DOQS SIX SIGMA SERIES

Six Sigma with Lean

This course covers the interaction of tools and techniques in the Six Sigma and Lean Enterprise domains that target similar characteristics or features of process and product definition. The result is a synergy that allows each discipline to take advantage of the strengths of the other, while closing gaps that may occur within the discipline. Generally, applying Lean tools to Six Sigma projects improves the incorporation of timing and throughput elements into the Six Sigma design, while also raising the emphasis on removing waste. Six Sigma alone can accomplish these things, but the integration of some of the Lean tools makes the synergy explicit and more effective. (3 days, $16,500, Prerequisite: Six Sigma Improvement II) (Contrasted with Lean Six Sigma)

Overarching Questions

1. How do we minimize the time required to do something?
2. How do we maximize the value produced by a sequence of related activities?
3. What justifies leaving some waste in our processes and activities?

Lean & Six Sigma

1. Lean is (primarily) a standard against which a process architecture or design can be measured.
2. Six Sigma is (primarily) a process improvement model that emphasizes meeting increasingly strict standards.
3. Six Sigma with Lean emphasizes the building of processes that comply increasingly with the Lean standard.

Essential Questions

1. What are the Lean principles, and how do the Lean tools work to improve throughput by driving out waste? [Explanation]
2. What does implementing Lean say about what is important to the business and its culture? [Interpretation]
3. How do we use Lean to improve our IT project outcomes, build better IT applications, and implement better business processes? [Application]
4. What will our implementation of Lean look like to our customers, suppliers, and managers? [Perspective]
5. What will it be like for our users to work with and use our new Lean processes and applications? [Empathy]
6. How does Lean change the way we do our jobs and think about ourselves as professionals? [Self-knowledge]

Topical Questions

• Introduction To Lean
  • What are the 5 Principles of Lean?
  • How do they apply to Information Technology projects?
  • How do they interact with Six Sigma tools and principles?
• Stream & Waste
  • How does timing rhythm affect process cost and capacity?
  • What's the relationship between timing and work-in-process?
  • What are the categories of waste and how do they impact processes?
• Time & Value
  • What differentiates value-added and non-value-added activities in a process?
  • How does re-work affect cycle time and total cost?
  • How do process maps change as a result of applying Lean principles?
• Batch & Flow
  • How does the batching of events affect productivity and throughout?
  • How can batches be converted to continuous flow in projects and applications?
  • How does load balancing optimize reducing cost and maximizing throughput?