Lean Six Sigma for Leaders presents a no-frills approach to adopting a continuous improvement framework. Practical, down-to-earth and jargon-free, this book outlines the basic principles and key points of the Lean Six Sigma approach to help you quickly determine the best course for your company. Real-world case studies illustrate implementation at various organisations to show you what went right, what went wrong, what they learned and what they would have done differently, giving you the distilled wisdom of hundreds of implementations with which to steer your own organisation. Written from a leader's perspective, this quick and easy read presents the real information you need to make informed strategic decisions.

While many organisations have implemented either Lean or Six Sigma, there is a growing interest in a combined approach; by implementing the most effective aspects of each, you end up with a more potent, adaptable system that benefits a wider range of organisations. This book shows you how it works, and how to tailor it to your organisation's needs.

• Understand the basic principles and key aspects of Lean Six Sigma
• Examine case studies of organisations that have implemented the framework
• Build on the lessons learned by other leaders to shape your own path
• Achieve continuous improvement by creating the right environment for success

In theory, every organisation would like to attain continuous improvement — but what does that look like in day-to-day practice? How is it structured? What practices are in place? How can you implement this new approach with minimal disruption to daily operations? Lean Six Sigma for Leaders answers these questions and more, for a clear, actionable guide to real-world implementation.

MARTIN BRENIG-JONES is Man-aging Director of Catalyst Consulting, Europe's leading Lean and Lean Six Sigma consulting and training company. An industry expert with more than two decades of experience, he has high-level expertise in process management and the EFQM excellence model.

During his career, he was head of quality at British Telecom, where he elevated several large BT divisions to award-winning levels. He has held several senior management roles at other organisations in communications systems, software and systems development.

A practising Lean Six Sigma trainer and coach with clients all over Europe, Russia and the United States, Martin is Co-Author of the popular Lean Six Sigma for Dummies.

JO DOWDALL began her career in Continuous Improvement in the year 2000 and has been a keen practitioner, coach, trainer and advocate ever since. Before joining Catalyst Consulting, Jo was a Quality Manager, a Black Belt, a Business Excellence assessor and trainer, and an implementer of ISO management systems.

Jo has worked internationally within a broad range of sectors to deliver training and facilitate improvement. These include the public sector and government departments, utilities, telecoms, retailers and manufacturers.

Foreword ix

Preface xi

Acknowledgements xv

Part I Using Lean Six Sigma to Solve Business Problems 1

Chapter 1 Introduction 3

Chapter 2 Business Problem Solving 13

Chapter 3 Measure for Leaders 33

Chapter 4 Analyse for Leaders 47

Chapter 5 Improve for Leaders 63

Chapter 6 Control for Leaders 75

Part II Using Lean Six Sigma Principles 85

Chapter 7 Leading a Process Based Organisation 87

Chapter 8 Delivering Everyday Operational Excellence 103

Chapter 9 Winning Hearts and Minds 117

Chapter 10 Integrating with Agile 125

Chapter 11 Turning Strategy into Action 137

Chapter 12 Creating a System for Innovation and Design 149

Chapter 13 Lean Six Sigma and Agile Digital Transformation 155

Part III Involving Everyone in Lean Six Sigma 163

Chapter 14 Learning and Development – The HR Perspective 165

Chapter 15 The Employee’s Perspective 175

Chapter 16 The Manager’s Perspective 189

Chapter 17 The Practitioner’s Perspective 197

Part IV Stories and Case Studies from Leaders 215

Kevin Barrett, SVP, European Manufacturing, CooperVision 218

Leading Change at Ricoh UK Limited – Mike Baddeley 229

Personal Leadership Perspective – Derek Kennedy, Forensic Science, Northern Ireland 234

Personal Leadership Perspective Mini Case Study – Sky UK and Aegon 242

Personal Leadership Perspective Mini Case Study – Barclays 251

Personal Leadership Perspective Mini Case Study – The UK Government, Central Government Department 255

Personal Leadership Perspective Mini Case Study – UK Government, Homes and Communities Agency 258

Personal Leadership Perspective Mini Case Study – Exclusive 5 Star Hotel Group 266

Personal Leadership Perspective Mini Case Study: Vanderlande 270

Final Thoughts and aWarning! 277

Starting the Lean Six Sigma Engine 280

Index 283