Lean 6 Sigma from a Design and Agile perspective

Those who are starting the path of the so-called "new way of working" can find themselves overwhelmed by the number of methodologies arising from the principles of Design, Agile and Lean.

Each of these methodologies offers tools to address different challenges in the value creation journey. Design Thinking, for example, helps to find the root causes of problems and to ideate new solutions that mitigate them. On the other hand, Agile is a set of values and principles aimed at reducing risks in uncertainty environments. 

The specific angle of Lean 6 Sigma is to focus on simplifying and improving the performance of already-in-place processes.  It does it by focusing on two Lean principles: eliminating waste and optimizing the whole. From this perspective, the overall process maturity can be raised to the next level by modifying or removing non-valuable steps and reducing variability.

So, how Design and Agile can work together with Lean 6 Sigma

From a Lean 6 Sigma point of view, quality is less about how many details you control and more about not having valueless steps in the process. Therefore, the design of the process, that is, how it works and produces value, plays a key role. Through design Thinking, the team can practice essentialism using tools and techniques to pinpoint non-valuable steps in the process that should be removed and therefore ensure the customer receives value at all times. 

Design Thinking can also be valuable for ideation sessions when certain steps in a process need to be re-thought into a completely new design. 

Agile can support Lean 6 Sigma as well. The improvement of a process is an ongoing, iterative exercise so Agile is in a position to offer a way to organize the approach in order to focus on quick wins and to allow the team to take ownership of the job to be done. An Agile coach will help the team follow a framework to set formal moments in which real users can test the new version of the process, provide feedback and co-create the next iteration.