think about the rest of your statement , what your actually saying is that no variation exists and that is what is required to be considered a 6 sigma process. I know you did not mean this as you wrote it but, it is what it says, (edited)
Jason DawsonManufacturing Quality Supervisor at Aloft AeroArchitects
A methodology for controlling variation.
Dena K. Biagas, M.Ed., HCP, CPCO, LSSMBB, CMBPExpert Operations, Quality, and Compliance Strategist
The science of efficiency that creates the perfect balance of input and output.
Sonia P.Procurement Specialist at Minova
Team-based approach to improving processes by focusing on the facts, versus focusing on people. Utilizing those statistics to save everyone time & money.
David KohlsQuality Engineer at Freudenberg-Nok Sealing Technologies
problem solving process which when performed correctly ensures the inputs creates a statistically stable output.
Tony JohnstonManaging Director | ISO 9001 Consultant | ISO 9001 Certification
Maximising Value to the Customer - by eliminating all unnecessary waste from operations which when done correctly should result in increased organisational efficiency and improved competitiveness. (edited)
A simplistic definition might be "The scientific method applied to process improvement with an added perspective of reducing waste".
Maya ChileseDoctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Candidate at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology
Lean is an efficiency mindset; and SS is a toolkit of practices designed to guide improvement projects that result in maximized efficiency.
Jatin Tharwala CMQ, CHA, LSSGB, BRCGS-LA Senior Food Safety and Quality Management Professional
Minimizing waste (of material/ process time) while Reducing variation/ obtaining consistency (of product/ service). (edited)
Dr Tony Burns CEO at MicroMultimedia
Six Sigma = STUPIDITY. EVERY aspect is as worthless as its laughable foundations. Even its creator admitted to the FARCE in his "Shifty Business ..." article. https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/broken-dr-tony-burns/
David KohlsQuality Engineer at Freudenberg-Nok Sealing Technologies
SS is simply a problem solving process just as Lean tools are problem solving tools. If any one believes one is better than the other is a fool. I wear my problem solving tool belt and choose accordingly to fix the issue. KISS (edited)
Zoe Brooks, Get M.O.R.E. Quality YouConsultant, Quality/Risk Management
Six sigma in the laboratory falls far short of its original and theoretical purpose. People measure it (poorly) and seldom act on it.
Can you emphatically say Yes , when asked; Are all your processes performing well ? Capable of meeting your needs and expectations today and in future ? If answer is no / may be / not sure you may want to explore Lean Six Sigma.
Werner YzelmanSenior Engineer at Lockheed Martin
Process Control...Keep Enterprise Logistics Simple and Obvious...KELSO!
Jack Trout wrote about KISS and Obvious... I took the best of what he said and turned it into KELSO...
Dr Tony Burns CEO at MicroMultimedia
We need an "In Search of the Obvious: The Antidote for Today's Quality Mess". Harry was able to sell his Six Sigma Scam by obfuscation. Just try to wade through the muck of his "Mysteries of SS" where he bases SS on the height of a stack of discs! No one bothered to check (except me). Even Jack Welch said "no one in the room had any clue what Harry was talking about" - but Jack handed over $1B+ anyway! https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/broken-dr-tony-burns/
Lutfur RabbaniResults delivered: People-Process-Technology-Data
IMO: it’s a toolkit to get optimal results consistently, predictably, and accurately!
Patrick Vimislik, MBAQuality Assurance Manager Aerospace at Heany Industries, Inc.
"Lean" is about streamlining and building efficiencies into a process, "6Sigma" is about reducing variabilities in output to drive quality improvements. That's how I would define it. However, I also believe these tools work best in certain circumstances. In it's pure form, it is a very rigid, structured, and costly to implement program. They are best suited for high volume, very costly processes, where the high costs to change the process requires you to go through this highly structured, measured process. It is a waste to perform the pure Lean 6Sigma steps for low volume, low risk processes, where there are many other process Improvement tools that could be used that are just as effective at a fraction of the investment. A lot of companies will utilize some pieces of Lean 6Sigma though, to great effect, like 5S and at a reasonable cost.
…see more
Maya ChileseDoctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Candidate at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology
Agreed. Process improvement tools are appropriate for a specific problem in a specific environment. Lean Six Sigma can be a valuable hammer for the right nail. Unfortunately, it is too often touted as the end all to great outcomes and used inappropriately. The onus is on the individual to choose the right tool. I’ve been witness to too many projects that needed a different tool or approach, but the hammer of L6S was forced and expended more than the ROI.
