The Key Lean Six Sigma Principles

WHAT ARE THE KEY LEAN SIX SIGMA PRINCIPLES?

In today's fast-paced, business world, competition among corporations is fierce. In this climate, every competitive detail matter to stay at the top of the game. Leading business professionals are continuously exploring new management tools, techniques, and leadership approaches.

Every business professional wants to streamline workflow and execute projects efficiently. As businesses tune their processes for better efficiency and superior standards of quality, a combination of Lean method and Six Sigma might be their best bet.

CONCEPTS OF LEAN SIX SIGMA:

The primary aim of the Lean technique is to reduce waste. The goal of Six Sigma is to reduce variation for optimal quality control. Lean Six Sigma is a combination of the two approaches, Lean and Six Sigma. This approach is essential in managing and reducing the eight wastes of the business processes. By analyzing the waste production processes, business professionals can take significant strides towards optimizing their business operations.

Lean Six Sigma is a powerful, proven method of improving business efficiency and effectiveness. Here are the key principles of Lean Six Sigma to help ensure the success of your business projects:

1. FOCUS ON THE CUSTOMER:

No matter what business you’re in, you should always put customers first. Before you make any changes, minor or major, establish the level of quality or requirements that you have committed your customers. Every decision you make must result in delivering maximum value to your customers.

2. IDENTIFY AND UNDERSTAND HOW THE WORK GETS DONE (THE VALUE STREAM):

It is very important that you analyze the current state of your process before you move forward and make improvements. Identifying value stream will make Lean Six Sigma principles more effective. Gather data that shows you where your specific problem area lies and concentrate on refining only that area of your business.

3. REMOVE NON-VALUE-ADDED STEPS AND WASTE:

Lean Six Sigma methodology is about finding where problems arise, fixing them, and preventing future occurrences. Once you have identified the problem, you now must find out ways to decrease opportunities for defects. Streamlining or removing non-value-added functions and wastes is an excellent way to achieve quality control and efficiency.

4. MANAGE, IMPROVE AND SMOOTHEN THE PROCESS FLOW:

It is very important that all your team members are well-versed with Lean Six Sigma fundamentals, know the goals of the project, and are informed of its progress. Six Sigma methods can bring tremendous change and requires specialized focuses on the part of management. Lean Six Sigma training and certification can help to reduce the risks and ensure that the entire process runs smoothly.

5. BE FLEXIBLE AND RESPONSIVE:

Lean Six Sigma requires a lot of change. A process or a function that is faulty or inefficient must go through filtration and removed. You need to accept the change and encourage your employees to accept change. Change can be challenging, but it is a small price to pay for the quality and efficiency of the business process.

In simple words, Lean methodology aims at reducing waste in the process, while six sigma aims at reduction of process variation. However, both the approaches go hand in hand to realize the full potential of process improvements.