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Lean Six Sigma tools

Sixteen practical process improvement tools, in the order of DMAIC and the nine-step model. Use them right in your browser, no account needed.

15 of the 16 tools have its own page here, one points to an existing service.

Define

Steps 1 to 3: problem, customer and customer demand, objective and project plan

Tool 1Available

Balanced Scorecard

Translate vision and strategy into KPIs across four perspectives: financial, customers, processes, and learning and growth.

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Tool 2Available

Sharpen your KPIs

Turn an ambition into a measurable, SMART performance indicator.

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Tool 3Available

Kano model

Sort customer needs into basic, performance and delight attributes.

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Tool 4Available

Kotter’s change model

Walk through the eight steps of a change and see where you stand.

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Measure

Step 4: map the current process

Tool 5Available

Value Stream Mapping

Draw the value stream from customer back to supplier, with data for every process step.

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Tool 6Available

Swimlane diagram

Map a process per department or role, so it becomes visible who does what.

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Tool 7Available

Flowchart

Draw a process with a start, steps and decision points.

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Analyse

Step 5: root causes

Tool 8Available

Kaizen Bursts

Mark on the process drawing where the problems pile up.

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Tool 9Available

Ishikawa diagram

Brainstorm causes per category in a fishbone diagram and pick the most important ones.

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Tool 10Available

5 Whys

Ask why five times and get from the symptom to the root cause.

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Improve

Steps 6 and 7: countermeasures and implementation

Tool 11Via Trello

Kanban

Visualiseer het werk op een bord en beperk wat tegelijk in uitvoering is. Daar bestaat al een uitstekende gratis tool voor: Trello.

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Tool 12Available

Ease/Impact matrix

Plot improvement ideas by ease and impact and see what to do first.

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Control

Steps 8 and 9: secure results, process control and continuous improvement

Tool 13Available

5S method

Sort, set in order, shine, standardise and sustain in the workplace.

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Tool 14Available

RACI matrix

Record for every task who is responsible, accountable, consulted and informed.

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Tool 15Available

Daily stand-up

A fixed agenda and an improvement board for a fifteen-minute daily start.

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Tool 16Available

PDCA cycle

Plan, Do, Check, Act: run an improvement through four steps and record what you learn.

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