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Leaning Into Six Sigma

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Leaning Into Six Sigma

A Parable of the Journey to Six Sigma and a Lean Enterprise

McGraw-Hill,

15 min read
10 take-aways
Audio & text

What's inside?

What happens when Lean Enterprise meets Six Sigma? You cut waste, improve your processes and save money.

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Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Innovative
  • Applicable

Recommendation

Authors Barbara Wheat, Chuck Mills and Mike Carnell use the format of a novel to explain two major quality control mechanisms: Lean Enterprise and Six Sigma, the efficiency approach that has had a broad impact on corporate America. In a sort of parable that shows both of these processes in action, they tell the story of a consultant named Samantha. She helps a business owner named Sid who has made all the wrong choices in setting up his manufacturing operation. Sam uses Six Sigma to help Sid out of his quagmire. The volume goes into greater, more useful detail about identifying and eliminating areas of waste than many other Six Sigma books. The text links the Five S’s of Lean Enterprise with the systems problem-solving methodology MAIC (measure, analyze, improve and control). In all, here are the basics of Six Sigma and Lean Enterprise in an easy-to-use volume you can read on a commuter flight. getAbstract.com strongly recommends this book to those who want to begin to improve their firms’ efficiency and productivity.

Summary

Becoming a Black Belt - Or President

Mark Twain once observed that in America anyone can grow up to be president - and that’s just one of the risks you take. Similarly, any company can combine Six Sigma quality control with Lean Enterprise efficiency - it just takes the risk of becoming far more effective.

Motorola undertook both historic business initiatives in the mid-1980s: it implemented Six Sigma and used the concept of total cycle time - a key element in the Lean Enterprise efficiency approach. More than just another corporate quality and improvement initiative, Six Sigma actually works. Many major corporations today employ it effectively, and many consultants make a living explaining how it works. The American Society for Quality is even establishing a new certification exam for "Six Sigma Black Belts," individuals who have developed special expertise in the execution of Six Sigma methods.

Meet Sam

This is the story of Sam, short for Samantha. She is a "plant rat," meaning that she enjoys hanging around factory floors, studying practical real world problems that come up in the manufacturing process and determining solutions. Sam’s problem, which...

About the Authors

Barbara Wheat is the executive director of Six Sigma for the Tenneco Automotive Company. Mike Carnell is president of Six Sigma Applications, a consultancy. Chuck Mills has taught and implemented Lean Enterprise for many different corporations in Europe and North America. The three also co-authored Leaning into Six Sigma: The Path to Integration of Lean Enterprise and Six Sigma.

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