Overview

But how the devil did you deduce that, Holmes?

I see that you are a medical doctor, Watson, by the stethoscope bulging in your pocket and a cane engraved with CCH for Charing Cross Hospital. I see that you are returned wounded from India because you are brown as a berry and walk with an exaggerated limp.

Ah Holmes, I thought you d done something clever there for a moment.
Arthur Conan Doyle

When you pose a quality or lead-time problem to people who have not been trained in Lean Six Sigma tools, they are initially incredulous and believe the goal of achieving three failures per million or an 80% reduction in lead time is impossible. After all, the problem they are confronting has probably been around for a long time and has never been solved!

But as they complete their black belt training and have seen and used Lean Six Sigma methods under the guidance of an expert coach, they become more like Watson: For a moment, I thought this required something clever. They develop a sense of power and they feel exhilarated. This change in attitude is a moment of success, when Lean Six Sigma starts to become part of the way they think, part of how they do their everyday work. And if the proper project was selected (based on potential for shareholder value), powerful financial results will soon ensue.

The same reaction occurs when people first learn about many of the Lean Six Sigma tools described...