What is Lean Six Sigma

by George, Michael L.; Rowlands, David T.; Kastle, Bill

• ISBN13: 9780071426688
• ISBN10: 007142668X
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-11-17
• Publisher: McGraw Hill

Summary

A quick introduction on how to use Lean Six Sigma to improve your workplace, meet your goals, and better serve your customers. Lean Six Sigma combines the two most important improvement trends of our time: making work better (using Six Sigma) and making work faster (using Lean principles). In this plain-English guide, you'll discover how this remarkable quality improvement method can give you the tools to identify and eliminate waste and quality problems in your own work area. Packed with diagrams, cartoons, and real-life examples, What is Lean Six Sigma? reveals the "four keys" of Lean Six Sigma and how they apply to your own job: Delight your customers with speed and quality Improve your processes Work together for maximum gain Base decisions on data and facts You'll see the big picture of what your company hopes to gain with Lean Six Sigma, how it may affect your work area, and what it can mean to you personally.

Author Biography

Michael L. George is the founder and CEO of George Group, the largest Lean Six Sigma consulting practice in the United States. He is the author of Lean Six Sigma and Lean Six Sigma for Service.

David Rowlands is Vice President of Lean Six Sigma at Xerox Corporation. He's been using Lean and Six Sigma since 1988, and has practical experience working with teams to solve improvement challenges in sales, service, and manufacturing.

Bill Kastle is a Vice President at George Group and has helped guide Lean Six Sigma initiatives at major corporations. For 15 years, he has helped teams at all levels apply these tools to improve performance and respond to customer needs.

Table of Contents

A Note to Our Readers
Introduction: What's In This For You	p. 1
Foundations of Lean Six Sigma
The Four Keys to Lean Six Sigma	p. 8
Key #1: Delight Your Customers with Speed and Quality	p. 11
Key #2: Improve Your Processes	p. 19
Key #3: Work Together for Maximum Gain	p. 29
Key #4: Base Decisions on Data and Facts	p. 34
Beyond the Basics: The Five Laws of Lean Six Sigma	p. 39
Implementing Lean Six Sigma
When Companies Start Using Lean Six Sigma	p. 46
Making Improvements That Last: An Illustrated Guide to DMAIC and the Lean Six Sigma Toolkit	p. 56
The Experience of Making Improvements: What It's Like to Work on Lean Six Sigma Projects	p. 78
Six Things Managers Must Do: How to Support Lean Six Sigma	p. 84
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