Understanding Lean Six Sigma
According to the article written by Jennifer Markarian, Six Sigma is a quality within an organization which strives to touch perfection. It is a kind of approach that is data driven and a methodology to eradicate imperfections in a particular process starting with manufacturing and ending with product service (Markarian, 2004). The author further says that ‘the nearest specification limit’ and the ‘quality measurement’ gap has to be minimum six times of the standard difference of the process. However, Albliwi et al., (2014) are of the opinion that a process will be declared ‘zero defect’ if the defect per million opportunities is found only 3.4. Six Sigma has its tough methodology which demands in-depth analysis, logical decisions and a disciplined plan to ensure the quality standards of a process. Amani et al., (2015) argue that the change of Six Sigma depends on thought process of a company and how it teaches logical analysis at each level. It reshapes the ‘DNA’ of the way of thinking of the leaders by developing proper communication skills in people. There are few steps of Six Sigma which gradually proceeds towards eliminating the defects (Markarian, 2004). For example, reducing pollution, multiplying customer satisfaction, reducing costs and increasing profits from it.
The article talks about the implementation of Six Sigma through training process. The quality of the training can only make the implementation successful. The skills, knowledge and abilities of each group of participants are taken into account by effective training. After the primary needs are fulfilled, the remedial education is given to the employees to ensure that they can satisfy the basic needs of numeracy and literacy. Dubey et al., (2016) inform that the top managers are given executive training so that they better understand how Six Sigma process influences the success of the organizations. The Six Sigma methods are important in achieving organizational goals ( Pyzdek & Keller, 2014). The middle managers are also trained to keep the projects under supervision and lead the project teams signifying the organization’s commitment to Six Sigma. The black belts are considered to be the best leaders and knowledgeable business operators. They are chosen for the Six Sigma projects. The training concentrates not only upon Six Sigma methodology but also on successful completion of projects as supported by John & Areshankar, (2018). Green belts are also selected from the company for their critical thinking skills. The Green Belt training enables the candidates to understand the Six Sigma in a better way and contribute to the team.
The Importance of Training in Lean Six Sigma Implementation
The implementation of Six Sigma goes through five phases which includes define, measure, analyze, improve and control overall called the DMAIC framework. There are some other methods too namely DMADV (define, measure, analyse, design and verify) and others (Markarian, 2004). The DMAIC steps are as follows:
While training the employees and the management on the basis of DMAIC methodology, the first task is to define the scope and opportunities of the program. It should be spread companywide. The main issues or topics should be included in the program and the objectives should remain clear. The next step is to collect the baseline data in order to know the current position, capability, performance of the process and the demands of the customers (Jacobs, Swink & Linderman, 2015). The measuring should be done mainly to check the process cost, time and defects. After measuring the baseline data, the analysis needs to be done. The Pareto chart can be employed to recognize the main contributors. In order to gather information and identify the major reasons that cause defect in the process, Brainstorm in a fishbone diagram can also be used. In the improving phase the defects are shortlisted and proper solutions are provided to attain optimum performance. Before implementing a full change in the process, a pilot test is conducted. The task of controlling covers actions like monitoring, evaluating, implementation of changes if needed and also ensuring whether the advancements are sustaining or not (Laureani & Antony, 2018). This task is quite difficult as compared to the other tasks because it is a huge responsibility to convince the management and the rest of the employees about the benefits.
There are many companies where the combination of Six Sigma and Lean manufacturing is apparent. While Six Sigma modifies the quality of the management by maintaining the accuracy in process, Lean manufacturing eradicates waste, hence multiplying the process value to the customer (Markarian, 2004). The United States successfully using these two methods to increase customer and profits. The lead-time in value chain is reduced by the lean manufacturing method. The method progresses the cash flow, eradicated waste and controls in-time delivery which satisfies the customers most as suggested by Feng et al., (2018, July).
Breaking the conventional view, Six Sigma can also be implemented in small companies apart from the large companies. Gijo, Bhat & Jnanesh, (2014) propose that the basic requirements for Six Sigma are: Management team buy-in, training and education, resource commitment and link to compensation irrespective of the size of the company. McAdam et al., (2014) in this respect say that the management teams of the small companies as compared to the large companies are personally more communicating and closer. For example, meetings can be organized within an hour whereas in large companies’ days are spent to arrange meetings. Since small companies are more agile, Six Sigma methodology can be expected to be followed swiftly (Hu et al., 2015). Six Sigma adoption and implementation is easier for the small companies because they have better and fast decision making capabilities (Markarian, 2004). They are more strategically expert in managing cost, arranging in- house training sessions and bringing in expert consultants for certain projects.
