Improving Service Delivery in

Government with Lean Six Sigma

Author: John Maleyeff, Professor, Lally School of Management

& Technology, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

EXECUTIVE BRIEF

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2007

Overview
ƒ Lean Six Sigma provides a means to improve the delivery of services using a
disciplined, project-based approach.
ƒ If implemented properly, it brings numerous advantages – but also risks being
regarded as another management fad.
ƒ In this report, guidelines are recommended for the application of Lean Six
Sigma in government targeted to administrators responsible for a wide range
of public-sector services, including those provided to citizens and those
provided to internal customers.
ƒ The report also highlights examples of successful process improvement
programs at the local, state, and federal levels as well as several
improvement projects illustrating the range of Lean Six Sigma’s influence.
ƒ The Lean Six Sigma guidelines are presented as two sets: at the program
level, for creating a supporting infrastructure and organizational culture and at
the individual project level.

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 What is Lean Six Sigma?
Lean Six Sigma encompasses many common features of Lean and Six Sigma, like:
emphasis on customer satisfaction, a culture of continuous improvement, the search
for root causes, and comprehensive employee involvement. In all cases, a high degree
of training and education takes place, from upper management to the shop floor.
Lean Six Sigma Builds on Practical
Lessons Learned from Previous Eras
of Operational Improvement

Source: IBM Institute for Business Value, Driving Operational Innovation Using Lean Six Sigma.

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Success Factors
Organizations that have maintained a long-standing and comprehensive process
improvement program possess common features that enhance their ability to sustain
the efforts over a period of time. They have:

ƒ Been inspired by influences emanating outside of the public sector, usually a leader with
business experience.
ƒ Experienced little leadership turnover.
ƒ Paved the way for the program’s implementation by removing organizational barriers and
modifying its culture.
ƒ Focused on certain underlying principles and maintain a consistent conceptual framework.
ƒ Begun by employing a full-time administrator to oversee the program’s implementation.
ƒ Offered a guarantee to employees that no layoffs will result from a process improvement
project.
ƒ Made conscious efforts to communicate program successes internally.
ƒ Maintained reasonable expectations -- did not achieve success overnight, with most
taking several years to create a culture that characterizes and sustains their program.

Active leadership commitment is a must: in words and action

4 © Copyright IBM Corporation 2007

Why have some entities sustained improvement?
ƒ These organizations possess commonality:
1. they initiated and continue to preach a constancy of purpose based on a consistent
underlying methodology;
2. their key leadership positions have been in place for lengthy periods of time;
3. they guarantee that employees will not lose their jobs as a consequence of an
improvement project; and
4. they measured their time to success in years rather than weeks or months.

ƒ They created an infrastructure supporting the Lean Six Sigma program with
attention to four goals:
1. deploy a sound, consistent, and robust methodology;
2. build trust by removing fear;
3. initiate long-term cultural change; and
4. communicate the vision to all stakeholders.

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Elements in Developing a Lean Six Sigma Program
Infrastructure Deploy a sound and robust methodology
Build trust by removing fear
Initiate culture change
Communicate with stakeholders
Create a centralized focal point
Implementation
Ensure a departmental involvement
Focus on a basic toolbox
Obtain externally and/or develop skilled
project facilitators
6 © Copyright IBM Corporation 2007
ƒ Consistent philosophical framework
ƒ Easily understood but no clichés
ƒ Consistent just-in-time training
ƒ Flexibility to allow evolution
ƒ Employee involvement critical
ƒ No layoff guarantee
ƒ Celebration of success
ƒ Gradual implementation
ƒ Focus on ‘process,’ not blame
ƒ Priority to improving and doing work
ƒ Tangible benefits for all employees
ƒ Early and continuing awareness
ƒ Tangible benefits to be realized
ƒ Progress documented visibly
ƒ Top leader involvement
ƒ Needed to maintain persistence
ƒ Skilled, enthusiastic, and impartial
ƒ Best if temporary
ƒ Liaison or similar relationship
ƒ Supports credibility and awareness
ƒ Eliminates repeated use of personnel
ƒ Basic tools of Lean Six Sigma
ƒ Understanding and transparency
ƒ Enhanced employee motivation
ƒ Critical to project success
ƒ Assertive, competent and impartial
ƒ Ensures project timeline met
Lean Six Sigma Project Implementation
Infrastructure Selection and justification ƒ Financially quantifiable
ƒ Non-financially quantifiable
ƒ Intangible
ƒ Trained facilitator
Team creation
ƒ Cross-functional representation
ƒ Administrator(s) and frontline staff
ƒ Internal customers
ƒ Various experience with process
ƒ Various experience with DMAIC
ƒ Support group representatives
Project Define ƒ Problem statement
Execution ƒ Review of stakeholders
ƒ Identification of customers
ƒ Customer value definition
Measure ƒ Complete and accurate process maps
ƒ Multiple process maps
ƒ Data collection
Analyze ƒ Waste identification
ƒ Data analysis
ƒ Root cause analysis
Improve ƒ Generation of ideas
ƒ Rating of ideas
ƒ Improvement recommendations
Control ƒ Implementation plan
ƒ Performance tracking plan
ƒ Ongoing feedback plan
Prior to and during project execution ƒ Elevator speech
Project
Communication ƒ Status meetings
After project completion ƒ Final presentation
ƒ Visible communication mechanisms

7 © Copyright IBM Corporation 2007

Resources
ƒ IBM Center for The Business of Government:
businessofgovernment.org

Contacts:
John Kamensky, Senior Fellow
john.kamensky@us.ibm.com, (202) 515-4102

ƒ Author Contact:
John Maleyeff, Ph.D., Professor, Lally School of Management & Technology
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Hartford Campus
275 Windsor Street
Hartford, CT 06120
(860) 548-7870 fax: (860) 548-5322
maleyj@rpi.edu

8 © Copyright IBM Corporation 2007