The Six Sigma concept was developed by Motorola in the 1980s to reduce variance in the production of electronic components. In general, the whole idea of ​​6 Sigma is aimed at maximizing the quality of the organization's work. It was based on statistical methods of process control and the work of the Japanese quality specialist Genichi Taguchi.

In the modern sense, 6 Sigma is considered from three sides: as a philosophy, as a management methodology, and as a set of tools for improving work. It is used in organizations various areas activities - from industrial enterprises to banks. However, the main area for 6 Sigma is still manufacturing.

The term 6 Sigma, which is used in the name of the concept, means the standard deviation of a random variable from the mean. This term is used in mathematical statistics. A random variable can be characterized by two parameters - the mean value (denoted by the symbol mu) and the standard deviation or another name - the standard deviation (denoted by the symbol sigma).

If a process quality parameter is considered as a random variable, then using the mean value and standard deviation, it is possible to estimate the probable fraction of process defects. For this preliminary it is necessary to set the upper and lower limits of the tolerance field of the quality parameter. The larger the tolerance field, the greater will be the proportion of good products of this process. The larger the sigma value, the smaller the share of good products.

In order to increase the share of suitable products, it is necessary for a given tolerance field to strive to reduce the sigma value, thereby increasing their number that fit into the tolerance field.

In the case where six sigma values ​​​​fit from the average value to the nearest tolerance limit, the number of defective products of the process can be 3.4 per one million. In the case where three sigma values ​​fit, the possible number of defective items in the process is 66.807 per one million.

The essence of the concept of six sigma is to apply various methods and process control tools to achieve a reduction in the standard deviation value for a given tolerance band.

Philosophy 6 sigma

The Six Sigma philosophy is based on the approach of continuous process improvement and defect reduction. The organization should adopt a continuous improvement and performance improvement approach.

Improvement can come from radical changes (process reengineering approach) or from minor changes. continuous improvements(kaizen approach). The purpose of improvements can be to improve product safety, improve quality, shorten the production cycle, improve jobs, reduce costs, etc.

The key elements of the 6 Sigma philosophy are:

• customer satisfaction. Consumers determine the level of quality of work. They expect high product quality, reliability, reasonable price, timely delivery, good service, etc. Hidden in every element of consumer expectation are quality requirements. The organization must identify and meet all of these requirements.
• process definition, their indicators and methods of process management. To improve the quality of work, it is necessary to look at the processes from the point of view of the consumer. All elements of the processes that do not bring value to the consumer must be eliminated.
• teamwork and staff involvement. The results of an organization's work are the work of its employees. For achievement High Quality each employee should be interested in work and interested in achieving high results. Employee engagement leads to increased customer satisfaction.

Application 6 Sigma

To improve, improve, and manage processes, 6 Sigma uses a set of various tools quality. Processes can be managed based on quality and quantitative indicators. Each organization may use its own set of tools. Examples of such tools are statistical process control based on control charts, FMEA analysis, Pareto chart, Ishikawa chart, Tree diagram, etc.

To date, the Six Sigma toolkit has expanded by applying the concept to many areas of activity. The 6 Sigma toolkit includes the entire set of quality tools. Some of them can be viewed in the Quality Tools section.

Methodology 6 Sigma

Six Sigma is a process-oriented methodology aimed at improving performance. It allows you to improve all areas of activity.

There are three interrelated elements at the heart of the 6 Sigma methodology:

• improvement of existing processes;
• design of new processes;
• process management.

An incremental improvement approach is applied to improve existing processes. The focus is on reducing the level of defectiveness. The goal of improvement in Six Sigma is to eliminate deficiencies in the organization and execution of processes.

Improvement is carried out through the application of five consecutive steps. These steps are called the DMAIC method (first letters from English words– Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control):

• Define- at this step, the main problems of the process are identified, the Six Sigma project team is formed to improve the process. The team is given the necessary powers and resources to work. Its area of ​​responsibility is established.
• measure- At this stage, data on the execution of the process is collected. The team analyzes the collected data and puts forward preliminary assumptions about the causes of deviations in the process being improved.
• Analyze- During this step, the team checks preliminary ideas about the causes of deviations in processes, determines all causes of nonconformities and proposes methods to eliminate the identified causes.
• Improve- at this stage, measures are developed to improve the process and their testing is carried out. Activities are implemented in the practice of the organization.
• control This step involves documenting and standardizing the improved process. To verify the effectiveness of the activities, the Six Sigma project team performs control and monitoring of the execution of the process. During the monitoring Special attention is given to checking the elimination of the causes of nonconformities.

