Cambridge Business Association
Lean Six Sigma for Services
Book

Lean Six Sigma for Services

How to Use Lean Speed and Six Sigma Quality to Improve Services and Transactions

Michael L. George
McGraw-Hill, 2003
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Editorial Rating

9

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Recommendation

So often in corporate life, profit is generated when you learn how to have your cake and eat it, too. Well, pick up a fork. Author Michael L. George shows you how to apply both Lean and Six Sigma to your service operation so you can accomplish goals you may have thought were mutually exclusive: work faster and increase quality. A Lean Six Sigma expert, the author deftly explains how most service operations are sitting on a potential treasure trove of cost savings. He uses real-world case studies involving the likes of Lockheed Martin and Bank One. The key to the cake cupboard, however, is listening to the voice of your customers and faithfully addressing their perspective about your service. getAbstract highly recommends this comprehensive volume to any service organization that wants to become simultaneously leaner, better and friendlier in the eyes of its customers.

Summary

At Your Service...for Profit

Few business leaders realize that the service sector represents more than 80% of U.S. GDP and is growing rapidly. Its economic significance is tremendous. In the average manufacturing organization, approximately 80% of product cost can be traced back to support and service functions - only a fifth of the cost is driven by direct manufacturing materials and labor.

Yet, providing service is generally inefficient. In fact, customers find that some 50% of most service and support costs are a waste of time, effort and money. What would it mean to your organization to streamline your service delivery process and reduce costs by half? Turn to Lean Six Sigma, which can help you achieve profound improvements in quality, efficiency and customer satisfaction.

Combining Lean and Six Sigma

Most executives assume that there is a trade off between quality and production speed. This is not the case. Lean Six Sigma teaches that acceleration actually can improve quality. Moreover, when you simplify your organizational processes with Lean Six Sigma, both turn-around times and quality will benefit.

Lean means maximizing process velocity...

About the Author

Michael L. George is the CEO of George Group, a major Lean Six Sigma consulting operation. He has helped numerous Fortune 500 companies use Lean Six Sigma, Lean Manufacturing and Complexity Reduction. He is the co-author of What Is Lean Six Sigma?

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