The success of any organization is mainly dependent on the just how well a CEO can motivate his employees. Those who succeed in doing so witness an improvement in innovation strategies employed by his/her organization. Lean Six Sigma is an internationally accepted mode of motivation. Sigma six is a redesign methodology that helps in the process improvement of companies. The diverse methodology of Lean Six Sigma has evolved tremendously over the years. However one thing remained constant- Its main attributes- which could be listed as that it helps reduce waste, reduce variation and by reducing complexity! If utilized well, this redesign method can easily transform a basic operational company into an effective business entity.
The Lean Six Sigma can help mainstream organizations and improve the process of production by pointing out which department works well with the other. Any guru who has ever utilized the intricacy that is the Six Sigma will tell you that no single methodology can work on its own. With that you will find that Lean works extremely well if utilized together with Six Sigma with other methodologies incorporated in it. When organizations decide to improve the general output of its structural organization, they do so by identifying the key that prove lacking in it overall output. This is where Six Sigma comes in handy as it works to streamline the inefficient areas in an organization. It also seek analyze the quality management methods by analyzing its current employees and distinguishing them into different levels like master black belts, black belts or green belts.
This methodology has been proved time and again with an effective strategy; an organization can improve its overall outcome as the drive to be more innovative becomes prudent. Motorola was the first ever company to utilize the resourceful design that is the Six Sigma. For many years, they had complained of ineffectiveness in the overall output of the organization. They then seek to find a way to improve this. And the process that eventually succeeded was the Six Sigma. This process was deemed efficient because it created an overall manufacturing output that yield ninety five percent products without any fault.
According to this methodology of calculation, a defect or any product that is faulty is one that doesn’t meet client’s satisfactory demands and the process being useless to the company. No client will ever spend their hard earned money to purchase anything they feel is not up to par with their expectations.
You will find that any company that choose to incorporate the two methodologies, lean and Six Sigma combined, stand out in the fact that it shows more consideration to client’s desires and needs. And we all know that when a client is happy the organization will also “smile”. You will find that a company that successfully incorporates Lean Six Sigma is one that deliberately thought beyond the deemed scope of Lean Six Sigma, and instead used it to pinpoint the innovation ideas that showed the innate success and focused more than their operations and in the process help improve the general output.
Six Sigma Black Belt Certification
The Six Sigma like any other invention was first created and implemented due to necessity to improve the overall production. It was first implemented by Motorola. The Lean Six Sigma methodology was designed to extinguish if not completely eliminate the production of products that are not up to par with clients needs and wants. It was found that the methodology eventually produced a success rate of up to ninety nine percent. This is to say that only 0.1% of the products produced became unworthy. In order for the Six Sigma to work effectively, you will find that it identifies key leaders’ in an organization as Black Belts and Green Belts. The executive leaders’ can be classified as the CEO and other heads of departments. They are uncharged of making sure that the Six Sigma methodology works effectively. They also oversee the rest of the employees as they are put to task on what and how to implement it.
The anointed leaders’ are also in charge of ensuring that the employees become more innovative and find ways and resources to make the methodology work. Champions are given the task of making sure that the Six Sigma is utilized across the whole organization. Champions are also referred to as Black Belts. The Black Belts also have their own masters who act as the main implementers of the Six Sigma and trainers. They are called the Master Black Belts. Their key role in the organization is to ensure that Six Sigma works. Below the Master Black Belts who are also the main trainers in an organization lay the Six Sigma Black Belt certified people. Their sole purpose of the Black Belts is to implement the intricacies of the Six Sigma. While the Master Black Belts are key deciders and identifiers of the possible functions of the Six Sigma the Six Sigma Black Belts are those who do the hands on part of the job. They ensure that the process is working flawlessly in the organization.
The breakdown of individual tasks in the organization makes sure that everyone knows their sole purpose and with that chooses to abide to their key responsibility. In order to acquire your Six Sigma Black Belt certification, the American Society for quality demands that any individual applying for this position should pass a written examination and write down an affidavit declaring that he or she has taken on at least two projects. If he or she has not taken up any project, they are required to have at least had three years of experience. You can also choose to taken on this examination online, it is however more difficult that the original one.
As much as the methodologies are broken down and rules have been stipulated on how to attain your Six Sigma Black Belt certification, it is prudent that the various key members’ chosen and put to task to implement it do so with inner drive. Like any other process everything will breakdown if one party does not effectively perform their assigned duties.
