| Although both Six Sigma and Lean Flow have their | | | | becoming a customer-centered organization that |
| roots in manufacturing, it works just as effectively in | | | | delivers the right service at the right time. Proper |
| service industries. Much of the U.S. economy is now | | | | training in Lean Six Sigma for service industries gives |
| based on services rather than manufacturing and | | | | your people the knowledge of tools and methodology |
| many service organization managers are wondering | | | | required to achieve significant long-term service |
| how they can achieve the tremendous process | | | | improvements. |
| improvement benefits of Lean Six Sigma to their | | | | Service managers trained in Lean Six Sigma become |
| service organization. Many service organizations have | | | | skilled at advanced process analysis and problem |
| already begun to blend the higher quality of Six Sigma | | | | solving techniques relevant to the real world of service |
| with the efficiency of Lean into Lean Six Sigma. The | | | | environments. They learn basic techniques to apply |
| effects have been significant and long-lasting. | | | | Lean to transactional and administrative processes. |
| Service organizations have different root causes of | | | | They lean to identify and eliminate poor |
| problems and a unique set of processes and metrics. | | | | decision-making processes, standardize practices, |
| As a result, the tools and methodology required to | | | | reduce cycle times and manage the risk of the |
| achieve the improvements of Lean Six Sigma are | | | | extensive changes required for breakthrough process |
| significantly different. While problems in the | | | | improvement in people-oriented transactional |
| manufacturing setting may lie within a process, the | | | | processes. Successful Six Sigma services projects will |
| issue in a service environment is often the process | | | | lead to the reduction of lead times, the streamlining of |
| itself. Services are full of waste--and ripe for the | | | | processes, and the holding down of costs. |
| benefits of Lean Six Sigma. It is easy to apply | | | | The general goals of any Lean Six Sigma project will |
| relatively simple statistical and lean tools that will | | | | be reducing process cycle times, improving on-time |
| reduce costs and achieve greater speed with less | | | | delivery, and reducing costs. By focusing on eliminating |
| waste in service processes. There are numerous real | | | | non-value added waste in a process, Lean Six Sigma |
| world examples that demonstrate how Lean Six | | | | will help a service environment become a |
| Sigma can be used in service organizations just as | | | | customer-centered organization, gain control over |
| effectively as in manufacturing with even faster | | | | process complexity, and improve performance and |
| results. | | | | response time on signature services. This is |
| In a service organization, the critical factors in quality | | | | accomplished by the use of Six Sigma statistical |
| and efficiency are flow of information and interaction | | | | techniques to understand, measure, and reduce |
| between people, especially interactions with customers. | | | | process variation with the primary goal of achieving |
| Transforming the process of these flows and making | | | | improvements in service/product quality, performance |
| them lean will yield quality results. Analyzing and | | | | and cost. Lean improving the speed of customer |
| modifying human performance in service environments | | | | fulfillment and reducing process wastes along the |
| is complex, but Lean Six Sigma provides the tools and | | | | supply chain while Six Sigma improving the consistency |
| methodology required to achieve significant long-term | | | | of service performance and service quality. |
| improvements. At the heart of every service business | | | | You can overcome resistance to change and lead an |
| are the opinions, behaviors and decisions made by | | | | effective implementation when managers in your |
| people. Analyzing and modifying human performance in | | | | organization have learned techniques to maximize |
| service environments is as complex as any | | | | productivity after a new process is in place. By |
| manufacturing situation. | | | | developing a solid implementation plan you establish |
| Lean Six Sigma achieves documented bottom-line | | | | control measures and processes to ensure that Lean |
| strategic business results by initiating an | | | | Six Sigma improvements endure and that efforts |
| organization-wide culture shift. Until a process | | | | remain closely aligned with business strategies. |
| focusrather than a task focusis developed, the scope | | | | Documenting the project is very important so that the |
| and endurance of any service improvements will be | | | | new procedures and lessons learned are maintained |
| limited. Success is achieved by training members of | | | | and provide concrete examples for the organization. |
| your organization to understand the basics of | | | | |