lean six sigma

Few more posts from the archives on the SIPOC (the workhorse of the Six Sigma methodology, George Eckes) and the comparison between the values of the Six Sigma and the Lean methodologies.

1. Supplier Input Process Output Customer (SIPOC)
2. Value of Lean Six Sigma

Adopting Customer-focused strategies in one of the different company areas (Management, Communication Governance, ICT) means that the company wants to provide the most outstanding Customer experience to each and everyone of its Customers.

The Customer satisfaction becomes the highest interest of the company and the whole organization is oriented to continuously improve the quality of its services or products and to improve the efficiency of all its processes (internal and external, production and business).

The four strategies and the related possible projects illustrated in the SlideShare presentation are:

• Lean Six Sigma
• Job Definition Format
• Brand Communication
• Content Management

The basic common denominator of all these four strategies is to make sure that the Customer experience will always be outstanding.

According to a definition given by Joseph Moses Juran on 1999, a business process is the locigal organization of people, materials, energy, equipment and information into work activities designed to produce a required end result (product or service).

Efforts to improve local process components are replaced by systematic methods to understand, control and improve overall business result. These methods have evolved to address specific business objectives.

The SIPOC diagram is the Six Sigma “work horse tool” and is the foundation technique for Lean Six Sigma improvement.
SUPPLIER: the person or the organization which provides resources to the process (info, materials, service)
INPUT: the info, the materials, the service provided
PROCESS: the set of action steps which is transforming the input into output adding customer value
OUTPUT: the result of the process (product or service)
CUSTOMER: the person, the process, the organization that receives the output

The SIPOC model is widely used in Lean Six Sigma helping to better figure out the business from an overall process perspective.
Among its major benefits:
1. To display cross functional activities in simple diagrams
2. To provide a framework applicable to all processes of any size
3. To keep the big picture of the business prospective
4. To provide methods for adding details when needed
5. The use of the SIPOC model largely enhances monitoring, controlling, understanding and improving business processes.

There is an ongoing debate regarding the difference between Lean and Six Sigma and whether they are mutually exclusive. Lean is about eliminating wastes, taking time out of processes and creating better flow. In essence the Lean is shortening the time-line from order receipt to collecting the cash from the goods or services provided.
Six Sigma has many different definitions. One states: Six Sigma is a business strategy and philosophy built around the concept that companies can gain and consolidate competitive edge by reducing defects in their industrial and commercial processes.
Both Six Sigma and Lean are very focused on satisfying customers.
Six Sigma is making the customer the driver for action in a “war on variation” and identifies opportunities that promise a large financial reward. Lean considers customer inputs and conducts a “war on waste”. Both Six Sigma and Lean empower people to create process stability and a culture of continuous improvement.

Never mind, it was in my briefcase all along.

LONG Beach, California — Wired Magazine Editor-in-Chief Chris Anderson
announced at the Technology, Entertainment and Design conference on
Friday that the publication would be releasing its content for the iPad
by summer.