Table of Contents
Introduction 1
About This Book 2
Foolish Assumptions 2
Icons Used In This Book 3
Beyond This Book 3
Where to Go From Here 4
Part I: Getting Started with Lean Six Sigma 5
Chapter 1: Defining Lean Six Sigma 7
Introducing Lean Thinking 7
Bringing on the basics of Lean 8
Perusing the principles of Lean thinking 14
Sussing Six Sigma 14
Considering the core of Six Sigma 14
Calculating process sigma values 17
Clarifying the major points of Six Sigma 20
Chapter 2: Understanding the Principles of Lean Six Sigma 23
Considering the Key Principles of Lean Six Sigma 23
Improving Existing Processes: Introducing DMAIC 25
Defining your project 26
Measuring how the work is done 32
Analysing your process 32
Improving your process 33
Coming up with a control plan 33
Reviewing Your DMAIC Phases 34
Taking a Pragmatic Approach 37
Part II: Working with Lean Six Sigma 41
Chapter 3: Identifying Your Customers 43
Understanding the Process Basics 43
Pinpointing the elements of a process 44
Identifying internal and external customers 45
Getting a High-Level Picture 47
Drawing a high-level process map 48
Segmenting customers 52
Chapter 4: Understanding Your Customers’ Needs 53
Considering If You Can Kano 53
Obtaining the Voice of the Customer 55
Taking an outside-in view 55
Segmenting your customers 56
Prioritising your customers 57
Researching the Requirements 58
Interviewing your customers 60
Focusing on focus groups 61
Considering customer surveys 62
Using observations 63
Avoiding Bias 64
Considering Critical To Quality Customer Requirements 65
Establishing the Real CTQs 69
Prioritising the requirements 70
Measuring performance using customer-focused measures 71
Chapter 5: Determining the Chain of Events 73
Finding Out How the Work Gets Done 73
Practising process stapling 74
Drawing spaghetti diagrams 76
Painting a Picture of the Process 78
Keeping things simple 79
Developing a deployment flowchart 80
Constructing a value stream map 84
Identifying moments of truth 93
Part III: Assessing Performance 95
Chapter 6: Gathering Information 97
Managing by Fact 97
Realising the importance of good data 98
Reviewing what you currently measure 98
Deciding what to measure 99
Developing a Data Collection Plan 100
Beginning with output measures 100
Creating clear definitions 102
Agreeing rules to ensure valid and consistent data 102
Collecting the data 105
Identifying ways to improve your approach 107
Introducing Sampling 108
Process sampling 109
Population sampling 110
Chapter 7: Presenting Your Data 117
Delving into Different Types of Variation 117
Understanding natural variation 118
Spotlighting special cause variation 119
Distinguishing between variation types 119
Avoiding tampering 119
Displaying data differently 120
Recognising the Importance of Control Charts 121
Creating a control chart 122
Unearthing unusual features 123
Choosing the right control chart 126
Examining the state of your processes 127
Considering the capability of your processes 129
Additional ways to present and analyse your data 133
Testing Your Theories 136
Chapter 8: Analysing What’s Affecting Performance 139
Unearthing the Usual Suspects 139
Generating your list of suspects 140
Investigating the suspects and getting the facts 142
Getting a Balance of Measures 143
Connecting things up 144
Proving your point 145
Seeing the point 147
Assessing your effectiveness 150
Part IV: Improving the Processes 155
Chapter 9: Identifying Value-Adding Steps and Waste 157
Interpreting Value-Added 157
Providing a common definition 158
Carrying out a value-added analysis 159
Assessing opportunity 161
Looking at the Seven Wastes 161
Owning up to overproduction 162
Playing the waiting game 163
Troubling over transportation 163
Picking on processing 164
Investigating inventory 164
Moving on motion 165
Coping with correction 166
Looking Beyond the Seven Wastes 166
Wasting people’s potential 167
Going green 167
Considering customer perspectives 168
Focusing on the Vital Few 169
Chapter 10: Discovering the Opportunity for Prevention 171
Keeping Things Neat and Tidy 172
Introducing the Five Ss 172
Carrying out a red-tag exercise 173
Using visual management 174
Looking at Prevention Tools and Techniques 178
Introducing Jidoka 178
Reducing risk with Failure Mode Effects Analysis 179
Error proofing your processes 181
Profiting from Preventive Maintenance 183
Avoiding Peaks and Troughs 184
Introducing Heijunka 184
Spreading the load 185
Carrying out work in a standard way 186
Chapter 11: Detecting and Tackling Bottlenecks 189
Applying the Theory of Constraints 189
Identifying the weakest link 189
Improving the process flow 190
Building a buffer 192
Managing the Production Cycle 193
Using pull rather than push production 193
Moving to single piece flow 194
Recognising the problem with batches 195
Looking at Your Layout 195
