第一篇——How to Become a Lean Six Sigma Organization

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原文：> How to Become a Lean Six Sigma Organization

One of the best ways to roll out a Lean Six Sigma program is to treat the process as a Six Sigma process in and of itself. Some basic guidelines, arranged in the classic five-stage DMAIC process, can help organizations that are interested in adopting Lean Six Sigma.

By Stephen Cassie

In a difficult economy, an increasing number of senior business leaders are seeking to boost the performance of their operations by adopting Lean Six Sigma. Before these organizations can begin to reap the benefits of continuous process improvement, they must first understand the fundamental elements of the process known as DMAIC (for Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control).

One of the best ways to roll out a Lean Six Sigma program is to treat the process as a Six Sigma process in and of itself. The following are some basic guidelines, arranged in the classic five-stage DMAIC process, for organizations that are interested in adopting Lean Six Sigma.

Define
As soon as corporate leadership indicates that the organization will adopt Six Sigma, it is imperative that all senior leaders become familiar with Six Sigma concepts and what being a Six Sigma organization actually means. Strong and visible support from the top is critical to the success of the program and continued organizational change.

Senior management must go through a leadership training course that outlines the basics of the DMAIC process, Lean Six Sigma management and other types of training available, such as Design for Six Sigma (DFSS). This training should include specific examples of success, typical timetables for deployment and a set of measurable goals. Lean Six Sigma Champions need to be identified, trained and given clear expectations about how they will contribute to the deployment. Financial representatives also need to undergo this training as they will be required to validate actual and projected financial benefits from the very early stages of the roll-out.

Measure
In order to gauge the impacts of processes on an organization’s productivity, progress must be measured as the program is rolled out. The key performance indicators (KPIs) for the program should, at minimum, include the following elements:

The number of Black Belts (BB) and Green Belts (GB) who need to be trained, as well as experts in Lean and DFSS
Dollar-target benefits
These elements also need to be tied in with individual (performance) goals to ensure success.

Training to the next level – All leaders (middle management and above) need to take awareness training for Lean Six Sigma, which takes approximately fours hours and includes basic Six Sigma and Lean principles. This training is essential to ensure that team members understand the key concepts and view Lean Six Sigma as a resource that can help them achieve their objectives, rather than being an outside interference.

As the organization’s leaders go through their leadership or awareness training, a targeted number of Belt trainees should be determined for the first year. A typical approach would be to have a “first wave” of Green Belt training in the organization. As the trained Green Belts return to work in their own roles, it is often beneficial for them to take on a Green Belt project that is closely aligned with their job objectives.

In the beginning, at least, the best-performing employees should be selected for the Green Belt program to ensure a higher probability of success. Line managers also need to be involved in the selection process to ensure their continued support. Success in these early stages can go a long way toward demonstrating the benefits of Lean Six Sigma to the entire organization and encouraging buy-in. Champions and senior management must give the program high visibility to ensure that the employees understand Six Sigma as the normal “way of business.”

Project Selection – When DMAIC is first rolled out in an organization, there are normally discussions about what is and what isn’t a Lean Six Sigma project. During this time, leaders should remember the whole point of the process: To improve organizational performance through use of the Lean Six Sigma tools, not the other way around.

A key point in the identification of worthy projects is the use of data to demonstrate that there is an opportunity and that the perceived benefits are not based on hearsay or “gut feelings.” It cannot be emphasised enough that a substantial investment in the early stages of project definition must be made to ensure success. Most project failures are due to poorly defined projects that could have been avoided if adequate preparatory work had been conducted.

In the beginning of project selection, the Champion must also be proactive in team-member identification, as well as the removal of any barriers that may prevent team formation. Typically the core team should consist of three to six members, who should include, at minimum, a process owner, a subject matter expert and a process operator. Someone working close to the process must also be included in the team, as that person will likely have a deeper understanding of the day to day operation and ensure operator buy-in.

Extended team members should include a financial representative, who does not need to attend all the meetings but who should have a full understanding of all project developments. The Champion should be present for the first team meeting, when the project scope is reviewed and agreed upon by all team members. In all matters, the VOC, whether it is internal or external, must be the driving force for any project definition.

Analyze
Typically, a Six Sigma DMAIC project may take between three and five months to complete, but this can vary enormously depending upon the urgency and the project scope. A Kaizen event, for example, may take only three to five days, while a more complex project could take up to a year. A basic rule, often overlooked, is that clear agendas must be sent out by Belts or project leaders well in advance of the meetings in order to aid preparation. Minutes with clear action owners and timescales also must be distributed as soon as possible after each meeting.

