Lean Six Sigma Usage Training

Lean Six Sigma applies numeric data to improve processes and products.

Lean Six Sigma combines two strategies to improve shareholder value through rapid response to meeting requirements and minimization of product defects. Numerical data provides an essential capability in successfully using Lean Six Sigma.

History

Six Sigma began as a quality initiative at Motorola in the mid-1980s. General Electric Company and Allied Signal added customer and bottom-line considerations to the Six Sigma defect reduction principles. Lean manufacturing concepts began with Henry Ford's assembly line and received acknowledgment through implementations at Toyota in the late 1980s. Authors James Womack, Daniel T. Jones and Daniel Roos in their book, "The Machine That Changed the World: The Story of Lean Production," describe the process's basic principles.

Function

With a goal of zero defects, the Six Sigma program works to reduce measurable product defects to one in 3.4 million or six standard deviations below the normative data -- six sigma. Lean manufacturing seeks to minimize waste, empower workers and provide continuous improvement.

Considerations

Training in Lean Six Sigma usage requires instruction in basic concepts, statistical methods, process mapping, determining customer needs, project management, and Kaizen, or continuous improvement, suggests Villanova University. Several university programs offer Lean Six Sigma training with costs ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 and varying time commitment.

References

• LSS Academy: Lean manufacturing
• Lean Organization: "The Machine That Changed the World"
• Manufacturing Enterprise Resource Planning: Lean manufacturing
• Lean: What is lean?
• Environmental Protection Agency: Kaizen Rapid Process

Resources

• iSix Sigma:Educational Programs
• Villanova University: Six Sigma