…see more
Dr Tony Burns CEO at MicroMultimedia
Maya, Most SS folk don't realize that Six Sigma's enumerative tools are IRRELEVANT to process improvement. They only help line the pockets of scamming SS consultants. "The student should avoid passages in books that treat confidence intervals and tests of significance, as such calculations have no application in analytic problems in science and industry." "Analysis of variance, t- test, confidence intervals, and other statistical techniques taught in the books, however interesting, are inappropriate because they bury the information contained in the order of production." - Professor Deming https://www.qualitydigest.com/inside/six-sigma-article/predictable-061318.html
…see more
LSS is a set of process improvement tools that increase value to customers by reducing variation and eliminating unnecessary waste.
Dr Tony Burns 2nd degree connection2ndCEO at MicroMultimedia
Six Sigma Stupidity's enumerative tools are IRRELEVANT to process improvement. https://www.qualitydigest.com/inside/six-sigma-article/predictable-061318.html
Philip Welton-CookQuality Management Professional
Being stuck on 6 sigma is not improvement, But it may be the interpretation.
Bob Buckwalter, MBA, PMPProcess Engineer at Verisk
My definition is the ever popular "It Depends" It Depends on: How well the management "knows" their process How much data is available for said process What the culture is like - are they truly willing to change or is is lip service? A myriad of things along with these affect the approach, methodology, level of formality in which you deliver.......
…see more
Lean Six Sigma is an organized common sense.
Fahad Nasser, Freelancer 2nd degree connection2ndFood Laboratory Director at Saudi_FDA
It is about reducing defects = errors = obstacles in the product, process, or service.... It is a tool to help focusing on a specific issue... It relays largely on data and a alytics which makes it interesting ??, I love dealing with data.. ??
…see more
Lean is all about process management and how to reduce process time cycle with mapping 7 types of typical wastes in processes thereby add value to customers. Six Sigma aimed at elimination of "variation" in processes with DMAIC tools in order to limit / eliminate defects thereby add value to customers. Lean Six Sigma approach facilitate to achieve benefits of Lean as well as Six Sigma if applied rightly.
…see more
For me It’s a bag full of useful tools,pick up the right tool at the right time to fix your issues! we don’t need to always at once .
Dr Tony Burns 2nd degree connection2ndCEO at MicroMultimedia
Mr Palan, Six Sigma Stupidity's enumerative tools are IRRELEVANT to process improvement. https://www.qualitydigest.com/inside/six-sigma-article/predictable-061318.html
Dirk FugateQuality Specialist at BMW Manufacturing LLC
No culture no results
Al Smith Retired / Management Consulting
Six Sigma: A quality Fad based on phony statistics and repackaged Quality Engineering tools. Lean: The TMS that many attempt to adopt not understanding that unless the proper Co. Culture is in place the actual value is reduced or most likely eliminated. Lean 6 sigma: a Buzz word used to promote the joining of a fad and a system used at Toyota that is based on their co. culture and maybe not yours. This joining created a great fix for the Quality Professions addiction to fads and Buzzwords.
…see more
Paul NevillsStat Programming Lead at Biogen
a fad that dictates =< 3.4 defects per million !?
Q-Skills3D Interactive learning in Continual Improvement for all employees
4 年Six Sigma is a destructive scam based on pure farce. Did you know it was created by a psychologist, and based on the height of a stack of discs!? Most folk never bothered to check.?EVERY aspect is worthless. Lean was tacked on to prolong the scam. ? Dr Wheeler, the world’s leading process statistician, calls Six Sigma “GOOFY”.?CBS calls it the most stupid fad of all time. ? Of the 58 large companies that announced Six Sigma programs, 91 percent have trailed the S&P 500 since.?Six Sigma has helped destroy its once best references GE and Motorola. ? Do not turn your back on the great men of QUALITY:?Professor Deming, Professor Lewis, Professor Ishikawa, Dr Shewhart and Dr Wheeler, for the lunacy of psychologist/salesman Mikel Harry. ? My paper here gives an overview. Please follow the links and check my references. https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/broken-dr-tony-burns/ The most viewed, shared, liked and commented paper in any Quality forum on LinkedIn: https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/six-sigma-psychology-part-2-tony-burns/
Air quality monitoring/QAQC/Metrology/Humour/Mental health
5 年Hi Zoe, thanks for posting this. I'm a layman, but - having read some definitions - I tend to agree with the last comment by Paul Nevills. In addition, it's unclear to me how to combine process step variations into one value for sigma - expressed as a relative number.