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# Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma Definitions

Glossary terms, history, people and definitions about Lean and Six Sigma

## Sitemaps

- [XML Sitemap](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/sitemap.xml): Contains all public & indexable URLs for this website.

## Posts

- ["The Lean Dentist" or "Follow the Learner" Book Review](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/the-lean-dentist-or-follow-the-learner-book-review/) - I did some observations at a dermatology clinic recently, and my friend Maria suggested that I read the book, "Follow The Learner," which is now called "The Lean Dentist" and share it with the dermatology clinic to help them better understand lean principles. The book was written by Dr. Sami Bahri, DDS who is an
- [QRQC](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/qrqc/) - Acronym for Quick Response Quality Control, which is a system of responding to quality problems and abnormalities in a timely manner by providing frontline workers (those who do the work at the gemba) with all the necessary skills and support to resolve the issue. Management's role is to train and lead workers in the QRQC
- [Reversing the Culture of Waste - 50 Best Practices for Achieving Process Excellence](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/reversing-the-culture-of-waste-50-best-practices-for-achieving-process-excellence/) - Many enterprise-wide improvement efforts are disappointing and short-lived. Reversing the Culture of Waste is a new approach being used around the world that fundamentally changes our attitudes toward processes and the products and services they so fundamentally affect. Lee Pollock and Mark Kiemele present 50 specific, self-defining and actionable “Best Practices” derived from their implementation
- [Six Sigma on a Budget](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/six-sigma-on-a-budget-achieving-more-with-less-using-the-principles-of-six-sigma/) - All the value of six sigma--Immediate results now available without the overhead! In today's economy, organizations need to improve quality, solve problems, and increase efficiencies on the fly―and Six Sigma has proven its worth to large and small companies around the world in all these areas. Written by a leading Six Sigma expert, Warren Brussee, Six
- [The Startup Way](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/the-startup-way-how-modern-companies-use-entrepreneurial-management-to-transform-culture-and-drive-long-term-growth/) - Entrepreneur and best-selling author of The Lean Startup, Eric Ries reveals how entrepreneurial principles can be used by businesses of all kinds, ranging from established companies to early-stage startups, to grow revenues, drive innovation, and transform themselves into truly modern organizations, poised to take advantage of the enormous opportunities of the 21st century. In The Lean Startup,
- [Lean for Banks](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/lean-for-banks/) - Most banking institutions suffer from numerous inefficiencies, such as poor planning; inadequate coordination and communication; ineffective processes, tools, and workflow; and excessive bureaucracy. Lean for Banks describes in easy language how to use Lean and Six Sigma management practices to significantly improve the efficiency of bank operations. This book shows how to use Lean and
- [A Revolution in Manufacturing: The SMED System](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/a-revolution-in-manufacturing-the-smed-system/) - Written by the industrial engineer who developed SMED (single-minute exchange of die) for Toyota, A Revolution in Manufacturing provides a full overview of this powerful just in time production tool. It offers the most complete and detailed instructions available anywhere for transforming a manufacturing environment in ways that will speed up production and make small lot inventories feasible. The
- [Creating a Lean Culture](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/creating-a-lean-culture-tools-to-sustain-lean-conversions/) - The audio edition of this Shingo Prize-winning bestseller provides critical insights and approaches to make any lean transformation an ongoing success. It tells you how to implement a sustainable, successful transformation by developing a culture that has your stakeholders throughout the organizational chart involved and invested in the outcome. It teaches you how to successfully navigate
- [Made-to-Order Lean: Excelling in a High-Mix, Low-Volume Environment](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/made-to-order-lean-excelling-in-a-high-mix-low-volume-environment/) - Low Volume Manufacturing often appears contrary to 'Lean' Methodologies, though if you look at the Toyota Production System (which had some of its roots in a Job Shop, but instead became famous for the remarkable results in high-volume manufacturing plants), one must return to the principals (not the high publicized tools) to better understand its
- [Zero Quality Control: Source Inspection and the Poka-Yoke System](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/zero-quality-control-source-inspection-and-the-poka-yoke-system/) - A combination of source inspection and mistake-proofing devices is the only method to get you to zero defects. Shigeo Shingo shows you how this proven system for reducing errors turns out the highest quality products in the shortest period of time. Shingo provides 112 specific examples of poka-yoke development devices on the shop floor, most
- [Lean Six Sigma for Good](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/lean-six-sigma-for-good/) - As an experienced Lean Six Sigma practitioner, I've seen the benefits these skills and thinking can bring to a company. They are also applicable outside of business settings to help address poverty, improve health care, improve education, and improve the environment. This is a condensed audiobook to motivate current Lean Six Sigma and continuous-improvement experts
- [Design for Six Sigma](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/design-for-six-sigma/) - This reader-friendly, icon-rich series is must reading for all managers at every level All managers, whether brand new to their positions or well established in the corporate hierarchy, can use a little "brushing up" now and then. The skills-based Briefcase Books series is filled with ideas and strategies to help managers become more capable, efficient,
- [Managing to Learn](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/managing-to-learn-using-the-a3-management-process-to-solve-problems-gain-agreement-mentor-and-lead/) - Managing to Learn by Toyota veteran John Shook, reveals the thinking underlying the vital A3 management process at the heart of lean management and lean leadership. Constructed as a dialogue between a manager and his boss, the book explains how “A3 thinking” helps managers and executives identify, frame, and then act on problems and challenges. Shook
- [Lead With Respect](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/lead-with-respect/) - In their new business novel Lead With Respect, authors Michael and Freddy Ballé reveal the true power of lean: developing people through a rigorous application of proven tools and methods. And, in the process, creating the only sustainable source of competitive advantage—a culture of continuous improvement. In this engaging and insightful story, CEO Jane Delaney of Southcape
- [Lean Six Sigma for Good: Lessons from the Gemba (Volume 1)](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/lean-six-sigma-for-good-lessons-from-the-gemba-volume-1-real-life-stories-and-experiences-written-by-lean-and-six-sigma-volunteers-working-with-not-for-profit-organizations-kindle-edition/) - After writing the first book about why Lean and Six Sigma practitioners should volunteer their skills to help nonprofits, I wanted to give more tangible and real-life examples of how these tools and techniques can be applied. I've reached out to friends and colleagues who are already volunteering their time, and asked them to write
- [Making IT Lean](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/making-it-lean-applying-lean-practices-to-the-work-of-it/) - Making IT Lean: Applying Lean Practices to the Work of IT presents Lean concepts and techniques for improving processes and eliminating waste in IT operations and IT Service Management, in a manner that is easy to understand. The authors provide a context for discussing several areas of application within this domain, allowing you to quickly gain
- [The Lean Startup](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/the-lean-startup/) - Most startups fail. But many of those failures are preventable. The Lean Startup is a new approach being adopted across the globe, changing the way companies are built and new products are launched. Eric Ries defines a startup as an organization dedicated to creating something new under conditions of extreme uncertainty. This is just as true for
- [Toyota Kata: Managing People for Improvement, Adaptiveness and Superior Results](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/toyota-kata-managing-people-for-improvement-adaptiveness-and-superior-results/) - This game-changing book puts you behind the curtain at Toyota, providing new insight into the legendary automaker's management practices and offering practical guidance for leading and developing people in a way that makes the best use of their brainpower. Drawing on six years of research into Toyota's employee-management routines, Toyota Kata examines and elucidates, for
- [2 Second Lean](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/2-second-lean-how-to-grow-people-and-build-a-fun-lean-culture-at-work-at-home-3rd-edition/)
- [Six Sigma for Small Business](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/six-sigma-for-small-business/)

## Pages

- [Lean, Six Sigma, Continuous Improvement, Quality Improvement and Process Improvement History](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/) - The most popular improvement methodologies today are Lean and Six Sigma. Where did these approaches come from? In a quest to better understand the history and network of quality experts, improvement tools, books, and companies, I've been researching and tracing back the roots. I would recommend starting with some of the key personnel within both
- [Shop](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/shop/) - Interested in Lean or Six Sigma training to boost your resume, and show how your improvements have an impact in your organization? If you apply what you learn from the online courses below, you can easily pay for the cost of the course with the improvement savings. Intro to Lean Six Sigma and Yellow Belt
- [How to get Lean Six Sigma Certified](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/how-to-get-lean-six-sigma-certified/) - Green Belt certification can increase your salary by an average of $11,000 USD (ASQ survey), compared to those with no Six Sigma certification. Black Belt certification can increase your salary by an average of $15-30,000 USD, compared to those with no Six Sigma certification, and $16,000-20,000 USD above those having only a Green Belt certification. Lean certification
- [Summary of Donald Wheeler's Understanding Statistical Process Control (USPC) Seminar](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/summary-of-donald-wheelers-understanding-statistical-process-control-uspc-seminar/) - SPC Press has released a 15-part seminar series taught by Donald Wheeler on their site, and is available on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rP3i97Q6XjM&list=PLUeXRJ5a5UC1cDLxbZPs6Jg_d9m-nvIjO&ab_channel=DonaldJ.Wheeler. Each session draws heavily from his book "Understanding Variation: The Key to Managing Chaos," and lays the groundwork for understanding data analysis in a business context, highlighting the limitations of traditional data interpretation
- [Free Lean and Six Sigma Online Training](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/free-lean-and-six-sigma-online-training/) - With our partnership with OpEx Learning, we are pleased to offer two free online courses (for a limited time), Lean Introduction and Six Sigma White Belt. Lean and Six Sigma are the two most popular methods for process improvement. Lean Introduction Lean was developed through research performed at Toyota and other Japanese companies in the
- [Strong America Now](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/strong-america-now/) - Strong America Now was a non-profit conservative political organization dedicated to paying down the U.S. national debt by 2017 with no new taxes. Instead, they promoted the deployment of Lean Six Sigma (and its common sense approach) that eliminates government waste and helps create cost effective government. It was founded by Michael George in 2011,
- [Thank You!](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/thank-you/) - You will receive information about the OpEx course your ordered in your email inbox shortly. LeanSix SigmaDefinition.com is managed by Business Performance Improvement (BPI), and has partnered with OpExLearning.com to provide you with this training through their Litmos platform. Technical questions about the online learning platform can be directed to the contact personnel within your
- [Glossary](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/)
- [Glossary of Terms](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary-2/)
- [Contact](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/contact/) - For more information about BPI and what we can help with Lean and Six Sigma, please visit our website at https://www.biz-pi.com
- [FAQ](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/faq/)

