For #futurefridays I was asked a question: “Does the Future of Work still need Lean Six Sigma?”
Well, based on my own personal experience, it’s a big YES.
You see, Lean Six Sigma is simply a structured problem-solving approach.
So if you have a problem that requires root-cause-analysis before you find the appropriate solution, then Lean Six Sigma’s DMAIC approach is what you need.
You can’t just implement some sort of software automation or that snazzy new technological tool just for the sake of it.
To put it bluntly, Automations and such Technologies are part of the Solutions. But to uncover the root causes of the problems that require these solutions, that’s where you would need Lean Six Sigma.
So if anything, Lean Six Sigma is actually becoming a foundational skill that continuous process improvement and innovation experts of today must master.
Let me give you an example.
Jay Arthur, author of 2 books on Lean Six Sigma, seems to agree. Based on this article that he’s written, he says that he has observed companies taking a more Agile approach to problem solving, and Lean Six Sigma is part of it all.
In the article, he shares the phases based on his observations:
- Prework (to me, this looks like the Define and Measure phases)
- 1 or 2 day training (this is where they undergo Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt Training)
- Post-work (this looks like where the Analyze, Improve, and Control phases happen)
- Side benefits (apart from quantifying the benefits of each project, they are also able to identify participants who can potentially become the next Green or Black Belt candidates).
In case you haven’t noticed, Hackathons that are meant to solve problems loosely follow this approach as well.
But having the various Lean Six Sigma tools in your arsenal will ensure you are solving for the right root causes, and not implementing complex technological innovations just for the technical difficulty points and impressiveness factors.
So there you have it. I hope you learned something from this.
If you want to learn more, download a copy of my book for FREE (for a limited time only) – The Business Optimization Blueprint, and learn how you can improve your business process and take it to the next level.