Body of Knowledge for Six Sigma Lean Sensei What to Prepare For: The following is the Lean Six Sigma Certification Body of Knowledge that the exam will cover. We strongly encourage you to study and prepare for this exam. I. Importance of Lean A. Value of lean 1. Lean – basic premise Define how lean is a part of an overall process improvement philosophy with two focuses – variation reduction and waste reduction that ultimately leads to less defects and increased efficiency. 2. Lean concepts Define and describe concepts such as Toyota Productive System, value chain, flow, pull, etc. 3. Value­added and non­value­added activities Describe the distinction between a value­added activity from a non­value­ added activity. 4. Drivers and metrics Understand how profit, market share, customer satisfaction, efficiency, product differentiation and how key metrics are developed and impact the entire organization. Be able to create a balanced scorecard. 5. Organizational goals Understand the key principles of Hoshin planning. B. Voice of the customer 1. Customer focus Identify and classify internal and external customers as applicable to a particular project, and show how projects impact customers. 2. Collect customer data Use various methods to collect customer feedback (e.g., Kano diagrams, observation, etc.) and identify the key elements that make these tools effective. 3. Analyze customer data Use graphical, statistical, and qualitative tools to analyze customer feedback. 4. Translate customer requirements Assist in translating customer feedback into project goals and objectives, including critical to quality (CTQ) attributes and requirements statements. Use voice of the customer analysis tools such as quality function deployment (QFD) and Kano diagrams to translate customer requirements into performance measures. 5. Owners and stakeholders Identify process owners, internal and external customers, and other stakeholders in a project.
II. Lean and the organization A. Lean projects 1. Project charter and problem statement Define and describe elements of a project charter and develop a problem statement, including baseline and improvement goals. 2. Charter negotiation Create and negotiate the charter, including objectives, scope, boundaries, resources, project transition, and project closure. 3. Problem statement Develop problem statement, including baseline and improvement goals. 4. Metrics Establish primary and consequential metrics (quality, cycle time, cost). 5. Process elements Define and describe process components and boundaries. Recognize how processes cross various functional areas and the challenges that result for process improvement efforts. 6. DMAIC Describe the phases of a DMAIC model including tollgate reviews. 7. Project metrics Assist with the development of primary and consequential metrics (e.g., quality, cycle time, and cost) and establish key project metrics that relate to the voice of the customer. 8. Project risk analysis Describe the purpose and benefit of project risk analysis, including resources, financials, impact on customers and other stakeholders, etc. 9. Project closure Describe the objectives achieved and apply the lessons learned to identify additional opportunities. B. Teams 1. Initiating teams Know the elements of launching a team and why they are important: clear purpose, goals, commitment, ground rules, roles and responsibilities of team members, schedules, and support from management, and team empowerment. 2. Selecting team members Select team members who have appropriate skills sets (e.g., self­facilitation, technical/subject­matter expertise), and create teams with appropriate numbers of members and representation. 3. Team stages and dynamics Define and describe the stages of team evolution, including forming, storming, norming, performing. Identify and help resolve negative dynamics such as overbearing, dominant, or reluctant participants, the unquestioned acceptance of opinions as facts, groupthink, feuding, floundering, the rush to accomplishment, etc. 4. Roles and responsibilities Describe and define the roles and responsibilities of participants on Six Sigma and other teams, including Black Belt, Master Black Belt, Green Belt, champion, executive, coach, facilitator, team member, sponsor, process owner, etc. 5. Team tools Define, select, and apply team tools such as nominal group technique, force field analysis, multivoting, conversion/diversion.
