Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Why Use Lean Six Sigma Systems For Your Small Business?


The Lean Six Sigma revolution is systematically taking over non manufacturing industries in small and medium sized businesses. IT, banking, telecommunications, marketing, insurance, healthcare, and construction businesses have turned to the improved lean six sigma systems to enhance their standards and quality in dealing with their customers, suppliers, and clients. A lean six sigma system improves each area of your business using one, single system. It reduces and eliminates non value added activities and waste from your business. Overall, it gives you a competitive advantage by lowering operating costs and improving productivity.

It defines a work path for all individuals, decreasing wasted labor and focusing on specific details of the job. It provides tools to boost employee efficiency and enhance their productivity, quality of output, confidence and motivate them to better performance levels. It creates process improvements throughout the work flow process. You learn to classify various items and eliminate the ones not related to the process. This lets you focus on what needs to be implemented on a daily basis. Best of all, it elevates the position of your company in the marketplace. It is just common sense. Why waste materials? Why waste time waiting for resources? Why waste space storing excessive inventory? Get results. Apply lean to your factory or administrative processes. Or make it an enterprise-wide solution and extend it to your supplier and subcontractors.

Even the smallest lean implementation can have an impact on your work flow and your bottom line. You need to compete. Your company is out there in a global economy that has less money to spend. Why should anyone choose your product or service? Because you have made certain your product or service is the best. Lean six sigma helps reduce waste, as well as eliminate the sources causing waste. It emphasizes a sequential operating system that focuses only on those amounts required and only when they are required. This technique has been developed specifically for small to mid-sized companies who are seeking to improve their profitability through performance. Expert consultants in lean six sigma can jump start your business improvements. Or, you can get training on the internet or in live training classes.

Be aware, there are a few differences between the original six sigma system and the lean six sigma system: Generation I focuses on defects, Generation III focuses on value. Generation I places emphasis on the provider, while Generation III places emphasis on the customer and the provider. Generation I experts are referred to as Black Belts, Generation III experts are White Belts. They create results quicker due to narrower focus and a comprehensive agenda. Instead of making its primary focus the reduction of costs, Generation III focuses on the creation of value. This is an enormous improvement in strategy, particularly for the small and medium sized businesses. The goal is to have a business provide goods and services of the highest possible value, at the right location, on time, in the right amount, and at the lowest possible cost. This improves the viewpoint of customers, stakeholders, shareholders and employees alike. Everybody is on board working toward goals everybody plays a part in achieving! The real beauty of lean six sigma is that you can tailor the processes to suit your business because they are not fixed methodologies that have to be used in a particular order. Now, companies, no matter their size, can take advantage of the benefits and potential offered by the lean six sigma process.

As an international management professional with 15 years experience impacting global operations, I have analyzed operational and manufacturing processes, engaged senior management in opportunities for growth, architected plans for results, maintained continuous improvement programs, identified and certified key players in the work stream, communicated results to all levels, and trained others in best practices.

I am skilled at presenting top level presentations and I have built and led teams focused on achieving results. Adept at identifying key issues and developing effective solutions in a fast paced environment, I offer consulting services to small and mid sized businesses in manufacturing and non-manufacturing industries. As a certified black belt, my skillset is in lean six sigma supply chain continuous improvement programs.


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