Integrating Lean and Six Sigma
- Companies have reported that bringing the two concepts- Lean and Six Sigma together delivers faster results.
- While the objective of Lean is to create flow and eliminate waste from the process, Six Sigma improves process capability and reduces variation thereby improving quality and reducing cost. If a company just applies Six Sigma, it cannot maximize the potential of the organization. Lean is really an enabler for Six Sigma
- More and more companies are realizing that it is possible to achieve dramatic improvements in cost, quality, and time by using the above techniques.
- Several companies including Toyota, General Electric, Motorola, and many others have accomplished impressive results using one or the other technique. However, using only one of the above techniques- Lean, Six Sigma, or Design for Six Sigma has limitations.