Once the initial wave of Green Belts has started their projects, a Champion review process should be put in place. Typically this should happen once per month, where all the GBs come together with the Champion to review the scope, financial benefits, barriers and progress with specific actions. This will ensure that progress can be measured and demonstrated according to the key deliverables in the DMAIC process. Occasionally, business conditions can change, and the Champion should not be shy to pull the plug on a particular project if it is clear that no financial benefits will be gained, or if a greater opportunity for improvement is found elsewhere.

Depending on how the organization wants to develop its Lean Six Sigma program, business leaders may want to consider which, if any, of the GB candidates could become Black Belt candidates. BBs will gain more in-depth Lean Six Sigma training and will work 100 percent on the program’s roll-out by leading more complex projects than the GBs; typically, BB projects are worth more than $100,000 in savings for the organization. BBs can also mentor other Belts and help Champions and business leaders identify future projects.

As the Belts start to become more familiar with Lean Six Sigma during their projects, it will become easier for them to understand how the tools can be better employed and to identify ways in which business performance can be improved.

At this point, a fixed, robust project identification process should be in place. This should entail a meeting that normally takes place on a monthly basis and is chaired by a BB. The attendees should consist of process owners, business leaders (where possible) and operators from all areas of the business. Depending on the complexity of the organization, this may be broken down by division or business area. The meeting attendees also should change from time to time to freshen up the flow of new ideas.

The Champions, process owners and business leaders should each have specific targets for the number of ideas to be generated, according to business function or division. This type of meeting would normally take the form a brainstorming exercise, where the team (using a fishbone diagram) would identify potential improvement areas.

The group would then prioritize these ideas and assign specific actions during the meeting. These actions would normally entail data collection, where an individual would have the task of locating the correct data in order to validate or reject a perceived opportunity. As the meetings progress and become part of the culture, there should be a pipeline of ideas being worked on at any given time. The end result should be a “bucket of opportunities” that the business leaders can select from, according to the business needs. These would then be resourced accordingly.

Improve
All Belts must go through a certification process after satisfying certain clearly defined criteria (i.e., achieving a certain amount of savings, demonstrating usage of certain tools or presenting project benefits to the business leaders). At this stage, the business will start to see the benefits of the initial Six Sigma projects.

The certification process and the project successes need to be highly visible in the organization so that all associates can see that Lean Six Sigma is the way the company will be approaching business in the future. Part of this visibility can be achieved by an appropriate celebration and recognition of project successes by senior management.

Once this level is reached, the Lean Six Sigma training program needs to be spread throughout the organization. Management should consider enlisting all associates for awareness training. The high-profile successes will also generate a greater interest from other associates in attending training sessions.

Control
As the company continues to move toward becoming a full-fledged Six Sigma operation, the following events must be fixed in the organization’s monthly calendar:

Monthly project review meetings – Attendees: Belts, Champions and business leaders.
Project identification meetings – Attendees: Process owners, Champions, process operators and Belts.
Validation of savings – Belts need to have savings validated by the finance rep.
The KPIs for this process need to be clear to all associates in the organization. These should include the following and should be part of the senior management review process:

Lean Six Sigma training plan versus target, continuously updated according to business needs
Certification plan versus target
Number of Belts with assigned projects (resource utilization)
Savings versus target, including a required monthly financial report.
Number of prioritized ready-to-assign projects versus target
Final Steps
When all of the above processes are in place, the organization will be well on the road to becoming a Lean Six Sigma company, where Six Sigma tools are utilized for everyday activities at every level.

The above requires a huge effort from senior management, at least in the early stages. There is a need to have a high level of discipline within the organization to ensure that the above meetings take place with the expectation that those assigned actions will deliver in a timely manner.

Initially, some resistors could perceive Lean Six Sigma as additional and unnecessary work. But as projects progress, with the required level of support, employees will see that the process simply helps them perform their roles in a far more effective manner, giving them greater potential for personal development and ensuring that their organization remains competitive.

About the Author: Stephen Cassie, a chartered chemical engineer, joined Hexion Specialty Chemicals in 2001 as a site manager. While in this role, he trained as a Six Sigma Green Belt before moving on to become a Black Belt in 2004. In 2007 he moved into a Master Black Belt role, where he trains and mentors Green/Black Belt projects across Europe and Southeast Asia. He can be reached at stephen.cassie@hexion.com .




