Lean Six Sigma Training- The Details Of Lean Waste

Lean Six Sigma is an altered form of Six Sigma Training, but also a process all its own in many capacities. Knowing the vital differences that come with Lean can prove to add more to your quality improvement projects than you might have thought possible. There are basic fundamentals of Six Sigma that will not be absent in the Lean process, but there are also a few additions to the process that make it what it is.

Lean Six Sigma focuses on eight elements of waste, or work that doesn't add value to an organization or company. It has been found that many places that eliminate these wasteful areas can actually improve quality with just that elimination alone. The following is a list of the wastes according to the Lean process, along with examples of what each one alludes to:

-Wasted human talent: this includes people who don't have a specific job function within the process or are simply slowing down the process with their presence.

-Defects: This can be products or processes that are not right. These obviously need solutions to fix them before they can be eliminated.

-Inventory: Too much product waiting to be worked. This can also refer to too many patients in a doctor's waiting room, for example.

-Overproduction: Having too much of anything before it's needed can get in the way of productive process operation.

-Wasted time: Waiting on product to arrive, free time that could be better spent on various processes or activities. Having 5 workers standing around waiting to unload a truck that has not arrived is a good example.

-Motion: Simply put, too much needless movement by people. For example, a clinic which sends patients to triage when they have booked appointments is wasted movement as they can certainly go straight to the examination room.

-Transportation: Ineffective transportation that shifts people and products can be wasteful when it isn't necessary. Envision a warehouse making use of a forklift to deliver objects across the factory to a truck, when the production line could possibly be streamlined to transport right into the truck off of the line.

-Process Waste: Things that have to be done, but don't put in value to the process, product, or service at hand. For instance, a bank manager has to process a whole lot of paperwork, but this doesn't help customers or enhance the bank's ability to serve those customers in most cases.

Recognizing these waste products will strengthen the quality improvement projects that you approach making use of Lean Six Sigma processes.