Comparative Analysis: Six Sigma BPR and Kaizen

Lean Six Sigma concepts were introduced in the book titled Leaning into Six Sigma: The Path to Integration of Lean Enterprise and Six Sigma (Lean Six Sigma). Lean Six Sigma methodologies combine lean manufacturing and Six Sigma strategies to rely on improved performance from a collective team effort that systematically reduces variation and removes seven kinds of waste, known as Muda. Muda includes any unnecessary motion, transport, wait time, inappropriate processing, excess inventory, overproduction, and defects (Lean Six Sigma). Furthermore, Lean Six Sigma methods aim to provide customers with the best possible quality, cost, and delivery (ASQ.org, n.d.). In all, Lean Six Sigma is a business performance improvement strategy that uses a systematic approach to improving the way people advance processes. Its methodologies allow for systematically enriched processes to satisfy the customer and make money. Simply put, Lean Six Sigma as a business enhancer, ingrained with tools and techniques people can use to learn how to improve their processes (iSixSigma,

In this document we have done a detailed study of Six Sigma and Lean Six Sigma and how they help Business Analysts to maximize their skill sets to attain maximum process improvements in their activities. We introduce the topic, provide a historical timeline and disucuss its relevance to the topic. After that, we analyze current state and use the information to provide results in Analysis and Synthesis section.

Six Sigma focuses on defect prevention; improving quality, cost savings, and reducing waste by helping

Six Sigma is a business metrics that seeks to identify and eliminate causes of errors or defects as well as failures in business processes by focusing on output that are critical to customers (De Feo, Barnard 2004). It is also a measure of quality that strives to eliminate defects using the application of statistical methods. In this case, a defect is defined as anything that could lead to customer dissatisfaction. Six Sigma’s statistical quality control is the method used to measure variability in a product for evaluation and corrective actions. When the product metrics exceeds the bounds of acceptability, based on statistical inference, the product can be rejected with reasonable assurance that does not meet requirement. It aims to identify and eliminate waste in order to increase speed and flow from start to finish. It also identifies the critical steps, and deleting those not required or nonessential. There are so many metrics process in today’s business industries but the metrics that Six Sigma’s statistical thinking can also be defined as a thought process. In which it recognize the variation is all around us and present in everything we do. The Six Sigma’s interconnected processes and identifying, characterizing, quantifying, controlling and reducing variation provide opportunities for improvement within any organizations or firms. That is to say,

Design can be related to the creation of products goods and services for the benefit of customer satisfaction. When a product is not created effectively the organization could be plagued with costly problems down the line. However, Six Sigma uses tools that will allow companies protection from future problems and widespread liabilities (Kumar et al., 2009). If an organization implements six sigma in well planned out and methodical way, the benefits for the organization could be endless and have a positive effect well into the future of the organization. Therefore, main focus of Six Sigma is to ensure speedy breakthrough performances, substantial financial outcomes, and to have long lasting effects. Another component of Six Sigma is Total Quality Management which focuses things such as strategy, process, and the end

Lean Six Sigma approach is recognized widely and has been implemented predominately in manufacturing rather than other industries. To illustrate the point, this paper draws attention to the adoption of Lean Six Sigma in various industries with a case study. The combination of Lean tools and Six Sigma methodology is used to improve the process and quality by eliminating the variations and creating workflow in a process. The hypothesis of this study was that the Six Sigma technique can be used along with lean tools in order to improve process and quality in any area of industries. The review of case study discovered the use of

Six Sigma is a methodology used to improve business processes by utilizing statistical analysis rather than guesswork. This proven approach has been implemented within a myriad of industries to achieve hard and soft money savings, while increasing customer satisfaction. 6Sigma.us is at the forefront of Six Sigma certification and consulting services.

Six Sigma is a household name in the world of industry. Six Sigma is a union of of methods and instruments that are created for one sole purpose—process improvement. An engineer named Bill Smith, who worked at the cellphone company, Motorola, in 1986, first initiated this principle. 9 years later, Jack Welch from General Electric made Six Sigma central to his business strategy.

Six Sigma is a business technique that helps to continually identify and reduce the process variations or failures to achieve desirable results (Vora & Ravanan, 2014, p. 1). The organizations will be able to minimize the gap of customer expectation and product attributes. There methods being used in Six Sigma are “DMAIC” (Design, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control) and “DMADV” (Design, Measure, Analyze, Design, Verify). Besides, Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) is also a methodology used in Six Sigma to create lesser defect products, processes or services based on customer requirements. DFSS to achieve minimum defect rates during the development stage of the product. Thus, better quality of product or services can be produced by the organizations to increase the customer satisfaction. All of these methodologies give a big benefit in

A process is any repetitive action, may be a transactional, manufacturing or services. The defects and variation in processes affects productivity, quality and overall customer satisfaction by adversely hitting the bottom line. A new metric was required to measure the defects in processes and a methodology to control the variation in processes. Six Sigma fulfills this requirement of organizations.

Six Sigma is a concept based on statistical method that measures a process in terms of defects. Achieving Six Sigma means your process is delivering only 3.4 defects per million opportunities (DPMO). So your process will achieve near Zero Defect. Thus Six Sigma helps in achieving Process

Lean Six Sigma should be seen as an integrated framework now to initiate the change in culture and operations, leading to business and operations improvements. Organizations should try to become lean as much as possible and should leave a space for Six Sigma methodologies and should move forward to other philosophies such as agility and innovations. Every lean or Six sigma tool is not suitable for each company but most suitable tools and techniques should be identified and implemented in Lean Six Sigma frame work to get the competitive position in the

Six Sigma, is a management process that focuses on setting extremely high quality standards; followed by the collection data related to the process and finally analyzing the collected data to find solution to reduce defects in products or services (Rouse, M., Calloway). This Philosophy of Six Sigma simple, if you can count the number of defects in a process, you can determine how to eliminate those defects (Rouse, M., Calloway). The standard for achieving Six Sigma is less 3.4 defects per million (Rouse,

Six Sigma is a method that provides organizations tools to improve the capability of their business processes. This increase in performance and decrease in process variation lead to defect reduction and improvement in profits, employee morale, and quality of products or services. Six Sigma quality is a term generally used to indicate a process is well controlled (within process limits ±3s from the center line in a control chart, and requirements/tolerance limits ±6s from the center line).

Looking at the success of Motorola, many companies like Texas Instruments, Allied Signal etc started using Six Sigma methodology to bring organization-wide improvements.