| Most organizations are focused upon catering to | | | | and analysis of data. |
| their customers' needs. And in most cases, the | | | | In a Six Sigma project, every element must be |
| processes that are involved in meeting those | | | | quantified and measured in order to establish |
| needs include inefficiencies. They can manifest | | | | performance benchmarks. Once a process has |
| through defects in production lines, wasted | | | | been analyzed and the contribution of each |
| materials and time, and ultimately, higher costs | | | | element has been considered, the project team |
| and inferior deliverables. An ongoing objective for | | | | formulates a list of potential solutions. After a |
| any business is to identify and eliminate those | | | | solution has been implemented, its results are |
| inefficiencies. | | | | measured against the existing benchmarks to |
| There are several disciplines that are used to | | | | note improvements. The entire initiative is driven |
| analyze production flows and business processes | | | | by data and rigorous statistical analysis. |
| with the goal of achieving improved efficiency. | | | | Blending The Disciplines |
| Both Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma are | | | | Six Sigma and Lean Manufacturing can be |
| proven methods that have been deployed | | | | deployed simultaneously within an organization to |
| successfully for years. In this article, we'll explore | | | | bring about faster results with greater efficiency. |
| the goals of both disciplines. I'll describe the | | | | While the former focuses on removing defects, |
| manner in which Lean Manufacturing and Six | | | | the latter focuses on removing waste. By blending |
| Sigma projects are deployed. I'll also explain how | | | | the two concepts, a project team can accomplish |
| both can be blended to bring about even greater | | | | both. They can establish performance |
| levels of efficiency in an organization. | | | | benchmarks against which to measure |
| The Goal Of Lean Manufacturing | | | | process-related changes; they can also use Value |
| Lean Manufacturing was created by Toyota. The | | | | Stream Mapping to identify capacity shortfalls, |
| concept is focused upon the end product that is | | | | excessive cycle times, and productivity issues. |
| delivered to the customer and the factors that | | | | In essence, Lean Manufacturing is a "top down" |
| contribute to that product's value. In essence, any | | | | approach that provides a broader perspective of |
| factor that does not contribute value is | | | | an organization's production and design flow. By |
| considered wasteful and therefore, should be | | | | contrast, Six Sigma is a data-driven method of |
| eliminated from the process. The original concept | | | | analysis that provides a closer look at individual |
| focused on seven key areas of waste: defects, | | | | processes. Both perspectives are important to |
| overproduction, conveyance, waiting, inventory, | | | | achieving company-wide improvements in |
| motion, and overprocessing. By identifying and | | | | efficiency. When deployed together, a business |
| eliminating any inputs within those seven areas | | | | can add greater value to the product that is |
| that fail to contribute value, an organization can | | | | ultimately delivered to the end customer. Defects |
| deliver products to the end customer more | | | | can be minimized, production costs can be |
| quickly with reduced costs of production. | | | | reduced, and customer loyalty can be improved. |
| The Goal Of Six Sigma | | | | As every sector becomes increasingly |
| Six Sigma takes an alternate approach in the | | | | competitive, it's more important than ever for |
| pursuit of a similar goal. The objective is to | | | | organizations to streamline their processes while |
| identify and eliminate inefficiencies in an | | | | reducing their costs and eliminating defects. A |
| organization's processes. But, rather than focusing | | | | two-pronged deployment strategy that |
| on elements of the production flow that fail to | | | | seamlessly blends the principles of Six Sigma and |
| contribute value to the end product, the initiative | | | | Lean Manufacturing can transform a business and |
| seeks to find and remove process-related | | | | yield startling results. |
| defects. This is accomplished through the collection | | | | |