Book Review: Lean Six Sigma Approaches in Manufacturing, Services, and Production, ISBN 978-1-4666-7320-5
Authored by Edem G. Tetteh and Benedict M. Uzochukwu, this book takes aim directly at the heart of Six Sigma and discusses the manufacturing industry. It also covers some pretty unique topics like an assessment of Lean communication at a nuclear power plant.
The book emphasizes the synergy of Lean and Six Sigma. Lean cannot bring a process under statistical control, while Six Sigma alone cannot significantly improve process speed nor ensure that operational excellence objectives are met. With over 299 pages of actual content, the Management and Strategy Institute found this to be a useful guide for anyone looking to use Lean Six Sigma principles in manufacturing or just about any other industry.
Book Contents:
The author spends time discussing total quality management in chapter 1. TQM practices, in general, are often overlooked in books so we found it refreshing that the book takes the time to discuss subjects like multinational corporations, components of TQM, TQM practices and organizational culture, and organizational performance. For the concept of TQM, the author explains “TQM views an organization as a collection of processes. It maintains that organizations must strive to continuously improve these processes by incorporating the knowledge and experiences of workers. The core of TQM is the customer-supplier interfaces related to a number of processes. This core must be surrounded by commitment to quality, communication of the quality message, and recognition of the need to change the culture of the organization to create total quality.”
Chapter 2: covers Enterprise Resource Planning and Lean Six Sigma
Chapter 3: A Framework for Nondestructive Evaluation Application in Supply Chain Management
Chapter 4 covers improving supply chain delivery performance using Lean Six Sigma. MSI found this information especially useful for preparing for certifications like the MSI Lean Supply Chain Management certification since it digs deep into understanding how Lean can be implemented in logistics. In the abstract for this chapter they state “Models for evaluating and improving delivery performance play an important role in the management of supply chains. A review of supply chain delivery models that use Six Sigma methodologies indicate that the models are limited to only make-to-order supply chains where improvement in delivery performance occurs at a fixed (static) point in time.”
Chapter 5 is where we find an assessment of Lean communication at a nuclear power plant. It’s always exciting when you read something new about a topic you know well. While we have many years of combined experience here at the Management and Strategy Institute, none of us have ever seen an analysis of Lean within the nuclear power industry. It’s no surprise that communication is discussed as early as the first paragraph. Communication is always critical to the success of a Lean Six Sigma project, it’s just amplified when nuclear energy is involved. The chapter also discusses Introducing a “plan-do-check-act” system to achieve goals effectively and efficiently. You must implement thinking that focuses on value-added flow and the efficiency of the overall system.
The remaining chapters cover the following topics:
Chapter 6
Lean Continuous Improvement Builds Excellence and Engagement
Chapter 7
Manufacturing Production Companies Can Gain Strategic Global Advantage Using Lean Six Sigma
Chapter 8
Data Fusion Aiding Tool (DAFAT) Design for Emergency Command and Control Using Lean Principles
Chapter 9
Lean Six Sigma in Healthcare: A Review of Theory and Practice
Chapter 10
An Assessment of Leadership Traits and the Success of Six Sigma Projects.
This book can help you prepare for the following certifications:
