I am often asked, “What makes a good Lean Six Sigma (LSS) project?” There are many factors to be considered, including project scope, potential savings, and available data. Often it is better to delay a project until the appropriate information is available.
There are times when a LSS project is not the best course of action. On occasion, an in-depth study is not needed to solve a problem. Many times, the solution is readily available. In these cases, it is best to follow the advice of a familiar sporting goods company and “Just do it.”
Another reason to not use a LSS team is when a solution has already been decided upon. Sometimes a manager develops a solution that he or she wants to implement and then looks for a way to justify the decision. It is important to be able to identify these “backdoor solutions.” A continuous improvement (CI) team should not be used to promote a potentially political agenda.
There are effective and ineffective ways to utilize CI. Forcing a team to use a preconceived solution is not a good use of a CI team. Neither is asking a team to develop a solution that is obvious. A healthy CI program must be able to identify when a project is appropriate for a team or is simply something that needs permission for implementation.
How are you helping your company to work smarter by reducing the amount of time spent on non-productive activities and correcting errors? If your business processes need a “check-up,” please email me at michael@leadingchangeforgood.com! I’d love to help you get back to a healthy, productive workplace.
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