Page 14 - Lean six sigma demystified

Preface

In the April 2009 Inc. magazine, Jim Collins said, “There has been a big shift
away from seeing the essence of entrepreneurship as the creation of a better
mousetrap to viewing it as the development of a better process.” Instead of build-
ing a better mousetrap, he says, “isn’t it much more important to create a better
process that will produce many mousetraps over time?”

Build a Better process

The essence of Lean Six Sigma is to build a better, faster, cheaper, more profit-
able process. Lean Six Sigma will help you

• Simplify. Use Lean to simplify the work area.
• Streamline. Use spaghetti diagrams and value stream maps to streamline

the work flow.
• Optimize. Use Six Sigma to focus, improve, sustain, and honor your progress
toward eliminating all defects and deviation.

If good is the enemy of great, why not become a process entrepreneur? Why
not become obsessed with tweaking existing processes to delight customers and
employees?
There are two basic ways to get great profit margins: charge higher prices or
reduce costs. Lean Six Sigma can help you design products that are worth a
higher premium and reduce costs without sacrificing quality, productivity, or
profitability. Any employee who doubts that his or her business is producing a
profit is sadly misguided.
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