Lean six sigma under attack
Ouch! I’ve written about lean six sigma before and suggested that these two methods can be merged. However, over on the gembapantarei blog others disagree quite strongly:
So Lean Six Sigma is technically not Lean at all, but a form of Six Sigma that has less fat in it than regular Six Sigma.Just like “diet soda” is not a form of diet but a form of soda.
Hmm … I think Poppendieck sums it up nicely:
“When I first heard the term Lean Six Sigma, I wondered what Lean added to Six Sigma. I found that the answer is speed. The first principle of Lean Six Sigma is: Delight your customers with speed and quality. The second principle says: Improve process flow and speed. Lean Six Sigma emphasizes that speed is directly tied to excellence.”
Personally, I believe that Lean and Six Sigma are complementary in nature and, if performed properly, represent a long-term business initiative that can produce unprecedented results. While Lean focuses on eliminating non-value added steps and activities in a process, Six Sigma focuses on reducing variation from the remaining value-added steps. Lean makes sure we are working on the right activities, and Six Sigma makes sure we are doing the right things right the very first time we do them. Lean defines and establishes the value flow as pulled by the customer, and Six Sigma makes the value flow smoothly without interruption.
However, you need to look behind the slick marketing of the term, the life of which went something like this:
- A concept is born. It’s then quickly labelled.
- Inevitably it’s misinterpreted and and misrepresented. The label is used for other purposes – it’s changed and the concept blurs.
- So it has been with Lean Six Sigma. Call it anything you like.
The fundamental issue remains; a lack of understanding.
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Comments
By Ron Pereira on February 24th, 2007 at 3:19 pm
Amen. But hey all this bashing makes for some fun blogging, eh? Keep up the fight brother. The good guys (us of course) always win in the end. Moohhhahhaa (evil laugh).
By Ron Pereira on February 24th, 2007 at 10:19 am
Amen. But hey all this bashing makes for some fun blogging, eh? Keep up the fight brother. The good guys (us of course) always win in the end. Moohhhahhaa (evil laugh).
By robert on February 24th, 2007 at 3:46 pm
Yes Ron … Our evil plans for world domination are coming together! YOU CAN’T STOP ME NOW!!! Twirls moustache. Perhaps writing something controversial increases blog traffic? Who can say ….
http://pages.citebite.com/e1u1g5l7y0gdy
By robert on February 24th, 2007 at 10:46 am
Yes Ron … Our evil plans for world domination are coming together! YOU CAN'T STOP ME NOW!!! Twirls moustache. Perhaps writing something controversial increases blog traffic? Who can say ….
http://pages.citebite.com/e1u1g5l7y0gdy
By Jon Miller on August 13th, 2007 at 12:03 am
Actually I quite agree with you that they are complementary, and always have. In fact, the history of TPS is full of the use of basic statistics and the scientific method. The incompatibility comes from competing labels and corporate banners, slogans, programs and quotas, all of which Dr. Deming said to avoid. Now was Deming a Lean guy or a Six Sigma guys..?
By Jon Miller on August 12th, 2007 at 7:03 pm
Actually I quite agree with you that they are complementary, and always have. In fact, the history of TPS is full of the use of basic statistics and the scientific method. The incompatibility comes from competing labels and corporate banners, slogans, programs and quotas, all of which Dr. Deming said to avoid. Now was Deming a Lean guy or a Six Sigma guys..?
By cannedguds on September 25th, 2008 at 2:44 am
Can this help me get rid of man boobs ? I sure would want to eliminate excessive fats in my chest! Please help!
By Lean Six Sigma on August 3rd, 2009 at 8:45 pm
Lean Six Sigma has been proven to improve productivity and eliminate wastes. For more information about Lean Six Sigma, please visit http://www.sixsigmaiq.com