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process mapping event

What is a Kaizen Process Mapping Event?

At the heart of every organization is a business model with processes that were created to serve their customers. The success of these processes determine how well the customer is satisfied. These processes can, however, become frustrating and inefficient for the organization and its workers. Many businesses don’t fully understand all of the complex details […]

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Total Productive Maintenance (TPM)

What is a Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) Event?

Within the context of manufacturing, Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) refers to a system of maintenance and improvement of production and quality systems through the use of machines, employees, processes, and equipment which give an organization its value. A three to five-day TPM event is focused on ensuring that your work process equipment is kept in […]

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5s event

What is a 5S Event?

5S is a popular and commonly-used tool in Lean manufacturing and is used for the optimization of workplace conditions. Often, 5S is used as a key building block within many lean continuous improvement efforts. This is because this tool not only offers a solid base on which improvements can be established but also gets workers […]

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Kaizen Burst

What is a Kaizen Burst Event?

A Kaizen Burst event, which is also called a Rapid Process Improvement (RPI), is a three to five day event. Unlike a process mapping event, whose focus is on planning a list of improvements, a burst event is all about quick implementation and rapid results in a short period by focusing on achieving dramatic improvements […]

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Standard Work

What is a Standard Work Event?

Besides being one of the most powerful tools in the lean toolbox, Standard Work is one of the least understood and seldom used. Through documenting current best practices and evaluating the process flow, Standardized Work provides a baseline for continuous improvement or Kaizen. “Where there is no standard, there can be no Kaizen” – Taiichi […]

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Image: Value Stream Mapping Event (VSM)

What is a Kaizen Value Stream Mapping (VSM) Event?

One of the core skills in Lean Six Sigma practice is knowing how to identify areas where an organization creates value so that essential processes can be easily streamlined. This holds true whether the process is used to process transactions or to manufacture products. Value Stream Mapping(VSM) helps an organization to view value flowing from […]

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six sigma principles thanksgiving

The Six Sigma Holiday Principles

As we’re always inspired by the Six Sigma principles here, we thought we would apply a few of them to the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. We have changed a couple of words, such as instead of customer, we used family and friends. These Six Sigma principles are very important for having the very best possible Thanksgiving […]

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6sigma.us problem statement blog

Six Sigma Problem Statement Asks for Clarification

In Six Sigma, the problem statement is written in the Define portion of the DMAIC template. Basically. it should “Define” the problem at hand — it should clarify, give facts, and be written so that all parties involved will be convinced that a solution is necessary and will support finding that solution. One of most […]

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lean six sigma

Lean and Six Sigma: Are They Saying the Same Thing?

Exactly what is Six Sigma? Well, the short answer is, Six Sigma is a set of methodologies or a management system that uses specific tools to improve the manufacturing processes. These tools that Six Sigma uses will allow you to compile data, thus finding where the process is falling short and causing the defect.  The […]

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5s tool

Teaching Children Organization with the 5S Tool

For parents to teach their children to clean up after themselves is at best a grueling, undesirable task. Yet as Six Sigma teaches in the 5S Tool, “Everything in its place and a place for everything.” This Lean Six Sigma template of the 5S is an excellent tool for teaching small children or children of […]

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six sigma tools painless changes 6sigma.us blog

Six Sigma Tools for Painless Changes

It is imperative that we are open to change in life as well as business. Since the only constant is change, we must be flexible in our mindset. That being said, when we do get stuck in the way we handle our business processes, and change is imminent, we can refer to some great Six […]

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6sigma.us teamwork six sigma

Six Sigma and the Team Mindset

There are many elements at play for success when implementing Six Sigma at your business or company. The first element we will focus on is management involvement and support. This doesn’t mean sitting behind the desk and setting new protocols without having been working in the front lines! No, this means management rolling their sleeves […]

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organize 5s tool

INFOGRAPHIC: 5S, The Workplace Organization Tool

The 5s methodology is an incredible tool that helps remove what is no longer needed from a workspace. It will help organize your workspace for optimum efficiency. Having what you need at your fingertips allows for better workflow and consistency, and decreased production costs. Check out this infographic below for an easy to understand breakdown […]

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lean six sigma kaizen blog

Perfection is Possible with Lean, Six Sigma and Kaizen Working Together

As a business owner, you don’t have the luxury to get complacent, even if you feel things are running smoothly. Change is very subtle, and by the time you notice a drop in profits, the cause has spread and is nearing terminal stages. Fortunately, there’s Lean, Six Sigma and Kaizen to the rescue! Lean: This […]

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dmaic

Forget Goal-Setting Journals and Use DMAIC for Achieving Your Goals

Whether you are wanting to achieve a goal, change a habit or improve your existing conditions, let Six Sigma’s very own DMAIC template save you money, time and most of all, make you successful at achieving your goals. The main reason most goal journals don’t work is because the hard data isn’t part of their […]

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kaizen

Kaizen Made Simple For Home Use

Kaizen is a Japanese philosophy that helps achieve incredible changes by using small continuous improvements until the desired results are achieved. Kaizen is an honorary addition to Six Sigma, but not actually Six Sigma. However, Kaizen’s basic principles are very much that of Six Sigma, so they actually belong with the Six Sigma methodologies.  Kaizen […]

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6sigma.us labor day

Keeping the Economy Strong: Happy Labor Day!

Enjoyment of  your work is another way to celebrate Labor Day all year round. The reason we celebrate Labor Day is to pay tribute to the laborers of all industries. It is their hard work that has made the American economy strong and prosper into the current state it is today. We at 6Sigma.us honor […]

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lean six sigma public education system

Six Sigma Methodologies Are Perfect for Our Education System

When thinking about the one industry could benefit the most out of Lean Six Sigma tools and templates, the winner would have to be the public school system. Literally, you can pick a public school district out of a hat, and (with the exception of a few), probably find rising costs, outdated protocols, ineffective existing […]

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6sigma.us process map

Differences Between Six Sigma Process Map & Lean SS VSM

In the world of Six Sigma and Lean, the difference between Value Stream Mapping and the Process Map has been often discussed. This topic has been talked and written about at length, and still people get both confused. So this week, we are going to clear this confusion up once and for all, hopefully! First, let’s […]

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