De-Mystifying Lean
Six Sigma for Purchasing Professionals By Dr. Tom DePaoli
Many supply
chain and purchasing professionals are intimidated by Lean Six Sigma (LSS) and
its proponents. Relax. It is just a disciplined approach to problem solving. LSS
uses many tools that have been around for years; in many cases the tools have
just been cleverly repackaged by consultants.
Decisions are
data-based, disciplined and plodding. Without top-down commitment, LSS is
doomed to fail. Make sure you secure this executive commitment, and better yet
make participation a strong criterion for individual performance reviews
(raises). Projects should be selected by ROI (Return on Investment) and since
much time and teams are required for a project, they must return or save at
least $300,000 to qualify as a full blown LSS project.
Supply chain
and purchasing professionals must be involved in sourcing the LSS consultant.
Experience is critical and a proven track record of project success essential.
Get references and insist on examples of work. Use a fixed hourly rate and make
sure all developed training and projects remain your property. You can try to
make the contract performance-based but many LSS firms will not agree to this.
Make the goal to be self-sufficient internally within two years with all LSS
training and projects.
Some LSS
projects that have been done in purchasing and the supply chain are: Inventory
cost, part obsolescence prevention, lead-time reduction, backlogs, unexpected
orders, customer service internal and external, cost of schedule changes,
transaction flows, cost of return product, and supply chain optimization. Many
of these involve process mapping which is a type of flow chart that illustrates
how things are done and identifies areas of strength or weakness.
LSS is not the
only tool that can be used by supply management professionals for improvement.
In my experience LSS should be used when the potential savings is great and you
have some good data to analyze. If you do not have good data the LSS project
will take even longer. If data is sparse, the Lean approach is much preferred
which is highly visual, intuitive and does not require as much data.
Always Lean a
process before you use LSS. By this I mean eliminate any redundant steps in the
process that can be easily eliminated first. Reduce the number of variables in
the process. Try to understand the voice of the customer (VOC) clearly before
your start process improvement. Remember if the customer does not really care
or value a process step; ask yourself, “Why are we doing it?”
Finally use
Kaizens for straightforward less complicated projects. The kaizen approach is
usually done by the work team using the process and strives to eliminate waste
in the process. The new kaizen improved process should then be quickly
implemented. Supply chain and purchasing professionals must take the leadership
role in LSS, Lean and Kaizens. In my professional experience, the rewards
of these approaches can be astounding. They do however require a measured and
disciplined approach, and a commitment to not giving up!
Contact Dr. Tom = thomasdepaoli@yahoo.com
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