Lean and Sigma Consultants

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Six Sigma is a management methodology employed to improve processes and products in manufacturing and service organizations. It focuses on reducing variation in a business process, while targeting problem areas with pinpoint accuracy. Unlike other process improvement “programs,” Six Sigma enhances process predictability while reshaping the organizational culture to meet customer demands. It provides a common language to gauge performance across all functions and divisions of an organization.

Six Sigma is credited as the catalyst for breakthrough improvements in a large number of organizations across a variety of industries including healthcare, insurance, banking, manufacturing and government. Leading companies who practice Six Sigma are GE, Johnson and Johnson, Allied Signal, Quest Diagnostics, BankOne, United Health Group and a growing number of large hospitals.

Six Sigma is a disciplined, data-driven approach and a methodology for identifying and eliminating defects in any process -- from manufacturing to transactional and from product to service. Six Sigma is commonly defined as 3.4 defects per million opportunities. Opportunities here mean the maximum possible ways in which a process or a product can go wrong. It would be appropriate here to highlight subtle difference between 99% right and 99.9997% right.  

A systematic approach to identifying and eliminating waste through continuous improvement, flowing the product at the pull of the customer in pursuit of perfection.

Although this definition is brief, it is packed with information. First, the approach to becoming lean must be systematic. You can try to improve certain areas of the business and have some degree of success, but to truly realize the benefits of lean, you must start with an overall strategy and put it into place in the right order.

Second, a lean strategy focuses on eliminating waste. Lean strategies allow manufacturers to systematically eliminate the waste that results from inefficient processes, which can include inventory, over production, waiting, transportation, motion, over processing and defective products. Third, note the phrases "continuous improvement and pursuit of perfection." Perfection can never be achieved, but each step closer increases the profitability and viability of your company. The process of developing a lean enterprise never ends. Lean is not a destination but a journey. There is always something else that you can do to reduce waste or improve a process.

Kaizen - Five S

lean practitioners have derived a practical approach for implementing lean methodology called the Kaizen Five S Framework. The framework is as follows:

1. Sort:
   Review everything in a work area, separating what is needed from what isn't, eliminating what is not needed.
   
   
2. Systematise: 
   Arrange everything in a neat and easy-to-use systematic manner.
   
   
3. Spic n span: 
   Regular clean up the area, equipment and tools.
   
   
4. Standardize:
   Create clear, simple and visual standards for S1 - S3. For example, a tooling shadow box indicates what tools should be in the area and where they should be when not in use and also indicates what tools should not be in the area. A kanban visual control board indicates what needs to be made, how many and when.
   
   
5. Sustain:
   Continue to operate and improve S1 - S4.

Most of the service sector industries have embraced Six Sigma methodology to keep pace with new waves of management thought and a need to have an edge over competition. The projects taken up shows a clear tangible  impact in form of :

·          Reduction of process turn around times (TATs)

·     Reduction in cost per transaction

·          Reducing errors and improving productivity

·          Better acceptance of the solutions due to involvement of stakeholders

All of these results in more satisfied internal and external customer, directly affecting bottom lines.