For newly created processes, an approach aimed at anticipating customer expectations is applied. The focus is on preventing defects in processes.

Designing a new process (or redesigning an existing one) is also done in five steps. The design (redesign) method in the 6 sigma concept is called the DMADV method (the first letters of the words are Define, Match, Analyze, Design, Verify):

• Define- at this step, the goals of the new process are determined, taking into account the requirements of consumers. A Six Sigma project team is formed to design (redesign) the process.
• Match– the team develops and defines a set specifications, on the basis of which it is possible to determine the achievement of the objectives of the process.
• Analyze– an analysis of the characteristics of the designed process is carried out and preliminary options for the execution of the process are developed.
• design- during this step, detailed specifications of the new process are created and implemented in the work of the organization.
• Verify- In this phase, the Six Sigma process design team performs a review of the process to ensure that it achieves its goals, taking into account the specified characteristics.

One of the important elements of the 6 Sigma methodology is process management. very often in an organization both the improvement of existing processes and the design of new ones take place at the same time. Managing constantly changing processes becomes quite a challenge.

In general, the Six Sigma process management methodology does not differ much from the accepted process management methodology.

The main elements of process management according to the 6 sigma methodology include:

• process definition, key requirements of consumers and process owners;
• measurement of indicators characterizing the fulfillment of consumer requirements and key indicators process efficiency;
• analysis of results obtained measurements and improvement of process control mechanisms;
• process execution control based on monitoring the "inputs" of the processes, the progress of the execution of operations, and the "outputs" of the processes and taking measures to eliminate problems or deviations from the established requirements.

Implementation of 6 Sigma in the company

The implementation of the concept of 6 sigma in any organization is based on permanent job project teams. Teams are formed by management levels. As a rule, there are only three such levels - the highest level of management, the level of process management and the level of management of individual tasks. The teams are made up of individuals with varying degrees of “proficiency” in Six Sigma.

There are seven levels of mastery of this concept:

1. Management are the top management of the organization and business owners. The task of leadership is to create conditions for the implementation of the concept of 6 sigma.
2. Champion- Usually, this is a representative of the top management of the organization. Its task is to identify the necessary projects to improve processes, their organization and control over the progress of execution.
3. Black Belt Master– the task of this specialist is to develop the concept of each specific process improvement project. He defines the key characteristics of the processes, conducts training for black and green belts. The Master Black Belt is a 6 Sigma "technologist" and internal consultant.
4. Black belt- Leads a project team to improve a particular process. Can provide training to project team members.
5. Green belt- Works under the guidance of a black belt. He analyzes and solves the assigned tasks, takes part in quality improvement projects.
6. yellow belt– in the project is engaged in solving particular problems, is responsible for the implementation of small projects to improve processes.
7. white belt- Responsible for solving individual, special tasks of the 6 Sigma project.

On present stage development, the Six Sigma concept has become a well-known and popular brand. The promotion of this brand is facilitated by the training of specialists in various levels of "ownership" of the 6 Sigma methodology and their certification. For each of the six sigma degrees mentioned above, specific training programs and requirements for the composition of knowledge, experience and qualifications have been developed.

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Improvement can be achieved through radical changes (process reengineering approach) or through minor continuous improvements (kaizen approach). The purpose of improvements can be to improve product safety, improve quality, shorten the production cycle, improve jobs, reduce costs, etc.

The key elements of the 6 Sigma philosophy are:

consumer satisfaction. Consumers determine the level of quality of work. They expect high product quality, reliability, reasonable price, timely delivery, good service, etc. Hidden in every element of consumer expectation are quality requirements. The organization must identify and meet all of these requirements.

definition of processes, their indicators and methods of process management. To improve the quality of work, it is necessary to look at the processes from the point of view of the consumer. All elements of the processes that do not bring value to the consumer must be eliminated.

teamwork and staff involvement. The results of the organization's work are the work of its employees. To achieve high quality, each employee must be interested in the work and interested in achieving high results. Employee engagement leads to increased customer satisfaction.

