(Lean Six Sigma) or (Lean and Six Sigma)

A lot of discussions I’ve heard recently about this two. Should it be together (as Lean Six Sigma) or separate but complementary (as Lean and Six Sigma) ?

If you search for this in web you will probably find Lean Six Sigma as the most apropriate one. You’ll find a lot of job positions, blog names, groups and even companies called that way. So,at the end of the day, you find a conclusion that this is right naming and approach. But I will a little disagree.

1) To do lean you need a different skills than for Six Sigma. You rather have to be extrovert, you have to see the whole so it means in most cases that you will miss some details.

2) To do Six Sigma you need to be detailed person, very project management oriented and not neccessary you have to see the whole as each Six Sigma project is focused on particular problem. F.e. person with Ph. D. will be excellent Six Sigma master.

3) You have to run Value Stream Mapping first. Based on results of it you can further define both Lean or Six Sigma projects.

3) Lean=waste reduction, Six Sigma=variation reduction. Lean is vary easy and simple, Six Sigma is complex to understand.

4) Lean is for everyone, Six Sigma is rather for engineers. Why f.e. HR should run six sigma projects ?

5) Why do lean six sigma if I reach the same results running only lean ?

Yes, I agree that this 2 programs we should run in parallel, but it should be rather inline (under 2 leaders) then combined together under one person, who is called Lean Six Sigma.

So, my opinion is that excellent lean leader won’t be necessary excellent Six Sigma Black Belt.

What do you think ?

Advertisement