## CM Tooltip Glossary Pro

- [Overall Equipment Effectiveness](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/overall-equipment-effectiveness/) - A standard machine performance measurement that encompasses all loss of time on a machine or process that is not contributing to good parts.
- [Action Priority](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/action-priority/) - Action Priority (AP) is a low, medium and high rating system created for FMEA risk assessments that supplements the Risk Priority Number (RPN) value based on Severity x Occurrence x Detection. It puts more emphasis on Severity, instead of treating all 3 ratings equally important. Traditionally, companies used the RPN to determine high risks needing
- [FMEA](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/fmea/) - Acronym for Failure Modes and Effects Analysis. FMEA is a risk assessment tool, that evaluates the severity, occurrence and detection of risks to prioritize which ones are the most urgent. The two most popular types of FMEAs are Process (PFMEA) and Design (DFMEA).
- [NUMMI](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/nummi/) - An acronym for New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc. It was a car plant in Fremont California that might have saved the U.S. car industry. In 1984, General Motors and Toyota opened NUMMI as a joint venture. This became the first application of the Toyota Production System by Toyota with its affiliated suppliers in the US.
- [Six Sigma](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/six-sigma/) - Six Sigma is a disciplined, statistical-based, data-driven approach and continuous improvement methodology for eliminating defects in a product, process or service.
- [Fishbone Diagram](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/fishbone-diagram/) - Also known as a Cause and Effect diagram, or Ishikawa diagram. The method was created by Kaoru Ishikawa in the 1960's. He created it to help employees avoid solutions that merely address the symptoms of a much larger problem. The defect or problem is shown as the fish's head on the right side (typically). The major
- [Lillian Gilbreth](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/lillian-gilbreth/) - Lillian Evelyn Moller Gilbreth (May 24, 1878 – January 2, 1972) was an American psychologist, engineer, consultant, and educator. She earned a Ph.D. in applied psychology in 1915, which made her the first of the pioneers of industrial management to have a doctorate, and one of the first female engineers to earn a Ph.D. The topic of her dissertation
- [Capability](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/capability/) - A measure of how well the process or product measurements are able to stay within the defined limits or specifications over the long term. Capability indices include Cp, Cpk, Cpm, Pp and Ppk.
- [Sankey Diagram](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/sankey-diagram/) - A type of flow chart that visually represents how quantities move or transform from one stage to another. The defining feature of is its proportional flow lines, where the width of each arrow corresponds to the size or magnitude or precentage of the flow it represents. This makes it easy to see where resources such
- [Lean](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/lean/) - Also known as Lean Production, Lean Manufacturing, or the Toyota Production System. Lean is the word coined by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) International Motor Vehicle Program (IMVP) researcher John Krafcik in this article from 1988. It was also mentioned in the first book written about Lean from the MIT research, "The Machine That Changed the
- [AIDET](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/aidet/) - AIDET is an acronym that represents a structured framework to communicate, used most often in healthcare settings to improve patient interactions, communicate clearly, show empathy, build trust and create a positive patient experience during every encounter, whether in person, on the phone, or virtually. Acknowledge - greet warmly with a smile and recognize their presence
- [Autonomation (Jidoka)](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/autonomation/) - Also referred to as "jidoka" or "jidohka," it's described as "intelligent automation," where the worker has the authority to stop the process when an abnormality occurs. It utilizes the following four quality control principles: Detect/find the abnormality Stop the process Fix or correct the abnormality Investigate the root cause and implement a corrective action (countermeasure)
- [5S](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/5s/) - 5S represents Japanese words that describe the steps of a workplace organization process (translated to Sort, Straighten, Shine, Standardize, Sustain)
- [Jishuken](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/jishuken/) - Jishuken is a lean manufacturing strategy derived from the Toyota Production System (TPS) and translates from Japanese as "self-learning" or "autonomous study groups". This concept was developed under Taiichi Ohno and Toyota's Operations Management Consulting Division to enhance skills, raise the level of TPS in specific areas, and increase the participation of floor or division
- [Rolling Action Item List (RAIL)](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/rolling-action-item-list-rail/) - One of the simplest yet most powerful tools for maintaining project momentum, it is a dynamic document used to track tasks, owners, due dates, and status updates in continuous improvement efforts, project meetings, or team huddles. To simplify, it is a living document with a shared to-do list that holds people accountable and increases transparency.
- [Kamishibai](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/kamishibai/) - Kamishibai boards are used as a visual control for performing audits within a manufacturing process, popularized by the Toyota Production System. Cards are placed on a board and selected at random or according to schedule by supervisors and managers of the area. The card system helps ensure that audits are performed consistently. This ensures safety
- [PIME](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/pime/) - An acronym for Participation, Innovation, Methodology, Execution. It provides a formalized mechanism for employees to propose, develop, and implement improvement ideas. Participation – Engaging all stakeholders (teams, customers, leadership) in ideation, feedback loops, and decision-making. Innovation – Fostering a culture of experimentation, creativity, continuous improvement, and disruptive thinking. Methodology – Applying structured processes (e.g., Agile,
- [Kanban](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/kanban/) - A signaling system (often with colored cards) based on consumption, which is set up to replace items only when the customer takes the previous item, creating a pull instead of push system.
- [Community of Practice (COP)](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/community-of-practice-cop/) - Communities of Practice (CoPs) are informal groups of people who share a common interest or goal in a specific professional area, subject or topic. They collaborate regularly (in-person or virtually) to share knowledge and best practices, solve problems, and improve their area of expertise. Most commonly seen in business settings, these self-organizing groups serve to
- [Kazuo Inamori](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/kazuo-inamori/) - Kauzo Inamori (30 January 1932 – 24 August 2022) is one of the most successful business owners in Japanese business history. In April 1959, he established Kyoto Ceramic Co., Ltd. (now Kyocera Corporation), where he served as president and chairman until 1997 and Chairman Emeritus until 2005. He founded KDDI (telecom) in 1984. The Japanese
- [Flowchart](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/flowchart/) - A flowchart is a type of diagram that shows the sequence of steps in a process using standardized symbols, with their order defined by connecting the symbols with arrows. Common symbols include: Ovals for start/end terminations Rectangles for functions, tasks, operations, actions or processes Diamonds for decisions with multiple outcomes (yes/no or approve/reject/review) Parallelogram for
- [Seven Quality Tools](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/seven-quality-tools/) - There are seven basic quality improvement tools that are used by Quality Circle teams, and are fundamental to the Total Quality Management, Total Quality Control, Lean, and Six Sigma initiatives. Cause and effect diagram (sometimes called Ishikawa diagram, or C&E diagram, or fishbone diagram) Pareto charts Process mapping and data gathering tools: check sheets Graphical
- [Box Plot](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/box-plot/) - Box Plots, also called Boxplots or Box and Whisker Plots, are graphical diagrams to display a summary of data. They were first introduced in 1969 by John Tukey. Box plots are nonparametric, in that you don't need to make any assumptions or have any knowledge of the underlying statistical distribution of the data. The box
- [Process Behavior Chart](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/process-behavior-chart/) - A term popularized by Donald Wheeler to better describe control charts. He focuses on observing and understanding the data, and feels that the word "control" is misleading. Traditional statistical process control (SPC) charts assume a normal distribution of the data, process behavior charts have less assumptions about normality. These charts don't utilize as many rules
- [Donald Wheeler](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/donald-wheeler/) - Donald J. Wheeler is an American author, statistician and expert in quality control. He is the author of 22 textbooks and written numerous articles for Quality Digest and Quality magazine. Topics included process behavior charts, SPC, Capability Analysis, Six Sigma, variation, as well as data integrity, collection, transformation and analysis. He was a student and colleague
- [Sampling](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/sampling/) - Sampling is the process of selecting a subset of items (parts, documents, people, etc) from a larger group (called a population or lot) to inspect or test, so you can make judgments about the entire group without checking every item. It is useful for determining whether to accept an entire group (based on the results
- [DFSS](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/dfss/) - Acronym for Design for Six Sigma. It is an approach for designing a new product or service that ensures quality and efficiency are accounted for in the development process in order to minimize production and customer problems. It was built off the Six Sigma methodology, using a modified version of DMAIC (called DMADV) to engage
- [PDCA](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/pdca/) - Abbreviation for Plan Do Check Act, which is a model that provides a framework for the improvement of a process or system.
- [Mary Parker Follett](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/mary-parker-follett/) - (3 September 1868 – 18 December 1933) was an American management consultant, social worker, philosopher and pioneer in the fields of organizational theory and organizational behavior. She has been called the "Mother of Modern Management," and was considered on the two great women management experts, along with Lilian Gilbreth. She regarded people as the most valuable commodity within any
- [Shisa Kanko](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/shisa-kanko/) - The safety practice of pointing at important indicators and calling out the status. It was popularized by the Japanese railroad industry, and adopted into many Japanese manufacturing facilities. The technique helps reduce mistakes, errors and safety incidences. In a factory where this is practiced, fork truck drivers point to the direction they will be turning,
- [Kaizen](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/kaizen/) - From the Japanese words "kai-" which means "change" and "-zen" which means "good." The popular meaning from Toyota is "continuous improvement" or "small incremental improvements" of all areas of a company, not just manufacturing.
- [Bell Telephone](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/bell-telephone/) - To protect the patent rights of Alexander Graham Bell after he successfully acquired the patent to the telephone system, Bell Patent Association was established in 1874. The Bell Telephone Company was a telecommunications company organized in 1877 by Alexander Graham Bell's father-in-law. By 1881, American Bell had acquired a controlling interest in the Western Electric Company, It evolved into
- [Shingijutsu](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/shingijutsu/) - Shingijutsu Global Consulting is a consulting firm that specializes in helping companies achieve Lean production through continuous improvement (kaizen) using several proven methodologies: Just-In-Time (JIT) Heijunka Jidoka Shingijutsu was originally formed in Nagoya, Japan in 1987. The founder, Yoshiki Iwata, was an original member of the Toyota Autonomous Study Group (a project team comprised of
- [APQP](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/apqp/) - A set of procedures and techniques used to methodically ensure that a product satisfies the customer requirements.
- [ADIME](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/adime/) - ADIME is a 4-step documentation process that is frequently used in healthcare settings (most commonly with clinical dietitians) as a way of standardize charting (entering information into patient health records) that provides for consistency among the various disciplines. It helps with organizing your assessment into a concise and organized manner. It is an acronym that
- [6 M's](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/6-ms/) - Used to summarize the six categories that start with M. Memorizing these 6 words can help improve brainstorming activities, so participants do not get too focused on one source of a problem. Machines - the equipment, computers, tools, devices, databases, servers, software and hardware that are needed to do the job Methods - the processes,