6 sigma as a toolkit

Six Sigma uses a set of different quality tools to improve, improve, and manage processes. Process management can be carried out on the basis of qualitative and quantitative indicators. Each organization may use its own set of tools. Examples of such tools are - statistical process control based on control charts, FMEA analysis, Pareto chart, Ishikawa chart, Tree diagram, etc.

6 sigma as a methodology

Six Sigma is a process-oriented methodology aimed at improving performance. It allows you to improve all areas of activity.

There are three interrelated elements at the heart of the 6 Sigma methodology:

• improvement of existing processes;
• design of new processes;
• process management.

For improvement of existing processes an incremental improvement approach is applied. The focus is on reducing the level of defectiveness. The goal of improvement in Six Sigma is to eliminate deficiencies in the organization and execution of processes.

Improvement is carried out through the application of five consecutive steps. These steps are called the DMAIC method (the first letters of the English words - Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control):

Define - in this step, the main problems of the process are determined, the Six Sigma project team is formed to improve the process. The team is given the necessary powers and resources to work. Its area of ​​responsibility is established.

Measure - at this stage, data on the execution of the process is collected. The team analyzes the collected data and puts forward preliminary assumptions about the causes of deviations in the process being improved.

Analyze - During this step, the team tests preliminary ideas about the causes of deviations in processes, identifies all causes of nonconformities, and proposes methods to eliminate the identified causes.

Improve - at this stage, measures are developed to improve the process and their testing is carried out. Activities are implemented in the practice of the organization.

Control - This step involves documenting and standardizing the improved process. To verify the effectiveness of the activities, the Six Sigma project team performs control and monitoring of the execution of the process. In the course of monitoring, special attention is paid to checking the elimination of the causes of nonconformities.

For newly created processes an approach aimed at anticipating consumer expectations is applied. The focus is on preventing defects in processes.

Designing a new process (or redesigning an existing one) is also done in five steps. The design (redesign) method in the 6 sigma concept is called the DMADV method (the first letters of words are Define, Match, Analyze, Design, Verify):

Define - at this step, the goals of the new process are defined, taking into account the requirements of consumers. A Six Sigma project team is formed to design (redesign) the process.

Match - the team develops and defines a set of technical characteristics, based on which it is possible to determine the achievement of the process goals.

Analyze - an analysis of the characteristics of the designed process is carried out and preliminary options for the execution of the process are developed.

Design - during this step, detailed specifications of the new process are created and implemented in the work of the organization.

Verify - In this step, the Six Sigma process design team verifies that the process is meeting its goals against the specified characteristics.

One of the important elements of the 6 Sigma methodology is process management, because very often in an organization both the improvement of existing processes and the design of new ones take place at the same time. Managing constantly changing processes becomes quite a challenge.

In general, the Six Sigma process management methodology does not differ much from the accepted process management methodology.

The main elements of process management according to the 6 sigma methodology include:

process definition, key requirements of consumers and process owners;

measurement of indicators characterizing the fulfillment of consumer requirements and key performance indicators of processes;

analysis of results obtained measurements and improvement of process control mechanisms;

execution control processes based on monitoring the "inputs" of the processes, the progress of the execution of operations, and the "outputs" of the processes and taking measures to eliminate problems or deviations from the established requirements.

Implementation of 6 sigma

The implementation of the 6 Sigma concept in any organization is based on the constant work of project teams. Teams are formed by management levels. As a rule, there are only three such levels - the highest level of management, process control layer And individual task management level. The teams are made up of individuals with varying degrees of “proficiency” in Six Sigma.

There are seven levels of mastery of this concept:

Management is the top management of the organization and the owners of the business. The task of leadership is to create conditions for the implementation of the concept of 6 sigma.

A champion is usually a member of the top leadership of an organization. Its task is to identify the necessary projects to improve processes, their organization and control over the progress of execution.

During the 6 Sigma Fundamentals webinar, the recording of which is available for you here, I was asked this (usual) question: how is Six Sigma different from Lean? In my practice, I try in every possible way to get around the methodological “contradictions” (contradictions in quotation marks!) between lean manufacturing and 6 sigma. I also never focus on instrumentation differences. Although many tools are often attributed to one methodology or another. Instead, I always focus on a certain basis laid down in all the "fashionable" and already "obsolete" methodologies.

Logo from our groups In contact with and , illustrating the common beginning of the methodologies

What is this basis? What is the common beginning? Isn't it common sense? And if so, then why look for differences in methodologies based on common sense?