The anointed leaders’ are also in charge of ensuring that the employees become more innovative and find ways and resources to make the methodology work. Champions are given the task of making sure that the Six Sigma is utilized across the whole organization. Champions are also referred to as Black Belts. The Black Belts also have their own masters who act as the main implementers of the Six Sigma and trainers. They are called the Master Black Belts. Their key role in the organization is to ensure that Six Sigma works. Below the Master Black Belts who are also the main trainers in an organization lay the Six Sigma Black Belt certified people. Their sole purpose of the Black Belts is to implement the intricacies of the Six Sigma. While the Master Black Belts are key deciders and identifiers of the possible functions of the Six Sigma the Six Sigma Black Belts are those who do the hands on part of the job. They ensure that the process is working flawlessly in the organization.
The breakdown of individual tasks in the organization makes sure that everyone knows their sole purpose and with that chooses to abide to their key responsibility. In order to acquire your Six Sigma Black Belt certification, the American Society for quality demands that any individual applying for this position should pass a written examination and write down an affidavit declaring that he or she has taken on at least two projects. If he or she has not taken up any project, they are required to have at least had three years of experience. You can also choose to taken on this examination online, it is however more difficult that the original one.
As much as the methodologies are broken down and rules have been stipulated on how to attain your Six Sigma Black Belt certification, it is prudent that the various key members’ chosen and put to task to implement it do so with inner drive. Like any other process everything will breakdown if one party does not effectively perform their assigned duties.
Six Sigma Green Belt Certification
Six sigma is a management strategy in business. It was first developed by motorola in the United states in the year 1986. The main role of this strategy is to improve the quality of process outputs by identifying the defects in business processes. The strategy also endeavors in removing the defects identified in order to have a seamless process in manufacturing and business process that in turn assist achieve a desired product that is competitive and up to standard with the complex and demanding market. Many have not heard of the term six sigma before and would be interested to know where it was derived from. The term came from a terminology predominantly used in the manufacturing and more synonymously from terms associated with statistical modelling of manufacturing process.
The height of a manufacturing process is usually described by a sigma rating showing its yield or the amount of products produced that are not defective. For a process to be a sigma six, the products produced in the process must have less than 99.99966% defective products. I.e. the defective products must be less than 3.4 products in a million. The company that developed this process Motorola set a sigma six for all its operation processes. Six sigma became a success and is widely adopted as a standard manufacturing process and other management business process also adopted it. Since this strategy became famous and many companies wanted to adopt it there was need to ensure quality was not compromised and a certification was necessary for one to be deemed a professional in the process.
Six sigma green belt certification mentioned early requires at least three years of experience in the sigma six green belt framework of knowledge. This body of knowledge can be subdivided into 5 broad disciplines that cover the six sigma green belt aspects. These are knowledge about six sigma and the organisation i.e. the value of six sigma organisational drivers and matrix, organisation goals and six sigma projects. Lean principles in the organization i.e. the lean concepts and tools, value added and non added activities and theory of constraints. Then the design of six sigma finalizes the knowledge of six sigma and the organisation. Secondly there are various terms that the candidate wishing to obtain certification would need to know. Process management for projects which would entail defining accurately terms like, process elements owners and stakeholders and identity customers among others topics.
The candidate must also be familiar with the project management basics i.e. the project charter and problem statement, project scope, project matrix, project planning tools, project implementation project analysis and project closure. Also the candidate is required to be familiar with management and planning tools. Business results and projects team dynamics and performance. Thirdly the candidate would be required to be familiar with the measure which includes process analysis and documentation probability and statistics. Collecting and summarizing data among others. Fourthly analyse i.e. exploratory data analysis and hypothesis testing. Fifth is Improve and control which includes topics such as design and experiment and statistical process and control.
The height of a manufacturing process is usually described by a sigma rating showing its yield or the amount of products produced that are not defective. For a process to be a sigma six, the products produced in the process must have less than 99.99966% defective products. I.e. the defective products must be less than 3.4 products in a million. The company that developed this process Motorola set a sigma six for all its operation processes. Six sigma became a success and is widely adopted as a standard manufacturing process and other management business process also adopted it. Since this strategy became famous and many companies wanted to adopt it there was need to ensure quality was not compromised and a certification was necessary for one to be deemed a professional in the process.
