Leaning Into Six Sigma : A Parable of the Journey to Six Sigma and a Lean Enterprise [Paperback]

Barbara Wheat (Author), Chuck Mills (Author), Mike Carnell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 11, 2003

A brief business novel about combining today's two most powerful quality initiatives

Leaning Into Six Sigma shows managers how to combine today's two most popular continuous improvement methodologies-- Lean Enterprise and Six Sigma--for dramatically improved quality and cycle time.

This concise and fast-paced "business novel" tells the story of how one skeptical company gradually came to understand and implement a Lean Six Sigma initiative--improving quality at all levels of the organization. This engaging story will help employees and managers understand basic quality concepts from Design of Experiments (DOE) to Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), while learning how to:

• Implement work cells and preventive maintenance
• Get rid of excess inventory
• Speed up processes

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Warning: Reading this tale could result in effective change occurring in your organization!

This is the book you will want everyone in your company to read before you start your Lean Six Sigma deployment. Written by professionals who have successfully rolled out Lean Six Sigma in numerous organizations, Leaning Into Six Sigma uses a fast-paced business novel format to explain how to combine today's two leading improvement methodologies--Lean Enterprise and Six Sigma--for dramatically improved quality and cycle times.

The book tells the of a company in crisis that had to improve to stay in business--and how management and employees came to understand and implement a Lean Six Sigma initiative, facing challenges along the way. The story is designed to introduce everyone in an organization to problem-solving strategies that get rid of excess inventory, speed up processes, and improve quality at all levels. Using simple language, the authors help you grasp the basic quality concepts of Lean Six Sigma, including

• The 5 S's--Sifting, Sorting, Sweeping and Washing, Spic and Span, and Self-Discipline
• MAIC (Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control)
• DOE (Design of Experiments)
• ANOVA (Analysis of Variance)

Help your organization understand the need for change and begin to implement it by Leaning Into Six Sigma.

About the Author

Barbara Wheat is the Director of Six Sigma for Ingersoll-Rand Tool and Hoist Division, where she brings the tools and techniques of both Lean Enterprise and Six Sigma together to institutionalize a world-class system of continuous improvement.

Chuck Mills has taught and implemented Lean Enterprise tools and techniques to forward-thinking organizations both in the United States and Europe.

Mike Carnell is President of Six Sigma Applications, one of the oldest and most experienced Six Sigma providers.

Product Details

• Paperback: 120 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (March 11, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0071414320
• ISBN-13: 978-0071414326
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #523,247 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simple yet powerful, March 3, 2006

By 

Christopher Seider "A serious, detailed guy" (Dallas, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Leaning Into Six Sigma : A Parable of the Journey to Six Sigma and a Lean Enterprise (Paperback)

This book demonstrates principles of Six Sigma and Lean in a quick, readable style. I first read the book within my first year of doing Six Sigma and found it nice. I recently reread the book and saw how powerful it was since my understanding of Lean AND Six Sigma worked powerfully together.

I would encourage anyone to read this before any of the larger books since the flavoring is most important.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly Recommended!, March 1, 2004

By 

Rolf Dobelli "getAbstract" (Switzerland) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Leaning Into Six Sigma : A Parable of the Journey to Six Sigma and a Lean Enterprise (Paperback)

Authors Barbara Wheat, Chuck Mills and Mike Carnell use the format of a novel to explain two major quality control mechanisms: Lean Enterprise and Six Sigma, the efficiency approach that has had a broad impact on corporate America. In a sort of parable that shows both of these processes in action, they tell the story of a consultant named Samantha. She helps a business owner named Sid who has made all the wrong choices in setting up his manufacturing operation. Sam uses Six Sigma to help Sid out of his quagmire. The volume goes into greater, more useful detail about identifying and eliminating areas of waste than many other Six Sigma books. The text links the Five S's of Lean Enterprise with the systems problem-solving methodology MAIC (measure, analyze, improve and control). In all, here are the basics of Six Sigma and Lean Enterprise in an easy-to-use volume you can read on a commuter flight. We strongly recommends this book to those who want to begin to improve their firms' efficiency and productivity.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly Recommended!, April 29, 2004

By 

Rolf Dobelli "getAbstract" (Switzerland) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Leaning Into Six Sigma : A Parable of the Journey to Six Sigma and a Lean Enterprise (Paperback)

Authors Barbara Wheat, Chuck Mills and Mike Carnell use the format of a novel to explain two major quality control mechanisms: Lean Enterprise and Six Sigma, the efficiency approach that has had a broad impact on corporate America. In a sort of parable that shows both of these processes in action, they tell the story of a consultant named Samantha. She helps a business owner named Sid who has made all the wrong choices in setting up his manufacturing operation. Sam uses Six Sigma to help Sid out of his quagmire. The volume goes into greater, more useful detail about identifying and eliminating areas of waste than many other Six Sigma books. The text links the Five S's of Lean Enterprise with the systems problem-solving methodology MAIC (measure, analyze, improve and control). In all, here are the basics of Six Sigma and Lean Enterprise in an easy-to-use volume you can read on a commuter flight. We strongly recommend this book to those who want to begin to improve their firms' efficiency and productivity.