Hello these are discussion post that are from instructor and classmates that needs replys with only 55-75 words in your own word. Its just a response to a original discussion post
1. post from classmate:
How Caterpillar Succeeded with Six Sigma:
- Training Everyone Well
- Caterpillar spent over 300,000 hours training employees in Six Sigma methods.
- Workers at all levels gained the skills to solve problems effectively.
- Strong Leadership Support
- Company leaders got involved and provided tools and support to improve business processes.
- Their guidance made it easier to use Six Sigma successfully throughout the company.
- Focusing on Key Goals
- Caterpillar connected Six Sigma projects directly to its business goals.
- The projects brought real improvements and benefits to the company.
- Keeping an Eye on Progress
- Caterpillar set up a system to track and adjust Six Sigma projects.
- This ensured improvements lasted and adapted to market changes.
What NOT to Do with Lean Six Sigma:
- No Leadership Support
- A company started a Six Sigma project without management’s backing.
- Lack of resources and training led to poor results.
- No Link to Business Goals
- Projects weren’t tied to the company’s main objectives.
- The efforts didn’t improve overall performance.
- Ignoring People’s Attitudes
- The focus was only on technical steps, not on company culture or employee buy-in.
- Employees resisted the changes, which slowed progress.
How to Fix These Issues:
- Strong Leadership
- Involve top leaders to provide support and resources.
- Their involvement drives success and cultural change.
- Align Projects with Goals
- Pick Six Sigma projects that focus on important business objectives.
- This ensures efforts create real impact.
- Train Employees Well
- Offer solid training in Six Sigma techniques.
- Skilled employees can tackle problems better.
- Build a Positive Culture
- Foster teamwork, open communication, and a commitment to quality.
- A supportive culture ensures Six Sigma is adopted smoothly.
References:
https://isssp.org/the-caterpillar-production-system/
2. Post from instructor:
For those of you new to lean six sigma, this article serves as a guide for what to look for in your case companies in success and horror.
As you search the case for key success factors for lean six sigma you will get a mix of success factors for six sigma projects and six sigma program implementations. Please let me know if you do not see the difference between these two. Our discussion is on program implementation at the organizational level. We need to cement these concepts first before looking at how to succeed at the project level.
Since our context tells us we are focusing on “implementing these operating philosophies and their accompanying tool sets,” We want to focus on the six-sigma program implementation.
This article discusses Six Keys….there are many articles that may call out even more. As you look at your success stories, you should see some of these, if not all:
1. Senior Management Involvement
(Note: the DQ questions focus here by asking for events, decisions, and investments by leadership)
2. Selection of Six Sigma Projects
(When looking at horror stories ask if leadership picked projects with the goal of cutting headcount, dollars etc. The selection of projects is key to the success of the program as described in this article.)
3. Selection of Project Teams
(Pick the right people for their knowledge and make sure they have the right training. Employee involvement is key. Leaders can not ‘do LSS to their employees’—it backfires, they must involve them.)
4. Inclusion of Six Sigma Projects in Performance Appraisals
(Tie to company strategy and to employee appraisals, it should all be connected.)
5. Customization of Six Sigma to the Organization’s Culture
(This may involve training and leadership walking the talk. Again, Leaders can not ‘do LSS to their employees’—it backfires, they must involve them and adapt to the culture.)
6. Recognition and Celebration
(Great quality leaders make if acceptable to celebrate the failures too. “Well now we can add that to our ‘don’t do’ list”–they make it safe to fail and that creates innovation.)
Class,
As you advise on the fix, you will most likely be seeing that one of these keys are missing. This then becomes your advice.
Questions?
Six Keys to a successful Six sigma deployment. iSixSigma. (2018, January 13). Retrieved January 27, 2025, from