- [Francis Galton](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/francis-galton/) - Sir Francis Galton (16 February 1822 – 17 January 1911) was an English Victorian era statistician that produced over 340 papers and books, and invented the quincunx pattern, which is fundamental to the Galton Board. He also created the statistical concept of correlation and widely promoted regression toward the mean. He was the first to apply statistical methods
- [SMED](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/smed/) - Abbreviation for Single Minute Exchange of Dies, which is a process to reduce the setup time from hours down to less than 10 minutes (9 minutes or less).
- [Lean Six Sigma](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/lean-six-sigma/) - A process improvement program that combines both Lean and Six Sigma. During the early 2000s with the work of Michael George, Lean Six Sigma morphed from Six Sigma and became its own unique process. Typically, it involved adding ideas and concepts from Lean into Six Sigma. Less often is Six Sigma added into existing Lean
- [Hoshin Kanri](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/hoshin-kanri/) - Hoshin Kanri is a Japanese word that means "compass management", or in the individual words "hoshin" means direction, and "kanri" means administration. It is a top-down approach developed in 1965 by Bridgestone Tire. They published a report analyzing the planning techniques used by Deming Prize winning companies. The techniques described were given the name Hoshin
- [Westgard Rules](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/westgard-rules/) - The Westgard rules are used for laboratory quality control using "runs" consisting of measurements of multiple samples (typically 2-4 samples), called multi-rule. They are based on the Western Electric Rules and Nelson Rules, but are modified for multiple samples in a laboratory setting. The rules were originally developed by James Westgard. The rules are applied
- [Gemba](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/gemba/) - Gemba (also written as genba) is a Japanese word meaning "the actual place." In lean practices, the gemba refers to "the place where value is created," such as the shop floor in manufacturing, the operating room in a hospital, the job site on a construction project, the kitchen of a restaurant, and the workstation of a
- [Taguchi Loss Function](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/taguchi-loss-function/) - Developed by Genichi Taguchi, it is a graphical representation of how an increase in variation within specification limits leads to an exponential increase in customer dissatisfaction.
- [Sigma](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/sigma/) - It is the greek letter that represents S. In mathematics, the uppercase sigma is denoted by Σ, and the lowercase sigma is denoted by σ. Σ = summation of values For example, if you have 5 data points (15, 22, 27, 28, 31), then the Σ of these values would be 15+22+27+28+31 = 123 σ
- [Standard Deviation](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/standard-deviation/) - In statistics, the standard deviation is a measure of the spread or variation in a data set. It is often referenced using "s" which represents the standard deviation of a sample. It is used to estimate the standard deviation of a population (σ or sigma). The formula for a standard deviation can be done in
- [Single-Stall Production System](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/single-stall-production-system/) - Single-Stall Production System (or individual production) is a method of work that takes conveyer-belt or assembly line processes to the next level. One highly skilled worker is trained to perform all steps of the process by themselves (often in one stall to reduce floor space), instead of handing off the work to multiple workers in
- [Motorola Shift](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/motorola-shift/) - Motorola determined that processes vary and drift over time based on a long term study of the variation in stacking of discs back in the 1980's. This variation showed the the process average can shift up to 1.5 standard deviations, and should be factored into the DPMO calculations. However, not all processes will shift this
- [Bill Latzko](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/bill-latzko/) - William J. Latzko, Ph.D. (1928 – 2018) was a chemical engineer by training, and spent most of his career in quality control as a manager, consultant, and educator. A Fellow of the American Society for Quality Control and certified quality engineer, he published multiple books and more than 20 papers on management quality. He was
- [W. Edwards Deming](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/w-edwards-deming/) - Dr. William Edwards Deming (October 14, 1900 – December 20, 1993) was an engineer, statistician, professor, author, lecturer, and management consultant He helped develop the sampling techniques still used by the U.S. Department of the Census and the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Deming championed the work of Walter Shewhart, including statistical process control, operational definitions,
- [DPMO](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/dpmo/) - Acronym for Defects per Million Opportunites. It is a popular metric used in Six Sigma to measure the performance of a process. If a process achieves Six Sigma level quality, it equates to a 3.4 DPMO. The actual DPMO for a Six Sigma process is 0.002 DPMO, but is adjusted with the Motorola Shift by
- [STEPS-F](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/steps-f/) - An acronymnn that helps teams determine if they have everything ready to go in their work processes at the beginning of the day. For each item, here are some potential questions to ask. These questions are typically done as part of daily huddle meeting. S - Staffing - Do we have the right people for
- [Nelson Rules](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/nelson-rules/) - A 1984 update by Lloyd S. Nelson to the popular Western Electric Rules, in order to make the probability of detecting an out of control condition by chance approximately equal across all tests.
- [SQDC](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/sqdc-2/) - Acronym for Safety, Quality, Delivery and Cost. Refers to a SQDC board placed in a process area, to quickly convey how the process is performing against these 4 categories.
- [Pareto chart](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/pareto-chart/) - The Pareto chart is a special type of bar chart or histogram, and is one of the seven quality tools, named after Vilfredo Pareto. It is an analytical tool that graphically demonstrates the Pareto principle or the 80–20 rule. It is used to view causes of a problem in order of severity or impact from largest
- [OODA](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/ooda/) - Acronym for Observe, Orient, Decide, and Act, also known as the OODA Loop. It was developed by military strategist and United States Air Force Colonel John Boyd for military operations, but is being applied to cyber security and competitive markets. According to Boyd, decision-making occurs in this OODA Loop. An individual or an organization that
- [Taiichi Ohno](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/taiichi-ohno/) - Taiichi Ohno (February 29, 1912 – May 28, 1990) was an industrial engineer and manager at Toyota Motor Corporation. He joined the Toyoda Spinning corporation in 1932, and moved to the motor company in 1943. He started a a shop-floor supervisor, and eventually rose up to the executive level. The 1950's also saw the beginning of
- [Total Quality Control (TQC)](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/total-quality-control-tqc/) - TQC involves all employees in an organization in the continuous improvement of processes, products and services. This is achieved through a combination of process control, statistical analysis, process mapping, root cause analysis, and employee involvement and empowerment. "Total quality control is an effective system for integrating the quality development, quality maintenance, and quality improvement efforts
- [Toyota Production System](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/toyota-production-system/) - TPS is a system developed by Toyota automotive manufacturer to efficiently organize manufacturing and logistics, including the interaction with suppliers and customers, to minimize cost and waste.
- [KISS](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/kiss/) - Abbreviation for Keep It Simple, Stupid. A nicer approach is Keep it Super Simple. The concept is to make complex topics and themes more simple and easier to understand, so you don't confuse your audience or customer. Another version of this was mentioned by Matt McWilliams, who uses the following KISS method to perform after
- [Sakichi Toyoda](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/sakichi-toyoda/) - Sakichi Toyoda (February 14, 1867 – October 30, 1930) is referred to as the "King of Japanese Inventors". He started the Toyoda family companies, starting with an engineering manufacturing company called the Toyoda Automatic Loom Works in 1926. It earned him the moniker of father of the Japanese industrial revolution. His son, Kiichiro Toyoda, would
- [ECRS](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/ecrs/) - Acronym for Eliminate, Combine, Rearrange, and Simplify. Eliminate - Identify the steps and details of work that can be quickly eliminated Combine - When work cannot be eliminated, then seek to combine steps together Rearrange - Work can also be rearranged in a different order or sequence that can be faster, easier or safer Simplify
- [Frank Gilbreth](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/frank-gilbreth/) - Frank Bunker Gilbreth (July 7, 1868 – June 14, 1924) was an American engineer, consultant, inventor, and author known as an early advocate of scientific management. Frank Gilbreth and his wife, Lillian Gilbreth, were efficiency experts who contributed to the study of industrial engineering, especially in the areas of time-and-motion studies and human factors. He discovered his interest in efficiency
- [SPACER](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/spacer/) - An acronym to remember ways to make improvements to a process. Standardize - Taking process steps and developing a routine way of doing them Parallel processing - Doing two activities in the same time slot (not multi-tasking) Automate - Taking a human task and replacing it with a machine or tool Consolidate - Combining two
- [Yokoten](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/yokoten/) - A Japanese word that roughly translates to best practice sharing across an organization. The sharing can be successes, learnings, concepts, ideas, policies and experiences that may be useful for others. Also called horizontal deployment. Many organizations communicate up and down within their "silo" (department or division), but forget to share across the organization into different
- [Hawthorne Effect](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/hawthorne-effect/) - When individuals modify an aspect of their behavior in response to their awareness of being observed, which can change the outcome or result of research or investigation, especially the cause-and-effect relationship between variables. Popular methods of Lean and Six Sigma used for observing behaviors include design of experiments (DOE) and gemba (go and see) walks.
- [Hitoshi Yamada](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/hitoshi-yamada/) - Hitoshi Yamada is one of the few people with direct authority on Taiichi Ohno. After receiving mentoring from Ohno while he was still at Toyota, and later in the 1980's after Ohno had retired from Toyota, Yamada helped transform Canon using the "one person" or “single-stall" production system as a process improvement consultant. He also
- [Assembly Line](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/assembly-line/) - A manufacturing process developed by mechanically moving the parts to the assembly work and moving the semi-finished assembly from work station to work station. This allows a finished product to be assembled faster and with less labor than by having workers carry parts to a stationary piece for assembly. The motion of workers is minimized to
- [Bill Smith](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/bill-smith/) - Bill Smith (1929 – 1993) is the "Father of Six Sigma" and "Co-founder of Six Sigma" along with Mikel Harry. In 1987, after working for nearly 35 years in engineering and quality assurance, he joined Motorola. In the late 1970's, Motorola was in the midst of a 10 times (10X) higher quality level initiative to try and
- [Michael George](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/michael-george/) - Michael George is a business consultant, who is founder and President of George Group. George Group was founded in 1986, and worked with Fortune 500 companies and government organizations, and was an industry leader in bringing a combined Lean and Six Sigma approach to organizations, called Lean Six Sigma. He holds a B.S. in Physics
- [Waste](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/waste/) - Waste is the translated Japanese word called muda. While developing the Toyota Production System, Taiichi Ohno identified a list of wastes that would impede the efficient use of resources within an organization: Waste of overproduction (largest waste) Waste of time on hand (waiting) Waste of transportation Waste of processing itself Waste of stock at hand
- [Homer Sarasohn](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/homer-sarasohn/) - From 1946 through 1950, as chief of the Industry Branch of the occupation army's Civil Communications Section (CCS), he helped Japan rebuild its capacity to manufacture radio, telephone, and telegraph equipment through his work to establish quality control standards for which Japan's electronic industry became known. In collaboration with Charles Protzman, they organized a series
