Welcome to the Lean Six Sigma Experts of Oklahoma
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Improving processes can be an easy or difficult task depending on a few factors: the methodology you use, the experts you have in charge of the process, and how much time you decide to invest in it. Therefore, if you are considering working with Lean Six Sigma, think about what we mentioned. In Oklahoma, many companies, businesses, and organizations decide to use this methodology above any other for the main reason: it helps to achieve several objectives at the same time.
In other words, the main objective is to improve processes and performance but how it makes it possible is what allows companies to focus on other issues and goals. Reducing waste, dealing with the rate of variations, defects, problems, and their root causes along with customer requirements, are just a few of the aspects to deal with when implementing Lean 6 Sigma. With this in mind, we are confident you must be already interested in including it in your business or looking for options to learn more about it.
But if you are truly aiming for Lean Six Sigma and want to do something about it, you need to find reliable experts, consultants, and companies that are able to provide you with the required services. At Lean Six Sigma Experts of Oklahoma, our goal is to provide you with consulting, training, certification, and any other service you might need for your goals related to Sigma. We have been in this field for over a decade and working with small or large companies and from any industry is not a problem for us. Also, we have made sure to include individuals among the clients we can help with their needs.
But before you decide on the service and solution you need and want from us, we want to ask something: are you confident about Six Sigma is what you need? Before choosing a process improvement methodology, even when it is quite used and popular like LSS, you must make sure it is the best option for your business or your personal growth. How can you do this? By understanding the very basics about it.
What Lean Six Sigma Means
A general concept would be that it is a process improvement methodology that helps companies from all industries to reduce waste, eliminate variations, and focus on the customers to deliver valuable products and services. However, LSS involves more than just improving processes and focusing on the previous aspects due to how it is formed. Lean Six Sigma is the combination of 2 methodologies, Lean and Six Sigma, which are also part of the process improvement category. In order to understand LSS and know what it means accurately, it is crucial to understand what is Lean and Six Sigma individually and then, what does Lean 6 Sigma integrates from them.
Lean is the methodology that focuses on reducing waste and guaranteeing companies are more efficient and reduce costs. For this, it establishes 5 principles and steps: identify value, map the value stream, flow, pull, and perfection. Most companies working with Lean alone have a hard time trying to go over every step since identifying the value requires customer participation, not directly, but it must be determined by them.
The value stream will help to understand all processes and steps it takes to obtain a product but being able to map it is a tough task considering all processes must be included to identify the waste in them and start eliminating unnecessary steps and every type of waste. The flow is where things are a bit simpler in terms of goals: you need to guarantee the company’s processes that are remaining are efficient and productive. Finally, businesses will need to rely on the pull and seek perfection in producing and delivering products and services.
With that said, there is something missing, what are the types of wastes Lean establishes? There is a total of 8:
- Overproduction.
- Defects.
- Overprocessing.
- Waiting.
- Transportation.
- Inventory.
- Motion.
- Un-utilized talent
With Lean clear, what about Six Sigma? This methodology is aimed at reducing the rate of variations and making companies more efficient by finding problems, root causes, and solving them. From the two methodologies, Six Sigma is the more extensive due to all the steps and principles it includes. Also, it brings many tools that are not always used but can be useful depending on the company’s situation when implementing the methodology.
Now, how those Six Sigma helps to reduce variations? With the 5-step method: DMAIC.
- Define the problems, objectives, projects, and company’s needs.
- Measure current processes and their efficiency and productivity to identify the performance of the company as well.
- Analyze processes to find root causes and start working on solutions for the problems.
- Improve processes by considering the data collected so far and the objectives and needs of the business.
- Control the changes and improvements achieved so far while also aiming for more.
With these steps, 6 Sigma establishes the main principles for Lean Six Sigma as well:
- Focus on the customer and work for him or her.
- Reduce variations and bottlenecks.
- Improve employee involvement.
- Flexibility and change.
- Find and solve problems to improve performance and processes.
Now, with Lean and Six Sigma clear, what does LSS integrate from them? The previous tools, steps, and principles are what the methodology adapts from them, but more tools and additional practices can be included depending on the company’s needs. What you need to keep in mind is that implementation is not always the same and different resources will be used according to the situation. With that said, Lean 6 Sigma has a special focus on problem-solving and customer satisfaction that besides being from Six Sigma, also aims for more specialized attention. There is a lot with LSS alone as a methodology that combines 2 but also has its own objectives and principles in the long run.
