Brief Introduction:
The fourth coming information is an introduction to the fundamentals of Six Sigma and Lean. The objective is to gain a baseline understanding of what Six Sigma and Lean are and how each methodology differs. To also learn the history and forefathers of each.

Six Sigma:
Six Sigma is a process improvement methodology. It is a disciplined, data-driven approach for eliminating defects and waste from a process. To achieve Six Sigma, a process must not produce more than 3.4 defects per million opportunities. When we say the word defect, we're talking about anything that falls outside of a customer's specification.

Six Sigma Methodologies:

• DMAIC

• Quick Sigma

• RDM

• GE Work Out

Lean:
Lean is defined as a set of management practices to improve efficiency and effectiveness by eliminating waste. The core principle of lean is to reduce and eliminate non-value adding activities and waste. A philosophy of continuous improvement based on setting standards aimed at eliminating waste through participation of all employees

Lean Methodologies:

• Go Lean!

• Kaizen

• 5S

• Poka-Yoke

• PDSA

• Value Steam

Lean Enterprise (Manufacturing / Production):
The 'Lean Enterprise' encompasses the entire production system, beginning with the customer, and includes the product sales outlet, the final assembler, product design, and all tiers of the supply chain (to include raw material mining and processing). Any truly 'lean' system is highly dependent on the demands of its customers and the reliability of its suppliers. No implementation of lean manufacturing can reach its full potential without including the entire 'enterprise' in its planning.

Lean manufacturing or lean production is a system of techniques and activities for running a manufacturing or service operation. The techniques and activities differ according to the application at hand but they have the same underlying principle: the elimination of all non-value-adding activities and waste from the business.