- [Kaizen Teian](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/kaizen-teian/) - Teian is simply translated to “suggestion” or "proposal." When combined with kaizen, it becomes a simple system that helps organizations turn employee ideas and improvements into a culture and habit, rather than leaving them as occasional or random occurrences. Employees are incentivized to implement small, simple, incremental improvements through small rewards and internal motivation. Every
- [Eliyahu Goldratt](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/eliyahu-goldratt/) - Eliyahu Moshe Goldratt (March 31, 1947 – June 11, 2011) was an Israeli business management guru. He was the originator of the Optimized Production Technique, the Theory of Constraints (TOC), the Thinking Processes, Drum-Buffer-Rope, Critical Chain Project Management (CCPM) and other TOC derived tools. He also created The Goal Movie (1995), which shares the story
- [Kaikaku](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/kaikaku/) - Kaikaku is the Japanese term for "radical change" during a limited time, and is also called a kaizen event or kaizen blitz. Kaizen is more focused on incremental, daily changes. It is typically conducted over 5 days, and was originally called "Five Days and One Night" since most participants got very little sleep that week.
- [Little's Law](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/littles-law/) - A theorem that describes how the long-term average number of items (L) in a stationary system (work in process or WIP) is equal to the long-term average arrival or exit rate or throughput (λ) multiplied by the average time (W) that an item spends (wait time) in the system. It is used to estimate the
- [Cross-Training Matrix](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/cross-training-matrix/) - A visual template that compares the workers in each work area with the skills needed to be done. Also known as a Skills Matrix. Each worker is evaluated based on the training level and ability to perform and teach others that skill. Organizations with robust cross-training are more flexible, able to respond more quickly to
- [VUCA](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/vuca/) - Acronym for Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous. It is a way to summarize how people view the underlying conditions for which they plan, make decisions, manage and assess risks, solve problems, and implement change and improvements. From Wikipedia: V = Volatility: the nature and dynamics of change, and the nature and speed of change forces
- [8D](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/8d/) - 8D stands for the 8 disciplines of problem solving. They represent 8 steps to take to solve difficult, recurring or critical problems (often customer failures or major cost drivers). The structured approach provides transparency, drives a team approach, and increases the chance of solving the problem. D1: Create a Team: Gather a cross-functional team of about
- [A3](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/a3/) - A3 is a tool used to restrict the amount of information presented on a project or activity to one single sheet of paper. This forces the presenter to highlight only the most important and relevant information, as opposed to a lengthy discussion or presentation on everything that has occurred. A3 is the size of paper,
- [Sigma 6](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/sigma-6/) - An often mistaken name for Six Sigma, it has two meanings (neither related to process improvement). Sigma 6 was the original name for the band, Pink Floyd, as they started as a sextet (group of 6 people).SIGMA 6 is the code name for a group of highly trained covert special mission operatives from the G.I. Joe line of
- [TEAM Metrics](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/team-metrics/) - Acronymn that stands for Time, Errors, Amount and Money. When defining metrics for a process, this acronym can help you identify items to measure to determine how good your process is performing. Time - How long does the process take? How long is the total time (from the customers perspective)Examples: Cycle time, lead time, queue
- [Levey-Jennings Chart](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/levey-jennings-chart/) - The Levey–Jennings chart is a type of statistical process control (SPC) chart, typically used in laboratory quality control applications. It differs from the traditional Shewhart individuals control chart because it uses the long-term (overall or population) estimate of sigma instead of the short-term (i.e., within subgroup or sample) estimate of sigma. For proportion data, it uses 10-20-30
- [Quality Circles](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/quality-circles/) - A small group of workers who do the same or similar work, who meet regularly and voluntarily on company time to identify, analyze and solve work-related problems using quality improvement techniques, most often using the seven quality tools. The goal is to get everyone in the company to participate in improvement. The group is usually
- [5Cs](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/5cs/) - 5S is a method for organizing a work area and improving the physical safety, but it doesn't deal with psychological safety. A modified method was developed by Karyn Ross and Jessica House. C1 - Clear ExpectationsC2 - Connect RegularlyC3 - Care GenuinelyC4 - Consistent KindnessC5 - Coregulate Links Webinar: How to Create Psychological Safety at
- [Toyota Kata](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/kata/) - Kata is a Japanese word meaning "form" or routine. It is a detailed choreographed pattern of martial arts movements to be memorized through practice in order to perfect it. In process improvement terms, it is called Toyota Kata. There are two main elements: Improvement KataCoaching Kata Improvement Kata is a 4-step process to apply and
- [KataLab](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/katalab/) - KataLab is an approach developed for the nonprofit food bank Moisson Montréal by co-authors of the Toyota Kata Memory Jogger: Jean-Marc Legentil and Marc-Olivier Legentil, along with HEC Montreal professor Sylvain Landry They used the principles of the Toyota Kata approach to create a 2-day workshop format for helping the food bank increase its food
- [TWI](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/twi/) - TWI is an acronym for Training Within Industry. It was created by the United States Department of War, running from 1940 to 1945 within the War Manpower Commission. The purpose was to help war-related industries whose personnel were being drafted into the US Army at the same time the War Department was ramping up additional
- [Toyota Business Practice (TBP)](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/toyota-business-practice-tbp/) - TBP is Toyota's problem solving process, based on the original Plan Do Check Act (PDCA) model, but more detailed and prescriptive with 8 steps instead of 4. Toyota had originally developed The Toyota Way 2001, and wanted a way to put those principles into action across the organization and with their suppliers and partners. The
- [MIERUKA](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/mieruka/) - A Japanese word that translates to "visualization" or "visual control" It is also used as an acronym developed by Lean Sensei for guidelines for improving the level of visualization in your office or shop floor. Mark - mark out your standardsInform - inform your organization about operating progress and statusEducate – Educate, teach and reinforce
- [Thomas Edison](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/thomas-edison/) - Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847 – October 18, 1931) was an American inventor and successful businessman. He is responsible for many inventions including the phonograph, the motion picture camera, battery storage, and early versions of the electric light bulb. He was one of the first inventors to apply the principles of teamwork and organized
- [Henry Ford](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/henry-ford/) - Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was the founder of the Ford Motor Company, and the sponsor of the development of the moving assembly line technique of mass production, which has become the foundation to TPS and Lean. Although Ford did not invent the automobile or the assembly line, but he developed
- [SMART Goals](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/smart-goals/) - The acronym is credited to George T. Doran in a published article in AMA Forum called "There’s a SMART Way to Write Management’s Goals and Objectives" He describes the original list as follows: Specific - target a specific area for improvement.Measurable - quantify or at least suggest an indicator of progress.Assignable - specify who will
- [Poka-yoke](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/poka-yoke/) - Japanese word for mistake proofing or error proofing, which translates to avoid (yokeru) mistakes (poka).
- [Gage R&R](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/gage-rr/) - A specific type of measurement system analysis (MSA), using 2 or 3 operators (or measurement tools), 5 to 10 parts or items, and 2 to 3 repeat measurements.
- [Measurement System Analysis](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/measurement-system-analysis/) - The study of how much variation in the measurement is assigned to the measurement tools, techniques, setup, work environment, and employees.
- [Dorian Shainin](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/dorian-shainin/) - Dorian Shainin (September 26, 1914 – January 7, 2000) was an American quality consultant and college professor most notable for his contributions in the fields of industrial problem solving, product reliability, and quality engineering. He is credited with developing the concept of the "Red X" (discussed below) and "Statistical Engineering." In 1939, US industry had
- [Walter Shewhart](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/walter-shewhart/) - Walter A. Shewhart (March 18, 1891 – March 11, 1967) was known as the father of statistical quality control (SQC or SPC) and is also the founder of the "Shewhart cycle" or Plan Do Check Act (PDCA). He developed his skills while working at Bell Telephone to improve the reliability of their transmission systems, and
- [Andon](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/andon/) - A visual and/or audible communication system that notifies everyone of abnormalities in a process when support or attention is needed.
- [Frederick Taylor](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/frederick-taylor/) - Frederick Winslow Taylor (March 20, 1856 – March 21, 1915) was an American mechanical engineer who was one of the intellectual leaders of the Efficiency Movement. His ideas were highly influential in the Progressive Era (1890s–1920s). Taylor summed up his techniques in his 1911 book, The Principles of Scientific Management, which was voted the most
- [OTED](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/oted/) - Abbreviation for One-Touch Exchange of Die, where changeovers can be made in less than one minute.
- [Cardboard City](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/cardboard-city/) - The use of cardboard and duct tape to make life-sized replicas of a workspace. Most often used within a 3P process. The use of cardboard makes the space easier to imagine for the users of the space, rather than 3-D renderings or drawings. The intent is to physically experience the workspace or area, and view
- [3 M's](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/3-ms/) - Used to summarize the three types of barriers to an efficient use of resources in a process: MudaMuriMura Links Gemba Academy: Simpler Definitions of Muri, Muda and Mura
- [Norman Bodek](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/norman-bodek/) - After working for 18 years with Data Processing companies, he started Productivity Inc. Press by publishing a newsletter called PRODUCTIVITY. He has gone to Japan 81 times, visited more than 250 plants and published more than 100 Japanese management books in English. He has met W. Edwards Deming, Joseph Juran, Phil Crosby, Kaoru Ishikawa, Joji
- [Minimum Viable Product](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/minimum-viable-product/) - Often referred by the acronym MVP, it is a product or service that has just enough core features to effectively deploy it to a select set of customers and early adopters, who can give direct and valuable feedback while it's still early and inexpensive to make changes. As an example, Eric Ries noted that Zappos
- [Masaaki Imai](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/masaaki-imai/) - Masaaki Imai is a Japanese management consultant, known for his work on quality management, specifically on Kaizen. In the late 1950's, Imai worked for five years in Washington DC at the Japanese Productivity Center, where he was responsible to accompany groups of Japanese businessmen on visits to American plants. In 1986, he founded the Kaizen
- [Joseph Juran](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/joseph-juran/) - Joseph Moses Juran (December 24, 1904 – February 28, 2008) was an evangelist for quality and quality management. The first edition of his Quality Control Handbook in 1951 attracted the attention of the JUSE, which invited him to Japan in 1952, where he was integral to the Japanese transformation. In 1941, Juran stumbled across the work
- [Hajime Ohba](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/hajime-ohba/) - Hajime Ohba (also spelled Hajime Oba) was General Manager of Toyota Supplier Support Center (TSSC) in the mid-1990's. Here is a famous story about Ohba in the Wall Street Journal and his emphasis on making small, cost effective improvements, not investing in large capital expenses. Armed with a $12 dryer from a discount store, Mr.