What Are Variations in Six Sigma?
Something to keep in mind is to know what variations mean in the methodology. Many companies and individuals that have contacted us to either implement it or get trained have doubts about what a variation is even while learning and after completing it—and it should not be that way. In our case, we consider that the best way to understand this is by giving you an example. Let’s imagine you own a company that manufactures pens and you have not integrated Lean Six Sigma into your methodologies and processes.
Following this, a client requests you to deliver 1 million pens that have the following features: red ink, 5 inches long, without pen cap, and with an engraving of the client’s name. When you follow the instructions, you need to make sure every pen meets the customer’s needs and requirements but during the process of obtaining a million pens, you have to discard around 1,000 or more because they do not meet all requirements. For example, you could have made a mistake in the client’s name, the ink is not red, or any defect that makes it not what the customer wants and requests.
A variation is a product that does not meet the customer requirements but it can also be considered a process that makes you obtain them. The goal of Six Sigma is to reduce your possibilities of variations and allow you to spend less time and resources in obtaining the desired product or service. Therefore, when you implement Six Sigma, you will be aiming to reduce that 1,000 defects or variations to 3,4 every million, which is considered perfection in an industry or company.
6 Sigma takes a lot of work because of this and when you are implementing LSS in your business, you still have to go through this but the parameters established by Lean 6 Sigma indeed make it easier to go over the process.
Do You Need Lean Six Sigma?
There are two situations to consider:
- You are a company trying to improve processes.
- You are a person interested in learning LSS.
If you are in the first one, you need to evaluate how much your company needs the methodology based on all the objectives it has, not only in the general one such as process improvement. Companies, organizations, and businesses need Six Sigma if they are trying to reduce costs and bring efficiency and productivity their way. Overall, it is natural for any business to aim for these goals and this is what ends up making Lean 6 Sigma be a necessity instead of an option but you also need to consider there are other process improvement methodologies.
Therefore, what makes you need Lean 6 Sigma instead of other methodologies? The fact that you will accomplish a wide range of objectives and not only waste reduction or eliminate variations when you integrate Lean or Six Sigma separately.
A short answer to the question aimed at companies would be yes, you need Lean 6 Sigma if you want to remain competitive and obtain all these benefits:
- Reduce costs.
- Bring productivity and efficiency.
- Improve employee involvement.
- Control quality management.
- Reduce all types of wastes and variations.
- Work for the customer and his or her satisfaction.
- Address problems and their root causes.
- Boost your competitiveness and growth.
But what about individuals that are considering learning or get trained in Lean 6 Sigma? Learning about the methodology is a great idea if you are trying to have more career options and professional opportunities since LSS is a quite requested and used method, which leads to the necessity of experts and well-versed people in it.
This means one thing: you can be valuable for any organization or business interested in or working with the methodology. The best part about it is that you can get trained in LSS ether if you are a company’s worker, professional, adult, or even a high school student. In either case, you will obtain all the benefits that come with it:
- Better salary.
- Better job positions.
- Applicability to all industries.
- More work opportunities.
- Better college options.
- Meet all credits for graduation in high school.
- Work for any company you wish for.
- Gain hands-on experience in quality management.
- Be more involved in projects and progress.
How to Learn Lean Six Sigma
If you made the decision to get LSS training, you only need to find reliable and qualified experts who can provide you with a program in the belt you choose. At Lean Six Sigma Experts of Oklahoma, training is our main service and the one we have been offering since we started our business over a decade ago. In our case, we have divided the training options into 3 main belts: yellow, green, and black. Before choosing, you must understand that ‘belts’ are the levels in Six Sigma, and depending on the one you get trained in, you will be able to obtain more knowledge and fulfill different roles within a team and company.
For beginners, a yellow belt is the best option since it focuses on the basics, terminology, principles, concepts, and what is Lean Six Sigma. By the time a person finishes this yellow belt training, data analyst, collector, and other small roles are available and possible to fill in a company. For the green belt, this level includes how to implement LSS, its main tools, how to start and manage projects, and focuses on more involvement with processes and responsibilities in problem-solving. Finally, the black belt is aimed for leadership roles or positions where the expert must have a full understanding of the philosophies, concepts, tools, and know-how to lead and supervise the entire LSS team.
