Indispensable Lean and Six Sigma Tools and Techniques

Six Sigma tools are managed to drive quality improvements, strategically and methodically within a company, which is concentrated about the DMAIC model. Most of the tools used are nothing more than quality ways that have been around for years and some for hundreds of years.

They are used within the DMAIC roadmap. To give together years of different process improvement techniques and data analysis, into an integrated step by step format, to find and eradicate root reasons to process problems.

The result of a more strong process that consistently attains a high standard of output one which is capable and in control!

What is Lean?

Lean manufacturing is a system for increasing product value for the customer while reducing waste without losing productivity.

Lean manufacturing has its origins in the Toyota Production System (TPS), but earlier it was known as TPS, they called it just-in-time manufacturing.

There were three things the Toyota Production System attempted to prevent:

• Muda: Everything in your manufacturing process that creates waste or causes constraints on creating a valuable product.
• Mura: Everything that creates inconsistent and inefficient workflows.
• Muri: All tasks or loads that put too much stress on your employees or machines.

In Muda, there are eight wastes you should work to eliminate:

• Defects
• Overproduction
• Inventory excess
• Waiting
• Motion waste
• Not utilizing talent
• Excess processing
• Transportation

There were also five principles that every Lean manufacturing system adhering to:

• Value: A company gives the most valuable product to the customer.
• Value Stream: Map out the steps and processes needed to manufacture those valuable products.
• Pull: Products are made on a just-in-time basis so that materials are not stored, and customers receive their orders within weeks, instead of months.
• Perfection: Make Lean thought and process improvement a focus part of your company culture.
• Flow: Know the process of securing all of your value-adding steps flow smoothly without interruptions, delays, or bottlenecks.

Six Sigma

Six Sigma is a data-driven process that attempts to reduce product breaks down to 3.4 defective parts per million, or 99.99966% error-free products over the long-term.

In other words, the aim is to produce almost excellent products for your customers.

By using statistical models, Six Sigma practitioners will systematically develop and increase a company’s manufacturing process until they achieve the level of Six Sigma.

In all Six Sigma projects, there are two main methods of achieving the same defect-free goals. Below, we detail these two methods.

The first and most-used method in Six Sigma is a 5 step process called DMAIC:

• Define
• Measure
• Analyze
• Improve
• Control

The DMAIC process utilizes data and measured objectives to create a cycle of constant improvement in your manufacturing methods.

Read: DMAIC: The Complete Guide to Lean Six Sigma in 5 Key Steps

While DMAIC helps improve your current processes, DMADV is used to develop a new method, product, or service.

DMADV stands for:

• Define
• Measure
• Analyze
• Design
• Verify

The DMADV process uses data and completes analyses to help you create an efficient method or develop a high-quality product or service.

At their base, Lean and Six Sigma both seek to optimize the manufacturing process to provide the highest quality products to their customers. They use different methods and focus on various activities.

These differences supplement one another, which brings us to the merging of these two methods into Lean Six Sigma.

Lean Six Sigma

Lean Six Sigma is the mixture of Lean Manufacturing with Six Sigma to create a whole system that removes waste and reduces process difference for streamlined manufacturing. Then it caused perfect product output.

Lean Six Sigma mainly uses Six Sigma processes and methods as the backbone of the system such as DMAIC and the belt system to drive focused improvements in manufacturing. While including many techniques and tools from Lean to reduce wasteful steps and processes

To help you understand the specific procedures and methods, Lean Six Sigma uses to improve your manufacturing.

Here are some of the main tools you will perform if your company uses the Lean Six Sigma system.

Lean Six Sigma Tools

1. The 5 Whys

The 5 Whys is a tool used to decide the root cause of problems within your organization. It is often deployed as part of the Analyze phase in DMAIC.

The 5 Whys works like this:

• Write down the problem you are having so everyone on your team can focus on it correctly.
• Ask why the problem occurred.
• If your first answer is not the roots cause of the problem, ask why again.
• Repeat this step at least five times to find the exact root cause of the problem.
• You can ask why more than five times, but it seems that after five whys are requested, you will have clarity on the reason for your problem.