- [Genichi Taguchi](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/genichi-taguchi/) - Genichi Taguchi (January 1, 1924 – June 2, 2012) was the originator of the famed Taguchi Methods also known as Robust Design, which have profoundly influenced product development, engineering and the global quality movement. Taguchi worked with quality pioneer W. Edwards Deming to help Japanese companies set the bar for quality and Japan’s post World
- [PISMOEA](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/pismoea/) - P.I.S.M.O.E.A. is an acronym that represents the sources of variation in a measurement system or Gage R&R study. Part - Production part, sample, measurand, Unit Under Test (UUT), artifact, check standard. Most of the variation should be coming from part-to-part or item-to-item variation, and little to no variation should be coming from the measurement system.Instrument
- [UTOP](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/utop/) - Acronym for Unifying Theory of Productivity, a trademarked program developed by Norman Bodek at Productivity Inc in May 1984, based on his research on productivity and management styles in the US, Japan and Europe. If organizations can leverage the creativity of their workers, then management can do more strategy and planning work (what they should
- [Yasuhiro Monden](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/yasuhiro-monden/) - Yasuhiro Monden is professor emeritus at the University of Tsukuba, Japan, and was a professor at Tsukuba University from 1983 to 2004. He was instrumental in introducing the JIT production system to the United States through his book, "Toyota Production System: An Integrated Approach to Just-In-Time." The book was awarded the 1984 Nikkei Prize by
- [DMAIC](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/dmaic/) - A structured project improvement methodology that helps improve your chance of successfully solving a problem. The acronym stands for Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control.
- [PFMEA](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/pfmea/) - Abbreviation for Process FMEA, which is an analytical technique used by a process team to identify potential failure modes and address ways to mitigate the risks
- [DFMEA](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/dfmea/) - Abbreviation for Design FMEA, which is an analytical technique used by a design team to identify potential failure modes and address ways to mitigate the risks
- [Value Stream Map](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/value-stream-map/) - Also known as the acronym VSM. It is a type of process map that helps organizations see the entire workflow from customer demand to fulfillment across all their organizations at a high level. Despite it's popularity, it is not used within Toyota very often. It was developed for use with suppliers and during consulting efforts
- [Therbligs](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/therbligs/) - Therbligs are 18 kinds of elemental motions that make up a set of fundamental motions required for a worker to perform a manual operation or task. They are used in the study of motion economy in the workplace. A workplace task is analyzed by recording each of the therblig units for a process, with the results used
- [C4](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/c4/) - C4 (also written as C-4) is a method of problem solving similar to the PDCA cycle, but describes the Plan step more clearly. It was developed by David Veech (with help from Mike Kirkby) to provide guidance to A3 templates and assist with developing people as problem solvers. It is used in conjunction with quality
- [CEDAC](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/cedac/) - CEDAC is an acronym for Cause and Effect Diagram with the Addition of Cards, developed by Dr. Ryuji Fukuda. The process allows team members to build on another person’s ideas from a brainstorming session, while using the format of the traditional fishbone diagram used in quality circles and Six Sigma projects. A problem statement is
- [PICK Chart](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/pick-chart/) - An acronym for Possible, Implement, Challenge and Kill, to categorize ideas and solutions into four distinct categories, based on a rough estimate of return on investment (ROI). It's also called an Ease Impact Matrix or Impact Effort Matrix (or some variation of that). Possible - Low Payoff, easy to do - Useful for getting some
- [Shigeo Shingo](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/shigeo-shingo/) - Shigeo Shingō (1909-1990) was a Japanese industrial engineer who was heavily involved in the development and promotion of the Toyota Production System (TPS) to the rest of the world, specifically tools such as SMED, Poka-Yoke and Zero Quality Control (ZQC). Shingo earned his degree as an industrial engineer from Yamanashi Technical College in 1930, then
- [Takehiko Harada](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/takehiko-harada/) - Takehiko Harada joined Toyota Motor Corporation in 1968 as head of the machine department, and head of engineering works, as well as the project general manger of the Operations Management Consulting Division (Toyota’s Toyota Production System deployment group). In 1999, he was the CEO for Kuozui Motors (Taiwan’s Toyota Motors), and in 2000 he became
- [DMADV](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/dmadv/) - Similar to the DMAIC model in Six Sigma, DMADV stands for: Define - identify the purpose of the project, process or service, and what customer needs and requirements it will addressMeasure - collect customer requirements (VOC), convert needs into technical requirements, gather current performance of existing products and services (including competitors), and prioritize the requirements
- [KJ Method](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/kj-method/) - A method of developing insights into themes and relationships among issues, to take high level but vague concepts into more detailed and concrete statements. The method was developed by Jiro Kawakita in the 1960's, but it more commonly referred to as an affinity diagram. Links Jiro Kawakita - WikipediaAffinity Diagram - Wikipedia
- [Affinity Diagram](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/affinity-diagram/) - A method of combining various topics, ideas and issues brainstormed by a team into higher level themes or categories. This helps to simplify and organize the results. The technique also goes by the name KJ Method, named after the creator. The process involves a series of steps: Identify the issue/problem.Gather a team of cross-functional individuals,
- [TIMMESS](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/timmess/) - Pronounced like "Times," it is an acronym for 7 categories where resources are essential to adding value and keeping the work flowing without interruption. When they are not present, they become constraints (bottlenecks) which can interrupt work, increase costs and delays, and cause delays to your customer. ToolsInformationMaterialManpowerEquipmentSafetySpace Similar to a fishbone diagram, this acronym
- [Isao Yoshino](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/isao-yoshino/) - Isao Yoshino spent 40 years at Toyota working in a number of managerial roles in a variety of departments. Most notably, he was one of the main driving forces behind Toyota's little-known Kanri Nouryoku (Kan-Pro) program, a manager development initiative (especially for those outside of production) that popularized the use of A3 as the standard
- [Statistical Process Control](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/statistical-process-control/) - Also known as Statistical Quality Control (SQC) or control charts. This approach uses statistical methods to monitor and control a process. It helps you identify the stability of a process, baseline historical performance and variation, and identify new trends, shifts and outliers in the process. The key to SPC charts or control charts is the identification of variation
- [Control chart](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/control-chart/) - Control chart is a type of time-based trend analysis tool used within Statistical Process Control. It is also called a Process Behavior chart, renamed by Donald Wheeler in Understanding Variation, as he felt that "it is appropriate to use words that are more descriptive of what is intended." There are a few popular control charts:
- [System of Profound Knowledge](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/system-of-profound-knowledge/) - The Deming System of Profound Knowledge® (SoPK) is the culmination of the lifelong work of W. Edwards Deming to define a theory of management which incorporates his 14 Points for Management. He focuses first on the individual transformation, which leads to changes in their life, work and societal benefits. Videos Books The New Economics Links
- [Kaoru Ishikawa](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/kaoru-ishikawa/) - Kaoru Ishikawa (July 13, 1915 – April 16, 1989) was a Professor at the Faculty of Engineering at The University of Tokyo, most noted for his quality management innovations and initiatives, particularly the Quality Circle and Ishikawa diagrams (cause and effect diagrams). In 1949, Ishikawa joined the JUSE quality control research group. After World War
- [Hansei](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/hansei/) - Japanese word that translates to "self-reflection." To recognize and reflect on mistakes, and to commit to take appropriate action to avoid re-occurrence. Toyota uses a hansei-kai, or reflection meeting to review a project or activity, regardless if it was a success or failure. It helps to identify failures experienced along the way, and create clear
- [Jose Ferro](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/jose-ferro/) - José R. Ferro is a senior advisor to the Lean Enterprise Institute and president of Lean Institute Brasil, a nonprofit organization founded in 1999 to disseminate the principles and practices of Lean Thinking in Brazilian companies. Ferro authored chapters for the Brazilian edition of the following books, all published by Editora Campus, Rio de Janeiro:
- [Robotic Process Automation](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/robotic-process-automation/) - RPA is an emerging form of business process automation technology based on software robots (bots) or artificial intelligence (AI) workers. As an example, it allows data to be handled in and between multiple applications, for instance, receiving email containing an invoice, extracting the data, and then typing that into a bookkeeping system. Tasks that do
- [Total Productive Maintenance](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/total-productive-maintenance/) - The process of integrating equipment maintenance into the manufacturing process, in order to stabilize equipment, thereby increasing availability, performance and quality of the equipment.
- [Toyota Production System Support Center (TSSC)](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/toyota-production-system-support-center-tssc/) - TSSC is a not-for-profit corporation affiliated with Toyota Motor North America (TMNA), located in Plano, Texas. It was established by Toyota Motor Corporation in 1992 as the Toyota Supplier Support Center to share Toyota Production System (TPS) knowledge with North American manufacturing companies and other organizations that have a true desire to learn and adopt
- [International Motor Vehicle Program](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/international-motor-vehicle-program/) - IMVP was a program created in 1979 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). IMVP is best known for developing the name “lean production” to characterize the new paradigm that challenged mass production starting in the 1970s and 1980s. The research conducted by researchers at IMVP was documented in the landmark book The Machine that Changed the
- [Japanese Union of Scientists and Engineers](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/japanese-union-of-scientists-and-engineers/) - Also known as the Union of Japanese Scientists and Engineers in Japan. After the end of the World War II, the Government of Japan promoted the creation of industrial organizations, which led to the creation of JUSE in 1946, founded by Kenichi Koyanagi and Ichiro Ishikawa. JUSE brought leaders and experts from all of Japan’s major industries
- [Lean Competency System (LCS)](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/lean-competency-system-lcs/) - The Lean Competency System (LCS) is a university developed and industry recognized lean qualifications framework for developing lean thinking knowledge and practical skills in the workplace. It was originally developed by the Lean Enterprise Research Centre (LERC) at Cardiff University in 2005. The goal was to promote and develop lean understanding and application in organisations.
- [Daniel T. Jones](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/daniel-t-jones/) - Daniel T. Jones is an author and researcher, and Founder and Chairman of the Lean Enterprise Academy in the U.K. He is also a senior advisor to the Lean Enterprise Institute. Jones was the European Director of Massachusetts Institute of Technology's (MIT) Future of the Automobile and International Motor Vehicle Programs (IMVP). He worked along
- [James P. Womack](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/james-p-womack/) - James P. Womack was the research director of the International Motor Vehicle Program (IMVP) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He is the founder and chairman of the Lean Enterprise Institute (LEI). Womack first became widely known as an author in 1990 with publication of the book The Machine That Changed
- [Isao Kato](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/isao-kato/) - Isao "Ike" Kato spent 35 years with Toyota Motor Corporation working in manufacturing, human resources, training and development, and supplier development before retiring in the early 1990’s. During part of his career he was responsible for coordinating and guiding external consultant Shigeo Shingo around Toyota facilities. During this period, he worked under the direction of