Six sigma green belt certification mentioned early requires at least three years of experience in the sigma six green belt framework of knowledge. This body of knowledge can be subdivided into 5 broad disciplines that cover the six sigma green belt aspects. These are knowledge about six sigma and the organisation i.e. the value of six sigma organisational drivers and matrix, organisation goals and six sigma projects. Lean principles in the organization i.e. the lean concepts and tools, value added and non added activities and theory of constraints. Then the design of six sigma finalizes the knowledge of six sigma and the organisation. Secondly there are various terms that the candidate wishing to obtain certification would need to know. Process management for projects which would entail defining accurately terms like, process elements owners and stakeholders and identity customers among others topics.
The candidate must also be familiar with the project management basics i.e. the project charter and problem statement, project scope, project matrix, project planning tools, project implementation project analysis and project closure. Also the candidate is required to be familiar with management and planning tools. Business results and projects team dynamics and performance. Thirdly the candidate would be required to be familiar with the measure which includes process analysis and documentation probability and statistics. Collecting and summarizing data among others. Fourthly analyse i.e. exploratory data analysis and hypothesis testing. Fifth is Improve and control which includes topics such as design and experiment and statistical process and control.
Value Steam Mapping (VSM) - Lean Manufacturing Technique
Lean manufacturing technique-value steam mapping is a technique used to design and analyze the flow of materials and information required until a product is complete and ready for sale to a final consumer. It first originated from the manufacturers of TOYOTA, and has been adopted widely. It has proved to be a success in manufacturing environments but has also been used
In other processes like supply chain, logistics, service related industries and even healthcare. This technique has been successful because it helps streamline work processes to ensure efficiency in production thereby identifying wastes and minimizing them thus creating value in a product. Total product quality, zero defects, productivity improvement and management, effective management techniques and continuous improvement of processes and quality assurance are important part of the improvement of processes.
When you think of wastes the first thing that comes to your mind is material wastes, but that is not the only thing that lean manufacturing will save you from. There are other wastes in form of time taken to complete a process; number of employees used in the process and number of machine functions used wastes. If wastes are minimized effectively then we would be able to have a seamless process that would be able to produce a final product that would not only please the owners but also the final consumer, thus creating value which is the core importance of any competitive enterprise. A major importance this technique provides is integration of various processes. Manufacturing evolution since centuries ago has leaned towards specialization of processes which has led to fragmentation of processes. This has not achieved the optimal standard in manufacturing processes as required in the present day.
Integration is associated with flexibility, adaptability of processes to change quickly as the situation demands. This creates an environment in the manufacturing process that is immune to many adverse conditions that may arise during the process of manufacturing. Integration achieves this by giving the whole process a balcony view or a holistic approach to the performance of the process. An example in which specialization has not been successful in improvement of processes is when employing re engineering in a process without considering other processes involved in developing of the final product like involving employees and not involving simultaneously relevant technology. This has led to only minimal gains that if all these other processes were involved would lead to greater improvement of processes. Thus only when people, methodology, machines, techniques and discipline are harmonized can superior performance is achieved which is the basis of integration and lean manufacturing.
The other importance of Lean manufacturing technique-value steam mapping is enhancing simplicity in the whole processes. Processes used to be very complex, with bureaucratic structures, which led to wastage. This technique strives to bring in a sense of simplifying a process because the process is repeated over a long period time in cycles thus creating a learning curve that improves production. The technique also improves creativity since continuous assessment and improvement of the process is part of the core objective of the business process.
In other processes like supply chain, logistics, service related industries and even healthcare. This technique has been successful because it helps streamline work processes to ensure efficiency in production thereby identifying wastes and minimizing them thus creating value in a product. Total product quality, zero defects, productivity improvement and management, effective management techniques and continuous improvement of processes and quality assurance are important part of the improvement of processes.
When you think of wastes the first thing that comes to your mind is material wastes, but that is not the only thing that lean manufacturing will save you from. There are other wastes in form of time taken to complete a process; number of employees used in the process and number of machine functions used wastes. If wastes are minimized effectively then we would be able to have a seamless process that would be able to produce a final product that would not only please the owners but also the final consumer, thus creating value which is the core importance of any competitive enterprise. A major importance this technique provides is integration of various processes. Manufacturing evolution since centuries ago has leaned towards specialization of processes which has led to fragmentation of processes. This has not achieved the optimal standard in manufacturing processes as required in the present day.
