Lean Six Sigma

About: Lean Six Sigma is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 1919 publications have been published within this topic receiving 29142 citations.

Data-Driven Performance Improvement in Designing Healthcare Spaces

Abstract: Measuring performance and defining good quality is a relatively recent phenomenon in healthcare. Starting in the 1980s, when the publi- cation of report cards and information about outcomes of practice, healthcare has steadily improved its skill with using data to understand perfor- mance with the intention of making improvements in clinical care as well as in financial performance. Throughout the last 30 years, there have been sever- al methodologies that have been introduced to assist organizations in improv- ing quality, including Total Quality Management (TQM), Clinical Quality Improvement (CQI), and Value Stream Management (VSM). While the rest of this article will concentrate on Lean Six Sigma and how it was used to execute a hospital design project, it is vital to understand that these methodologies and their associated tools are all part of a larger "toolbox," and can be integrated with other tools or methodologies based on the needs of a particular improve- ment project.In order for improvement to take root and flourish in an organization, an intense commitment on the part of senior management is required to support improve- ment activities through training, monitoring, and continued improvement activities after initial implementation. In addition to the need for management support for improvement projects, all employees must embrace some basic prin- ciples of quality and performance improvement. Good quality and productive work can't be accomplished without well-defined processes and metrics that are monitored over time. It is also impossible to have good quality without under- standing the needs of customers, both internal and external. Finally, it is vital for everyone to remember that the main source of quality defects is within the pro- cess itself or the system that is being used, not with the people who are involved in the process. It is far too easy to blame particular people or departments for poor quality, when it is often the system that is fundamentally flawed.Increasing performance can only be achieved in two ways: increase capacity or reduce variation. If the concentration is (and should be) on making the system better, the concept of variation becomes paramount. Understanding variability is the key to improving a process or a system so that goods or services produced meet the needs of customers. Variation can be described as deviation from a stan- dard process. Variation is ubiquitous, additive, and in most systems that involve humans, can't be completely eliminated. Traditional approaches seek to mitigate the effects of variation in process, sometimes putting a "quick-fix" into place that ends up not only not fixing the problem at hand, but often also making the entire system work less effectively and efficiently.But in discussing the best way to approach quality improvement, there are some other basic principles to consider. Poor quality leads to incremental cost to the business, for example, in terms of rework, dealing with customer complaints, loss of market share, among others. In some processes, up to half of the work done is "non-value-added," that is, work that does not contribute to either the bot- tom line or to satisfying customers. An organization can't improve everything at once, so it should concentrate on the processes or systems that are most vital to core business objectives. Decisions should be made based on data that have been analyzed using sound scientific and statistical thinking. Improvement needs to be embraced at every level of the organization, or it will not be sustained.What Is Lean Six Sigma?In very broad terms, Six Sigma is a statistically based approach to process improvement. Lean is a methodology that focuses on eliminating waste-doing more with less-and has its origins in the Toyota Production System that was introduced in Japan. Lean Six Sigma combines the toolboxes of the separate methodologies of Lean and Six Sigma to provide a hybrid approach to process improvement. …

Efficiency in the operational process: reduction of incorrect entries and guarantee of compliance in the rendering of accounts

Abstract: Objective To verify the impact of the Lean Six Sigma methodology in reducing incorrect entries of non-appropriated revenues and expenses. Methods Process for the review and application of the Lean Six Sigma methodology between December 2015 and September 2016, in a high-complexity general hospital in the city of Sao Paulo (SP). Results A total of 3,756,814 (100%) entries were audited between December 2015 and September 2016. The Sigma level evolved over the course of the process and increased from 3.44 Sigma in December 2015 to 5.92 Sigma in September 2016. Entries classified as non-appropriated revenues and expenses were brought down to 0% at the end of the study. Conclusion The use of the Lean Six Sigma methodology was efficient in reducing incorrect entries, calculating costs, ensuring compliance in rendering of accounts and accurately determining cost-outcome ratios.

Manufacturing Production Companies Can Gain Strategic Global Advantage Using Lean Six Sigma

Abstract: How the implementation of Lean Six Sigma in manufacturing production companies in the global environment can positively affect innovation, quality, education, productivity, standard of living, and ethics is discussed in this chapter. Examples by notables like Dr. W. Edwards Deming and the Chegg Study point out a serious misalignment between what is actually needed in manufacturing production worker skill sets and what is available. The chapter demonstrates the interconnectivity of, and responsibility for, the welfare of citizens of the world. It shows how Lean Six Sigma implementation can influence Gross National Product and Gross Domestic Product, which in turn determine quality of life for a nation’s citizens. The chapter offers solutions like fostering industry, academics, and government relationships for the abatement of problems such as less government funding for public education and equipping college students with the right skill sets for more complex jobs in manufacturing production industries. Alton L. Kornegay North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, USA Manufacturing Production Companies Can Gain Strategic Global Advantage 175 ATTAIN GLOBAL MANUFACTURING SUCCESS: MAXIMIZE LEAN SIX SIGMA Manufacturing production companies are concerned about maximizing productivity. Because a nation’s standard of living and its quality of life are driven by its productivity, Shaw (2009). According to Economic Snapshot (2000) labor productivity is a measure of the amount of goods and services that the average worker produces in an hour of work. According to Shaw, of the many factors that influence a country’s standard of living, by far the most important is productivity (2009). The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) (n.d.) says that productivity equals output which is measured in units of whatever a company is producing, divided by input, which is measured in man hours (mh). The resulting output, or productivity, is units/mh. Implementing Lean Six Sigma has the potential to greatly increase a nation’s productivity. This chapter will focus on innovative solutions for productivity issues and challenges facing manufacturing production companies globally. Its theme will be Lean Six Sigma and how these principles and practices can provide solutions to the aforementioned problems. The purpose of these solutions is to make manufacturing production companies able to effectively meet and exceed the competition’s productivity anyplace in the world. This chapter will explain ways that manufacturing organizations may learn to strategically use and implement Lean Six Sigma principles and practices to ethically increase productivity, exceed customer and provider expectations, and cut production costs. The result of these innovative changes should increase productivity and bottom-line company profits. The experience of learning and successfully implementing Lean Six Sigma should provve to be enjoyable, rewarding and exciting for people in manufacturing organizations as well as for those in educational institutions who wish to partner with manufacturing organizations. WHAT IS LEAN SIX SIGMA? AND WHAT BENEFITS CAN ORGANIZATIONS EXPECT FROM IMPLEMENTING LEAN SIX SIGMA? There appear to be varying descriptions and much discussion among manufacturing industry leaders as to what exactly Lean Six Sigma is. Also, as to what is the difference between “Lean” and “Six Sigma” Strupe (2009)? According to Strupe (2009) the term Lean Six Sigma is a methodology that combines process speed with quality. However, the term Lean Six Sigma can 26 more pages are available in the full version of this document, which may be purchased using the "Add to Cart" button on the product's webpage: www.igi-global.com/chapter/manufacturing-productioncompanies-can-gain-strategic-global-advantage-using-leansix-sigma/122049?camid=4v1 This title is available in InfoSci-Books, InfoSci-Engineering, Science, Engineering, and Information Technology, InfoSciSelect, InfoSci-Business and Management, Business, Administration, and Management, InfoSci-Select, InfoSciSelect, InfoSci-Select, InfoSci-Select. Recommend this product to your librarian: www.igi-global.com/e-resources/libraryrecommendation/?id=1