- [Karakuri](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/karakuri/) - A Japanese word that uses mechanic devices to assist with tasks with limited or no electric, pneumatic, or hydraulic power sources. It is also not controlled by a computer but rather by the design of the mechanics, using gravity, springs, kinematics, counterweights, human muscle, weights, pendulum, seesaws, and gears to manipulate objects. Within lean, it
- [Econohito](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/econohito/) - Eco-friendly people who work at Toyota, striving daily to achieve the goals of their Toyota Environmental Challenge 2050, with focus on producing a fuel-efficient vehicle that minimizes environmental damage. They created a video series on their website. Here is the first video...
- [Eli Whitney](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/eli-whitney/) - Eli Whitney (December 8, 1765 – January 8, 1825) was an American inventor. He is most famous for innovations which came to have significant impacts on the United States in the mid-19th century: cotton gin (1793)advocacy of interchangeable partsmilling machine (1818) Cotton Gin The cotton gin is a mechanical device that removes the seeds from cotton, a
- [Obeya](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/obeya/) - It is a room that is dedicated to a large project or program to assist in communications and improve decision-making. Often called an "Obeya Room" or "War Room." It is considered an integral part of the design and development process of the Toyota Production System (originally in the development of the Prius). This is intended
- [AIAG](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/aiag/) - Acronym for Automotive Industry Action Group. It is a not-for profit association founded in 1982, and based in Southfield, Michigan. It was developed to provide recommendations and a framework for the improvement of quality in the North American automotive industry. The association's areas of interest includes product quality standards, bar code and RFID standards, materials
- [Ken Miller](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/ken-miller/) - Ken Miller is the founder of the Change & Innovation Agency (C!A), a firm dedicated to increasing government’s capacity to do more good. He was the Deputy Director of the Missouri Department of Revenue, where he was part of a transformation effort that reduced the time to issue tax refunds by 80% (fastest in the
- [Lean Startup](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/lean-startup/) - Eric Ries explains the methodology in his book, The Lean Startup. He argues that in order to build a great company, one must begin with the customers in the form of interviews and research discovery. After building a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) and then testing and iterating quickly, the product or service results in less
- [Eric Ries](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/eric-ries/) - Eric Ries (born September 22, 1978) is an entrepreneur and author of The Lean Startup, a book on the lean startup movement. In 2004, Ries was co-founder of IMVU Inc. Investor Steve Blank insisted that IMVU executives audit Blank's class on entrepreneurship at University of California-Berkeley. Ries picked up Blank's method of fast customer feedback, called
- [Fujio Cho](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/fujio-cho/) - Fujio Chō (born February 2, 1937) is the honorary chairman of Toyota Motor Corporation. He was previously the President of Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky (TMMK). He is only the second "outsider" to lead Toyota since the founding Toyoda family members stepped aside in 1995. He is famously quoted for simplifying the principles of the Toyota
- [Michael Balle](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/michael-balle/) - Michael Ballé, PhD, is a lean management practitioner, business writer, and author. His most recent book, co-authored with father Freddy Ballé, is Lead With Respect: A Novel of Lean Practice, published by the Lean Enterprise Institute. They're co-authors of two earlier Shingo Research Award-winning business novels about lean management. The Gold Mine tells how lean
- [Jeffrey Liker](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/jeffrey-liker/) - Dr. Jeffrey K. Liker is Professor of Industrial and Operations Engineering, and co-founder and director of the Japan Technology Management Program at the University of Michigan. He runs his own consulting firm, Liker Lean Advisors, LLC. He is a partner in The Toyota Way Academy, and partner in Lean Leadership Institute. He is author of
- [Lean Institute Brasil](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/lean-institute-brasil/) - Lean Institute Brasil is part of the Lean Global Network. It was founded by José Ferro in November 1998. Influenced José FerroDaniel T. JonesJames P. Womack Links Lean Institute Brasil
- [Lean Enterprise Academy](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/lean-enterprise-academy/) - The United Kingdom institute of the Lean Global Network. Influenced Daniel T. JonesJames P. WomackJose Farro Links Lean Enterprise Academy Videos
- [Lean Global Network](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/lean-global-network/) - Lean Global Network (LGN) is an international community and network of lean thought leaders and practitioners with the goal of making things better by advancing lean thinking and practice throughout the world. LGN supports the members in three fundamental ways: Share knowledge on lean thinking and practice to develop skills within the communityCollaborate on joint company projects
- [Institut Lean France](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/institut-lean-france/) - Institut Lean France (France Lean Institute) is an association of french Lean experts, contributing to the promotion of Lean in France through conferences, masterclasses, trainings and books (publication and sales). The Lean France Institute is the French representative of the Lean Global Network. Major events organized include the Lean Summit every two years, and the
- [Lean Enterprise Research Centre (LERC)](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/lean-enterprise-research-centre-lerc/) - LERC was formed in 1994, bringing together the benchmarking and lean production work of Daniel T. Jones (together with James P. Womack of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), along with the work on supplier development and materials management of Peter Hines. It was supported by the Director of the Business School at Cardiff University, Professor
- [Product Quantity Process Routing](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/product-quantity-process-routing/) - Also known as Product Family Grouping Matrix or Product Quantity Matrix. A matrix used to determine how to group similar products or services together, based on the similarity of steps, processes and equipment. Once the families are determined (where 80-90% of the steps are similar), then the process can be mapped, and flow can be
- [PQPR](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/pqpr/) - An acronym for Product Quantity Process Routing matrices, used to develop product or service families.
- [VSM](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/vsm/) - An acronym used for a Value Stream Map.
- [MIFD](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/mifd/) - Stands for Material and Information Flow Diagram. It is the original name used in Toyota for mapping the product family flow. It is now commonly called a Value Stream Map.
- [Ohno Circle](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/ohno-circle/) - Taiichi Ohno was the developer of the Toyota Production System (TPS). One of the techniques that he is credited with is teaching people how to see waste in the process. He would apparently draw a chalk circle on the floor, and ask the individual to stand in the circle for hours at a time without
- [MSA](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/msa/) - Acronymn for Measurement System(s) Analysis.
- [Time-motion study](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/time-motion-study/) - Time and motion is a business efficiency technique combining the time study work of Frederick Taylor, with the motion study work of Frank and Lillian Gilbreth. The systems of time and motion studies are frequently assumed to be interchangeable terms, descriptive of equivalent theories. However, the underlying principles and the rationale for the establishment of each respective
- [QRM](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/qrm/) - An acronym for Quick Response Manufacturing
- [TBC](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/tbc/) - TBC is an acronym for Time-based competition. It is related to QRM and Lean, which focuses on the speed of product development and lead time for the customer.
- [3P](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/3p/) - 3P is an acronym for Production Preparation Process, which is a method that focuses on eliminating waste through product and process design. It was introduced to the US in the mid-1980’s by Chihiro Nakao, founder of the consulting firm Shingijutsu, and a contemporary of Taiichi Ohno. Originally, it was called “New Production Preparation” (NPP) but
- [Kosuke Ikebuchi](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/kosuke-ikebuchi/) - Kosuke Ikebuchi (born March 4, 1937) serves as Senior Advisor to the Board and Senior Technical Executive of Toyota Motor Corporation. He joined Toyota in 1960, and served as an Executive Vice President of Toyota from 1999 to 2001. He served as Vice Chairman of the Board of Toyota Motor Corporation from 2001 to June
- [John Tukey](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/john-tukey/) - John W. Tukey (June 16, 1915 – July 26, 2000) was an American mathematician best known for development of the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) algorithm, box plot, the Tukey range test, and the Tukey lambda distribution. He is also credited with coining the term 'bit' when he worked on developing statistical methods for computers at
- [MoSCoW](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/moscow/) - An acronym for "Must have, Should have, Could have and Would have" to help with prioritization
- [VIF](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/vif/) - stands for Variance Inflation Factor. During regression analysis, VIF assesses whether factors are correlated to each other, which could affect p-value and model accuracy.
- [Trystorming](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/trystorming/) - A combination of brainstorming melded with rapid prototyping to determine if ideas will work quickly or not.
- [FIFO](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/fifo/) - Abbreviation for First in, first out. Defined as a queue in which the first item coming into the queue is handled first, the next one coming in is handled second, and the last one to arrive in the queue is handled last.
- [Concurrent Engineering](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/concurrent-engineering/) - A method of simultaneously designing products, and the processes for manufacturing those products, through the use of cross functional teams
- [WIP](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/wip/) - Abbreviation for Work In Progress/Process. The amount of work that has started on an item, but has not been delivered to a customer or received payment.
- [TPS](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/tps/) - Abbreviation for Toyota Production System
- [Error proofing](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/error-proofing/) - Any mechanism or device in a process that helps eliminate defects by preventing, correcting, or drawing attention to human error as they occur.
- [Repeatability](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/repeatability/) - The amount of variation in a measurement system assigned to inconsistencies in how the employee measures the same part or item in the same location. See Gage R&R.
- [Reproducibility](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/reproducibility/) - The amount of variation in a measurement system assigned to differences in employees, measurement tools and equipment, techniques, setup or other physical factors.
- [Cp](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/cp/) - A measure of process capability, calculated as a ratio of tolerance or specification limits (upper limit - lower limit) divided by the process variation (6 standard deviations).
- [Risk Priority Number (RPN)](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/risk-priority-number-rpn/) - The RPN is calculated by multiplying the three scoring columns in a FMEA risk analysis: Severity, Occurrence and Detection.
- [QDIP](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/qdip/) - Stands for Quality, Delivery, Inventory, and Productivity.
- [TPM](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/tpm/) - Abbreviation for Total Productive Maintenance
- [OEE](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/oee/) - Abbreviation for Overall Equipment Effectiveness
- [Variation](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/variation/) - The differences observed or measured between individual items or parts.
- [CAPA](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/capa/) - Abbreviation for Corrective Action and Preventative Action.
- [Key Characteristic](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/key-characteristic/) - A product characteristic for which reasonably anticipated variation is likely to significantly affect customer satisfaction
- [Cellular manufacturing](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/cellular-manufacturing/) - Process layout where machines are grouped together according to the families of parts produced (not grouping machines together), which provides a distinct advantage in that material flow is significantly improved
- [Countermeasure](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/countermeasure/) - When a problem cannot be resolved immediately, a temporary ("band-aid") action is taken to prevent the problem from continuing to occur in the process.