Integration is associated with flexibility, adaptability of processes to change quickly as the situation demands. This creates an environment in the manufacturing process that is immune to many adverse conditions that may arise during the process of manufacturing. Integration achieves this by giving the whole process a balcony view or a holistic approach to the performance of the process. An example in which specialization has not been successful in improvement of processes is when employing re engineering in a process without considering other processes involved in developing of the final product like involving employees and not involving simultaneously relevant technology. This has led to only minimal gains that if all these other processes were involved would lead to greater improvement of processes. Thus only when people, methodology, machines, techniques and discipline are harmonized can superior performance is achieved which is the basis of integration and lean manufacturing.
The other importance of Lean manufacturing technique-value steam mapping is enhancing simplicity in the whole processes. Processes used to be very complex, with bureaucratic structures, which led to wastage. This technique strives to bring in a sense of simplifying a process because the process is repeated over a long period time in cycles thus creating a learning curve that improves production. The technique also improves creativity since continuous assessment and improvement of the process is part of the core objective of the business process.
Six sigma – The Pros and Cons
When people try to find methods to improve the performance of production or manufacturing, they would come to lean manufacturing or six sigma manufacturing. This is something that a lot of people are using and a lot of people are actually trying to use this method to boost the overall performance of a company. Therefore, you should learn these two things and you should be able to compare the pros and cons of the two methods so that you can select the right one.
There are several benefits that you can enjoy when you use the lean manufacturing. First of all, you would be able to reduce the waste chain processes. Secondly, you can also reduce the need for acquiring a lot of new inventories to support your production. On the other hand, you can generate a more powerful system and the system would be strong. Last but not least, lean manufacturing could help you to enrich the layouts and the layouts would be more flexible.
What about the six sigma method? Well, this is something that you can expect to save cost. By adopting six sigma, people normally can save cost up to 50%. Yes, this is a great amount and this is something true about six sigma. If you are interested in gaining a good cost which is competitive, you can consider using six sigma.
Of course, there would be other benefits that you can gain when you adopt the six sigma method. For example, you will be able to have a good and complete analysis of the requirements of your clients. You can bring improvement in the quality operation of the company and you will also be able to delivery the products promptly.
Finally, it would come to the question. Which one is better? Well, this actually depends on a lot of things and it is hard to make a clear-cut judgment. You should always try to analyze your own present situation and figure out the best solution to the problem. If you want to find a method which can allow you to work well in almost all industries, then lean manufacturing is the thing that you need.
But there would also be some disadvantages of using this method to make the things that you want. Sometimes, you would not be able to achieve the goals that you want to have after you work with lean manufacturing or six sigma. The reason is that your company would need time to have the change and it is not realistic for you to expect everything change in a second. Therefore, you have to give your company time to adapt to the changes.
To conclude, there would not be an absolute solution to the problem indeed. You must work hard to choose a good method for your company if you do not want to make a wrong decision. As long as you are sure about the choice, you can usually finish the improvement of the production processes well and bring changes to the company.
There are several benefits that you can enjoy when you use the lean manufacturing. First of all, you would be able to reduce the waste chain processes. Secondly, you can also reduce the need for acquiring a lot of new inventories to support your production. On the other hand, you can generate a more powerful system and the system would be strong. Last but not least, lean manufacturing could help you to enrich the layouts and the layouts would be more flexible.
What about the six sigma method? Well, this is something that you can expect to save cost. By adopting six sigma, people normally can save cost up to 50%. Yes, this is a great amount and this is something true about six sigma. If you are interested in gaining a good cost which is competitive, you can consider using six sigma.
Of course, there would be other benefits that you can gain when you adopt the six sigma method. For example, you will be able to have a good and complete analysis of the requirements of your clients. You can bring improvement in the quality operation of the company and you will also be able to delivery the products promptly.
Finally, it would come to the question. Which one is better? Well, this actually depends on a lot of things and it is hard to make a clear-cut judgment. You should always try to analyze your own present situation and figure out the best solution to the problem. If you want to find a method which can allow you to work well in almost all industries, then lean manufacturing is the thing that you need.
But there would also be some disadvantages of using this method to make the things that you want. Sometimes, you would not be able to achieve the goals that you want to have after you work with lean manufacturing or six sigma. The reason is that your company would need time to have the change and it is not realistic for you to expect everything change in a second. Therefore, you have to give your company time to adapt to the changes.
To conclude, there would not be an absolute solution to the problem indeed. You must work hard to choose a good method for your company if you do not want to make a wrong decision. As long as you are sure about the choice, you can usually finish the improvement of the production processes well and bring changes to the company.
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