Reflecting on these questions, I came to an interesting observation: for some reason, among the site visitors, not everyone is interested in the differences in methodologies. After some digging around in memory and mailbox, I was able to install the following:

1. Most often, the question about the criteria for distinguishing Lean and Six Sigma is asked by employees of organizations that provide educational services(universities, consulting companies, etc.).
2. Less often, but by a very small margin, young specialists - students, graduate students and "cadets" - newly hired masters, engineers, managers.
3. And very rarely there are questions from production workers with experience, project leaders and people who have been engaged in their profession for more than a year (or better to say, who have been increasing their efficiency for more than a year?).

As a typical production worker, I can assume that the value of dividing methodologies “by name” in my work simply will not increase, and therefore the question of separation does not arise for me. I believe that it should be applied depending on the situation, and not on the name of the technique.

Fortunately, this time, in addition to such an unconvincing argument as one's own opinion, it is possible to refer to an article by Terence Burton - Is This a Six Sigma, Lean or Kaizen Project? , on the basis of which the material of Victoria Oleshko was prepared - Is it a 6 sigma, lean or kaizen project?

Have you already read the article? If not, then I advise you to do it right now, and only then continue studying this post ... No. Seriously. article and come back.

Central to Mr. Barton's article is the following diagram:

An almost verbatim translation of the scheme is given below:

In his publication, Mr. Barton draws attention to the fact that Lean, Six Sigma, and Kaizen are nothing more than “toolboxes”. The use of this or that tool should be conditioned by the situation, and not by the buzzword that sounded in the title of the last seminar attended. According to the author, leadership, creativity and innovation are the components of a breakthrough. They just encircle the above schemes, creating the basis that I spoke about above.

Nevertheless, dedicated to those who like to look for differences:

In this diagram, our team tried to decompose the three methodologies in one coordinate system, so that it would be easier to compare them and look for differences. But there are also disadvantages:

“But in the old scheme there were a lot of terrible words "karate",
“judo” and “taek-won-do” - it’s good to scare TOPs with it :-D” ©

The current global financial crisis and the economic downturn that followed has changed the way businesses operate. Companies are forced to restructure their work due to lack of financial resources and changes in the structure of demand. In the changed realities for business leaders, the issues of reducing costs, retaining customers, and increasing the speed of response to changing external conditions are becoming critical. At the same time, it is important to ensure that the company is ready to scale operations with the start of economic growth.

An analysis of the development of companies during the previous economic downturn showed that the leaders of the industries after the end of the recession were organizations that managed to achieve high operational efficiency. The conditions in which companies find themselves today can be regarded as an opportunity to acquire new skills that were not much in demand at the stage of rapid economic growth - skills for continuous improvement operational efficiency and cost reduction.

These skills are, ultimately, the only ones that ensure the formation and maintenance of long-term competitive advantages.

A company can pursue different goals in the optimization process operating activities depending on its current position and strategic objectives:

• Achieving leadership positions in the market by creating sustainable competitive advantages;
• Increased space for debt restructuring by reducing the need for working capital and increasing the rate of capital turnover;
• Increasing the value of the company when it is sold;
• Getting support from the state.

In addition, the approach to optimizing operations can vary depending on the scale of change desired:

• Continuous improvement of activities through the implementation of point projects that allow to achieve quick results in short time(up to 1 month). Examples of such projects are initiatives to job optimization (5S), improvement of individual operations that do not require a radical restructuring of the process;
• Deep optimization of individual areas through the implementation of targeted improvement programs (from 3 to 6 months). In this approach, the entire business process is optimized or a separate functional area is improved (for example, optimization of the supply chain or customer service system);
• Implementation of comprehensive programs for the transformation of operations (from 1 to 3 years). In this case, both a radical restructuring of the main business processes and a complete change in the operating model of the company, aimed at achieving qualitatively new performance results, can take place.

Regardless of the scale of change and its goals, there is a proven and reliable tool that allows companies to achieve a radical increase in operational efficiency and maintain a leading position in the market - Lean Six Sigma.

The Lean Six Sigma methodology emerged as a result of the combination of Lean manufacturing methods (Lean), which is based on reducing waste and speeding up processes, and 6 sigma (Six Sigma), the basis of which is to improve quality and increase customer satisfaction (Fig. 1).

