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What are the principles of Lean Six Sigma?

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Question added by Ahmad Salameh , Deputy Resident Engineer- Technical and Quality Assurance Manager , Arabtech Jardaneh
Date Posted: 2013/12/03
Ahamed Shareef
by Ahamed Shareef , Divisional Head - Quality Assurance , Apollo Tyres Ltd

Key principles are -

Identify and understanding process flow through the value stream map

Improve process flow - Future state map

 

Remove Waste  from the process (Non-Value-Added activities)

Reduce variation through DMAIC steps

 

Employee involvement and resource provision

Systems approach

mohamed sabeen
by mohamed sabeen , QHSE Manager , Novus catering service

Company executives often call in Lean Six Sigma professionals when they are having trouble with the quality of the output their company has.  The job of these professionals is to decrease waste and increase quality through the various tools and knowledge at their disposal.When a company needs a Lean Six Sigma Professional, they may be having a problem with low job satisfaction among employees, creating a low morale and poor work production as a result. They may need to streamline their company processes, reducing and eliminating much of what they were doing wrong.  The Six Sigma professionals would then use these methods to help them eliminate waste and streamline their processes while improving their output quality.The training involved in learning the lean methods will provide a good overview of the tools that are used and how to apply them to Six Sigma projects.  Some of these tools include process maps, affinity diagrams and value stream mapping.  This process can be applied to any business or organization, no matter the size or the type of industry.  Whether the business in question is in the manufacturing industry or it is a service provider, the processes can be used to streamline the procedures used within the company.     In lean Six Sigma, there are five principles that are used:  •    The first of these is the law of the market.  This signifies that the customer is always to be put first.  The company must implement this immediately and make sure that all employees adhere to it.  The company wants the employees to understand that without the customers, there would be no business.•    The second of these principles is the law of flexibility.  If a process is easily maneuverable, it is easier to work with.  A method of business that cannot be changed for any reason can cause problems.  •    The third principle is the law of focus.  This is meant to keep the focus on the problems within the company and not the entire company itself.  Executives and employees should concentrate on just the portions of the company that are causing problems and fixing those problems, dismissing distractions by other areas of the business that are not having problems. •    The fourth principle is the law of velocity.  This means that if a process has many, many details that have to be performed, it may be slowing down the process.  The work put into the process should be proportional to the results the company sees.  •    The fifth principle in lean Six Sigma is the law of complexity.  Simply put, keep it simple.  When a process is complex and difficult, it may have elements that are not necessary. More complexity does not necessarily mean more valuable or more important.  In fact, it could mean just the opposite.

Simply Lean Six Sigma is eliminating3Ms in your process (Manufacturing or Service area), i.e. eliminate MUDA (waste), MURA (Variance) and MURI (un-evenness) in your process. Use Lean tools to eliminate MUDA first, then use Six Sigma tools to eliminate MURA and again use advanced Lean tools to eliminate MURI.

and the five main laws of lean six sigma are the following:

  • Law of the market
  • Law of flexibility
  • Law of focus
  • Law of velocity
  • Law of complexity

Lean Six Sigma is a powerful, proven method of improving business efficiency and effectiveness. In a nutshell, here are the key principles of Lean Six Sigma to bear in mind:

1.Focus on the customer.

2.Identify and understand how the work gets done (the value stream) .

3.Manage, improve and smooth the process flow.

4.Remove Non-Value-Added steps and waste.

5.Manage by fact and reduce variation.

6.Involve and equip the people in the process and undertake improvement activity in a systematic way.

Clodelio Delfino
by Clodelio Delfino , Managing Consultant , Startup Company

LEAN (Speed and Results)

Six Sigma (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve,Control - DMAIC)

 

LEAN + Six Sigma = Strategic Alignment, Customer focus, Eliminating waste and Reduce cycle time.

Salah EL Wetidi
by Salah EL Wetidi , Plant Manager , Future office furniture

In lean Six Sigma, there are five principles that are used:  •    The first of these is the law of the market.  This signifies that the customer is always to be put first.  The company must implement this immediately and make sure that all employees adhere to it.  The company wants the employees to understand that without the customers, there would be no business.•    The second of these principles is the law of flexibility.  If a process is easily maneuverable, it is easier to work with.  A method of business that cannot be changed for any reason can cause problems.  •    The third principle is the law of focus.  This is meant to keep the focus on the problems within the company and not the entire company itself.  Executives and employees should concentrate on just the portions of the company that are causing problems and fixing those problems, dismissing distractions by other areas of the business that are not having problems. •    The fourth principle is the law of velocity.  This means that if a process has many, many details that have to be performed, it may be slowing down the process.  The work put into the process should be proportional to the results the company sees.  •    The fifth principle in lean Six Sigma is the law of complexity.  Simply put, keep it simple.  When a process is complex and difficult, it may have elements that are not necessary. More complexity does not necessarily mean more valuable or more important.  In fact, it could mean just the opposite.

farag afifi
by farag afifi , Quality Manager , Egypt spain for medical industries

The principles of Six Sigma are:

  • Understand the critical to quality requirements (CTQs) of customers and stakeholders
  • Understand processes ensuring they reflect these CTQs
  • Manage by fact
  • Involve and equip the people in the process
  • Undertake improvement activity in a systematic way

The benefits include:

  • Cost reduction
  • Shorter cycle times
  • Improved customer service
  • Greater employee productivity
  • Increased profit margins

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