| Unlike traditional Six Sigma, Lean Six Sigma utilizes the | | | | By utilizing the tools offered by Lean Six Sigma, |
| DMAIC method. This stands for define, measure, | | | | businesses are able to see much more success than |
| analyze, improve, and control. These steps will help | | | | they might have otherwise. While it might seem pretty |
| businesses to reduce and/or eliminate wastes within | | | | obvious to eliminate wasteful practices within a |
| their processes, thereby improving performance, | | | | business, having a structured method on how to do it is |
| customer satisfaction, and profits. Utilizing these five | | | | often essential to the successful outcome that every |
| phases allows those who embark on Lean Projects to | | | | business wants. While there are many people out |
| have a clear definition of what they are trying to | | | | there who will continuously criticize the methods and |
| achieve, how they're going to achieve it, and the path | | | | practices of Lean and traditional Six Sigma, there are |
| that their business needs to take to arrive at success. | | | | many more companies and people who will boost their |
| The ultimate goal of any Lean Six Sigma project is to | | | | reputations because they have experienced |
| reduce or eliminate waste, and utilizing these phases is | | | | successful implementation of these process |
| the path to achieving that goal. | | | | improvement tools. |
| While typical projects will generally focus on finding | | | | The practices and methods used by Lean Six Sigma |
| problems and creating solutions, the lean process | | | | have become almost a standard in the business |
| focuses on finding and eliminating any wastes in the | | | | industry in many regards. It is a revered method of |
| way of resources, employees, steps, products, | | | | process improvement that many people have proven |
| processes, and other business elements. The theory is | | | | to be advantageous on various levels of business |
| that when you reduce or eliminate wastes, you are | | | | success. It is well known for being much quicker and |
| able to make processes much more efficient and | | | | efficient than the traditional Six Sigma Process, which |
| productive than they might have been otherwise. This | | | | is part of what makes it so popular. Businesses that |
| is the basic foundation for the successful | | | | need quick fixes and easy repairs will often rely on |
| implementation of Lean Six Sigma. Without this | | | | Lean Six Sigma to eliminate wastes and reduce all the |
| foundation, the entire process will crumble and fall, | | | | excess that they can to improve the processes that |
| much like a house that is built from the ground up | | | | their business performance on a regular basis. |
| without its own foundation. | | | | |