Frequently Asked Questions

1. What's the difference between Lean and Six Sigma?
2. How many internal facilitators should we be developing to lead our mapping and implementation activities?
3. How many Kaizen Events can a typical organization handle per year?
4. How long does it typically take an organization to become a Lean Enterprise?

1. What's the difference between Lean and Six Sigma?

While they're often used together Lean and Six Sigma are fairly different approaches to organizational improvement. Six Sigma is a highly effective approach for reducing variation in processes with narrow bands of tolerances, such as those found in engineering, biological, and chemical environments. Examples of relevant applications include ballistics, percent water in oil extracted from the group, level of magnetism for magnetic devices, amount of fluid dispensed through an intravenous line, electrical conductivity, etc. Six Sigma is often a months-long approach to refining a process and many organizations require the guarantee of a significant return on investment before a Six Sigma project can be launched. Six Sigma is best described as a process improvement methodology for specific environments.

Lean is a business management philosophy that applies to organizations of all sizes and types, in all industries. While the basic goal is waste reduction, it is the means by which waste is reduced that moves Lean into the broader category of general business management. Very few U.S. companies have truly embraced Lean the way in which it is intended and the way in which it generates the greatest results. Lean's premise is that an organization should eliminate all expenditures and effort that its customers do not value. When value stream mapping is used as a strategic improvement planning tool, it typically reveals that 30-80% of an organizations effort is pure waste. Through a structured improvement process that involves the entire workforce, organizations slowly transform themselves into Lean Enterprises, able to thrive during strong economic times and survive economic downturns.

2. How many internal facilitators should we be developing to lead our mapping and implementation activities?

World class Lean organizations have 1 FTE (full time equivalent) dedicated to continuous improvement per 100-200 employees. Experts believe that 10% of the workforce should be solely focused on working ON the business rather than IN the business.

3. How many Kaizen Events can a typical organization handle per year?

Most organizations can handle 4 Kaizen Events per year per 100 employees. So, an organization with 1,000 employees can typically hold 40 Kaizen Events.

4. How long does it typically take an organization to become a Lean Enterprise?

Becoming a Lean is a journey, not a destination. Organizations who have high levels of commitment from senior leadership and remain focused can achieve tremendous results in 3-5 years. While bottom-line impact can be felt more quickly, it takes years for the cultural transformation and leadership development that allows organizations to soar with enterprise-wide Lean activities.