Both methods have a long history of successful application, but it is the experience of their combined use that has demonstrated the achievement of the greatest effect. Currently, the Lean Six Sigma methodology is successfully applied by the world's leading companies in all sectors of economic activity.

Why Lean Six Sigma?

There are several reasons why companies choose Lean Six Sigma methodology to optimize their operations:

1. Implementation of Lean Six Sigma allows SIMULTANEOUSLY:

• Speed ​​up processes by 20-70%;
• Improve the quality of products and services by 20-40%;
• Increase efficiency by 10-30%
• Significantly improve customer satisfaction

2. Training in Lean Six Sigma methods allows you to:

• Effectively involve company employees in the process of optimizing activities and significantly increase their productivity;
• Instill a culture of teamwork and skills to share information and knowledge;
• Organize a process of continuous improvement at all levels of the company.

Lean in the Perform methodology is a comprehensive system aimed at improving customer satisfaction and team performance.

The main benefits for the company are increased efficiency and competitiveness

• Efficiency increase by 20% (on average), incl. through performance
• Improving the quality of services provided and increasing customer satisfaction
• Strengthening teamwork, increasing the initiative and involvement of staff
• Development and professional growth personnel
• Additional increase in business efficiency by 5-6% annually

Whiteboard meetings promote focused discussion of employee workload and continuous improvement

Visualization boards serve as "dashboards" that reflect the effectiveness of the team, incl. qualitative and quantitative KPIs

Visualization board key blocks:

• Individual and team performance
• Problems and Ideas
• News
• Command section

whiteboard meeting– a focused discussion that creates a single information space for an interactive discussion of the results of work and opportunities for improving efficiency

• Carried out by the team on a regular basis
• All team members actively participate in the meeting, the rotation of moderators is observed
• Duration – 15 to 30 minutes
• Motivates and energizes the team

Kaizen session– a tool for structured solving complex cross-functional tasks and generating ideas – structured brainstorm aimed at developing solutions to existing problems, as well as identifying new hidden problems. It is characterized by a strict sequence of actions and a wide range of tools used, the session is controlled by the moderator.

LEAN production concept

The concept of LEAN Production (“lean manufacturing”) was formed at Toyota in the 1950s. In the sixties, Toyota triumphantly broke into the car market: Japanese cars turned out to be both better and cheaper than American ones. Then the LEAN concept was also interested in other industries: energy and trade, services and healthcare, the army, and later in IT.

The essence of LEAN is to do everything possible to really understand the requirements of the client and gradually remove everything unnecessary that does not bring value to him. That is, do this:

Lean IT (lean IT)

Lean IT (Lean IT) is a business concept that, in relation to the work of the IT department, has inherited a strict Lean approach (the concept of managing the production cycle of an enterprise, based on the constant desire to eliminate all types of waste). Its goal is to do more work with less cost, but on the condition that the benefits obtained from the application of Lean IT will not be less than before. However, if the benefits of adopting Lean are obvious, then why are IT departments so overwhelmed by it that they don't even respond to business unit requests for digitalization?

The problem is waiting. The point is that after implementation of Lean The IT leadership of the IT departments wants to see immediate payoffs, they literally fixate on it, endowing the methodology with miraculous powers. As a result, the team responsible for the implementation of Lean IT begins to rush, and this begins to affect quality: processes are carelessly automated or outsourced to third-party managed service providers without proper quality control. Many IT departments do not pay enough attention to the training of IT staff, so automated processes often fail either at the company itself or at the outsourcer. So, instead of collaborating with business departments, IT staff have to periodically refine "automated" processes, leaving them no time to work on really important projects like digital transformation.

How to approach Lean IT from the right side?

The first thing to keep in mind is that the IT team should not rush to implement Lean IT, otherwise it will lead to technological failures. First, you need to create a proper nomenclature of technology services with a description of the implementation scheme for each of them. Here's what it should have:

• a detailed scheme for putting the service into operation, what is needed to support it at the initial stage and at the end of the life cycle;
• list of involved technical staff and their managerial roles;
• requirements for service providers;
• life cycle planning, quality control;
• relationship with other departments.

It should also be borne in mind that, unlike Lean in manufacturing, which is aimed at reducing all types of costs, Lean IT in the software area must adapt to the speed of technology development and the variability of business needs. This is the key difference between Lean IT and Lean in production - the latter is much more static in nature, so major changes in it can be planned in advance. When counting on the introduction of Lean IT, it is worth considering the impact external factors and especially breakthrough digital technologies- all this requires giving business processes a digital look and this work should be carried out by the IT department.

