Success Using Lean Six Sigma in Terms of Operations and Business Processes

Book excerpt: Lately there's been a great deal of talk around Lean execution. But, some people speak of Lean, some speak of Six Sigma and some use a combination of the two. But, what's the difference? How do you know what's right for your organization? As the market place tightens and companies are fighting for every dollar of revenue, they need to adopt innovative methods to create more efficient processes that will give them a competitive edge of their closest rivals; this is the basis for Lean Six Sigma. Unlike traditional Six Sigma, Lean Six Sigma uses some of the methodology from lean manufacturing along with the Six Sigma approach. Many organizations see Lean Six Sigma as the evolution of the Six Sigma methodology rather than a modification. Lean Six Sigma takes the fundamentals of Six Sigma and incorporates the cost reduction principles of Lean Manufacturing.