Lean Principles
LLean is often discussed as a mind-set or philosophy and its emphasis on systems thinking, teamwork and collaborative problem solving that seeks to engage the entire workforce for the development of a culture of continuous improvement. The application of Lean principles facilitates the implementation of significant process improvements without the requirement for a thorough understanding of the underlying process. The principles are as follows:
Define Value: Value is what the customer is willing to pay for.
Map the value stream: The goal is to use the customer’s value as a reference point and identify all the activities that contribute to these values. Activities that do not add value to the end customer are considered waste. The waste can be broken into two categories: non-valued added but necessary and non-value & unnecessary. By reducing and eliminating unnecessary processes or steps, you can ensure that customers are getting exactly what they want while at the same time reducing the cost of producing that product or service.
Create Flow: After removing the wastes from the value stream, the following action is to ensure that the flow of the remaining steps run smoothly without interruptions or delays. Some strategies for ensuring that value-adding activities flow smoothly include: breaking down steps, reconfiguring the production steps, leveling out the workload, creating cross-functional departments, and training employees to be multi-skilled and adaptive.
Establish Pull: Inventory is considered one of the biggest wastes in any production system. The goal of a pull-based system is to limit inventory and work in process (WIP) items while ensuring that the requisite materials and information are available for a smooth flow of work.
Pursuit Perfection: Pursuing perfection is the most important among them all. It makes Lean thinking and continuous process improvement a part of the organizational culture. Every employee should strive towards perfection while delivering products based on the customer need. The company should be a learning organization and always find ways to get a little better each and every day.
Six Sigma Method: (DMAIC)
Six Sigma offers tools and techniques that reduce variance, eliminate defects and help identify the root causes of errors, allowing organizations to create better products and services for consumers. Six Sigma is a data-driven methodology that provides tools and techniques to define and evaluate each step of a process. It provides methods to improve efficiencies in a business structure, improve the quality of the process and increase the bottom-line profit
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Define the problem and the project goals
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Measure in detail the various aspects of the current process
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Analyze data to, among other things, find the root defects in a process
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Improve the process
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Control how the process is done in the future1
SO WHAT THE HECK IS LEAN SIX SIGMA ANYWAY?
Lean Six Sigma is a fact-based, data-driven philosophy of improvement that values defect prevention over defect detection. It drives customer satisfaction and bottom-line results by reducing variation, waste, and cycle time, while promoting the use of work standardization and flow, thereby creating a competitive advantage. It applies anywhere variation and waste exist, and every employee should be involved2.
The long story short is here is that everything we do at Cannsultation seeks to increase accuracy, reduce variation, reduce waste, save you money, and ultimately benefit your lab and your clients positively. If your entire team has a lean mindset then you will notice drastic improvements in your business such as turn-around time and lower error rate. Contact Cannsultation today to see how we can help you achieve this goal.
References
https://www.sixsigmadaily.com/what-is-six-sigma/
https://asq.org/quality-resources/six-sigma
https://theleanway.net/The-Five-Principles-of-Lean
https://www.europeanpharmaceuticalreview.com/article/26550/lean-six-sigma-people-organisations/
Bhasin, S. and Burcher, P. (2006) ‘Lean viewed as a philosophy’ Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, Vol. 17, pp. 56-72.