Balance need for financial impact with practical realities of execution. Continuously refine the message and delivery means to ensure that the vision for the future is consistently understood throughout the organization. Updated tactical plans to execute change based on the knowledge gained through selection of candidates and projects. Champion Roadmap and Toolkit — Execution Phase.
Create Environment for Success E1. Assure and execute regular communications of the right message to right person at the right time. Performance management, communication plan, project reviews. Effective mitigation of change risks and barriers. Alignment of performance goals, project goals, individual responsibilities and review processes to reinforce Lean Six Sigma behaviors. Champion success attributes; communication plan. Reallocating time and review methods to effect change in personal operating system to foster project and team effectiveness.
Personal understanding of project progress and candidate performance. Compliment existing review process with new questions centered of the use of Lean Six Sigma Tools, facts, data and process performance. Quick identification and removal of barriers to project and implementation success. Final report, closure agreement, certification criteria. Assure project report is in prescribed format and properly archived. Small but meaningful rewards for team participants. Align desired behaviors with your reward and recognition plans.
Public acknowledgement as well as small financial incentives are appropriate. Scale and Leverage Best Practices E3. Assure the organization sees the benefit of the process. Champion Roadmap and Toolkit — Review Phase. Track and Control Results R1. Process metrics linked to strategic or financial targets and are the basis for on-going process evaluation. Assure accountability by driving performance to new metrics. Control plan should determine when action is warranted. Unjustified process tweaking is discouraged.
Ensure that process changes remain intact. Changes must be justified with appropriate data. Capture and Extend Project Learning R2. Learn from project results to streamline future projects and avoid pitfalls. Highlight lessons learned and communicate good project practices. Assure that all corrective action loops are fully closed and documented. Utilize best practice tools and methods to capture, index and archive project reports, data, presentations. Six Sigma deployment management six sigma implementation Lean Six Sigma lean burning platform measurement Governance rewards and recognition Firstsource Solutions Lokesh R.
Before I get into the road map for successful implementation of Six Sigma, let me start with a question here.
Successfully Implementing Lean Six Sigma: The Lean Six Sigma Deployment Roadmap
Is your organization ready to implement Six Sigma? If you weighed your pros and cons and believe that Six Sigma will help you in organizational excellence, then you are ready. Here are eight steps for successful Six Sigma implementation. Burning Platform and Shared Vision In order to implement or even think about implementing Lean or Six Sigma methodologies, we need to have a burning platform.
The burning platform could take several forms: Many are cynical about implementing Six Sigma. It does not help, so why do we need to do this? Often we in the Six Sigma fraternity have to meet and manage such cynics, and the only way to counter this pushback is to have a common vision across the organization, such as, "If I had a choice I would like to be best rather than biggest.
Louis Gerstner, former Chairman of IBM, normally received almost e-mails a day from employees at various levels. One day, a software programmer sent him an e-mail detailing the complicated system of internal procedures required to obtain software from another division. This was brought up during the next meeting, and a couple of days later a message went out from the chairman stating, "Henceforth it will be our policy to share with our colleagues enthusiastically and without added cost whatever we develop. Let me start this with what we did in our company.
Eight Steps to a Successful Lean Six Sigma Implementation
When we started our journey, the Process Excellence team wanted to make Six Sigma a great success, so we ensured that the CEO was the first person in the company to understand Six Sigma and to be trained on the methodology. With this task accomplished, everything else started falling in place since Six Sigma became a vision across the organization. Hence to drive organization vision and value across our workforce, customers, partners and suppliers, we needed to have our key leadership aligned towards a common vision.
This ensures that the organization environment is amenable to change and able to drive change, leveraging innovation and technology as the key tools.
Step 1. Establish a Core Group
Lastly, we need to take action to attain our vision; this ensures that we gain visibility and strong support from leadership. Leadership sponsors ensure we meet our organization vision, thereby attaining excellence. Resources Now let me get into step two of success. You pay peanuts and you get monkeys, and your entire Six Sigma plan is heading towards disaster.
This is true to any resource. As Robert Bosch says, "He has lots of money since he pays good wages. This is applicable to any resource, be it man, material or technology. Resources alone do not help us in ensuring we are successful… we need to deploy them as a team, and this team should act as a change agent.
Step 2. Determine Parameters for Certification
As an organization we must emphasize empowering the team to carry out the initiatives, and hence we need domain expertise and knowledge. Let me share a personal example on selection process.
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We had finalized a candidate for a Black Belt position in our customer service process. During my interview I asked him, "What was the most wonderful experience in your life," for which he replied, "The six months I spent working in a farm with no people, no telephone and no tension. I ran to my boss and told him he might not fit in, but the damage was already done; he was hired, but he left within three months.
We need to take care of our resources both in terms of wages and also the resource fit and commitment to implementing the shared vision. One great way to bring training in house, at minimal expense, is to have the candidates complete online training, one phase of DMAIC at a time. As an example they can complete the Define Phase , pass the Define exam and then meet with with an internal resource to get project support and check for understanding.
All levels of Lean Six Sigma Training come with over 80 tools and templates including handy examples to make application easy. Learners have many options and lots of support. These are people who might be asked to provide data, assist in improvement efforts or participate on a project team. On a simple level, they may just need a primer on the new vocabulary of Lean Six Sigma , but an even more effective method is to enable the workforce to take advantage of a free, 1-hour, online awareness session known as White Belt Training.
If interested in learning more, they can move on to the free 8-hour Yellow Belt Training. Many organizations choose a third option which is to take advantage of the Train-The-Trainer program and bring FastPitch in-house. This way they can run their own continuous, on-site sessions to build awareness, momentum and excitement around the improvement initiative. This can be provided by Black Belts , Master Black Belts or other coaching resources on a weekly or bi-monthly schedule. These tools make it easy for internal coaches to ask the right questions, capture project status and keep track of where each candidate is in the process.
If you have any internal quality resources, this is a great option for building and expanding your bench strength. This can be in informal process where the Champion and internal coach agree on whether or not the project was successful, or it could become a formal, scheduled project presentation and review.
Eight Step Road Map for Successful Six Sigma Implementation | Process Excellence Network
Green Belt Project Storyboards should demonstrate success, follow a logical flow and make use of the right tools at the right time. Panel members can use the Project Review Assessment Tool included to come to consensus on whether the candidate is ready to be certified. The Black Belt Project Submission Guide is a comprehensive explanation for what to include in the Black Belt Storyboard and what reviewers will be looking for.
Acknowledge, reward and celebrate certification and process improvement gains. Spread the word and share success using blogs, Yammer , Twitter , LinkedIn or other internal applications. Once displayed, leadership and colleagues are invited to review and appreciate the completed improvements while interviewing the project leaders and their teams. This helps bolster the replication and transfer of solutions to other areas of the business.
This is what we call an ongoing affair. Each round of projects uncovers another round of opportunities. Continuous improvement is about the journey and, along the way, growing a happily engaged, problem-solving culture.
Expect Green Belts and Black Belts to complete additional projects and build on their success with each passing year. Capture potential projects in the Project Pipeline included or take advantage of one of the many apps that enable managers to track and collaborate on the list of opportunities. Make sure Green Belts, Black Belts and others continue to hone their skills by accessing the latest blogs , webinars and podcasts.
There are also some easy to use apps out there to collect the voice of the employee which opens up another great avenue for the project pipeline. Every cost, defect and cycle time reduction leads to happier customers, better margins, strategic success and a stronger, more fulfilled workforce.
Everything you need is included in the full Rollout Kit which conveniently includes:. Start a Trial for Your Team. Have you decided to bring continuous improvement training into your organization?