Lean Six Sigma

Lean Six Sigma is based on the premise that in order to deliver service and product excellence, firms must not only have an in-depth knowledge of their internal processes, but also have a profound understanding of customers' current expectations and future needs.

The five phases used in Lean Six Sigma aim to identify the root cause of inefficiencies and work with any process, product, or service that has a large amount of data or measurable characteristics available.

[8] The skill sets reflect elements from Six Sigma, Lean and other process improvement methods like the theory of constraints and total productive maintenance.

In order to achieve any of the certification levels, a proctored exam must be passed that asks questions about Lean Six Sigma and its applications.

Waste (muda) is defined by Fujio Cho as "anything other than the minimum amount of equipment, materials, parts, space, and workers time, which are absolutely essential to add value to the product".