Identifying wasted movement 195
Using cell manufacturing techniques 196
Identifying product families 197
Chapter 12: Introducing Design for Six Sigma 199
Introducing DfSS 199
Introducing DMADV 200
Defining What Needs Designing 201
Getting the measure of the design 202
Analysing the design 202
Developing the design 204
Verifying that the design works 204
Choosing between DMAIC and DMADV 205
Considering Quality Function Deployment 206
Clarifying what these houses and rooms are all about 207
Undertaking a QFD drill-down 217
Making Decisions 218
Part V: Deploying Lean Six Sigma 221
Chapter 13: Leading the Deployment 223
Looking at the Key Factors for Successful Deployment 223
Understanding Executive Sponsorship 224
Considering Size 226
Introducing the Deployment Programme Manager 227
Starting Your Lean Six Sigma Programme 229
Understanding What Project Champions Do 231
Chapter 14: Selecting the Right Projects 233
Driving Strategy Deployment with Lean Six Sigma 233
Generating a List of Candidate Improvement Projects 234
Working Out Whether Lean Six Sigma Is the Right Approach 237
Prioritising projects 239
Using a criteria selection matrix 240
Deciding on which approach fits which project: Doing the work right 242
Setting Up a DMAIC Project 243
Chapter 15: Running Rapid Improvement Events 245
Seeing Rapid Improvement with Kaizen or Kai Sigma Events 245
Understanding the Facilitator’s Role 248
Planning and preparation 248
Running the event 250
Following up and action planning 252
Creating a Checklist for Running Successful Events 252
Chapter 16: Putting It All Together 255
Working Your Way through DMAIC 256
Defining Where You’re Going 256
Looking at the outputs from the Define phase 257
Being prepared: Typical questions the team needs to address in Define 258
Considering typical questions the champion needs to ask in Define 260
Getting the Measure of Things 260
Checking the outputs from the Measure phase 261
Noting some typical questions the team needs to
address in Measure 262
Recognising typical questions the champion needs to ask in Measure 263
Analysing the Data to Find the Root Cause 264
Checking the outputs from the Analyse phase 264
Examining typical questions the team needs to address in Analyse 265
Examining typical questions the champion needs to ask in Analyse 266
Quantifying the Opportunity 267
Applying Solutions in the Improve Phase 267
Checking the outputs from the Improve phase 269
Eyeing typical questions the team needs to address in Improve 270
Noting typical questions the champion needs to ask in Improve 272
Confirming the Customer and Business Benefits 273
Implementing Standardising and Controlling the Solution 275
Checking the outputs from the Control phase 275
Listing typical questions the team needs to address in Control 276
Noting typical questions the champion needs to ask in Control 278
Conducting the Final Benefit Review 279
Chapter 17: Ensuring Everyday Operational Excellence 281
Making Everyday Operational Excellence a Reality 281
Clarifying the Role of the Manager 283
Working on the process 283
Engaging the team 285
Getting Better Every Day in Every Way 287
Using the right methodology 289
Creating a culture of continuous improvement 290
Chapter 18: Comprehending the People Issues 291
Working Right Right from the Start 291
Gaining acceptance 292
Managing change 292
Overcoming resistance 294
Creating a Vision 295
Understanding Organisational Culture 297
Busting Assumptions 298
Seeing How People Cope with Change 299
Comparing energy and attitude 300
Using a forcefield diagram 301
Analysing your stakeholders 301
Focusing on key elements of change 303
Part VI: The Part of Tens 305
Chapter 19: Ten Best Practices 307
Lead and Manage the Programme 307
Appreciate that Less is More 308
Build in Prevention 309
Challenge Your Processes 310
Go to the Gemba 311
Manage Your Processes with Lean Six Sigma 311
Pick the Right Tools for the Job 312
Tell the Whole Story 313
Understand the Role of the Champion 314
Looking at the Lean Six Sigma programme executive sponsor 314
Perusing the role of the project champion 314
Use Strategy to Drive Lean Six Sigma 315
Chapter 20: Ten Pitfalls to Avoid 317
Jumping to Solutions 317
Coming Down with Analysis Paralysis 318
Falling into Common Project Traps 319
Stifling the Programme before You’ve Started 320
Ignoring the Soft Stuff 321
Getting Complacent 321
Thinking that You’re Already Doing It 322
Believing the Myths 322
Doing the Wrong Things Right 323
Overtraining 324
Chapter 21: Ten (Plus One) Places to Go for Help 325
Your Colleagues 325
Your Champion 326
Other Organisations 326
The Internet 326
Social Media 327
Networks and Associations 328
Conferences 328
Books 328
Periodicals 330
Software 330
Statistical analysis 330
Simulation 331
Deployment management 331
Mobile apps 332
Training and Consultancy Companies 332
Index 333