To choose one of the belts, you only need to let our team know and they will either recommend you one that fits your needs and goals the most or proceed with the training you prefer. Getting Lean Six Sigma training is not difficult considering we are available in the entire state and our programs are online or in-person, allowing you to take them from anywhere, be it your home or office.
Is Lean Six Sigma Worth It?
Be it training or implementation, we know many people wonder if it is actually worth it to invest in Six Sigma considering that it can be expensive. In our experience, we have learned that everything depends on the company’s situation, the person’s goals and capabilities, and what everyone chooses to go for after knowing the details and obtaining information. However, if you are looking for an honest and direct answer then, yes, Lean 6 Sigma is worth your time and resources. As we have mentioned before, LSS is more efficient and effective when it comes to achieving process improvement due to the focus it has on several areas and needs in a company.
But besides this, the methodology is not that expensive compared to others or when you evaluate the option of implementing Lean and Six Sigma individually—which will not be as productive, to begin with. The beauty of LSS is that it can be implemented slowly but also make projects take place at once to achieve results in no time. Therefore, you are able to choose how long you want to take with it and even how much you want to spend in order to start obtaining results.
Of course, the cost of the implementation for a company also depends on who it hires or relies on, or if it chooses to go for developing talent instead of hiring it. For training and individuals interested in it, Lean 6 Sigma is actually not expensive and it does not take too long to complete any of the belts. A yellow belt takes around 1 to 2 weeks; the green one between 2 to 3 weeks, and a black belt a month or a month and 7 days at most. Now, worrying about training is not that necessary but rather start thinking about the certifications.
Whenever you complete LSS belt training, you should be able to opt for certification but most companies or experts in Oklahoma are unable to issue it due to the requirements and regulations to be authorized for it. Therefore, when you think about LSS being worth or not for your personal interest and growth, think about training but also the LSS certification you need. At Lean Six Sigma Experts of Oklahoma, we can guarantee you it will be one of your best decisions either if you are a business and want to integrate the methodology or just a person who wants to learn and get certified. If you are the latest, keep in mind our company is able to offer you the previous training mentioned but also certify you in any of the three Lean 6 Sigma belts we have available.
How Much Does Lean Six Sigma Cost?
It depends on the service you need, your goals, and the company or experts you hire for the task. When it comes to training, the fees vary according to the belt you choose:
- Yellow belt: around $1,000 to $2,000.
- Green belt: from $2,000 to $3,000 in most cases.
- Black belt: between $3,000 to $4,000.
Keep in mind these rates are average considering all companies and experts in the state and the usual fees you would have to pay. Now, when it comes to consulting services, it can be more expensive, which is why companies usually choose to develop talent by training their workers instead of hiring consultants. However, when you are able to find reliable, affordable, and qualified Lean 6 Sigma consultants, it is ten times more worth it than going for the long-term solution of developing talent.
In our company, you must know our fees are not similar to the previous training ones and our consultants all manage different rates, which gives you the freedom to choose one that goes with your budget and is able to deliver the desired services and results. For other services that we personally offer like certification and training for high school students, the final cost depends on you. The certifications usually have a cost around $100 to $300 depending on if it is a yellow, green, or black belt one. As for high school students and giving them access to special training and courses, it is not as expensive as regular training since it is an integration to a school and we want to contribute to the students’ formation.
However, the price can increase depending on the number of students you want us to train and get certified after completing it. What we can tell you is that OUR rates and fees are not high compared to other companies and experts in Oklahoma and we have worked hard to make this possible since we understand not all businesses and people are able to afford this methodology.
How to Access Our Services
Consulting, training, certification, and more. All our services are available for every business and organization in the state but also individuals in need of them. Accessing them is not difficult considering that we have different offices located in over 10 cities and towns and calling or emailing us is more than enough in most cases. We are a company that is available all year round to answer your questions, clear doubts, and assist you with your LSS needs, which is why contacting us or getting our solutions will not be a great deal.
What we want you to know instead is that you need to let us know if you have certain goals and needs in mind. Our experts are great in what they do, no matter what you need or choose, but we must know if you are aiming for some objectives regarding LSS to prepare for them and make sure they are possible. With that said, we invite you to have a look at our services on our website and find more information regarding Six Sigma, how it works, what we do for you, and where you can find us in specific. Lean Six Sigma Experts of Oklahoma is here for anything you need and for any inquiries, a call or email will be more than enough.
There are so many areas or regions where we offer these services with most of them being cities.
However, if you need any of these services, you need to contact us. The list below comprises the areas where we offer these services.