Lean Six Sigma for Service

INTRODUCTION

The CEO of a midsized retail chain¹was excited. He'd just been to an Executive Roundtable on Lean Six Sigma and thought it sounded like the answer to his prayers. His company was suffering from a steady drop in sales—he'd already had three bad quarters in a row and couldn't afford many more. He was a little skeptical of claims that other companies were seeing net benefits of $500,000 or more of increased operating profit per Black Belt, but even half that would be significant to a company like his.

After a little more research, the CEO called together the senior management team and spoke enthusiastically of Lean Six Sigma and how it could help their organization bridge the gap between their current promises to the "street" and what ...