Dr Ian Wedgwood, Executive Director of Six Sigma Breakthrough Technologies, has more the ten years experience in the field of Six Sigma and Lean Sigma. He has led and facilitated deployments in manufacturing and service industries and mentored executives, champions and belts.
The book comprises six chapters, grouped into three parts, and the introductory chapter. Chapter 1 clarifies what a process is and includes a flow chart that briefly illustrates how the rest of the book is structured. An integrated Lean Sigma Roadmap that follows the DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control) approach of Six Sigma is included.
Instead of sequentially covering what is dealt in each of the parts, the review is covered in the reverse order. Part III is dealt with and then Parts I and II. Chapter 7, the sole chapter of Part III, deals with 55 Lean Sigma tools. First an overview of the tool is given for each tool. Then depending upon the tool Logistics, Roadmap, how to interpret the outputs and other options and considerations are covered. Part II also comprises a single chapter and a very short one that briefly explains what tools are applicable and what sequence they are used for identifying projects for further scrutiny.
Part I comprises four chapters that describe the route to solution for a wide range of problems. Chapter 2 focuses on tools used in the define stage to prepare the Project charter. Chapter 3 covers 25 tools for Global process problems; first an overview of the tool is given. This is followed by areas where the tool is applicable, how to measure the performance and finally the sequence of actions required and a reference to the applicable tools covered in depth in Part III. Chapter 4 deals with the sequence of processes used for Individual step process problems. It follows the same pattern as Chapter 3, and covers three specific areas: a single process step that does not meet TAKT (Pace of customer demand), the Pace for a single process step is too slow, and too much variation in the Cycle time of a single step. Chapter 5 is a short chapter on tools used for demonstrating improved performance and closing the project.
I found the book interesting and useful. The other books I have reviewed before give detailed information about the tools. Though this book does not cover tools in such depth gives an explanations of what tools to use and in which order and why.
