What is Lean Six Sigma and how is it relevant to me and my company?

Lean Six Sigma is a performance improvement methodology which encompasses a set of practical tools to allow companies to combat rising costs and increasing competition by improving efficiency, increasing revenues, decreasing costs and developing people.

Although Lean Six Sigma originated in manufacturing, its principles can be applied to any business in any sector and it works for small and medium businesses as well as large corporates.

Lean Six Sigma actually brings together two proven methodologies of Lean and Six Sigma. Lean enables the creation of high quality, defect-free products and services whilst using less capital, space and effort whilst also maximising customer value. Six Sigma reduces product and process variation and helps to identify and eliminate costs that provide no value to customers.

By combining the two, many business analysts and quality improvement experts, believe that Lean Six Sigma is the most effective business performance methodology in the history of corporate development.

Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve and Control

Lean Six Sigma is based on data-driven analytical tools using the DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve and Control) process to increase precision and reduce variability. DMAIC isn't a magic recipe for achieving the benefits of Lean Six Sigma as a whole. Rather, it is a formula for achieving the incremental benefits that eventually lead to quality and waste reduction, using a continual feedback loop to refine processes in pursuit of excellence.

Belts

Lean Six Sigma has different levels where participants are given a "Belt" title that corresponds to their level of experience and proven skill level from passing an examination and accreditation process. This roughly corresponds to their hierarchy in martial arts, with darker colored belts indicating more experience, knowledge and skills.

Yellow Belts (team members)
Green Belts (part time process improvers)
Black Belts (Fulltime process improvers)
Master Black Belts (experienced Black Belts/trainers)
Sponsors (Project owners)

Keys to Success

Lean Six Sigma requires substantial discipline and governance. In order to prove its effectiveness, it must produce results that can be validated, whether that validation comes from the finance department documenting monetary savings or the service department being flooded with positive customer feedback.

The key to the success of Lean Six Sigma is to gain the involvement of a core group of employees and managers by assigning specific projects as part of their jobs. This approach helps companies sustain the improvements over time and more importantly, complete more projects to further add to the savings.

How to Commence

We believe that undertaking a Green Belt course provides the necessary skills to implement the DMAIC methodology and Lean Six Sigma methods to work on real company projects.

Our Green Belt course supports participants to work on real life projects in order to gain measureable results immediately. Participants can make real cost savings of £40,000 through: