Business Readiness Analysis
Program Goals and Objectives
Master Black Belt Role
Program Reporting Set Up
Organisational Strategic Goals and Objectives
Materials Customisation
Project Generation
Training Delivery
Project Support and Reporting
Project Assessment and Certification
Program Reporting
Ongoing Continuous Improvement
Business Readiness Analysis
At Quality One we believe an organisation must be ready and mature enough to launch a Lean Six Sigma program. Without the necessary organisational building blocks in
place a Lean Six Sigma approach is potentially being set up to fail. This is true for any continuous improvement program attempted and implemented within an
organisation.
Lean Six Sigma Business Readiness Analysis tests the maturity of the organisation to be able to set up, implement, execute and report on a Lean Six Sigma Program
within the organisation.
An acceptable level of maturity in the organisation from a personnel, process and data perspective needs to be in place in other for the Lean Six Sigma Program or
continuous improvement program to have the best chance of success.
- Personnel need to
- Be included in at least one process and have a clear role definition
- Be clearly identified as to their skill level
- Aware of or competent in aligning activities to the strategic requirements of the organisation
- Process
- Measurements are attached to the processes required
- Procedure, Work Instruction, Policy documents exist for each appropriate process level
- Process maps exist and are up to date for each required process
- The interaction between processes is known
- Data
- Is collected on each required process
- Is validated as accurate and precise
- Is accessible by those who need it
- Is used in management decisions
While the gap in maturity, if it exists, on some of these items can be filled by the Lean Six Sigma program their presence will go a long way into assuring the success of
the program. In general, this is related to the maturity of:
- Levels of:
- Management System
- Process
- Procedures
- Management Tools
- Metric Decision-Making Use
- Data Management
Process Maturity Readiness is essential for Lean Six Sigma Programs – without it risk, impact and stakeholder analyses become difficult. For a process to be mature and
ready to work within a Lean Six Sigma Program it should:
- have the process known. Preferably mapped.
- know the resources required to use and access the process
- know the levels of access for required resources to each part of the process
- know any approval requirements
- know the outcomes required for the process
- know the reports required to execute the process and metrics within the process
- know the regulatory requirements that impact the process and preferably where they impact the process
- have available all forms and documentation required to complete the process
- know the levels of training and help requirements for the process when change management requirements occur
For assistance in Business Readiness Analysis for a Lean Six Sigma Program please
contact Quality One.
Program Goals and Objectives
A Lean Six Sigma Program needs clearly defined goals and objectives so that it is enabled to know what success looks like. Lean Six Sigma Programs and Projects have three
critical factors:
- Directly aligned with the Enterprise’s Strategy
- Clear “Line of Sight” to customer and stakeholder perceived value
- Significant contribution to the “Bottom Line”
The activities of the program and all the projects within it need to reflect the three critical factors. All successful continuous improvement programs have these items
as their focus. Enterprise strategy can be anything from efficiency, to cost reduction, to achieving market share, to delivery levels to customers and more. The Lean Six
Sigma Program needs to align itself to these factors and deliver projects within them that meet customer and stakeholder requirements and contribute to the organisational
bottom line.
For assistance in developing Lean Six Sigma and Continuous Improvement Program Strategy and Objectives please
contact Quality One.
Master Black Belt Role
Within the structure of the organisation Master Black Belt training is delivered to personnel who require training that allows them to lead programs with high risk and
reward across the entire organisation and understand and deliver their role in the Lean Six Sigma Program. The Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt course is 3 days formal
training and is only conducted with organisations implementing a Lean Six Sigma Program.
After the completion of the course, participants will have covered:
- Presenting a high-risk reward program and projects around the DMAIC/DMADV outline
- Identify and Prioritise Lean Six Sigma Projects
- Report on multiple Lean Six Sigma Projects within a Lean Six Sigma Programs
- Managing stakeholders across the organisation with Project Leads
- Managing change management across the organisation
- Managing risk management across the organisation
- Continuous Improve the Lean Six Sigma Program Delivery
- Benchmark with other improvement programs
- Perform risk analysis of projects, resources and deliverables within the Lean Six Sigma Program
- Identify
- Voice of Customer
- The strategic requirements and objective of the organisation
- The Bottom Line state in the organisations
- Develop Descriptive Statistics and Measurement Systems Analysis within the organisation
- Assist and Perform Statistical Functions and Measures
- Lead Decision Making in implementation of project improvements
- Measure process improvements
- Building the organisational process view
- Managing Lean Six Sigma Program Materials
- Perform Statistical Process Control and more...
Program Reporting Set Up
Lean Six Sigma Program reporting needs to be set up to monitor, deliver, provide feedback and program improvements in:
- Progression of Personnel through training materials and the DMAIC/DMADV processes
- Progression of Projects through the DMAIC/DMADV project delivery
- Progression and timing of projects through Tollgates
- Improvement levels from project improvements
- Value of completed and progressing projects
- Competency attainment of personnel in the lean six sigma deliverables
- Delivery timing of components in projects
- Availability of data for projects
- Availability of resource for projects
- Examination and project results for personnel
- Process metrics improvements
- Updates and upgrades in process maturity of the organisation
- Risk Reduction activities
- Data Collection and analysis on organisational strategy and goals uplift
Click here for project reporting examples
Click here for program reporting examples
Organisational Strategic Goals and Objectives
Lean Six Sigma and Continuous Improvement Program goals and objectives should reflect the strategic requirements and objectives of the organisation and flow down in a
Hoshin manner. Organisational strategic goals and objectives can include:
- Financial objectives
- Growing Shareholder Value
- Grow Earnings Per Share
- Increase Revenue
- Reduce Costs
- Maintain a favorable financial leverage and cash flow
- Ensure Financial Sustainability
- Maintain Profitability and Market Share
- Diversify Revenue Streams
- Customer objectives
- Value for Money
- Product Range Offering
- Reliability of Product
- Higher Levels of Service
- Direct understanding of customer wants, needs and desires
- Organisational Objectives
- Innovation of Product and Service
- Differentiation of Product
- New Product Sales Percentage
- Focus on Research and Development
- Acquisition of New Customers
- Service Level Objectives
- Improve Customer Service
- Investment in Customer Relationship Management
- Customer Collaboration
- Improve Customer Retention
- Improve Customer Satisfaction
- Operational Excellence Objectives
- Cost Reduction
- Waste Reduction
- Increase Recycle Rate
- Quality Management Improvements
- Adherence to Standards and Regulatory Requirements
- Reduction of Error Rates
- Reduction of Failure Rates
- Safety Initiatives
- Energy Reduction
- Lean Initiatives
- Maturity of Business Processes
- Personnel Objectives
- Improve Technical and Analytical Skills
- Develop IDP programs for cross functional work force
- Define clear avenues of growth through the organisation
- Improve personnel retention and performance
- Develop leadership in the organisation personnel
For assistance in developing and aligning Organisational Strategy and Objectives to Lean Six Sigma and continuous improvement program and projects please
contact Quality One.
Materials Customisation
At Quality One we believe time must be invested in Lean Six Sigma Materials to be used in the Lean Six Sigma Program to make them as bespoke as possible for the
organisation. This allows participants to make immediate context with the material and have the barrier between understanding, implementing and executing reduced.
Customisation of the training materials is key to getting this to happen.
Quality One has base training materials for Lean Six Sigma Programs across all Lean Six Sigma Belts. In a well defined Lean Six Sigma Program training materials
should be threaded with examples from the industry the organisation is in and the organisation itself. This can be challenging given new programs can lack to
requirement of a live example. The role of the Black Belt or and Master Black Belt in the program would be to develop an example project while the setup is occurring
to ensure examples are available to allow context to occur for the personnel entering the program. Program selection is important here as one of the key goals is to
develop materials – timing and delivery are paramount. The example project and the development and delivery of materials can be staggered in the first wave of personnel
in the program.
Organisational Aims and Objectives should also be threaded through the customised materials. As this will essentially be different for each organisation and potentially
for each new program it is an important element in the training materials customisation.
Quality One can assist in the delivery of bespoke Lean Six Sigma training materials while still holding true to the underlying principles of Lean Six Sigma. For
assistance in the development of Customised Lean Six Sigma Training Materials or for access to base training materials as part of the Lean Six Sigma Kit please
contact Quality One.
Project Generation
A Lean Six Sigma project is:
- A defined, quantified objective that is to be achieved using the Lean Six Sigma Structure / Processes
- A project which MUST have a sponsor
- A project which MUST have a champion
- A project which MUST be assignable to someone specifically a Green Belt or Black Belt
- A project that MUST be bounded, it has a limited amount of time to develop a solution
- A project that MUST have measures or metrics
- a project that is documented in a project charter
It has Three Critical Factors
- Directly aligned with the Enterprise’s Strategy
- Clear “Line of Sight” to customer and stakeholder perceived value
- Significant contribution to the “Bottom Line”
Potential Project Ideas are:
- Process weaknesses
- Performance gaps between objectives and targets
- Unexpected successes
- Unexpected failures
- Unexpected external events
- Industry / market structure changes
- High growth areas
- Converging technologies
- Demographic changes
- Perception changes
- New knowledge
The project selection process once project ideas are generated needs to fit the Lean Six Sigma critical success factors. Project selection should be undertaken using
Decision Making Model using the success factors and organisational requirements as criteria in the Decision Making.
For assistance in developing a Project Selection Strategy in your Lean Six Sigma and continuous improvement program please
contact Quality One.
Training Delivery
Lean Six Sigma Program Training Delivery can be achieved through multiple channels in several different formats.
- Classroom Delivery
- Lean Six Sigma Materials
- Project Tutorials
- Tools Tutorials
- Mentoring
- Project Delivery
- Program Delivery
- Online
- Lean Six Sigma Materials
- Project Examples
- Program Updates
- Tools Tutorials
- Webinar
- Lean Six Sigma Materials
- Project Examples
- Program Updates
- Project Delivery
- Program Delivery
- Tools Tutorials
- Correspondence
- Hardcopy Lean Six Sigma Materials
- Online Mentoring
- Email Correspondence
- Project Assessment and Certification
For assistance in developing a Training Delivery Solution in your Lean Six Sigma and continuous improvement program please
contact Quality One.
Project Support and Reporting
Project Support and Reporting on a regular, periodic and consistent basis is a cornerstone of the success of a Lean Six Sigma and or Continuous Improvement Program.
Project Leads should have reporting tools to enable their progress and difficulties to monitored and overcome and these should cascade into Program Reporting with the
absolute minimum of administrative burden. The
Lean Six Sigma Project Tracker
part of the iProgent™ range is the tool that allows projects leads to report and program
leads to monitor and report. The input from each individual project cascades to deliver the program report and highlights individual projects that may need assistance
in key areas of project delivery.
Project support can be obtained over numerous channels and needs to be regular and consistent within the program so projects can be monitored and the continued delivery
until completion is achieved. Project support can include help with:
- Documenting the project
- Organising and Assuring data collection
- Removing organisational roadblocks
- Statistical and data analysis
- Team conflict and collaboration
- Analysis of activity with other projects
- Analysis and Mitigation of Risk
- Realising value from gains and activity in the project
And can be achieved by:
- Face to Face or One on One meetings with Master Black Belts, Champions and Sponsors
- Group Tutorials
- Online Group Forums
- FAQ and Feedback Online Forums
- DMAIC/DMADV Tollgates
- Project Reporting by the Project Lead and Project Feedback from the Master Black Belt
Project Assessment and Certification
Lean Six Sigma Certification is available upon the completion of all requirements at each belt level.
Lean Six Sigma White Belt
Certificate issued upon the completion of the Lean Six Sigma White Belt Awareness course
Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt
Certificate issued upon the completion of the Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt course and short open book examination to competent level.
Lean Six Sigma Green Belt
Certificate issued upon the completion of the Lean Six Sigma Green Belt course and completion of open book examination and in house Lean Six Sigma Green
Belt project to a competent level.
Lean Six Sigma Black Belt
Certificate issued upon the completion of the Lean Six Sigma Black Belt course and completion of open book examination and in house Lean Six Sigma Black
Belt project to a competent level.
Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt
Certificate issued upon the completion of the Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt course and completion of open book examination and required submission of
evidence of running a Lean Six Sigma Program to a competent level.
Lean Six Sigma Certification Levels
Lean Six Sigma certifications are bound to the competencies outlined at each level on this page.
Lean Six Sigma Certification Bodies
Quality One can organise certification with recognised certification bodies for personnel as part of a Lean Six Sigma program or public course.
At Quality One we have mapped the Lean Six Sigma Green Belt and Black Belt to both ISO18404 and the AOQ developed competencies.
For assistance in assessment and certification of personnel in your Lean Six Sigma Program from both an internal and external point of view or for assistance in
assessment of the overall Lean Six Sigma program please
contact Quality One.
Program Reporting
Program Reporting in a Lean Six Sigma Program is a required activity of the Master Black Belt and the belts assisting in the delivery of the projects within the
Lean Six Sigma and Continuous Improvement Program. Both the Master Black Belt and the Champion at Program Level would use tracking tools to determine the health
of the program and Champions at the project level would use the project tracker to determine the progress of projects they are designated champions for.