2. The 5S System

The 5S system is a method of arranging your workplace materials for quicker access and better maintenance. This system is required for eliminating waste that is produced by poor workstations and tools in poor condition.

The 5 S’s are:

(1) Seiri: Seiri is also known as Sort. Remove all not necessary items for your current production, leaving what is required.

(2) Seiton: Seiton is also called as Set in Order. Organize remaining items and label them accordingly.

(3) Seiso: Seiso in known as Shine. Clean and examine your work area and everything in it every day.

(4) Seiketsu: Seiketsu called as Standardize. Write out your standards for the Sort, Set In Order, and Shine steps.

(5) Shitsuke: Shitsuke is also called as a Sustain. Apply the standards you have set for your company and make them practices for everyone in your firm.

3. Value Stream Mapping

The further tool used in the Analyze phase of DMAIC as well as in Lean Manufacturing, making it perfect for Lean Six Sigma is value stream mapping.

A value stream map showed the flow of materials and information in one of your processes and was developed to aid you to improve and optimize flow throughout your organization.

There are three things value stream mapping aids you identify:

• Value-adding activities
• Value-enabling activities
• Non-value adding activities

The whole objective of this map is to eliminate all of your non-value adding events and eradicate wait times between following steps in your processes. So that your processes become more covenant, accurate, and rapid.

4. Regression Analysis

Regression analysis is a statistical process for deciding and understanding the relationship between variables.

You would use it to specify the mathematical relation between an output variable (y) and any number of input variables (x1, x2, etc.)

Graphing these inputs and outputs aids, you visualize patterns or deviance from coveted patterns in your workflow.

Be cautious when implementing a regression analysis, though, if you want to avoid statistical illusions.

Here are some things to remind when implementing a regression analysis:

• When two variables are found to be correlated. It is fascinating to assume that this shows that one variable reason the other, resulting in the logical delusion known as correlation does not intend careful.
• Two or more variables in your regression model could be highly correlated. They are making it difficult to isolate their individual effects on the dependent variable, related to as Multicollinearity.
• When the error term in one period is positively associated with the error term in the previous time, you will encounter the problem of positive first-order autocorrelation.

5. Pareto Chart

The Pareto chart graphically displays the distinctions between groups of data, allowing Lean Six Sigma teams to identify the most significant matters facing the process.

The y-axis represents a total percentage and a defect frequency, while the x-axis represents the groups of response variables shown as bars, such as machine design or machine parts.

This chart is often praised as one of the essential tools in the Lean Six Sigma toolbox for assisting teams to reveal 20% of sources that cause 80% of problems in their processes.

6. FMEA

Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) aids businesses to identify and delete weak points in the initial phase of any product or process.

Developed in the 1950s, FMEA is used to review components, parts, and subsystems to identify failure forms and their causes and effects.

Lean Six Sigma practitioners use FMEA to boost the quality of their processes, services, and products by finding and fixing problems before they occur.

7. Kaizen

Kaizen methodology means Continuous Improvement.

Kaizen is the practice of continually observing, identifying, and implementing incremental improvements in the manufacturing process.

It supports all managers and employees to be involved in the process of manufacturing improvements.

Kaizen ensures that waste will be continuously reduced through the mutual talents and expertise of everyone in the company working together to change the smallest incapacities daily.

8. Poka-yoke

Poka-yoke is a Japanese term that means mistake-proofing. It is a process by which employees work to recognize and reduce the causes of human errors during the manufacture and production processes.

A poka-yoke could be modifying the phrasing on machine buttons to reduce worker confusion, or it could be adding a safety check to mobile equipment to prevent accidents.

Conclusion

As you may have viewed, some six sigma tools are used during the project, like control plans, FMEA, process flow charts, and others.

That is because new ideas may appear at any time during the project, factors that were before thought of as being a significant impact on the process may eventually be proved otherwise.

At each stage, turning to previous steps or methods helps finish off all possibilities and also supports the team to track the history of the project briefly.