Lean Six Sigma: A Fusion of Pan-Pacific Process Improvement Malcolm T. Upton Master Black Belt, George Group
[email protected] Charles Cox Master Black Belt, Lean Master, George Group
[email protected] Abstract Statistical Process Control, Total Quality Management, The Toyota Production System, Just-in-Time, Lean Enterprise, and Six Sigma have roots and histories on both sides of the Pacific. Lately, the most recent of these, Lean Enterprise and Six Sigma, have begun to be fused into a more powerful and effective hybrid, addressing many of the weaknesses and retaining most of the strengths of previous traditions. Using TQM as a baseline, the strengths and threats of Lean Enterprise and Six Sigma are highlighted and a more powerful Lean Six Sigma fusion is discussed. Specific areas examined are organizational infrastructure, career path/incentives, analysis tools and methods favored, depth and type of organizational deployment, methods included in addition to process improvement, project identification strategy, project portfolio management, methodology for tool use, project review methods, speed-cost-quality focus, and methodology bias. Some additional discussion on the role of complexity management in augmenting the value of Lean Six Sigma will also be included. TQM, Lean, & Six Sigma: A Comparison The end of the 20th and beginning of the 21st century has seen increasing and continuing pressure from customers and competitors for greater value from their purchases whether based on higher quality, faster delivery, or lower cost (or some combination) in both manufactured products1 and services2. In many industries, this has encouraged companies to adopt Six Sigma as their process improvement approach.