Lean Six Sigma focuses on eliminating defects. In healthcare, a defect can be the difference between life and death. Use Lean Six Sigma to improve patient safety by eliminating life-threatening errors.
Lean Six Sigma uses Define-Measure-Analyze-Improve-Control (DMAIC) – a five-step approach to process improvement. Focus on improving the patient experience by making sure your processes consistently deliver the desired results.
Lean Six Sigma is a fact-based, data-driven philosophy of improvement that values defect prevention over defect detection. It drives customer satisfaction and bottom-line results by reducing variation, waste, and cycle time, while promoting the use of work standardization and flow, thereby creating a competitive advantage. It applies anywhere variation and waste exist, and every employee should be involved.
What are the seven types of waste (muda) in lean manufacturing?
Waste, or ‘muda’ in Japanese, is defined as the performance of unnecessary work as a result of errors, poor organization, or communication.
Quality professionals often debate whether or not there are seven or eight wastes of lean. The eighth waste of lean is unique from the original seven because its elimination can directly benefit the employees, as well as the employer.
The eight lean manufacturing mudas can be remembered using the acronym DOWNTIME.