The thought of implementing Lean & Six Sigma can be overwhelming for leaders. Even those who have a background and training in Lean & Six Sigma can struggle to know where to start. So, what is the best strategy for implementing a culture of Lean & Six Sigma?
Top Down Training- Leaders are busy and their time is very valuable. The best way to setup your team for success is for the leader to be trained in how to be a Lean Six Sigma Champion. Imagine a football team with all the individual talent any one team could ask for. If they are not coached and led properly, they will still not be successful. The coach or leader is the one who understands the strengths and weaknesses of the team members and understands the playbook and strategy needed to get the win.
Lean & Six Sigma implementation requires a very strategic mind who has been resourced with the tools needed to create vision & strategy. The time spent equipping the leader with the tools they need to create vision & strategy is absolutely the catalyst for a successful launch.
Bottom Up Process Development- As you begin to define your processes and procedures you want to start at the floor level then work your way up. The most effective way to develop standard work documents is to identify the critical processes and create documents capturing the process along with the critical to quality components.
Once the base process has been identified you then create standard work for Team Leads, then Supervisors, etc. that ensure the processes at the floor level are properly monitored. Without understanding the base process, you can’t understand how to monitor and manage it.
Culture of Process Discipline- Creating a culture of process discipline is critical to creating a stable process. Once you have identified and documented your process you must ensure your team adheres to it. This starts with the Leaders never walking past a non-conformance. If you do not correct an issue when you see it, in your employees mind you now support them not adhering to your policy.
You know when your efforts are being effective when you witness employees correcting one another for not following process. There is nothing better than seeing one of your employees correcting and working with a new employee to show them “how we do things”.
StonePath Business Solutions is committed to helping companies Develop Leaders, Improve Process, and Empower Teams. Contact us today so we can start a conversation on how we can help you and your team perform at your best
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