Lean Six Sigma for Service

CHAPTER 2 Getting Faster to Get Better: Why You Need Both Lean and Six Sigma

"So far, we were able to reduce the cost of procurement by 50% while reducing the lead time for purchase order processing by over 40%—greatly improving our internal customers' productivity and satisfaction."

—Myles Burke, Master Black Belt, Lockheed Martin

One of the most expensive aspects of medical care is hospital stays… which puts providers in a quandary: how to reduce costs but still provide high-quality care. In the cardiac unit of Stanford Hospital and Clinics, an analysis of process flow found a capacity constraint in the "step-down unit," used for post-operative patients who no longer required intensive care. Limited capacity in that unit resulted in patients ...