Lean Six Sigma is simply a process for solving a problem.

It consists of five phases: Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, & Control. This process is also known as DMAIC (duh-may-ik), its acronym.

Phase 1: Define
DEFINE THE PROBLEM. The Define Phase is the first phase of the Lean Six Sigma improvement process. In this phase, the leaders of the project create a Project Charter, create a high-level view of the process, and begin to understand the needs of the customers of the process. 1. Define the problem by developing a Problem Statement 2. Define the goal by developing a Goal Statement 3. Define the process by developing maps of the process 4. Define your customer and their requirements

Phase 2: Measure
MAP OUT THE CURRENT PROBLEM. In the Measure Phase, the team focuses on data collection. They have two goals: determine the start point or baseline of the process and find clues to understand the root cause of the problem in the process. 1. Determine how the process currently performs 2. Look for what might be causing problems 3. Create a plan to collect the data 4. Ensure your data is reliable 5. Update your project charter

Phase 3: Analyze
IDENTIFY THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. In the Analyze Phase, the team reviews the data collected during the Measure Phase. They analyze both the data and the process in an effort to narrow down and verify the root causes of waste and defects. 1. Closely examine the process 2. Visually display the data 3. Brainstorm potential cause(s) of the problem 4. Verify the cause(s) of the problem

5. Update your project charter

Phase 4: Improve
IMPLEMENT AND VERIFY THE SOLUTION. In the Improve Phase, the team moves on to solution development. A structured improvement effort can lead to innovative and elegant solutions. 1. Brainstorm solutions that might fix the problem 2. Select the practical solutions 3. Develop maps of processes based on different solutions 4. Select the best solution(s) 5. Implement the solution(s) 6. Measure improvement

Phase 5: Control
MAINTAIN THE SOLUTION. In the Control Phase, the team begins to document exactly how they want to sustain improvements by passsing process improvement infrastructure on to the employees who work within the process. 1. Continuously improve the process using Lean principles 2. Ensure the process is being managed and monitored properly 3. Expand the improved process throughout the organization 4. Apply new knowledge to other processes in your organization 5. Share and celebrate your success!

The 8 Wastes
What is Waste?
Waste is any step or action in a process that is not required to complete a process (called Non ValueAdding) successfully. When Waste is removed, only the steps that are required (called Value-Adding) to deliver a satisfactory product or service to the customer remain in the process.

1. Talent - Employees that are not effectively engaged in the process 2. Inventory - Inventory or information that is sitting idle (not being processed). 3. Motion - People, information or equipment making unnecessary motion due to workspace layout, ergonomic issues or searching for misplaced items. 4. Waiting - Waiting for the previous step in the process to complete. 5. Transportation - Transporting items or information that is not required to perform the process from one location to another. 6. Defects - Products or services that are out of specification that require resources to correct. 7. Overproduction - Producing too much of a product before it is ready to be sold. 8. Over-Processing - Performing any activity that is not necessary to produce a functioning product or service.

What is Lean?
Lean originated with both Henry Ford and his storied assembly line and, more famously, with Taiichi Ohno who codified the Lean Management Philosophy and Practices into the Toyota Production System.
Lean is simply a method of streamlining a process, resulting in increased revenue, reduced costs and improved customer satisfaction. A Lean process:

Is faster Is more efficient and economical Delivers satisfactory quality

Lean is achieved by removing Waste, which is activity not required to complete a process. After removing Waste, only the steps required to produce a product or service that is satisfactory to a Customer will remain.

A Process Before and After Lean Improvement

What is Six Sigma?

Six Sigma is simply a method of efficiently solving a problem. Using Six Sigma reduces the amount of defective products manufactured or services provided, resulting in increased revenue and greater customer satisfaction. Six Sigma identifies the cause(s) of your problem to efficiently develop effective solution(s).

Six Sigma originated at Motorola in 1986 and since then has saved organizations billions of dollars in virtually every industry.

What exactly does Six Sigma mean?

Six Sigma is named after a statistical concept where a process only produces 3.4 defects per million opportunities (DPMO). Six Sigma can therefore be also thought of as a goal, where processes not only encounter less defects, but do so consistently (low variability). Basically, Six Sigma reduces variation, so products or services can be delivered as expected reliably.

Six Sigma, or 3.4 Defects Per Million Opportunities Visualized