152 4 lean six sigma makes problem solving exciting
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presents the Executive Education Series
Why Lean Six Sigma is better than ‘just doing projects’
10/19/2013 152-4 Copyright fkiQualityLLC 2012 1
Lean Six Sigma makes problem solving exciting
Written by Francisco Pulgar-Vidal, fkiQuality
fpulgarvidal@fkiquality.com
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Lean Six Sigma projects are
vastly different from typical, everyday
projects,
and can be much more
exciting to be a part of, than most other things at work.
Here is why,
Lean Six Sigma projects
explore and discover important work problems,
and then
make work better for the long term.
See how next.
IDEA ONE: To solve a problem,
explore the current work situation.
Teams following the Lean Six Sigma way
go to the place of work,
…that is, where problems happen,
to gain insights into the work.
The place where work
is done is known as ‘gemba.’
You may see ‘gemba’ written as
Going to the gemba lets you see what is the problem
in its context.
Observing makes you smarter about the problem, because you are
open to what is happening.
But assuming you already know everything around you,
does not.
Is this vastly different from before?
Yes, because you start
with observations, not assumptions.
IDEA TWO: Careful observation leads teams to
identify the real problem.
Do you remember the most important instruction before a test?
‘Read each question carefully.’
In the same way, before you start solving, you must
formulate the problem correctly.
Have you ever worked on
the wrong problem? Who hasn’t?
For instance, this happens when a problem is
formulated as a solution.
The following are actual problem statements. Can you see
anything wrong?
These are
solutions already!
Based on
assumptions like...
Assumption: Train users and they will follow procedures.
Assumption: People are always ready to embrace new rules.
Assumption: To eliminate shipping errors, use a longer form.
Assumption: More pressure will make things better.
We make these assumptions all the time.
Are assumptions always right?
When we
jump ahead from assumption to solution,
we may face several
project setbacks.
Jumping to a solution orients the team to deploy
only one thing, which could be insufficient or just wrong.
Jumping to a solution stops the team’s search to find
the true reason for the problem.
Jumping to a solution reduces your effort to find
a real solution.
So, you could be working on
the wrong problem.
By not jumping ahead to a solution, Lean Six Sigma teams work on the
right problems.
This is
vastly different from everyday work.
IDEA THREE: Going to the gemba and working on the right things
sparks energy and innovation.
In the gemba, you learn
what is really happening.
Nobody can tell you how things are because,
you have been there.
This is great
because you can avoid
false starts.
As an employee, false starts make you feel
annoyed and unproductive.
As a manager, false starts make you
waste resources.
Over time, the worst waste is
the loss of interest and creativity of the associates.
Can you afford this loss?
On the contrary, working to solve
things that matter,
make you feel that
your day-to-day also matters.
This makes for teams filled with
energy and desire to innovate.
This is much better than how
most teams feel everyday.
In summary, Lean Six Sigma projects focus on what matters and bring back
discovery and innovation to the work.
Next presentations will discuss:
• What you should think about when thinking of lean and six sigma.
• How lean six sigma and project management go together.
• In which way lean six sigma projects go deeper than other efforts.
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