Chapter 1: Introduction to Design for Lean Six Sigma and Ten Commandments

Over the past two decades, many world-class corporations have successfully adopted LSS as a core operational excellence methodology for improving the efficiency and effectiveness of various operations across the business. George (2002), in his book, argued that the integrated approach is superior to using Lean or Six Sigma on its own. His view was that Lean is not well-suited to fix problems related to performance inconsistency due to variation in a process. In other words, Lean may not be suitable for improving process stability and capability due to excessive or unpleasant variation within a process. Six Sigma, on the other hand, can be beneficial to tackle problems related to a lack of process stability and capability. However, Six Sigma may not be suitable for dealing with problems related to waste or inefficiency between processes. It is important to note that this view of Lean and Six Sigma is for short-term gains when the focus is on the application of tools and techniques and the associated methodology. If the goal of an organisation is to transform the business through Lean Thinking or Six Sigma strategy, it is important not to treat Lean merely as a collection of tools and their applications for short-term gains in the business. Instead, the focus must be on leadership, strategic alignment of the initiative with the overall business or corporate strategic goals, and the behaviour and attitude of the workforce towards engagement of the initiative.