Thus, for the successful implementation of Lean IT, confident adaptability to changing business processes is necessary - even a slight turn in business strategy requires IT professionals to quickly make changes or add new technology. To be able to respond to these changes, the IT department needs to resort to dynamic buffer management (Dynamic Buffer Management, DBM) - this is another development from industrial Lean, but in IT it will help to manage the services that IT departments need to manage or create. IT always has the resources and best practices to streamline workflows, it's important to be realistic about the current pace of digital innovation.

6 Sigma concept

The 6 Sigma concept was developed by Motorola in the 1980s to reduce variance in the manufacturing of electronic components. The name of the project is based on the Greek letter "sigma", which denotes the statistical concept of standard deviation.

In the conditions of an unstable and volatile economic situation, more and more attention is attracted by management methods, including production, aimed at overcoming crisis phenomena and increasing the efficiency of enterprises at the expense of internal resources. Among the advanced approaches aimed at improving the performance of any enterprise, the concept of "Lean Production" (or Lean-system) stands out. The introduction of the principles of the Lean-system allows you to bring any company to a qualitatively higher level: it helps to find ways to optimize business processes by eliminating losses and inefficient operations at all stages production process to identify sources for further growth.

Lean Six Sigma- an integrated concept that combines the most popular quality management concepts in the 90s of the last century: the concept of " Lean manufacturing, focused on eliminating waste and overhead, and the concept of "Six Sigma" (Six Sigma), aimed at reducing process variability and stabilizing product characteristics.

The Lean Six Sigma model is a combination of two popular approaches abroad. The central theme of the Lean concept is customer value. Its ancestor was the Japanese corporation Toyota, where lean manufacturing methods were formed back in the middle of the last century. Within the framework of the Lean model, any activity is classified into operations and processes that add value or neutral. The first group develops, the second is considered as losses and eliminated. Lean's popular solutions are, for example, 5S (five simple steps to create a quality work environment to increase productivity), kanban (a system built on the principle of "just in time", that is, with minimal warehouse stock), kaizen (a focus on continuous improvement at each of the stages of value creation), TPM (general maintenance of equipment).

The concept of Lean Six Sigma has a wide scope and can be used by any enterprise, regardless of size and field of activity.

The period of formation of the concepts of "Six Sigma" and "Lean Manufacturing" falls on the mid-80s of the last century. At that time, in the field of production, the highest requirements were set for product quality and resource saving. The concept of "Lean Manufacturing" was created as a cost optimization methodology in the automotive industry. The concept of Six Sigma owes its birth to the defect management program finished products by reducing process variability in semiconductor manufacturing. It is only natural that the pioneers in applying these concepts were manufacturing enterprises. The stages of development of the concepts of "Six Sigma" and "Lean Manufacturing" repeat the stages of development of standards for quality management systems (QMS). The progenitors of the most used QMS standards in the ISO 9000 series were standards containing quality assurance requirements for military industry, later - for the automotive and mechanical engineering.

Six Sigma is a process optimization methodology based on mathematical models. It was formed at Motorola, but wide popularity she received after being adapted for General Electric. The name comes from the statistical concept of standard deviation, denoted by the Greek letter σ - sigma. The maturity of the production process is assessed by calculating the yield of defect-free products. The lower the index, the more stable the production. It is believed that the highest level of Six Sigma gives no more than 3.4 defects per million operations.

For some time, the concept of Lean and the Six Sigma methodology, developing in parallel, competed with each other, finding their supporters and opponents. Many companies use a comprehensive version of Lean Six Sigma. After all, an integrated solution allows you to get economic effect both by reducing losses and by building stable and controllable processes.

The beginning of the 90s of the last century can be characterized as a time of active use of standards for management systems and the concepts of "Six Sigma" and "Lean Manufacturing" in non-traditional areas for them. Increasing competition pushed service and intellectual product producers, state and public organizations to find new ways to maintain and increase demand. From the point of view of consultants, the prospects for adapting the standards and concepts of quality management to the needs of enterprises in these areas were extremely wide. For example, at present, 80% of the gross national product is produced in the service sector. Having undergone repeated testing at enterprises in both manufacturing and non-manufacturing areas, the concepts of Six Sigma and Lean Manufacturing have gained universality. As a result, the name "Lean manufacturing" - "Lean production" - was transformed into "Lean" - " Lean Management". By the mid-90s, Six Sigma and Lean Management concepts became one of the most sought-after areas consulting business in quality management.

