3 Reasons Lean Six Sigma May Not Be Right For Your Organization?

Posted by on Jun 30, 2019 in Uncategorized | 0 comments

Many organizations have implemented and are benefiting from Lean Six Sigma.  But is there a time when Lean Six Sigma is not right for your organization?

I’ve written about the benefits of Lean Six Sigma and how it takes a dedicated infrastructure, execution, and strong management support and oversight.  Lean Six Sigma is not for the faint of heart and will change the culture and direction of the organization.

There are basically three different circumstances when an organization might not consider adopting Lean Six Sigma:

  • The organization already has a strong continuous improvement structure in place.  Lean Six Sigma utilizes a strong infrastructure of project reviews called tollgate reviews.  This ensures teams are on the right track and making progress in their projects.  But if your organization already has systems and tools in place to support continuous improvement and make processes better, then Lean Six Sigma may not add as much value and even worst may confuse people as to which methodology to use.
  • The organization is already engaged in an overwhelming change initiative and is overburdened.  Lean Six Sigma requires that employees be given the time to work on their projects.  If this can’t happen teams will get frustrated and projects will fail.  Organizations only have so many resources and piling on a Lean Six Sigma initiative may be too much for the organization to handle.
  • The potential gains are not just there.  It’s hard for me to imagine that every process in an organization is working to the satisfaction of everyone involved.  But Lean Six Sigma requires an investment.  If you can’t make a case for current or future return, it may be best to stay away until you figure out exactly when it may pay off.

Additionally, don’t forget that Lean Six Sigma can be applied in a targeted approach, so a limited implementation may be feasible until the organization is ready and willing to commit to a full-business approach.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.