This free online course has been carefully curated to provide you with all you need to know about applying the Lean Six Sigma approach to facilitate process improvement. It begins with a brief section on the fundamentals of LSS. You will discover the aims of this process, learn about ‘quality’ from a general perspective, and understand why a focus on it is imperative. The course goes on to provide a comprehensive overview of the Lean and Six Sigma methodologies respectively, giving a thorough historical account of their evolution. You will learn about value-adding and non-value-adding steps, how to create value, and processes in general. You will also learn about the different belts and roles in the Six Sigma method. A slight difference exists between good quality and Six Sigma quality. Can you tell the difference? Find out as we compare good quality to Six Sigma quality in this course.   

Furthermore, gain a thorough understanding of the DMAIC (define, measure, analyze, improve, and control) model and its application. The course dissects aspects like how to develop project charters, scope, timeline, roles, business cases, and goals statement. You will learn how to do a project plan, communication plan, stakeholder analysis, and develop a SIPOC (suppliers, inputs, process, outputs and customers) map. You will receive lessons on the voice of the customer (VOC) capture, where you will learn about methods such as point-of-use observation, focus groups, surveys, Kano analysis, and critical to quality tree (CTQ tree).  Other important concepts covered include the root cause analysis, gap analysis, control impact matrix, the fishbone diagram, and multivoting. All these will lead to the eventual creation of a solution to whatever waste problem is being experienced, but then what? How do you think the solution will be deployed or executed? Explore the solution selection and implementation, as well as the control and project close processes to complete the DMAIC chain.

Quite often, organizational processes are riddled with operational waste on different levels, from extended overtime budgets caused by workers not functioning to their appropriate capacity, to waste resulting from the variability of workflow, or even the presence of non-value-adding work. For organizations, this waste, if not handled, could result in organizational ineffectiveness on many levels. The Lean Six Sigma methodology, being a combination of methods, has been designed to help reduce waste in whatever form they appear in organizational processes, products or services, making operations more effective and with minimal errors. This course has been designed to provide adequate lessons on the application of the LSS methodology in organizational processes. With case studies, this course helps you build competency in process management, a vital skill for workforce improvement. Start learning today.