- [PPAP](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/ppap/) - Abbreviation for Production Part Approval Process. Developed by the Automotive industry, resources on how to conduct APQP and PPAP are published in manuals developed by the Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG). PPAP is a detailed and lengthy package that includes documentation of various multiple cross-functional tools from APQP activity, and documents the ability of your supplier
- [Pacemaker](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/pacemaker/) - The steps of a process that respond directly to orders from external customers
- [Kappa](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/kappa/) - Kappa is a way to assess a system based on the degree of agreement in a measurement system, to see if it is more effective than guessing at the right answer (usually pass/fail decisions).
- [Ronald Fisher](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/ronald-fisher/) - Sir Ronald Aylmer Fisher (17 February 1890 – 29 July 1962) was a British statistician and geneticist, who is considered "the single most important figure in 20th century statistics." He is responsible for, popularized, or is credited with the following statistical techniques: Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) - technique developed from decades of crop experiment to quantify
- [Takt Time](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/takt-time/) - A calculation performed in lean improvements to determine the even pace at which the process must achieve deliverable results in order to keep up with customer demand. The formula is the amount of available time in the work day divided by the customer demand. Remember that in takt time, the available time always goes on
- [TNGA](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/tnga/) - TNGA is an acronym that stands for Toyota New Global Architecture. There are 5 domains to their program Driving Quality - Satisfying to drive by everyone You can feel that first moment of acceleration in your body. In addition to the exceptionally smooth ride, the car responds exactly as you imagined. Driving is most fulfilling when the
- [Mikel Harry](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/mikel-harry/) - Dr. Mikel J. Harry (December 28, 1951 - April 25, 2017) was one of the original architects and pioneers of Six Sigma at Motorola. He was responsible for the research and development of advanced Six Sigma engineering models and methods. He was sometimes referred to as the “father of Six Sigma” although Harry referred to
- [Muri](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/muri/) - The Japanese word that is translated into English as overburden, unreasonable, or strenuous activity. Examples include tired or stressed workers, or equipment or computer systems running non-stop for days or weeks with proper maintenance. This can lead to bigger problems within the organization, such as absenteeism, illness, low morale or productivity, equipment breakdown or damage,
- [Muda](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/muda/) - The Japanese word that translates in English to "waste." It is one of three barriers to an efficient use of resources within TPS (muda, mura and muri).
- [Mura](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/mura/) - The Japanese word that is translated into English as unevenness, variation, non-uniformity or irregularity. It can occur when there is an uneven number of customer orders by seasons, the day of the week, or the week within the month. It also occurs when workers are unable to help out or support others when demand shifts,
- [Paynter Chart](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/paynter-chart/) - A graphical tool developed by the Ford Motor Company that combines a run chart with a Pareto chart, showing how the issues have been reduced and improved over time.
- [X-bar](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/x-bar/) - X-bar is the written out version of the sample average calculation, which is denoted as the symbol below: The calculation takes the sum of the numbers in the sample, and divides by the sample size. This is typically used when it's not easy to type out the x with a bar over the top of
- [Vilfredo Pareto](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/vilfredo-pareto/) - Vilfredo Federico Damaso Pareto (born Wilfried Fritz Pareto, 15 July 1848 – 19 August 1923) was an Italian engineer, sociologist, economist, political scientist, and philosopher. He made several important contributions to economics, particularly in the study of income distribution and in the analysis of individuals' choices, which resulted in the Pareto principle and Pareto chart. The
- [POLCA](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/polca/) - An acronym that stands for Paired-cell Overlapping Loops of Cards with Authorization. It is similar to a kanban system, except it works well for high-mix, low-volume and customized products and services. Since demand is moving more and more in this direction, it is important to have a system that can deal with this changing demand. POLCA
- [Quick Response Manufacturing](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/quick-response-manufacturing/) - QRM was developed by Rajan Suri, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. QRM is rooted in the concept of Time-based competition (TBC) pioneered by Japanese enterprises in the 1980's. It was first formulated by George Stalk Jr. in his 1988 article entitled "Time – The Next Source of Competitive Advantage." There are 4 core concepts
- [Time-based competition](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/time-based-competition/) - TBC is a concept developed by George Stalk and Tom Haut, and documented in their book, "Competing Against Time." They observed that Japanese companies did not compete on volume, but instead reduced their product development times, and factory lead times in order to increase speed. This allowed for "flexible manufacturing" that produced more variety of
- [Rajan Suri](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/rajan-suri/) - Rajan Suri is Emeritus Professor of Industrial Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He received his Bachelors degree from Cambridge University (England) and his M.S. and Ph.D. from Harvard University. Rajan founded the Center for Quick Response Manufacturing (with concepts such as POLCA) and served as its director from 1993 to 2007. Rajan combines his
- [ANOVA](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/anova/) - An acronym for Analysis of Variance (ANalysis Of VAriance) developed by statistician and evolutionary biologist Ronald Fisher. ANOVA is a statistical analysis of the variation between group means of factors or variables in a data set. ANOVA provides a statistical significance test of whether the estimated population means of 2 or more groups within each factor are equal. To perform an
- [John Toussaint](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/john-toussaint/) - John Touissant is one of the foremost figures in the adoption of lean principles in healthcare, specifically at ThedaCare in Wisconsin, which is a mid-sized, not for profit healthcare provider with hospitals, clinics and nursing homes. ThedaCare has 20,000 hospital admissions each year. Toussaint describes its lean journey (2002-2009) in the book On The Mend – Revolutionizing
- [George Koenigsaecker](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/george-koenigsaecker/) - George Koenigsaecker is a Board Member of the Shingo Prize, the international award for “lean enterprises,” The Association of Manufacturing Excellence, Ariens Outdoor Power Equipment, Baird Capital Partners, Watlow Electric Corporation and Xaloy Incorporated. He also serves at the executive vice president and a board member at Simpler Consulting. From 1992 until 1999, Koenigsaecker led
- [CANDO](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/cando/) - CANDO is an acronym developed by Henry Ford to make the work area more organized and efficient. C = Cleaning up A = Arranging N = Neatness D = Discipline O = Ongoing improvement CANDO closely resembles the 5S methodology often credited to Toyota and Taiichi Ohno. Ford discusses the concepts of CANDO in his
- [Gaussian Distribution](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/gaussian-distribution/) - The normal distribution is a very common continuous probability distribution seen in statistics and Six Sigma methodology. It is sometimes informally called the bell curve, and the data set is described as being normally distributed. The normal distribution is symmetric about its mean, the area under the curve and over the x-axis is unity (i.e. equal to one),
- [Karl Pearson](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/karl-pearson/) - Karl Pearson (27 March 1857 – 27 April 1936) was an English mathematician and biostatistician. He founded the world's first university statistics department at University College London in 1911. He was awarded the Darwin Medal in 1898 for his work on the "quantitative treatment of biological problems." Pearson's thinking underpins many of the 'classical' statistical methods which
- [Nampachi Hayashi](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/nampachi-hayashi/) - Nampachi Hayashi joined Toyota Motor Company in 1966 and is one of the last direct protégés of Taiichi Ohno. He served as a senior technical executive of Toyota, and from 2009, has sat on the company’s board of directors. He is a member of the “Productivity Improvement Citizens Advancement Council” advanced by Japan’s Prime Minister
- [Kikuo Suzumura](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/kikuo-suzumura/) - Kikuo Suzumura (1927-1999) was the Toyota manager recognized as the most influential in translating Taiichi Ohno’s ideas into actionable items. "Don't look with your eyes, look with your feet. Don't think with your head, think with your hands." Influences Taiichi Ohno Influenced Nampachi Hayashi
- [Jack Welch](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/jack-welch/) - John Francis "Jack" Welch Jr. (born November 19, 1935) is an American business executive, author, and the most famous Six Sigma champion while he was chairman and CEO of General Electric between 1981 and 2001. Welch adopted Motorola's Six Sigma quality program in late 1995. In 1980, the year before Welch became CEO, GE recorded
- [Jidoka](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/jidoka/) - Jidoka sometimes is called "autonomation," "intelligent automation," "automation with a human touch" or "automation with human intelligence." It provides machines and operators the ability to detect when an abnormal condition has occurred and immediately stop work when a problem first occurs. This enables operations to build in quality at each process by eliminating the root causes of
- [Eiji Toyoda](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/eiji-toyoda/) - Eiji Toyoda (12 September 1913 – 17 September 2013) was largely responsible for bringing Toyota Motor Corporation to profitability and worldwide prominence during his tenure as president and chairman. Born into a family of textile manufacturers, he is the son of Heikichi Toyoda, the brother of Toyoda Loom Works founder Sakichi Toyoda, the founder of Toyota Industries Corporation.
- [ACE](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/ace/) - Acronym for Achieving Competitive Excellence, the continuous improvement program developed at United Technologies Corporation (UTC) in 1998. It is an integrated improvement program that uses the best practices of lean and Six Sigma, such as SPC, TPS, value stream map, waste, and kaizen. Yuzuru Ito is described as the founder of ACE, when he took
- [p-value](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/p-value/) - The p-value is a shortened way of writing the probability value. This is the calculated value that results from hypothesis tests, in order to decide if one or more groups differ statistically from each other. You can compare means (averages), variation (standard deviations), proportion defective, and even medians to each other using hypothesis tests. Hypothesis
- [Chihiro Nakao](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/chihiro-nakao/) - Chihiro Nakao spent the first 27 years of his career working for Toyota, where he was mentored and trained by Taiichi Ohno, originator of the Toyota Production System (TPS). He was a part of the original autonomous study groups initiated by Ohno, who ultimately came up the basic philosophy and approach of TPS. He founded
- [John Shook](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/john-shook/) - John Shook was the first American employee at Toyota's world headquarters starting in 1983 and that company's first American "kacho" (manager) in Japan. In his 11 year Toyota career, John also served as deputy general manager of the Toyota Production System Support Center (TSSC), which assists automotive suppliers to implement lean manufacturing. He consults widely
- [5 Lean Principles](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/5-lean-principles/) - There are 5 key process steps to implement lean into an organization. VALUE: Specify value from the standpoint of the end customer by product family. VALUE STREAM: Identify all the steps in the value stream for each product family, eliminating whenever possible those steps that do not create value. FLOW: Make the value-creating steps occur
- [SIPOC](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/sipoc/) - A tool for defining the stakeholders for an event, meeting or improvement initiative. The acronym stands for Suppliers, Inputs, Process, Outputs and Customers.
- [SIMO Chart](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/simo-chart/) - SIMO is an acronym for Simultaneous-Motion Cycle. The chart is used in conjunction with Therbligs to study the detailed activity of a worker, to capture how long the operation takes, and what activities are being performed by each hand. It is one of the tools used by Frank and Lillian Gilbreth. The table separates and

