Whatever business you may be in, there is a constant pressure to improve, and rightly so. How to go about it is the difficult part. First, understand what value you bring to your customers and any competitive advantage you lack or would try to build. Think in simple terms such as time-based and quality-based improvements.
Having a competitive advantage on Lead Times or having a high On Time Delivery is not only a good way to improve customer relationships, but it is certainly beneficial when trying to gain market share with new customers. Improving time based metrics is also a cost reductive initiative. Lean tools work best for time-based initiatives.
If you are looking to improve the quality of your product or service, then variation is your enemy. Understanding and minimizing variation in your processes gives you a more reliable and consistent outcome, thereby reducing costs and improving customer satisfaction. Six Sigma is the preferred tool for minimizing variation.
Consider the Lean Six Sigma methodology for your organization’s process improvement strategy. #leansixsigma
First published in the Pittsburgh Business Times