Lean Six Sigma Project Tracker
delivering Lean Six Sigma program reporting would include:
- Progression through project charter requirements
- Time taken on each component of the project
- Value of the Project
- Resources allocated to projects
- Process affected by the projects
- Data to be collected by the project
- Key Personnel involved in the project
While the Program Tracker is the cumulation of all the data in the project tracker to determine the health of the overall program.
Through the Master Black Belt, reporting should enable the program leadership to know which projects in a program may need help, which competencies and skills in the program
require extra assistance and what is the status of the program.
For assistance in Lean Six Sigma Program Reporting and program tracker tools to assist Champions and Master Black Belts please
contact Quality One.
Ongoing Continuous Improvement
Ongoing Continuous Improvement can include the integration of other programs and approaches with the Lean Six Sigma Program.
Continuous Improvement Programs can include:
- PDCA - Plan Do Check Act - or Plan Do Study Act
-
is an iterative-continuous four-step management method used in business for the control and continuous improvement of processes and products. Also known
as the Shewhart-Deming cycle. The PDCA cycle has alignment with other continuous improvement methodologies including DMAIC.
- As Is To Be
- mapping and analysis of current state translated to future state and the required results using business process modelling techniques.
- VSM - Value Stream Mapping
-
a form of process mapping used to document, analyse and improve the flow of materials and information required to produce a product or provide a service.
Value Stream Mapping defines and illustrates the sequence of activities, and the flow of materials and resources required to produce a product or provide
a service. There is a significant difference in the format of process mapping/flows and value stream in level of resolution, focus and application. Value
Stream Mapping is most often associated with manufacturing processes. In reality, it is currently being utilized in logistics applications, software
development, office processes, healthcare and other service-related industries.
- EIMS - ORA
- Problem Solving
-
the process undertaken to find solutions to complex or difficult issues by taking an analytical approach using scientific methods. Effective problem solving
requires the issue to be recognized and fully understood by the problem solver(s). Various problem solving methods and tools can be used to drive down to
the root cause of the issue and take appropriate corrective actions to not only fix the problem, but to ensure it does not re-occur. There are many problem
solving tools and approaches that are all effective if used properly of which some are listed on this page.
- RCA - Root Cause Analysis
-
is a comprehensive term encompassing a collection of problem solving methods used to identify the real cause of a non-conformance or quality problem. Root
Cause Analysis is the process of defining, understanding and solving a problem. The root cause has also been described as an underlying or fundamental cause
of a non-conformance, defect or failure and root cause analysis the process to remove, reduce and eliminate the root cause of a particular effect.
- Lean Six Sigma Programs
- Kaizen
-
is more than just a methodology for continuous improvement. It is not a specific tool or set of tools to improve quality. Kaizen is a journey and not a
destination. The objective of Kaizen is to improve productivity, reduce waste, eliminate unnecessary hard work and humanize the workplace. Kaizen is
effective at identifying the three basic types of waste: Muda, Mura and Muri. Kaizen philosophy empowers everyone to assume responsibility for their
processes and improve them. With Kaizen, workers at all levels of the organization are engaged in constantly watching for and identifying opportunities
for change and improvement. Kaizen is not just a one-time event; more precisely, it is a process that occurs every day.
- 5S Programs
-
The 5S Method is a standardized process that when properly implemented creates and maintains an organized, safe, clean and efficient workplace. Improved
visual controls are implemented as part of 5S to make any process non-conformance’s obvious and easily detectable. 5S is often one element of a larger Lean
initiative and promotes continuous improvement.
- ISO9001
-
A proven Quality Management System development and implementation approach should be used based on project management methodologies. A structured approach
should be used for defining project plans, specific responsibilities and verification of results. The result will be a development and implementation
strategy that is more efficient and provides for first time compliance or registration to the ISO 9001 requirements.
- IATF16949
-
with ISO9001 as a base IATF16949 (formerly TS16949) is a standard that establishes the requirements for a Quality Management System (QMS), specifically for
the automotive sector. The ISO/TS 16949 was originally created in 1999 to harmonize different assessment and certification schemes worldwide in the supply
chain for the automotive sector.
To seek assistance with your organisations continuous improvement program please fill in our
contact form
and Quality One personnel will call to discuss. This includes local, national, regional and international continuous improvement programs.