Introduction

This book builds on Lean Six Sigma For Dummies (Wiley), which we wrote to make the topic easy to understand and apply. It’s important to understand and apply it because we feel that Lean Six Sigma can help organisations of all shapes and sizes, both private and public, improve their performance. We also feel that Lean Six Sigma can help organisations in their transformation journeys, enabling them to deploy their strategy more effectively.

Readers of this book need to have at least some knowledge of Lean Six Sigma. If this isn’t the case, we recommend you have a copy of Lean Six Sigma For Dummies (Wiley) to hand, as we make a number of references to that book which will help explain some of the terms and techniques we refer to in this book. Referring to another book so often isn’t the usual For Dummies practice, but in this instance we wanted to avoid repeating everything about Lean Six Sigma and making this book twice as long.

We also stress that an organisation can deploy Lean Six Sigma without going through a business transformation. Likewise, an organisation can go through a transformation without using Lean Six Sigma. Our focus in this book is to demonstrate how Lean Six Sigma can help an organisation deploy its strategy and successfully undertake transformation.

Lean Six Sigma provides a rigorous and structured approach to both help manage and improve performance, and to support the transformation of an organisation. It helps you use the right tools, in the right place, and in the right way, not just in improvement but also in your day-to-day management of activities.

As often as not, an organisation’s strategy fails because it hasn’t been effectively deployed rather than because the strategy itself was ill-conceived. Lean Six Sigma and the DRIVE model (Define, Review, Improve, Verify and Establish) can provide a way forward that will keep deployment on track and ensure key milestones are met.

Lean Six Sigma really is about getting key principles and concepts into the DNA and lifeblood of your organisation so that it becomes a natural part of how you do things.

About This Book

The potential of Lean Six Sigma is still nowhere near as well harnessed as it could be. We feel that this is especially the case when it comes to helping organisations successfully deploy their strategies and transform their operations and culture.

It seems that many organisations lose sight of their strategic goals and ambitions and find it hard to focus appropriately on what needs to be done. Everyone’s too busy, but it’s important to recognise the difference between business and busyness – to know what’s important.

We wrote this book with the aim of helping individuals and organisations identify a road map that can help them drive their organisations to their intended destinations. In particular, we wanted to draw out the role of the leaders and managers and introduce our DRIVE model and capability maturity road map as a route to success. We refer to these throughout the book, along with a collection of concepts, tools and techniques to help you on your transformation journey.

Foolish Assumptions

In Lean Six Sigma, avoiding the tendency for people – and managers in particular – to jump to conclusions and make assumptions about things is crucial. Lean Six Sigma really is about managing by fact. Despite that, we’ve made some assumptions about why you may have bought this book:

• You’re contemplating a full deployment of Lean Six Sigma in your business or organisation, and you need to understand what you’re getting yourself into.
• Your organisation is looking to transform in some way, and you’re interested in knowing how Lean Six Sigma can help in the improvement of performance and the deployment of policy and strategy.
• Your organisation has already implemented either Lean or Six Sigma and you’re intrigued by how it might help you achieve more.
• You’re a student in business, operations or industrial engineering, for example, and you realise that Lean Six Sigma and its link to the deployment of strategy could help shape your future.

We also assume that you realise that Lean Six Sigma demands a rigorous and structured approach to understanding how your work gets done and how well it gets done, and how to go about improving your processes.

Icons Used In This Book

Throughout the book, you’ll see small symbols called icons in the margins; these highlight special types of information. We use these to help you better understand and apply the material. Look out for the following icons:

This icon pops up alongside examples that show you how to apply an idea to your business.

Bear these important points in mind as you get to grips with Lean Six Sigma.

Information that isn’t necessary for implementing your transformation but which you may find interesting.

Keep your eyes on the target to find tips and tricks we share to help you make the most of Lean Six Sigma.

We share true stories of how different companies have implemented Lean Six Sigma to improve their processes. We also share true stories of when things go wrong so that you learn from others’ mistakes.

This icon highlights potential pitfalls to avoid.

Beyond the Book

Find out more about Lean Six Sigma Business Transformation by checking out the bonus content available to you at www.dummies.com.

You can locate the book’s e-cheat sheet at www.dummies.com/cheatsheet/lssbusinesstransformation, where you’ll find handy hints and tips.

Be sure to visit the book’s extras page at www.dummies.com/extras/lssbusinesstransformation for further Lean Six Sigma business transformation-related information and articles.

Where to Go From Here

We hope you’ll want to go for a drive! Grab the steering wheel and map and transform your organisation. But do remember it takes time, preparation and planning. And a lot of commitment.

Please also remember that, with a For Dummies book, you can begin wherever you like. Each part and, indeed, each chapter, is self-contained, which means you can start with whichever parts or chapters interest you most.

That said, if you’re new to the topic, starting at the beginning makes sense. Either way, there’s lots of cross-referencing throughout the book to help you see how things fit together and how to put them in the right context.