Page 214 - The Six Sigma Project Planner

unit performing similar or identical tasks. Many also have suppliers and outsourcers
that do work similar to that being done internally. By replicating the changes done
during a project, the benefits of Six Sigma can be multiplied manifold, often at very
minimal cost. Think of it as a form of benchmarking, except that instead of looking for
the best-in-class process outside of the company, the Six Sigma project creates a best-in-
class process and you want to teach the new approach to others within the organization.

Unlike benchmarking, where the seekers of knowledge are already predisposed to
change what they are doing, the process owners who might benefit from the knowledge
gained during a Six Sigma project may not even be aware that they can benefit from a
change. This needs to be considered when planning to share lessons learned. The
replication process is a combination of motivating, educating, and selling the target
audience on the new approach. Since this requires a different skill set than project work,
those who worked the project are often not the best ones to sell others on the new
approach. They can serve as technical advisors to those who will carry the message to
other areas. The Six Sigma function (process excellence) usually takes the lead in
developing a system for replication and sharing of lessons learned. Savings from
replication are booked as Six Sigma savings.
In addition to the lessons learned about business processes, a great deal will be learned
about how to conduct successful projects. In a few years, even a moderately sized Six
Sigma effort will complete hundreds or thousands of projects. These project lessons
learned should be captured and used to help other project teams. The project lessons
learned are usually best expressed in simple narratives by the project Black Belt. The
narratives can be indexed by search engines and used by other Black Belts in the
organization. The lessons learned database is an extremely valuable asset to the Six
Sigma organization.

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