Why Should I Learn Six Sigma Processes?

By Craig Calvin

An alternate form of Six Sigma Training is Lean Six Sigma. Although it is an altered form it has many of its own capacities, and knowing the differences can add to your quality improvement projects, more then you may think possible. Although the basis fundamentals of Six Sigma are still evident in Lean, there are a few additions that set it apart.

The eight elements of waste is the focus of the Lean Six Sigma Process. It has been proven that by simply removing these areas of waste, the company will actually improve quality. Below you will find what the Lean process considers wastes, and examples of each.

-Wasted Human Talent: Anyone that is without a specific job function or who's work may be slowing the process down.

-Defects: Any product or process that is not working properly. Before they can be eliminated, however, they will require a fixable solution.

-Inventory: This refers to an over sized "To Do" list of work. You never want to have to much product waiting to be worked on. A doctors office, for example, does not want to have to many patients in the waiting room at one time.

-Overproduction: Having too much of anything before it is needed can get in the way of efficient process operation.

-Wasted time: Waiting on product to arrive, idle time that could be better spent on various processes or activities. Having five employees standing around waiting to unload a truck that hasn't arrived is a good example.

-Motion: When you are moving people around and it is not necessary to do so. An example of this would be, when a clinic send a patient that has an appointment to triage. Instead the patient should be going straight to the exam room.

-Transportation: Ineffective transportation that moves people and products can be wasteful when it isn't needed. Imagine a warehouse using a forklift to deliver items across the factory to a truck, when the production line could be streamlined to deliver right into the truck off of the line.

-Process Waste: Process Waste refers to any that a company requires to be complete, however it has no impact on the process, product or service that the company offers.

Understanding these areas of waste will assist you company with enhancing the quality of the projects you produce. - 32179

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