Start your Lean Six Sigma journey. Master statistical and manufacturing tools to identify and eliminate waste and defects.
Suggested by: Coursera (What is Coursera?)
No prior knowledge required
No unnecessary risks
In the first course, we will review the basic concepts of the Six Sigma methodology, and the participant will be certified as a White Belt. We will review the statistical concepts of Six Sigma, the metrics of the methodology, Lean tools, how to calculate savings for each project, and how to carry out an LSS project, including its stages and the tools used in each of them.
In this course we will understand the importance of process value mapping, a tool that allows us to see and understand a process and identify waste, which helps to discover sources of competitive advantage. It also allows us to create a common language between all users and communicate ideas for improvement, while focusing on using a plan that attributes efforts to improvement.
It is important to mention that value mapping is a technique of drawing a “map” or flow diagram that allows you to visualize the materials and information from the supplier to the customer and aims to reduce and eliminate waste. It can be useful in strategic planning and change management.
There are different formats for a flowchart like SIPOC, which is one of the most common. Once it is used, it shows all the suppliers, processes and customers, so that we can select the critical path to map for the VSM with the aim of improving the process or system according to the company’s strategic plan.
To summarize, we must first define the problem we want to solve, identify our situation. This is very important, because it will be difficult to continue if we fail in the first stage. The definition itself is critical to determining the right KPIs that will allow us to better understand the situation. Once we know where we are, we will need to know where we are going. The path must be measurable, so we will determine metrics that will help us understand the state of the problem we want to solve. We will measure these indicators and determine monitoring that will allow us to analyze the situation afterwards.
At this stage, an in-depth analysis of the process must be conducted in order to determine the factors that influence its conduct and utilize this to improve performance.
The course examines selected tools from the improvement and control phases of the Lean Six Sigma DMAIC methodology, presenting a combination of quantitative and qualitative tools. In the improvement phase, the goal is to build mathematical predictive models through multivariate linear regression and polynomial regression. During this phase, Lean tools such as Kanban and Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) are also introduced with the goal of improving process performance through stability and reducing inventory outages and equipment failures.
In the control phase, a statistical process control tool comes in to monitor the performance of a system, to identify different patterns that may cause problems before the system starts producing defective products. As smart production assistants, Poka Yoke is introduced to prevent errors and the A3 report technique to solve problems.