参考译文：

如何成为一个精益六西格玛组织

推行精益六西格玛的最好方式之一就是把过程自身按照六西格玛流程来管理。在常用的DMAIC五步法流程中所包含的一些基本指导方针可以帮助对导入精益六西格玛感兴趣的组织。
——史蒂芬•卡西-


在经济困难时期，越来越多的资深工商业领袖正试图通过导入精益六西格玛来提升其经营业绩。这些组织在获得持续改善收益之前，必须先理解DMAIC（指界定Define、 测量Measure、分析Analyze、改进 Improve 、控制 Control）过程的基本要素。

推行精益六西格玛的最好方式之一就是把过程自身按照六西格玛流程来管理。以下内容就是在DMAIC五步法流程中所包含的那些基本指导方针。

界定阶段

一旦公司领导层表示该组织即将导入六西格玛，意味着所有的高层领导必须开始熟知六西格玛的概念以及成为一个六西格玛组织的实际意义。高层领导真正的大力支持对组织成攻功导入六西格玛及持续的组织改革起到至关重要的作用。

高层管理者必须通过针对于领导层的课程培训，它概述了DMAIC流程基本知识、精益六西格玛管理以及其它诸如六西格玛设计（DFSS）等培训内容。这种培训应该包括详细的成功案例，可部署的典型计划表以及一组可衡量的指标。需要确定精益六西格玛的倡导者，并对其进行培训，使他们明确该怎样做才会促成六西格玛项目在组织中的推行。财务代表也需要接受这种培训，因为他们将需要确认从六西格玛早期阶段获得的实际财务效益和预期财务效益。

测量阶段

为了衡量所进行的过程对组织生产率的影响有多大，当项目开始之时就要对进展情况进行测量。项目的关键绩效指标（KPIs）至少应包含下列要素：

需培训的黑带（BB）与绿带(GB)以及精益与DFSS专家的人数。
以美元为指标的收益
这些要素也必须与个人的绩效指标紧密联系起来以确保项目的成功。

下一个级别的培训是针对于所有中层以上领导者进行的精益六西格玛共识培训，这次培训大概需要四个小时的时间，包括基本的六西格玛知识和精益生产原则。通过这个必要的培训确保团队成员理解精益六西格玛的关键概念，并把其视为可以帮助他们实现目标的一种资源，而不是一种外来的工作障碍。

一旦组织的领导者们完成了领导层培训或者是共识培训，就要在导入精益六西格玛的第一年确定受训的目标带子数量。一种常用的方式是先培训第一批绿带。当他们回到正常的工作中时，对其开展与本职工作目标紧密结合的绿带项目有相当大的益处。

起初至少应挑选最优秀的员工进行绿带项目以确保有较高的成功概率。同时也要精心挑选生产线管理人员以保证对绿带的持续支持。在早期阶段的成功足以论证精益六西格玛给整个组织带来的益处和吸引更多的人员参与进来。精益六西格玛的倡导者们和高层管理者必须使项目的开展高度透明，才会使员工们把六西格玛的导入看作是正常的企业行为。

项目的选择-当组织首先开展DMAIC流程时，自然会讨论哪些是精益六西格玛项目而哪些不是。在这个时候，领导者们要牢记这个流程的基本要点:组织使用精益六西格玛工具是为了改善业绩而不是其它。

识别有价值的项目的关键在于使用数据来证明项目是否要改进和是否有明显的益处（这些益处不是基于道听途说或者一时的感觉）在早期的项目界定阶段，为了保证成功必须要充分强调精力的大量投入。大多数的项目夭折都是由于项目界定阶段未做好，只要做足够的准备工作，这是可以避免的。

在项目选择的初期，倡导者也必须积极参与团队成员的挑选以及消除影响团队形成的任何障碍。通常核心团队由3-6人组成，至少应包括一名主管，一名主旨专家和一名执行者。从事与该项目相关工作的人员也必须纳入到团队中，这些人要对项目日常运作有很深的理解并确保人员的参与。

财务代表应该扩入团队中，他不用参加所有的团队会议，但应充分了解所有项目的进展情况。

当重新考虑项目范围并需要全体成员同意时，项目倡导者应当参加团队首次会议。对于任何项目的界定，无论是内部还是外部的“客户声音”都一定是驱动力。

分析阶段

通常来讲，一个六西格玛DMAIC方案需要3到5个月内完成，但这很大程度上要视方案的范围和紧急程度而定。例如一项改善可能仅需要3到5天，而更复杂的方案可能需要一年。在团队会议召开前，黑带/绿带们或项目领导者尽早分发条理清晰的议事日程以使成员做好准备，这项基本准则不要被忽略。在每次的会议之后也一定要形成有明确任务主管和进度表的会议记录并分发。