The ratio of "the number of successful implementations" to the "total number of implementations" is higher in comparison with other methods and concepts of quality management. In addition to the subjective factors of success, due to the efforts of training centers and consulting firms, there are a number of objective factors. With regard to the Six Sigma concept, the most significant one stands out among the success factors - high organization. High level of organization is one of the most distinctive features American business, which is expressed as follows:

• all activities are carried out within the framework of projects, each of which has established goals, deadlines, budget, allocation of responsibilities and authorities, requirements for identifying risks, maintaining records, etc.;
• the requirements for the knowledge and skills of the personnel involved in the projects are clearly defined and classified into categories (“black belt”, “green belt”, etc.);
• the progress of each project is regularly monitored using an established system of measurable indicators - "metrics".

There are several success factors for Six Sigma. The procedure for its implementation is formulated in the American Quality Engineer's Handbook as "identifying, selecting, and executing projects." The greatest attention is paid to the choice of projects, which must be justified both from the point of view of the greatest economic feasibility, and from the point of view of the possibility of implementation in practice. It is interesting to note that a specialist with a “black belt”, despite the nature of his work, has all the advantages of an external consultant, namely:

• he is independent and can make impartial assessments and judgments;
• he is not perceived by colleagues as “one of us”, his opinion is listened to as the opinion of an expert in matters of quality improvement;
• The reputation and further career of a Black Belt specialist is completely determined by the success of the projects implemented by him within the framework of the Six Sigma concept, which explains his high level of motivation.

Specialists with a "black belt" can be hired on a part-time or full-time basis. To evaluate the results of their activities, “lower and upper limits of admission” are set - for a year of work, a specialist of this category, hired on a full working week, should bring the enterprise savings from $500 thousand to $1 million. Going beyond the lower limit of tolerance means a mismatch of qualifications, exceeding the upper limit is unlikely. The Lean Management concept, which was first formed in Japanese enterprises, has other success factors. High organization is no longer a factor in achieving success, but a result. The achieved high organization of processes (both main and auxiliary) allows the enterprise to save a significant amount of resources. In addition to the fact that the concept of "Lean Management" implies fundamentally new approaches to the culture of management and organization of the enterprise, it also offers a set of tools that make it possible to reduce the cost and speed up processes. The main tools are already well known to quality specialists: just in time (just in time), 5S, kaizen (the concept of continuous improvement), value stream management (value stream management), poke-yoka (error protection method), etc. In this On the list, practitioners identify "value stream management" as one of the most effective tools in achieving the goals of the "Lean Management" concept.

The concept of "Six Sigma", which has American roots, is related to the Japanese concept of "Lean Management" by mutual interest in a single process. This significantly distinguishes them from many "venerable predecessors" focused on universal coverage, and makes them related to new generation concepts such as "business process reengineering". The concepts of Six Sigma and Lean Management complement each other perfectly.

The concept of "Lean Management" does not establish requirements for the form of implementation of the concept and the infrastructure required for this. Therefore, the success of Lean Management largely depends on the initiative and organizational skills of managers, but when managers change, everything can collapse. Lean Management lacks formal commitment from top management, formal learning, planned resource allocation, success tracking with corrective action, etc.

The Lean Management concept is not focused enough on consumer needs. Their satisfaction is not directly related to its main goal - the elimination of losses and unproductive costs. In the Six Sigma concept, the focus on consumers is a key element. This is confirmed by the fact that all the main metrics of this concept are based on tracking the relationship of process parameters and product characteristics with specifications set by consumers. The key principle of the Six Sigma DMAIC concept begins with the definition of consumer requirements: Define - define, Measure - measure, Analyze - analyze, Improve - improve, Control - manage.

In the Lean Management concept, defects and inconsistencies are recognized as one of the main sources of losses in the enterprise. At the same time, it does not consider statistical process control methods to eliminate waste. The concept of "Lean Management" is not focused on finding sources of process variability and ways to reduce variability, which is one of the main elements of the Six Sigma concept.

