Lean Six Sigma For Dummies

Chapter 2

Understanding the Principles of Lean Six Sigma

In This Chapter

Merging Lean and Six Sigma to make Lean Six Sigma

Undertaking DMAIC to make things better

Reviewing what you do in order to do it better

In this chapter we look at the synergy produced by combining the approaches of Lean and Six Sigma to form Lean Six Sigma. The merged approach provides a comprehensive set of principles, and supporting tools and techniques, to enable genuine improvements in both efficiency and effectiveness for organisations.

Considering the Key Principles of Lean Six Sigma

Lean Six Sigma takes the features of Lean and of Six Sigma and integrates them to form a magnificent seven set of principles. The principles of each approach aren’t dissimilar (check out Chapter 1 to read more about the individual components), and the merged set produces no surprises. The seven principles of Lean Six Sigma are:

• Focus on the customer. The customer’s CTQs describe elements of your service or offering they consider Critical To Quality (see Chapter 1 for more on these). Written in a way that ensures they’re measurable, the CTQs provide the basis for determining the process measures you need to help you ...