一旦第一批绿带开始了他们的项目，倡导者就应该实施流程检查。通常每月一次，倡导者与所有绿带聚在一起共同检查项目范围、财务效益、工作障碍和详细的进展情况。这可确保项目开展进度可通过DMAIC流程中的主要成果来测量并验证。在有些时候，运营条件需要改变且当项目没有取得明显的财务效益或者在别的方面发现了更大的改进机会时，倡导者就要敢于放弃这个项目。

根据企业想要如何发展它的精益六西格玛， 企业领导者也许应该考虑哪些绿带备选者可发展成为黑带备选者。和绿带相比，黑带要接受更全面的精益六西格玛培训，在领导更复杂的项目时要投入100%的精力去工作。通常黑带项目能为组织创造十万美元以上的价值。黑带也能为其他带子们提供指导并帮助倡导者和企业领导者识别未来项目。

在带子们进行项目期间，随着对精益六西格玛的越来越熟悉，他们将更容易理解如何更好的利用工具，也更容易识别改善业绩的方法。

此时，应该确定一个固定的、健全的项目识别流程。基于此，每个月需要召开一次由黑带主持的例行会议。参加者应包括过程主管、企业领导者（有可能的话）和企业运营各方面的执行者。当然根据组织的复杂性，这或许只在部门或一些业务领域执行。会议参加者也应该时不时的更换，以使新的建议想法不断涌现。

倡导者、过程主管和企业领导者对于各种改善想法、建议的数量应该各有明确的目标，要根据部门职责而定。这类会议通常采用头脑风暴法，通过使用鱼骨图来识别潜在的改善领域。

在会议中团队及时把这些想法排好次序并分派明确的任务。这些任务通常需要收集数据，每个人都要确保数据的正确以验证是否为改善的时机。当团队会议已发展成为基于数据与事实文化的一部分时，在任何给定的时间都有一堆可实行的想法建议。这些想法建议终将形成“一水桶机会”，企业领导者们可以根据企业需要从中进行挑选。同时企业会相应的将这些建议想法进行梳理。

改善阶段

对标准的明确清楚定义感到满意之后（如：获得一定数量的成本节约、验证某些工具的作用或者向企业领导者阐述项目改善所带来的益处），所有的带子们必须经历一个证明的过程。在这个阶段，企业将看到六西格玛项目初期的好处。

证明过程和项目的成功都需要在组织中高度可见，以使所有的同事们能认识到精益六西格玛是公司未来处理业务的一种方式。部分可见性可通过举办适当的庆祝会并由高层管理者对项目成功的认可赞同来达到。

一旦达到这种水平，精益六西格玛的培训活动就要在整个组织展开。管理者应考虑争取对所有员工进行意识培训。项目的显著成功将引起正在培训的员工们的极大兴趣。

控制阶段

当公司向着成熟的六西格玛组织迈进时，在组织每月的日程表上必须把以下事情确定下来：

每月的项目检查会议 –参加者：带子们、倡导者和企业领导者
项目识别会议–参加者：过程主管、倡导者、过程执行者和带子们
节约成本的验证–需要由财务代表证实带子们节约的资金

对于组织中的所有同事，项目的KPI（关键绩效指标）应该是清楚明了的。包括如下各项且这些也应当是高层管理者评审过程的一部分：
精益六西格玛培训计划是否有目标针对性并能根据企业需要持续更新
证明计划及相应的目标
被指派项目的带子数量（资源利用性）
资金节约及相应的目标，包括必需的月财务报告
规划好的准备执行的项目数量及相应的目标

最后一步

当所有如上的流程有条不紊的进行后，就说明组织已平稳的走在了向精益六西格玛公司迈进的道路上，六西格玛工具已被有效的应用在公司每一层次的日常活动中。

以上需要高层管理者的巨大努力（至少在早期阶段）。在组织内需要有高度制度？要求以保证以上会议如期举行， 并将指派的任务能及时落实。

最初，一些抵制者们可能感到精益六西格玛是额外的多余的工作。但随着相应层次管理者的支持，项目取得进展后，员工们会看到这种流程只不过是帮助他们以更加有效的方式履行他们的职责，为他们提供了很广阔的个人发展平台并保证了他们赖以生存的组织的竞争力。

作者简介：史蒂芬•卡西，特许化学工程师，2001年加入HSC(瀚森特殊化学品)公司，任基地经理？。在此期间，他被培训成绿带，并在2004年成为黑带。在2007年，他成为黑带大师，培训并指导欧洲和东南亚绿带/黑带项目。可通过stephen。cassie@hexion。com与他联系。



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