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.

Reduction Waste by Combining Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma in an Electronics Industry

Abstract: Nowadays organizations are involved in a complex environment with continues changing, that should impels the innovations looking for increase production performance, quality improvement, customer satisfaction and create a competitive advantage. Lean manufacturing provides an approach to identify and eliminate waste and all non value added activities through continuous improvement. The use of lean manufacturing as a set of "tools" that assist in waste identification and besides linked to DMAIC stages from six sigma could result in a systematic approach toward increasing value through production flow, statistical capability from the process and customer satisfaction; synergizing company efforts. An application case in an electronic industry from this integration is presented where sigma level from process was raised to 4.625 (99.91% efficiency), postulating VSM (Value Stream Map) and DMAIC stages as an essential first step from lean and six sigma respectively. The emerging integration that is already used in many industries is referred as Lean Six Sigma.

Applying Lean Six Sigma tools to reduce the rate of slips, trips and falls for Joint Commission field staff

Abstract: This paper presents how the Lean Six Sigma DMAIC methodology and change management tools are used to reduce the rate of slips, trips and falls (STFs) for Joint Commission field staff. The data sources included Workmen's Compensation claims data and an online survey (N = 453, response rate = 64%) administered to field staff who reported workplace STFs. The metric for this project: "Falls per opportunity based upon 1,000 surveyor days" had a pre-intervention (1/2007-4/2010) rate of field staff STFs of 0.339 and a post-intervention (5/2010-2/2014) rate of field staff STFs of 0.116 per 1000 surveyor days. Multiple risk factors are associated with field staff STFs consisting of environmental factors and individual behaviours. Targeted solutions included seasonal e-mails to raise staff awareness on footwear and changing weather conditions, as well as an informational pamphlet about the risks associated with walking surface conditions, carrying work-related or personal items, and type of luggage used.

Lean Six Sigma for Small and Medium Sized Enterprises: A Practical Guide

Abstract: Lean Six Sigma for Small and Medium Sized Enterprises: A Practical Guide. 2016. Jiju Antony, S. Vinodh, and E. V. Gijo. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press. 213 pages. This book provides an overview of how small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can apply lean and Six Sigma techniques for the benefit of their specific operations, along with the constituents and stakeholders whom these organizations serve as vendors and suppliers. The expectation is that a tactical or functional resource can use this book to improve the rigor and productivity of an improvement init iat ive. Unlike large companies with distinct functional areas, employees in smaller organizations have to be very versatile, and one person may have to fulfill several roles. The first portion of the book addresses the specific characteristics of SMEs. The advantages and positive characteristics read like a chamber of commerce brochure, extolling the virtues of SMEs as innovative, risk assertive, decisive, and nimble organizations relative to their larger counterparts, which are implicitly bureaucratic, stagnant, and risk averse in comparison. References to high-level definitions of continuous improvement and total quality management are included, because many of the tools and techniques profiled actually predate both lean and Six Sigma disciplines. Readers have their expectations managed by the concise disclosure of myths, pros, cons, and readiness factors specific to lean and Six Sigma. The second portion of the book covers the metrics and tools of lean and Six Sigma in an accessible format. The metrics portion is valuable and provides a concise summary of the most frequent and popular measures. For convenience, common concepts like TIMWOODU for waste, 5S (in both Japanese and English) for organization, and process capability indices are summarized. A formatting suggestion would be to show these in a more visually compatible way so the book doesn’t read like a policy manual. Both basic and advanced tools of lean and Six Sigma are summarized within two or three pages each. The consistency is helpful for references; however, the same amount of space is allocated for simple concepts like Pareto analysis and scatter diagrams as for complex concepts like design of experiments and measurement system analysis (that is, gage repeatability and reproducibility). The metrics and tools are presented generically, though, making this a versatile reference that could also be applied to large-scale operations. The third portion of the text builds on the prior descriptions of SMEs and lean and Six Sigma techniques, and applies them to specific projects and case studies. The projects are selected based on the effort and impact of the opportunities. Based on this overview, industrial case studies are profiled to show how the tools were applied. The authors supplemented each case study with the corresponding managerial implications, key lessons learned, a recap of the tools used (that is, control chart, design of experiments, SIPOC, and so on), and a summary of the objective results. The combined effect of this approach is that the common process model for projects is demonstrated. This book provides an effective work reference to support project definition, prioritization, execution, and completion. Overall it surpassed my expectations as a serious and relevant reference, as well as a practical end-to-end resource for deploying lean and Six Sigma techniques in the workplace. The bibliography is extensive, and references are cited to provide credibility and direct the reader to more extensive volumes. This would also be a very useful book for people aspiring to prepare themselves for ASQ certifications, or an equivalent peer recognition specializing in continual improvement, lean, or Six Sigma tools and techniques.

Waste and Cost Reduction for a Water Bottling Process Using Lean Six Sigma

Abstract: In this paper, Lean Six Sigma tools and techniques were utilized to determine the root causes of waste in a water bottling process and proffer solutions to remove these sources of waste in order to produce only standard quality items with minimal to zero waste generated, and also to attain a reduction in production cost. The Value Stream Map (VSM) tool was used to highlight the sources of waste in the current state of operations at the plant, as well as to proffer an improved future state of the production processes at the plant. Also, the Define-Measure-Analyze-Improve-Control (DMAIC) framework of Lean Six Sigma methodology was employed to statistically analyze the root causes of waste in the plant. The analysis showed that the major sources of waste which constitute approximately 80 per cent of waste in the plant are water volume variation, alignment error in the shrink wrapping machine and manual inspection. After implementation of the proposed solutions, manufacturing lead time and cycle time are expected to reduce by approximately 42.1 per cent and 22.2 per cent respectively, with a reduction of 2 quality inspectors in the bottling process, leading to a drop in labour cost.

A Physician-Driven Quality Improvement Stewardship Intervention Using Lean Six Sigma Improves Patient Care for Community-Acquired Pneumonia

Abstract: The Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) recommends a minimum of 5 days of antibiotic therapy in stable patients who have community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). However, excessive duration of therapy (DOT) is common. Define, measure, analyze, improve, and control (DMAIC) is a Lean Six Sigma methodology used in quality improvement efforts, including infection control; however, the utility of this approach for antimicrobial stewardship initiatives is unknown. To determine the impact of a prospective physician-driven stewardship intervention on excess antibiotic DOT and clinical outcomes of patients hospitalized with CAP. Our specific aim was to reduce excess DOT and to determine why some providers treat beyond the IDSA minimum DOT. A single-center, quasi-experimental quality improvement study evaluating rates of excess antimicrobial DOT before and after implementing a DMAIC-based antimicrobial stewardship intervention that included education, prospective audit, and feedback from a physician peer, and daily tracking of excess DOT on a Kaizen board. The baseline period included retrospective CAP cases that occurred between October 2018 and February 2019 (control group). The intervention period included CAP cases between October 2019 and February 2020 (intervention group). A total of 123 CAP patients were included (57 control and 66 intervention). Median antibiotic DOT per patient decreased (8 versus 5 days; p < 0.001), and the proportion of patients treated for the IDSA minimum increased (5.3% versus 56%; p < 0.001) after the intervention. No differences in mortality, readmission, length of stay, or incidence of Clostridioides difficile infection were observed between groups. Almost half of the caregivers surveyed were aware that as few as 5 days of antibiotic treatment could be appropriate. A physician-driven antimicrobial quality improvement initiative designed using DMAIC methodology led to reduced DOT and increased compliance with the IDSA treatment guidelines for hospitalized patients with CAP reduced without negatively affecting clinical outcomes.