It’s true. Lean Six Sigma can be incorporated in project management. iSixSigma Software/IT carries a good article on this.
All project management initiatives go through the same basic sequence of events: initiate, plan, execute, control, and close. When DFLSS (Design for Lean Six Sigma) is applied to this process, then DMADV (define, measure, analyze, design, verify) or IDOV (indentify, design, optimize, verify) becomes the tool set that enhances the basic IPECC design process. The various processes tend to integrate with each other as shown in the following figure.
Click on the figure for a bigger version
The natural consequence of this relationship is that DFLSS or IDOV becomes a set of methods and tools that facilitates the project management process.
Where Lean Six Sigma is integrated effectively with project management, the DFLSS philosophy (but not every DFLSS tool) is a core element of every project. Too often organizations make the mistake of distinguishing between DFLSS projects and “other” projects, thereby perpetuating the notion that DFLSS is a selective project-based approach. Since the goal of DFLSS is to deliver better results faster with fewer resources, then the issue is not which project is a DFLSS project but rather which DFLSS tools are most appropriate for any given project. Regardless of how the projects are executed – from a highly iterative agile approach to a stage-gated waterfall approach – DFLSS is a method that is integral to the project management process.
But does one size fit all? Find out here.
Source:
iSixSigma Software/IT, Fitting the Right Belts for Design for Lean Six Sigma
