5 Top Lean Six Sigma Tips Worth Remembering

​The most frequent mistakes people make while implementing Lean Six Sigma is the over-complication of its principles. In efforts to timely deliver projects and show increased efficiency, the simple common-sense tips mentioned here are often forgotten. 

​Tip # 1: Always Be Open for Improvement Opportunities

It is important to be focused on the overall strategies and have a wider-scoped analysis of business actions but at the same time you shouldn’t miss out the opportunities to make small-scale impacts. And if you notice, there usually are opportunities for small improvements all the time. By regularly making incremental change towards improved direction, you’ll witness a significantly more efficient process in the longer term. The sum of the parts really can be greater than the whole.
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Given the massive rate of change in technology, efficient practices and the ever-evolving customer needs, there will always be a better way to get things done. So make sure that you are constantly looking out for these opportunities and have an organizational culture in place which encourages others to do the same.

​Tip # 2: Change Requires both Hearts and Minds

In a world where businesses are taking on a greater number of projects and ventures, even great ideas need to be sold and then sold again. With increasingly divided attention spans, if you wish to make people around you motivated towards your project, you’ll need to know what makes them tick and continuously outline how your idea is beneficial to them.
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Use Pareto’s Law also known as the 80/20 rule, where you and your stakeholders strategize in such a way that 20 percent of your activities have a maximum impact on shaping the project, and you should not simply be occupied with brainstormed ideas that are left unexplored.

​Tip # 3: Aim for Simple Conclusions

If the business strategy is your journey, then conclusions are the destination you aim for. For business stakeholders, journey is no doubt important but it’s the destination they really need to know.
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The simpler your conclusions, the quicker you’ll get their nod of approval. Be conclusion oriented in your presentations, lay out your finish line first and use your analysis to back it up. Always keep it simple and make sure your communication priorities are in that order.

​Tip #4: Communicate Frequently And Always Seek Feedback

The need to communicate is always stressed in business and may seem self-evident, but it’s important to make sure it’s a two-way process. Little or no feedback could indicate agreement, but it could also mean your message was lost in the transmission phase or maybe was simply ignored.
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The process of change, which is critical to Lean Six Sigma, is not easy to implement in businesses and is often considered too difficult or unimportant. 

​Tip # 5: Use Lean Six Sigma Tools To Add Value And Not Just Tick Boxes

It is important to make use of appropriate tools in your Lean Six Sigma projects and not just use techniques for the sake of it. You’ll learn how to use tools optimally through trial and error, post-training experience and by demonstrating your grasp of techniques for Belt certification. Once you’ve selected the right tools, you’ll be surprised at the quality and speed of progress you can then make.

If you wish to learn more about the system of Lean Six Sigma, please check out LearningManager Lean Six Sigma.