Lean Six Sigma Tools and Templates

NOTE: This page is under construction as of Sept 2023, but we are working on it!

Here is a list of most of the tools and templates you may need for process improvement projects and events.

If you need help with any of these approaches, or would like some training on these tools and methods, check out our Lean Six Sigma coaching program.

Six Sigma Project

Projects are ideal for improving quality, reducing defects, variation reduction, transfer functions and prediction modeling, conducting experiments, and solving more complex problems.

We recommend using the DMAIC roadmap for your improvement project (“What is DMAIC?” video)

Preparation (selecting a potential project)

Define (defining a problem to improve and launching a project)

  • DMAIC Project Checklist (template)
  • Voice of Customer (VOC)
  • Project Charter (template)
  • Cost of Poor Quality (COPQ) (training slides)
  • Calculate baseline sigma level (optional) (article)

Measure (reviewing the current process, observing, interviewing employees and validating data)

Analyze (getting to the root cause or quantifying the primary variation sources)

Improve (implementing changes to the process and validating with data)

Control (ensuring long term results and data monitoring plan)

Report (quantifying hard and soft financial impacts and customer results)



Kaizen Burst or Rapid Improvement Event

Lean events are ideal for quickly moving through a project, but getting the right people in a room (or virtually) who are dedicated and empowered to resolving a well-defined problem.

There are three primary kaizen or rapid improvement events:

Which lean event type should I do first, Value Stream Mapping or Kaizen Burst?

To begin planning an event, the first decision is to decide what type of event to conduct. If you are looking for immediate results and have clear problems you want to resolve, select the kaizen blitz event.

If you want to evaluate the process to determine where improvements need to be made, then a planning event should be conducted.

Here is the general process for conducting an event:


Lean Transformation

Ideal for selecting a product or service family, determing the goals and objectives to improve performance, and using value stream mapping to understand the entire system, capture current, ideal and future state maps, then apply process improvement tools through a series of kaizen blitz events.

What is a Value Stream Map (VSM)?

  • Define the product or service family you’d like to focus on
    • Not sure? Consider creating a Product Family Matrix
  • Create a SIPOC diagram
  • Create a VSM Event Charter
  • Schedule a VSM event
  • Prepare for the VSM
  • Conduct the VSM event
    • Current State Map
    • Ideal State Map/Principles
    • Identify wastes and opportunities
    • Prioritize opportunities
    • Future State Map
    • Implementation Plan
      • Define and execute Kaizen Blitz events
    • 30/60/90 Day Reviews
  • Capture results after 6-12 months
  • Repeat, or identify another product or service

If you need help with any of these approaches, or would like some training on these tools and methods, check out our Lean Six Sigma coaching program.

 

Want to learn more about Lean and Six Sigma tools, and apply them to an improvement projects? Check out these low-cost online courses and certification programs

 

 



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