Six Sigma For Dummies, 2nd Edition

Chapter 25

Ten Ways to Gain Synergies with Lean and Six Sigma

In This Chapter

Bringing Lean philosophy and practices to Six Sigma initiatives

Expanding Six Sigma with Lean tools

Six Sigma and Lean are different but closely related improvement methodologies. Throughout this book, you see how Six Sigma is a rigorous project-driven approach to reducing variance and eliminating defects in processes. Lean, meanwhile, is fundamentally about helping people do more with less — delivering more customer value with less waste. These practices are complimentary, and in today’s world, you’ll find that the methods and toolsets of Lean and Six Sigma are often combined. As a Six Sigma practitioner, you can bolster your approach by taking advantage of Lean methods and tools.

This chapter introduces ten ways you can utilize Lean to improve your Six Sigma practices. And to go even deeper with Lean, check out the latest edition of Lean For Dummies by Natalie Sayer and Bruce Williams (Wiley).

Add Customer Value

Creating value for the customer is a foundational principle of Lean. Chapter 11 addresses how you ascertain whether a process or activity is adding value. This same definition is a core tenet of Lean practice. An activity or process is considered to be value add only if it meets all three of ...