Structured Problem Solving Using Lean Six Sigma

Craft a solid problem statement to drive stakeholder action, name the process and metric, quantify the gap to the desired state, and avoid blaming or premature solutions.

Learn to transform bad problem statements into objective, data-driven statements that quantify delays and costs, avoid assuming root causes, and drive action from stakeholders.

Explore the SXM framework—safety, quality, delivery, cost, and morale—and learn to quantify any problem statement using cycle time, defects, Trier, and labor per unit to drive action.

Select and assemble the right Lean Six Sigma team to drive change and implement solutions from your clearly defined problem statement.

Use a team to drive Lean Six Sigma changes; solo efforts rarely succeed. Engage process-area staff early to improve data collection, analyze root causes, gain buy-in, and increase adoption.

Identify the project sponsor who owns the problem and the metrics, secure their support before forming the Lean Six Sigma team, then designate a project leader and subject matter experts.

Identify all stakeholders beyond the team, using a stakeholder analysis template to map impact, roles, and communication for structured problem solving, secure sponsor buy-in, and plan regular updates.

Learn how a structured communication plan keeps stakeholders informed by detailing audience, media, purpose, topics, owner, and frequency, ensuring updates are timely and everyone stays in the loop.

Identify the current condition in the Lean Six Sigma problem solver, map the process, collect data, and quantify metrics to reveal complexity and root causes.

A process is a series of sequential steps from start to end that achieves a specific outcome; process mapping visualizes these steps with symbols to reveal flow and decisions.

Explore how everyday routines—from making breakfast to refueling a car and doing laundry—are processes you can map using process mapping symbols, from start to end, transforming inputs into complete outputs.

Explore how spaghetti diagrams visually map how people and items move through a process to reveal transportation and motion wastes and optimize path efficiency in a distribution center.

Learn how the histogram visualizes the frequency distribution of continuous data, revealing the data range and insights beyond the mean or median for cycle time and measurement data.

Explore a lean six sigma sales lead process mapped with swim lanes, revealing handoffs and the sole value-added step—begin calls and emails—that converts a lead into a contact.

Identify value-added and non-value-added steps to expose waste, then target non-value-added activities for large efficiency gains through process visibility.

Apply lean six sigma to diagnose a repair process by separating value-added from non-value-added steps, identify wastes, and optimize an example repair shop invoice.

Explore the eight lean wastes—transportation, inventory, motion, waiting, overproduction, overprocessing, defects, and underutilized talent—and apply them to real examples to drive waste identification and process improvement.

Explain the root cause analysis step of the lean six sigma problem solver template, using data and logic tools to identify why gaps exist and how to close them.

Learn to distinguish root causes from symptoms by tracing repetitive machine stoppages to a missing maintenance checklist item, such as a pump filter, through root cause analysis.

Analyze your process map to identify pain points, count cycle times and defects, and build a future state with quick wins and measurable improvements.

Generate a wide range of ideas for root cause analysis and solutioning through structured brainstorming, and record every idea visibly while embracing no idea is a bad idea.

Use an affinity diagram to organize brainstormed ideas into categories like people, equipment, processes, and material with post-it notes, then collect data to validate root causes.

Use the fishbone diagram to identify and categorize root causes (material, measurement, method, people, environment, machine) and validate top factors with data to improve the process.

Identify priority variables from fishbone and affinity diagrams, use team voting to rank likely causes, and pull data to validate root causes that drive most issues.

Collect data to confirm which inputs affect the output, using check sheets and Pareto charts, to validate or disprove suspected causes.

Learn to use Pareto charts to identify the 80/20 defects and prioritize improvements by analyzing defect data, building Pareto charts, and drilling down by category, product, and customer type.

Apply a fishbone diagram, check sheet, and Pareto chart to identify battery dead and lost keys as root causes, and use overlapping histograms and scatter diagrams for continuous data analysis.

Learn how the scatter diagram visualizes the association between two variables, showing how changes in the independent variable x relate to the dependent variable y, with practical examples.

Read scatter plots to identify positive and negative linear associations, non-linear patterns, and no association, using trend line and outliers to interpret correlation versus causation.

Explore root cause analysis without data using the five y analysis to peel back symptoms to the cause. Learn how cause-and-effect diagrams and issue trees support rapid, data-free problem solving.

Chipotle study uses data to confirm root causes of undercooked chicken, including thawing delays and inconsistent cook methods. Analyzing temperatures by shift with histograms proves morning thawing delays drive undercooking.

Identify and prioritize root causes with data to guide solutioning. Implement quick wins, update process maps, distinguish containment from true improvements, and target top, controllable root causes.

Brainstorm with SMEs to generate multiple solutions that address root causes, then use a facilitated, data-guided approach to select improvements that prevent the issue.

Apply an effort impact matrix to rank brainstormed solutions by impact and implementation effort, identify prime targets and quick wins, and decide on strategic roadmap items.

Use forced ranking after brainstorming to rank five to fifteen solutions on a shared table; the lowest total score reveals the top choice.

Present selected solutions to project sponsor to obtain sign-off and alignment. Use a solutions template to outline issue, root cause, solution, owner, status, and estimated impact including cost savings.

Learn to translate solutions into action with a robust implementation plan, covering scope, roles, schedule, communication, and verification for successful Lean Six Sigma changes.