Lean Six Sigma Projects and Classic Six Sigma Projects

Stephen Deas, III – President of Quality Minds, Inc | Charleston SC Continuous Process Improvement, Human Capitol Consultant

Decrease Variation in Key Product Characteristic (Classic Six Sigma Project)

The company sold and marketed its product with one key characteristic. Customers were complaining that the characteristic was not living up to the marketing. The Six Sigma Black Belt taught and coached a team through the DMAIC process to find sources of product variation. Highlights of the project were:

1. A process for measuring the characteristic was established2. An objective standard for the characteristic was implemented3. A risk analysis of the process was developed and highlighted several risk areas for product variation. Corrective actions were implemented to mitigate risk.4. It was learned that a major source of variation was a key vendor’s process. The vendor became engaged in the DMAIC process.

Reduce Order Time in Customer Service Department (Lean Six Sigma Project)A customer service department wanted to eliminate waste from the process for completing orders. The project measurement was order process time which was measured from receipt of order to delivery of order. Using the DMAIC process, the process was videotaped for a significant period of time. Several time measurements were taken during the trial runs. After watching the videotape and analyzing the time data, the team brainstormed for areas of waste. The brainstormed list was prioritized and improvement actions taken. The processing time was significantly reduced.

Reduce Time for Pulling Orders in a Warehouse (Lean Six Sigma Project)A warehouse department wanted to eliminate waste from its process for pulling orders and loading trucks. The project measurement was processing time. Using the DMAIC process, the team videotaped the process and timed each process step. The team watched the videotape, studied the time data, and brainstormed for improvement opportunities. The improvement opportunities were prioritized and implemented. The total processing time was significantly reduced.

Value Stream Map for Manufacturing Plant (Lean Six Sigma Project) A plant manager was agonizing over excessive costs and his inability to identify root causes for the costs. He needed information and data to help him determine where to allocate resources. Using the DMAIC process, we created a value stream map of his main product’s process. Along the way, multiple time studies were done. The map clearly identified areas of waste and opportunities for process improvement. The map was the information the plant manager needed.

Reduce Process Time for Manufacturing Process (Lean Six Sigma Project)A chemical manufacturer wanted to decrease total time to process an order. Using the DMAIC process, a

value stream map was created and the process was videotaped and timed. By analyzing the output of the measurement, actions were implemented that yielded a significant reduction in total process time.

Becoming lean is not easy and is a journey that you must be willing to take. The road will be littered with forces telling you to give up but there must be a constancy of purpose to your effort. The road will be less troublesome to navigate if a structured approach is employed. Six Sigma and Lean Six Sigma pave the road to successful implementation of lean.

For six sigma consulting, please visit www.qualitymindsinc.comFor six sigma green belt and six sigma black belt online certification, please visit www.cpionlinecourses.com

Stephen Deas | Charleston, SC - 2009