LSSx.0 Wiki
Lean Six Sigma knowledge, built around the LSSx.0 Standard.
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2 terms
5 Whys
Asking "why" repeatedly to trace a symptom back to the condition that produced it, rather than stopping at the first plausible explanation. Simple enough to run in a meeting, and the usual first step before heavier root-cause tools.
5S
Five steps for organising a workspace so that abnormality becomes visible: sort, set in order, shine, standardise, sustain.
A
2 terms
A3 Method
A problem-solving format that constrains context, analysis, countermeasures and follow-up to a single page. The size limit is the method: it forces the thinking to be complete and legible rather than sprawling.
Andon
A signal that lets anyone doing the work stop it and call for help the moment something is wrong, rather than passing a problem downstream.
B
1 termC
2 terms
Control Charts
A chart that separates the normal variation of a stable process from a genuine signal, so teams stop reacting to noise. The basis for deciding whether a shift in an indicator warrants action at all.
Control Plan
The document that says what gets measured, how often, by whom, and what happens when it drifts — the thing that stops an improvement decaying.
D
3 terms
Design for Six Sigma (DFSS)
Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) is an approach to developing products or processes that translates customer requirements into design criteria and verifies that the proposed design can meet them under expected operating conditions. Teams use DFSS when developing a new offering or replacing a process whose underlying design prevents it from meeting requirements. DMADV provides […]
Design of Experiments (DOE)
Design of Experiments (DOE) is a structured statistical method for planning tests that estimate how process inputs affect a measured response, including interactions between inputs. An interaction occurs when the effect of one input depends on another input’s setting. In a sealing process, a team might test temperature and pressure at two levels each, producing […]
DMAIC
The five-phase improvement cycle — Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve, Control — that structures a Six Sigma project from framing the problem to holding the gain.
E
1 termF
1 termG
2 terms
Gage R&R
A study of how much of the observed variation comes from the measurement system itself rather than the thing being measured.
Gemba Walk
Going to where the work actually happens to observe it directly, rather than steering from dashboards and reports. Closes the gap between what indicators measure and what is really going on.
H
3 terms
Heijunka
Levelling production so that volume and mix stay steady over time, because variable demand amplifies as it travels upstream.
Hoshin Kanri
A method for cascading strategic objectives down through an organization so that daily work connects to the direction set at the top, and progress travels back up. Also called policy deployment.
Hypothesis Testing
Hypothesis testing is a statistical method for assessing whether sample data provide sufficient evidence to reject a stated assumption about a population or process. In DMAIC projects, teams use hypothesis tests to investigate suspected causes and evaluate changes in performance. The null hypothesis usually represents no difference or no association. Before analysing the data, the […]
I
2 terms
Interaction Effect
An interaction effect occurs when the effect of one process factor on a response depends on the setting of another factor. In design of experiments (DOE), interactions help explain why changing a temperature, pressure, or other operating setting produces different outcomes under different process conditions. Consider a hypothetical bonding experiment with two temperatures and two […]
Ishikawa Diagram
A structured way to lay out every possible cause of a problem across categories such as method, material, machine and manpower, so the analysis covers the field instead of settling on the first candidate.
J
1 termK
2 termsL
5 terms
Lead Time
Lead time is the elapsed time between a defined starting event and a defined completion event in a process, including processing and waiting. In construction bidding, those events might be receipt of an invitation to tender and confirmation that the proposal has been submitted. The endpoint determines which management question the measure answers. An estimating […]
Lean Manufacturing
The production system built on eliminating waste, levelling flow and pulling to customer demand. The origin of most Lean tooling, and the reference point the rest of the discipline extends from.
Lean Office
Applying Lean to administrative and support processes, where the waste is in handoffs, waiting and rework rather than on a production line. Often where the largest untouched gains sit.
Lean Six Sigma
Lean addresses time and effort spent without producing value; Six Sigma addresses variation in results. Together they cover both the speed of a process and its reliability.
Little’s Law
Little’s Law is the relationship stating that average work in progress (WIP) equals average throughput rate multiplied by average flow time within a defined process boundary. The equation is WIP = throughput rate × flow time. Flow time includes all elapsed time between the agreed entry and exit points, including waiting. Units must match: throughput […]
M
2 terms
Measurement System Analysis (MSA)
Measurement System Analysis (MSA) is the assessment of whether a measurement process produces data suitable for a defined operational or analytical decision. It examines variation and error introduced by the equipment, the measurement procedure and the conditions under which readings are taken. In a DMAIC project, MSA belongs in the Measure phase, before the team […]
Muda
Waste: any activity that consumes resources without adding value for the customer, conventionally grouped into eight types.
O
1 termP
10 terms
Pareto Chart
A ranked bar chart showing which causes account for most of the effect, based on the observation that a small share of causes usually drives the majority of problems. Used to decide where to act first when everything looks urgent.
