Welcome to the Lean Six Sigma Experts of Wisconsin
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Working with a methodology takes time and resources. You will need to also rely on experts that are either workers trained from your company or consultants who can provide the desired results. At least, these are the options you have available with Lean Six Sigma. However, before you get to the point of implementing the methodology you need to think about your goals and necessities around it. Or, to begin with, shouldn’t you try to get a bit of information around the method and if it is what you need for your company or maybe personal growth and interests?
Lean 6 Sigma is a very extensive methodology that entails more than the simple concept that most people know, which is for process improvement. Yes, the main objective is to improve processes and performance in a company but the beauty and special part of the method is how it makes it possible for any type of company regardless of its size as well. To be in context, you must know that most process improvement methodologies aim for a specific problem or area in a company. after all, you are meant to improve if you change something that is not fine or adds elements that can boost it.
However, Lean 6 Sigma is not for an issue or area in the company only. Instead, it aims for different issues at the same time and makes sure that a business is able to address needs as well as the improvement for the processes in the meantime. Since it entails a lot, this is what leads to needing experts to handle the implementation, and anyone who wants to learn how it works and be able to offer services around the methodology needs proper training provided by professionals as well. With this in mind, what is the first step when you want to get involved with the methodology?
More than finding the experts you will need or trying to determine the training you are going to take; you need to invest time in thinking if the methodology you are considering to invest in is the right option by knowing the basics about it. Any company or individual need to know the answers to questions like, “what it is?” “can Lean Six Sigma help me?” and so on. At Lean Six Sigma Experts of Wisconsin, we want to make sure you understand what you are trying to obtain from the methodology, and for it, we will not start by offering our services or solutions. Instead, we want to go with you over the different aspects and information you must know about Six Sigma here and now, to make sure you are able to make a well-informed decision.
What Makes Lean Six Sigma Special?
The fact that the methodology was created from the combination of Lean and Six Sigma is what not only attracts people but helps to obtain the desired results when it comes to growth and improvement. Lean and Six Sigma are methodologies with a goal each one that indeed leads to process improvement. However, they are focused on specific areas and objectives only, which means it is hard to address problems or other aspects in the company with them. In order to open the opportunity to deal with process improvement while also guaranteeing better results and solve problems, Lean 6 Sigma was created to compete with the Kaizen methodology as well.
LSS integrates the best aspects of 6 Sigma and Lean but also comes with specifications that characterize it as a different methodology and not just a copy and combination of the previous two. Now, to understand what makes Lean 6 Sigma be so efficient and effective, you need to take the time to learn about the methodologies individually. For it, let’s start with Lean considering it is the simplest one compared to Six Sigma.
Lean is focused on reducing waste only, but this simple goal is quite difficult for companies that do not understand what waste actually is. No, you do not handle material or physical elements only but also those that are probably intangible. This is why the methodology establishes 8 types of wastes that companies have to find while understanding and mapping their production and processes:
- Overprocessing.
- Overproduction.
- Motion.
- Defects.
- Waiting.
- Transportation.
- Inventory.
- Unused talent.
With this in mind, the elements that Lean contributes to LSS in order to focus on the waste are 5 principles that can also be considered the steps to deal with the waste:
- Identify value.
- Map the value stream.
- Achieve flow.
- Rely on the pull.
- Seek perfection.
Of course, Lean entails more methods and tools that can be used according to the situation and needs of the company integrating the methodology, and the same applies when this method is translated into LSS. However, they are not commonly used in LSS due to the complement of having Six Sigma as the second focus. Six Sigma is the method that aims for reducing the rate of variations and bottlenecks in a company while also finding and solving problems.
For a business, variations are quite common, especially if it manufactures products on a big scale (1 million+ each time). But with that said, what is considered a variation? This is a common question since not many seem to understand that it is not referred to steps that are unnecessary only but rather to the products that do not satisfy the customer requirements. To understand it better, you can take this example: You are a company that manufactures screws and there is a client that wants you to make and deliver a million screws with very specific features when it comes to diameter, thickness, and so on.
Your goal is to guarantee that every screw satisfies your customer but in the process of making them, you will naturally have defective pieces or more like what are known as variations: products and results that do not meet the requirements. As a result, you end up discarding these products and using more resources and time in obtaining the ones that meet the customer’s needs. The goal with Six Sigma is to reduce these variations and guarantee that, in the long run, you are able to manufacture or deliver a million products with only 3,4 variations. This sounds too ambitious for certain people, but the truth is that you have to focus on fewer variations to reduce costs, time, and all the wastes that we previously mentioned in Lean as well.
Six Sigma is not connected to Lean unless you go over Lean 6 Sigma, but you can notice an influence in the waste area. Now, how does Six Sigma allows companies to eliminate variations and handle this goal? With a 5-step method called DMAIC: Define-Measure-Analyze-Improve-Control. Also, it provides 5 principles that are the main ones integrated into LSS:
- Focus on the customer.
- Find problems and solutions.
- Reduce variations and bottlenecks.
- Improve employee involvement.
- Flexibility and change.
How Does Lean Six Sigma Training Work?
By knowing how LSS is structured and understand the basics of each methodology that forms it, you can start thinking about how you are going to cover your needs and goals with it. When it comes to thinking about learning and getting trained in the methodology, you must consider the fact that just like others, Lean 6 Sigma is also divided into levels. Depending on the level you get trained, the course and outline of it will be different since skills and topics change according to the expertise you will achieve. Now, instead of “levels”, keep in mind that LSS considers them “belts” since they are identified with colors.
In most situations, there are 6 LSS belts that most people know and offer: white, yellow, green, brown, black, and master black belts. However, the training you will access not always offers each belt and you need to evaluate the options a company or expert offers you. At Lean Six Sigma Experts of Wisconsin, we work with the main belts in the methodology: yellow, green, and black. Therefore, whenever we mention part of the training or the service itself, we will be focused on those three only and exclude the white, brown, and master black belts.
The reason we have for this is that a white belt is too basic and does not allow a person to fulfill roles or work with the methodology. It tends to be a waste of time and you notice that a yellow belt is much more complete and the real introduction to the methodology. For the brown belt, it is a middle ground for a green and black belt, and considering the fact that these two already cover the essentials and allow you to fulfill the roles you probably want. This is why you will find these three available only, but with this in mind, you can expect each training option to be different from the other considered the content of the course and how long it will take to complete. Based on that, focus on each belt separately and consider one as an independent training:
- Yellow belt training: provides the basics about Six Sigma, terminology, concepts, principles, data collecting, main tools, and learn how to report issues in projects or processes.
- Green belt training: aims for the implementation of the methodology and makes sure that the expert knows how to start and manage projects by learning DMAIC, SIPOC, Six Sigma main tools, risk mitigation, and much more.
- Black belt training: leaders, coaches, mentors, and supervisors take this training to achieve a full understanding of LSS, know how to explain philosophies, and create projects based on the company’s needs with the methodology.