Defects, the main target of Six Sigma, are just one of the many types of waste in enterprises. In the classical theory of the Lean Management concept, seven types of losses are identified: overproduction, waiting, transportation, non-value-adding activities, stock availability, movement of people, production of defects. Many authors highlight additional types losses. For example, "false economy", which consists in the use of cheap and low-quality raw materials and materials, "diversity" as a result of the use of non-standardized elements in processes.

The Six Sigma concept does not draw parallels between quality and customer satisfaction, on the one hand, and the duration and speed of processes, on the other. At the same time, the duration of the process is directly related to customer satisfaction in the provision of services, and for production processes - with frozen funds in the form of stocks that are on standby. In the Lean Management concept, the analysis of time as one of the main resources of the process is a key area.

The set of tools of the Six Sigma concept limits the possible range of tasks to be solved. Process improvement within the framework of the Six Sigma methodology is carried out mainly by reducing the variability of processes by statistical methods and redesigning processes using the DFSS method (Design for Six Sigma - designing for the Six Sigma concept). The Six Sigma methodology misses opportunities for process improvement such as reducing unproductive activities, reducing waiting times, reducing inventory and transportation costs, optimizing jobs, etc. All of these opportunities are fully realized by the Lean Management concept.

The filling of the "gaps" described above within the framework of the integrated concept of Lean Six Sigma is shown in the table

This table shows that in the Lean Six Sigma concept, the answers to the question “how to organize activities?” taken from the concept of "Six Sigma", and the question "what to do?" - mainly from the concept of "Lean Management". At the same time, the concept of Lean Six Sigma uses a combined set of measured indicators (metrics) and a combined set of methods and tools for implementing improvement. An example of a set of methods and tools used in the Lean Six Sigma concept is given below.

The practice of using the concept of Lean Six Sigma in Western enterprises allows on your own in a short time (about a year) to achieve results:

• reduction in the cost of products and services by 30-60%;
• reducing the time of service provision up to 50%;
• reduction in the number of defective products by about 2 times;
• increase without additional costs of the volume of work performed up to 20%;
• cost reduction design work by 30-40%;
• reduction of project execution time by up to 70%.

A graphical comparison of the performance of the enterprise using the integrated concept of Six Sigma + Lean Management with the results of the concepts of Six Sigma and Lean Management applied separately is shown in the figure.

There are two main signs that indicate the presence of avoidable losses in the processes. The first sign is any changes taking place in the enterprise, for example, an increase or decrease in production volumes, an expansion of the range, organizational changes, innovation, etc. The second sign is insufficient documentation of processes and misunderstanding of the essence of processes by employees involved in the process.

Before answering the question "will it work?", it is worth considering an example when one of the seven simple quality tools did not "earn" - the data stratification method. After a seminar in one of the consulting firms, the enterprise specialist decided to analyze the accumulated data on defects.

Defects in the enterprise were detected by the following methods:

• acoustic emission method,
• ultrasonic control,
• eddy current method,
• magnetic particle, etc.

The enterprise did not have a classification of types of defects that could be associated with the causes of defects. The data array was stratified according to the methods for detecting defects, and then the analysis of the data for the entire period was carried out. Such an analysis of the results did not give, the nature of the data did not allow for another analysis. As a result, statistical methods were forgotten, and the fight against marriage resulted in an increase in fines.

To start improvement projects, you do not need to know perfectly the entire set of Lean Six Sigma tools and metrics. The 20/80 principle is also valid in relation to the demand for the knowledge of black belt specialists. In the implementation of 80% of projects, less than 20% of the tools studied by these specialists are used. The complexity of applying the concept of Lean Six Sigma lies in the simplicity of its individual elements. Most of the problems are due to incorrect data collection and preparation, as in the example described. There are several basic principles that accompany success, both in the application of simple statistical methods and in the implementation of the concept of Lean Six Sigma:

• leadership interest;
• allocation of resources;
• experience of successful projects.

When implementing the Lean Six Sigma concept, resources include the paid time of the staff, the costs of its training and the acquisition of funds necessary for the preparation and implementation of projects. Management must acquire the knowledge necessary to control and manage these activities. A calculation of the required training hours and the cost of working hours for the implementation of projects can be found in any Six Sigma textbook. The project leader must have practical experience participating in successful improvement projects. While learning is important, the experience of participating in one successful project is worth studying dozens of case studies.