I read a great example recently about Lean. Take the 1981 classic movie Raiders Of The Lost Ark. You will recall the baddies were Digging In The Wrong Place.
If you do not know your processes, and how effective or efficient they are, then you may as well be digging in the wrong place. Loss of time, too much effort, stress and poor end results can be compared to how your processes may seem to both internal and external customers.
A Lean process offers simple explanations, is measurable, audited and reviewed for consistency and improvement.
Whether you use Lean or Six Sigma terminology, the goal is the same – find improvements to a process that yields measurable benefits to what the company cares about most. These may be financial performance, customer satisfaction, to name a few.
Don’t know where to start?
DMAIC methodology is a great way to ensure an improvement project is managed in the right order, that it is defined clearly, measured, analysed thoroughly, implemented in the right manner, and controlled.
So don’t keep digging in the wrong place, work on clear and efficient processes to save you time down the line.
Used with inspiration from an article written by Matt Hansen for LinkedIn – Lean Six Sigma 101
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/lean-six-sigma-101-introduction-lss-matt-hansen