Pilot Testing
Pilot testing is a limited, controlled trial of a proposed process change used to assess performance and implementation risks before wider adoption in a Lean Six Sigma project. For a purchase-order delay project, a pilot might replace daily document batching with twice-daily transfers for one approval queue. The proposal defines which orders are included and […]
Poka Yoke
Designing a step so the error cannot be made, or cannot pass undetected — a mechanism rather than a reminder, because attention fails and physical constraints do not.
Process Capability (Cp, Cpk)
Indices comparing a process's natural spread to the specification it has to meet — Cp measures the spread, Cpk measures the spread and where it sits.
Process Mining
Process mining is a method for analyzing how a process operates by using system event logs to reconstruct the sequence of activities for individual cases, such as purchase orders or insurance claims. An event log requires a case identifier, an activity name, and a timestamp for each recorded event. In a DMAIC project, the case […]
Process Owner
A process owner is the person accountable for a defined process’s performance and authorized to approve changes within its boundaries, including improvements developed through DMAIC. For an invoice-exception process, ownership needs a clear boundary. An accounts-payable manager may own exception handling from detection to resolution, while changes to purchasing approvals require agreement from another manager. […]
Project Affidavit
A project affidavit is a signed declaration used in Lean Six Sigma certification to attest that a candidate completed a qualifying improvement project and to verify specified facts about that work. For an external DMAIC assignment, the affidavit connects the candidate’s submission to someone with direct knowledge of the project. In an invoice-processing project, that […]
Project Charter
A project charter is an agreement between a project sponsor and the project team that defines the improvement problem, intended outcome, scope and authority to proceed with a Lean Six Sigma project. During DMAIC’s Define phase, the charter establishes why the work merits resources and what the team is accountable for delivering. It identifies the […]
Project Sponsor
A project sponsor is the manager or executive accountable for authorising a Lean Six Sigma project, securing resources, and resolving decisions beyond the project team’s authority. In DMAIC, the sponsor agrees the business need and project boundaries through the project charter. The role includes approving commitments of staff time and resolving conflicts between departments. The […]
Proportion Nonconforming
Proportion nonconforming is the number of inspected units that fail at least one specified requirement divided by the total number of units inspected, such as orders checked before release to production. In an order-verification process, each order counts once as conforming or nonconforming. An order containing both an incorrect material and an incorrect quantity contributes […]
R
4 terms
Requirement Register
A requirement register is a controlled record of requirements that a process or proposed change must satisfy, with traceability to their source and evidence of fulfilment. In a DMAIC project, it makes constraints explicit before the team changes how work moves through the process. For a building-permit project, each statutory check has an entry identifying […]
Return on Investment (ROI)
Return on investment (ROI) is a financial measure that expresses a project’s net benefit as a percentage of its cost over a defined period, used in Lean Six Sigma to assess the economic value of process improvements. The calculation is ROI = (financial benefits – project costs) ÷ project costs × 100%. For example, a […]
Rolled Throughput Yield (RTY)
Rolled throughput yield (RTY) is the proportion of units that complete a defined process route while meeting every step’s requirements on the first attempt, without repair or rework. In DMAIC projects, RTY exposes cumulative first-pass losses across successive operations or administrative handoffs. The measurement requires a defined unit, a process boundary and consistent acceptance criteria. […]
Root Cause Analysis
Working back from a symptom to the condition that produced it, so the fix removes the problem rather than the evidence of it.
S
4 terms
SIPOC
A one-page map of a process at its widest level — Suppliers, Inputs, Process, Outputs, Customers — used early to agree what is actually in scope.
Six Sigma
Six Sigma is a method for improving processes by reducing variation. It treats every defect, delay or error as the product of a process that varies more than it should, and it uses data and statistics to find the causes of that variation and remove them. The name refers to a statistical target: a process […]
SMED
Single-Minute Exchange of Die: cutting changeover time by moving work out of the stoppage, so smaller batches stop being uneconomic.
Standard Work
The current best-known way to perform a task, written down and followed — the baseline that makes improvement measurable rather than anecdotal.
T
3 terms
Takt Time
The rate at which a process must produce to meet customer demand — available working time divided by demand over that period.
Time and Motion Study
A time and motion study is a structured observation method that records task duration and work sequence to show how time is distributed within a process. In Lean Six Sigma, it supports decisions about specific workflows, such as nursing documentation or medication preparation. Study design starts with the operational question. A nursing team investigating delayed […]
TPM (Total Productive Maintenance)
Total Productive Maintenance: making equipment reliability a shared responsibility between operators and maintenance, rather than a technical function that intervenes only after a breakdown.
V
3 terms
Value Stream Mapping
A map of every step from request to delivery, showing where time is spent and how much of it adds value — usually revealing that most of the lead time is waiting.
Visual Management
Making the state of the work visible at a glance — boards, signals, standards posted where the work happens — so teams can see deviation immediately instead of at the next monthly review.
Voice of the Customer
Systematically capturing what the customer actually needs and translating it into measurable requirements, so improvement projects are aimed at value rather than at internal convenience.
