Six Sigma is a methodology that uses the business’s own statistics, facts and record-keeping for the purpose of establishing the correct processes for that business. The end result is to give the customer the best possible product or service: to establish near perfection, which is 99.9997% error free.
In the Name of Quality
Every single tool used in the five phases of Six Sigma is about quality, which translates to everything from problem solving to improving existing processes.
Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control (DMAIC)
These phases all contain tools to help navigate and eradicate quality and processing issues, thus delivering the best possible product or service.
In the Name of Speed
Lean Six Sigma (LSS) is all about eliminating waste, or non-value steps in a process. If you have to keep walking into the next room to get an item that is involved in a process, that is considered waste. It takes precious time to walk into the other room, so perhaps re-arranging the workspace would increase production, thus saving money and manpower.
LSS is a set of tools to reduce or eliminate waste associated with the flow of materials and information, so streamlining is the name of the game with Lean Six Sigma.
Determine the Waste
So what are the most common causes of waste?
Defects: weak processes, poor quality, poor maintenance
Overproduction: producing more than is needed; this reduces cash flow
Waiting: long set up time, unexpected maintenance downtime
Non-Value Added: unnecessary steps in a process
Transportation: poor plant layout
Inventory: unreliable supplier, poor customer/industry forecast
Motion Waste: poor workspace layout or process order of priority
Extra Processing: unnecessary inspection or rework
When both Six Sigma and Lean Six Sigma tools are implemented, it will produce maximum results. Here at 6sigma.com, we felt that stating the differences between Six Sigma and Lean Six Sigma was important when making references to them in the future.
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