Have you ever wondered how Santa manages to deliver ALL those presents, to the right children who asked for them, at the right time, at the right house – every single Christmas?
There’s only one plausible explanation. To accomplish this monumental task each year, Old Saint Nick MUST run a very Lean organization!
In fact, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if he uses Lean Six Sigma processes to eliminate waste in inventory management, transportation and materials, as he and his elves assemble millions of toys and flawlessly distribute them worldwide.
This fun holiday blog by Six Sigma green belt @JaredMunk got me to thinking. Who has a more demanding and impatient customer base than Santa? And he has one chance to get it right.
To get input from his customers, he collects data from parents and Santa’s helpers around the world. They help him understand who has been naughty or nice, as well as what special gift each child would love to have. Of course, there’s only one Santa….but he has a lot of look-alike assistants at the malls, doesn’t he?
No double Santa uses data from NORAD’s Santa Tracker to improve the precision of his delivery logistics, as their scientific instruments map his delivery route across the sky. He probably employs just-in-time manufacturing techniques to keep down inventory and ensure that the hottest gifts – like this year’s Fingerlings – are available when needed.
Spreading Christmas joy to children worldwide is a complex undertaking. Santa must use Design for Six Sigma to coordinate all the intricate processes so that everything works together smoothly. So if your son or daughter begins to doubt if Santa is really real and asks you this holiday season, “How does he do it?,” you can reply with a smile – “Six Sigma, my child.”
Happy holidays to you all! How are you helping your employees to work smarter by reducing the amount of time they spend 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!
How are you helping your employees to work smarter by reducing the amount of time they spend 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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