Lean Six Sigma Tools and Techniques

The Six Sigma lean process is a business strategy founded in 1979 by Motorola to improve quality and reduce defects. Many industries adopted the lean six sigma methodology over the years, and it’s now considered an industry standard for many businesses that want to improve their performance.

In this article, we will look at some of the Lean Six Sigma tools and Lean Six Sigma techniques used by Six Sigma practitioners that have proven effective in improving business processes.

Value Stream Map

A value stream map is a visual representation of a product or service flow from beginning to end. It helps you identify and eliminate waste in a process, improve your processes, and identify bottlenecks.

5 Whys

5 Whys is a problem-solving technique in which the subject matter expert asks the question, “Why?” five times to determine the root cause of a problem. The first answer should be used as input into each subsequent question until you reach a solution.

This exercise can help identify areas where improvements are needed by showing that even minor errors increase over time and become costly for organizations.

Spaghetti Diagrams

Spaghetti diagrams organize data into a visual format. These diagrams are designed to identify and priorities the most critical problems. They can also be used to priorities improvement projects. The spaghetti diagrams usually start by collecting all of the relevant data to the project, which could be ordered in different ways depending on what type of process you are analyzing.

Then, you will use your knowledge of statistics and other techniques to analyze this data and determine which processes need more attention and which can be improved with less effort or should not be focused on. Sometimes, spaghetti diagrams can become very complicated and include many types of visual elements such as circles, squares and triangles representing different activities within a process flowcharting system (or flowcharts).

Process flow charts are used to show the flow of activities in a process. The essential elements of a process flow chart are inputs and outputs, starting with an input box. The next step is to describe what happens to the information, with each step being represented by different shaped boxes connected to them by lines.

Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA)

Identify potential failures, their causes and effects.

FMEA is a systematic method for analysing possible failure modes, their causes, and their impact on the performance of a product or process. The FMEA provides information to identify actions that can be taken to reduce the likelihood of these failures or compensate for them if they occur.

Statistical Process Control (SPC)

Statistical Process Control lean six sigma is a tool used to measure and control the process. It is also used to monitor, control, predict, and improve the process.

Quality Function Deployment (QFD)

Quality Function Deployment (QFD) is a tool used to define and design processes based on the customer’s needs. It’s a way to translate the voice of the customer into specific product features that will meet their needs.

QFD also helps you identify which features are most important to your customers to priorities them in your development process.

Final Thoughts

In the end Lean six sigma value is what creates the difference. Why six sigma is important? Well, it solves problems. As learnt before, Lean Six Sigma is a set of tools and techniques that can improve processes by minimising waste, variation, and cycle time.

So, you can use these Lean Six Sigma tools and Lean Six Sigma techniques to improve your business. We hope you enjoyed learning about them!

Visit Lean Partner for operational excellence.