6. C. III. Team facilitation techniques Apply coaching, mentoring, and facilitation techniques to guide a team and overcome problems such as overbearing, dominant, or reluctant participants, the unquestioned acceptance of opinions as facts, group­think, feuding, floundering, the rush to accomplishment, attribution, discounts and plops, digressions and tangents, etc. 7. Team­building techniques Recognize and apply the basic steps in team building: goals, roles and responsibilities, introductions, and both stated and hidden agendas. 8. Team performance evaluation Measure team progress in relation to goals, objectives, and metrics that support team success. 9. Motivation techniques Define, select, and apply techniques that support and sustain team member participation and commitment. 10. Communication Use effective and appropriate communication techniques for different situations to overcome barriers to project success. 11. Negotiation and conflict resolution techniques Define, select, and apply tools such as consensus techniques, brainstorming, effort/impact, multivoting, interest­based bargaining to help conflicting parties (e.g., departments, groups, leaders, staff) recognize common goals and how to work together to achieve them. Senior management elements 1. Organizational leadership Understand leadership roles in the deployment of Six Sigma. 2. Strategic business planning Describe the key elements of strategic business planning (SBP) and describe why SBP is important. 3. Adopt a lean accounting philosophy Identify the key concepts of lean accounting and how it is differentiated from traditional accounting principles and describe why lean accounting is paramount in an overall lean initiative. 4. Barriers to implementation Describe how to handle some of the common barriers to implementation. 5. Certification programs Define the lean certification programs (Malcolm Baldrige, TS16949, ISO­ 9000, ISO 14001, QS­9000, etc.) Lean objectives A. Key process and product/service parameters identified 1. Identify key process input variables and process output variables (SIPOC), and document their relationships through relational matrices, etc. 2. Develop and review process maps, flowcharts, failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA), etc. B. Inventory management 1. Pull system Define the key elements and strategy of a pull system (including kanbans, just­in­time inventory (JIT) etc.) 2. Theory of constraints (TOC) Use a theory of constraints methodology to evaluate the flow in terms of the key bottleneck.
C. D. E. IV. Quick change­over times for key processes 1. Single minute exchange of dies (SMED) Define the key elements and strategy of a setup reduction/quick changeover effort. 2. Total productive maintenance (TPM) Describe the key concepts of a TPM including Juran’s quality trilogy, gang charts, simo charts, etc. Workplace 1. Visual factory Identify the key concepts of a hidden factory/workplace and what should be a visual workplace/factory. 2. Level production Describe the key concepts of a production leveling including concepts such as standard work, etc. 3. Standard work Define and apply methods for construction. 4. Standard operating procedures Define and apply methods for construction and understand jidoka. Lean enterprise 1. Process modeling Develop and review process maps, flowcharts, spaghetti charts, overall equipment effectiveness (OEE), failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) etc. 2. Process inputs and outputs Identify process input variables and process output variables (SIPOC), and document their relationships through cause and effect diagrams, relational matrices, value driver trees, etc. 3. Characterize the classic wastes Define and be able to differentiate the wastes (muda). (i.e., defects, overproduction, waiting, non­utilized talent, transportation, inventory, motion, and extra processing). 4. Design for Lean Six Sigma (DLSS) Define and apply methods for construction. Continuous improvement tools and techniques A. Tools and techniques most commonly used in projects 1. Value stream mapping Define and apply methods for construction including calculating takt time, lead time, cycle time, etc. 2. 5­S Define and describe elements of 5­S including red­tagging/green tagging etc. 3. Error proofing/Poka yoke Define and apply methods/examples of error proofing. 4. Kaizen and kaizen blitz/event Describe the steps involved in a kaizen blitz/event. 5. Single minute exchange of dies (SMED) Define the key elements and strategy of a setup reduction/quick changeover effort. Understand the difference between internal setup and external setup and the five­step method for optimizing a change­over process.
6. B. Total productive maintenance (TPM) Describe the key concepts of a TPM including Juran’s quality trilogy, gang charts, simo charts, etc. 7. TRIZ Understand the basic premise of a TRIZ approach to problem solving. Maintain the solution 1. Standard operating procedures Define methods for standardizing procedures. 2. Error proofing/Mistake proofing/poka yoke Define and apply methods/examples for error proofing. 3. Audits
Define and apply methods for application. 4. Project tracking Define and apply methods for application.