The DMAIC Framework in Six Sigma Projects
Nowadays, a variety of industries are applying Six Sigma programs and it has gained the position of endless controversies regarding quality management (Sreedharan & Raju, 2016). Through continuous project improvement a company can get extra benefitted by following Six Sigma, comments Sin et al., (2015). The bottom line improvements are the first project focused by Six Sigma methods. It reduces the bottom –line costs and supports the top-line growth, thereby increasing the value for the customers. Once the Six Sigma becomes the part of the culture of the organization, it is used to spread the business processes such as logistics, purchasing, and human resource management (Thomas et al., 2016). Six Sigma has become extremely useful by reducing cycle time, inventing new problem solving tools and also providing advanced customer alignment. This article elaborates the case of DOW chemical co. Six Sigma has been included within DOW’s speed based growth philosophy initiated in the early 90s to accelerate trading. There are various technologies for which the Dow chemical used such as Dow Comfort Science VORAZzz Foam, Dow Corning TC-2022 Thermally Conductive Adhesive and many others. The article further says that speed requires the right method executed by the right person with the right skills, as stated by Kurt Swogger the vice-president of R & D plastics and Dow chemical co (Markarian, 2004).
The first product of the Polymer Modifiers group following the Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) process has been recently launched. The AEB560D is the impact advancer in the toughening of nylons (Markarian, 2004). The product has maleic anhydride functionality and acrylate also which modify the surface appearance and mould flow. The team also used fishbone diagrams. This particular tool indicated that different customer comments eventually come back to the same root of improving mould flow. The team focused on the use of best technologies in order to meet the requirements after having gone through the customer feedbacks. In a nutshell, it can be said that the key to Six Sigma is understanding what the customer wants instead of boasting of what the company knows that they want. Six Sigma can be said to be ‘at the customer, for the customer’. An actually successful Six Sigma efforts focuses on providing value to the customers.
References
Albliwi, S., Antony, J., Abdul Halim Lim, S., & van der Wiele, T. (2014). Critical failure factors of Lean Six Sigma: a systematic literature review. International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, 31(9), 1012-1030.
Amani, P., Lindbom, I., Sundström, B., & Östergren, K. (2015). Green-Lean Synergy-Root-Cause Analysis in Food Waste Prevention. International Journal on Food System Dynamics, 6(2), 99-109.
Dubey, R., Gunasekaran, A., Childe, S. J., Fosso Wamba, S., & Papadopoulos, T. (2016). Enablers of Six Sigma: contextual framework and its empirical validation. Total Quality Management & Business Excellence, 27(11-12), 1346-1372.
Feng, T., Zhang, Y., Wang, X., & Li, Y. (2018, July). Application of lean six sigma in energy saving lamp assembly process. In Journal of Physics: Conference Series (Vol. 1053, No. 1, p. 012129). IOP Publishing.
Gijo, E. V., Bhat, S., & Jnanesh, N. A. (2014). Application of Six Sigma methodology in a small-scale foundry industry. International Journal of Lean Six Sigma, 5(2), 193-211.
Hu, Q., Mason, R., Williams, S. J., & Found, P. (2015). Lean implementation within SMEs: a literature review. Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, 26(7), 980-1012.
Jacobs, B. W., Swink, M., & Linderman, K. (2015). Performance effects of early and late Six Sigma adoptions. Journal of Operations Management, 36, 244-257.
John, B., & Areshankar, A. (2018). Reduction of Rework in Bearing End Plate Using Six Sigma Methodology: A Case Study. Journal of Applied Research on Industrial Engineering, 5(1), 10-26.
Laureani, A., & Antony, J. (2018). Leadership–a critical success factor for the effective implementation of Lean Six Sigma. Total Quality Management & Business Excellence, 29(5-6), 502-523.
Markarian, J. (2004). What is Six Sigma? Reinforced Plastics, 48(7), 46-49. doi: 10.1016/s0034-3617(04)00377-7
McAdam, R., Antony, J., Kumar, M., & Hazlett, S. A. (2014). Absorbing new knowledge in small and medium-sized enterprises: A multiple case analysis of Six Sigma. International Small Business Journal, 32(1), 81-109.
Pyzdek, T., & Keller, P. A. (2014). The six sigma handbook (Vol. 4). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education.
Sin, A. B., Zailani, S., Iranmanesh, M., & Ramayah, T. (2015). Structural equation modelling on knowledge creation in Six Sigma DMAIC project and its impact on organizational performance. International Journal of Production Economics, 168, 105-117.
Sreedharan, V. R., & Raju, R. (2016). A systematic literature review of Lean Six Sigma in different industries. International Journal of Lean Six Sigma, 7(4), 430-466.
Thomas, A., Byard, P., Francis, M., Fisher, R., & White, G. R. (2016). Profiling the resiliency and sustainability of UK manufacturing companies. Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, 27(1), 82-99.
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