## Products

- [Introduction to Lean Six Sigma](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/product/lean-introduction/) - This overview of Lean presents the methodology in a way that is both simple and intuitive for those new to the concepts. This course will provide an overview of Lean and the 5 Lean Principles, 8 types of waste, and some case studies. In addition, it will also provide an overview of Six Sigma, DMAIC and basic principles to help you understand both improvement methodologies. Individuals and business managers often take this course as a first step to embarking on a Lean or Six Sigma implementation.
- [Lean Fundamentals](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/product/lean-fundamentals/) - This course is designed for those who want a thorough understanding of the five principles of lean: value, value stream map, flow, pull, and perfection. In addition to the content in the Lean Introduction course, you will learn about Root Cause Analysis, Takt Time, Kanban, Mistake Proofing, Kaizen and Continuous Flow methods. This course is ideal for engineers, supervisors, managers and improvement practitioners who are making improvements to a process and need a detailed-level understanding of the lean methodology and tools.
- [OpEx Six Sigma White Belt](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/product/opex-six-sigma-white-belt/) - Enter coupon "KICKSTART-LSSE" to access this course for FREE! This online, on-demand Six Sigma White Belt online computer-based training program covers an overview of Six Sigma, one of most successful process improvement programs in modern business. You will learn about the concepts and theory about Six Sigma, Lean, combining Lean and Six Sigma, along with defining a project using the Project Charter template. You will also get a Six Sigma project example from a blood donation process in a healthcare setting. This is a key step in the Define phase of the DMAIC roadmap. In addition, you will view Six Sigma project examples to understand how Six Sigma can solve problems in your organization.
- [Lean Six Sigma Black Belt](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/product/lean-six-sigma-black-belt/) - The Lean Six Sigma Black Belt online computer-based training program covers both the Green Belt and Black Belt course material, and introducing new tools and statistical analysis to address more difficult or challenging problems. Black Belt is one of the most sought-after certifications in process improvement. Project Certification includes Access to either SigmaXL software (single user perpetual license) or Minitab student access (limited to 6 months).
- [Lean Six Sigma Green Belt](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/product/lean-six-sigma-green-belt/) - Objectives: The Lean Six Sigma Green Belt training program covers the White Belt and Yellow Belt training. Get a solid understanding of the tools used in all phases of the DMAIC roadmap. Master the skills necessary to lead a complex process improvement project. Gain experience using Minitab Statistical Software while learning the important statistical techniques. Develop a comprehensive set of leadership skills necessary to get projects across the goal line. Completion Time: 180 days Included: White Belt & Yellow Belt modules, Evaluation Quizzes/Tests, Project Templates 3 CEUs; 30 PDUs Certification: Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Certificate
- [Lean Certification Review](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/product/lean-certification-review/) - If you want to obtain a certification, you must first complete one of our Lean Fundamentals course, then select this product as an optional addition to your training. It can also be added later, but we require you take our course in order to receive the discounted certification review cost of $200. You will be
- [OpEx Six Sigma Yellow Belt](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/product/opex-six-sigma-yellow-belt/) - The OpEx Six Sigma Yellow Belt is the second step towards achieving Operational Excellence. It provides a basic yet thorough overview of the Six Sigma and Lean methodologies, their tools, a fundamental idea of what it takes to successfully deploy the seemingly complex methodology of Lean Six Sigma in any organization. Yellow Belt program covers the White Belt material, plus the team tools used in the Define and Measure phases of the DMAIC roadmap, as well as graphical tools needed in analyzing processes.
- [Green Belt Project Certification Review](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/product/green-belt-project-certification-review/) - If you want to obtain a certification, you must first complete one of our Green Belt courses, then select this product as an optional addition to your training. It can also be added later, but we require you take our course in order to receive the discounted certification review cost of $200. You will be
- [Black Belt Project Certification Review](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/product/black-belt-project-certification-review/) - If you want to obtain a certification, you must first complete one of our Black Belt courses, then select this product as an optional addition to your training. It can also be added later, but we require you take our course in order to receive the discounted certification review cost of $350. You will be

## FAQ

- [Why aren't specification (spec) limits displayed on control charts?](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/faq/why-arent-specification-spec-limits-displayed-on-control-charts/) - Control charts are intended to monitor the random variation in a process, which should not be affected by the specification limits (tolerance). Displaying spec limits can drive tampering and adjustments to a process in order to achieve the limits, which causes the process to go "out of control." If the process is not capable of

## Categories

- [Lean](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/category/lean/)
- [Six Sigma](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/category/six-sigma/)
- [Nonprofit](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/category/nonprofit/)
- [Software](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/category/software/)
- [Job Shop](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/category/job-shop/)
- [Manufacturing](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/category/manufacturing/)
- [Health Care](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/category/health-care/)
- [Management](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/category/management/)
- [Sales and Marketing](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/category/sales-and-marketing/)
- [Small Business](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/category/small-business/)
- [Development](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/category/development/)
- [Finance](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/category/finance/)
- [Human Resources](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/category/human-resources/)
- [Engineering](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/category/engineering/)
- [Banking](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/category/banking/)
- [Lean Six Sigma Books](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/category/books/)

## Tags

- [Environment](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/environment/)
- [Lean Six Sigma](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/lean-six-sigma/)
- [Nonprofit](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/nonprofit/)
- [Social Good](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/social-good/)
- [Lean Six Sigma for Good](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/lean-six-sigma-for-good/)
- [Social Responsibility](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/social-responsibility/)
- [Sustainability](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/sustainability/)
- [Volunteering](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/volunteering/)
- [Brion Hurley](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/brion-hurley/)
- [Capacity](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/capacity/)
- [A3](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/a3/)
- [Gemba](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/gemba/)
- [PDCA](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/pdca/)
- [Kaizen](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/kaizen/)
- [Root cause](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/root-cause/)
- [Single Piece Flow](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/single-piece-flow/)
- [SMED](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/smed/)
- [Swimlane Diagram](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/swimlane-diagram/)
- [VSM](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/vsm/)
- [5S](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/5s/)
- [Poka-yoke/Error Proofing](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/poka-yoke-error-proofing/)
- [Kanban](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/kanban/)
- [Respect for people](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/respect-for-people/)
- [Visual Controls](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/visual-controls/)
- [Waste](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/waste/)
- [Heijunka](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/heijunka/)
- [Change Management](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/change-management/)
- [Standard Work](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/standard-work/)
- [Innovation](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/innovation/)
- [Six Sigma](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/six-sigma/)
- [VOC](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/voc/)
- [PFMEA](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/pfmea/)
- [Hypothesis Testing](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/hypothesis-testing/)
- [DOE](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/doe/)
- [Sigma levels](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/sigma-levels/)
- [Probability](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/probability/)
- [QFD](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/qfd/)
- [Statistical Process Control (SPC) / Control Charts](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/statistical-process-control-spc-control-charts/)
- [Belt levels](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/belt-levels/)
- [Deming](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/deming/)
- [Control Plan](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/control-plan/)
- [COPQ (cost of poor quality)](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/copq-cost-of-poor-quality/)
- [CTQ](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/ctq/)
- [DFSS](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/dfss/)
- [DMAIC](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/dmaic/)
- [General Electric (GE)](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/general-electric-ge/)
- [Pareto](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/pareto/)
- [RACI](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/raci/)
- [Project Selection](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/project-selection/)
- [TQM](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/tqm/)
- [Y=f(x)](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/yfx/)
- [Ford](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/ford/)
- [Andon](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/andon/)
- [Net promoter score](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/net-promoter-score/)
- [OODA](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/ooda/)
- [Agile](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/agile/)
- [Pull](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/pull/)
- [Rapid prototyping](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/rapid-prototyping/)
- [Shigeo Shingo](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/shigeo-shingo/)
- [Split testing](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/split-testing/)
- [Taiichi Ohno](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/taiichi-ohno/)
- [Toyota](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/toyota/)
- [TPS](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/tps/)
- [WIP](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/wip/)
- [Benchmarking](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/benchmarking/)
- [Concurrent Engineering](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/concurrent-engineering/)
- [Continuous Improvement](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/continuous-improvement/)
- [Countermeasures](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/countermeasures/)
- [Hoshin Kanri](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/hoshin-kanri/)
- [ISO](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/iso/)
- [Just-in-time (JIT)](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/just-in-time-jit/)
- [Kaizen blitz](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/kaizen-blitz/)
- [Takt Time](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/takt-time/)
- [Work cells](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/work-cells/)
- [Zero defects](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/zero-defects/)
- [Setup Reduction](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/setup-reduction/)
- [TPM](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/tpm/)
- [OEE](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/oee/)
- [FIFO](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/fifo/)
- [Time Measurement](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/time-measurement/)
- [Work Combination Sheet](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/work-combination-sheet/)
- [Work-Order Board](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/work-order-board/)
- [DFA](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/dfa/)
- [DFM](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/dfm/)
- [Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP)](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/analytic-hierarchy-process-ahp/)
- [DPMO](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/dpmo/)
- [Error proofing](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/error-proofing/)
- [DFMEA](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/dfmea/)
- [Kano model](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/kano-model/)
- [KPIV](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/kpiv/)
- [KPOV](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/kpov/)
- [Motorola](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/motorola/)
- [MSA/Gage R&R](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/msa-gage-rr/)
- [Response surface methodology](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/response-surface-methodology/)
- [Robust Design](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/robust-design/)
- [Root sum squares (RSS)](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/root-sum-squares-rss/)
- [SIPOC](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/sipoc/)
- [Signal to Noise Ratio](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/signal-to-noise-ratio/)
- [SMART](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/smart/)
- [Temporal](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/temporal/)
- [Tolerance Analysis](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/tolerance-analysis/)
- [TRIZ](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/triz/)
- [Catchball](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/catchball/)
- [Ergonomics](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/ergonomics/)
- [Lead time](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/lead-time/)
- [Problem solving](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/problem-solving/)
- [Red bins](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/tag/red-bins/)

## Product categories

- [Online Training](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/product-category/online-training/)
- [Six Sigma Yellow Belt](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/product-category/online-training/six-sigma-yellow-belt/)
- [Six Sigma White Belt](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/product-category/online-training/six-sigma-white-belt/)
- [Six Sigma Black Belt](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/product-category/online-training/six-sigma-black-belt/)
- [Online Yellow Belt](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/product-category/online-yellow-belt-2/)
- [Online White Belt](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/product-category/online-white-belt-2/)
- [Online Green Belt](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/product-category/online-training/online-green-belt/)
- [Six Sigma Green Belt](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/product-category/online-training/six-sigma-green-belt/)
- [Online Black Belt](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/product-category/online-training/online-black-belt-online-training/)
- [Introduction to Lean](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/product-category/introduction-to-lean/)
- [Lean Fundamentals](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/product-category/lean-fundamentals/)

## Product tags

- [DMAIC](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/product-tag/dmaic/)
- [Online Learning](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/product-tag/online-learning/)
- [Six Sigma](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/product-tag/six-sigma/)
- [BlackBelt](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/product-tag/blackbelt/)
- [Green Belt](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/product-tag/green-belt/)
- [Project Certification](https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/product-tag/project-certification/)