Nothing is permanent in this world, except change. This is the concept behind Lean Six Sigma. Lean Six Sigma is a process improvement program that combines two ideas – Lean, which is a collection of techniques for reducing the time needed to provide products or services, and Six Sigma, a collection of techniques for improving the quality of products and services, substantially contributing to increased customer satisfaction.
By combining the two, Lean Six Sigma is a proven business management strategy that helps organizations operate more efficiently. According to many business analysts and quality improvement experts, Lean Six Sigma is the most popular business performance methodology in the history of corporate development.
In a nutshell, the key principles of Lean Six Sigma are as follows:
• Focus on the customer
• Identify and understand how the work gets done
• Manage, improve and smooth the process flow
• Remove non-value added steps and waste
• Manage by fact and reduce variation
• Involve and equip the people in the process; and
• Undertake improvement activity in a systematic way
In order to find out what needs to be improved in business processes through Lean Six Sigma, the DMAIC framework has to be employed. The DMAIC framework means:
• Define: Lean Six Sigma projects start with a problem that needs a solution. Make sure that everyone involved in the process knows their role, why the project is being undertaken and what is to be achieved with the project.
• Measure: The work accomplished in the Define stage is based on what the problem is. During the Measure stage, things have to be clarified by seeing how the work gets done and how well it is done.
• Analyse: With the problem defined and clarified, this is the time to find out why. Check out the possible causes of the problem and get to the root cause.
• Improve: The Improve stage is where you find solutions to address the root cause of the problem. Come up with several possible solutions and choose and test the best one.
• Control: Once a possible solution has been found, it is important that the achievements made are sustainable. Putting a control plan in place is vital to ensure that the process I carried out consistently.
Why undertake such a tedious project just to improve business processes? That’s because of the customer. Lean Six Sigma will help improve value for customers, or what the customer is willing to pay for. The customer is willing to pay for the right product and services provided for at the right time, right price and with the right quality.
It is important to evaluate the processes undertaken to provide the good or service as this will determine the price of the product. If there are steps that are unnecessary, they should be eliminated so that the value of the product is increased and improved.
Co-written with Salveo Healthcare Solutions. Looking for a new Healthcare career visit www.salveony.com
