What is a Lean Six Sigma Jumpstart Event? (#16)

At SSDSI, our Certification process is as follows. After you complete the week long course, you have six months to either take an exam through the International Association for Six Sigma Certification (IASSC) or complete a Six Sigma project through SSDSI. Completion of either exam or project will earn you a Six Sigma certification. Many of our students will elect to complete a project. We strive to provide guidance through the entire process; however, we still see so many students fail to complete their projects. Why?

Often, these projects fail because of a misguided scope or frail structure. However, there may be a more deep-seated issue. Some companies have a solid foundation in both the Lean and Six Sigma methodologies, but they sometimes still face a delta between their project completions in Lean projects and Six Sigma projects. Again, we ask why? Lack of focus! Often, students will choose a Lean or Six Sigma project that doesn’t support “hyper focus” on the actual problem. There is, and should be, a different project structure for Lean projects and Six Sigma projects.

Let’s start with a Lean Kaizen event. At the host facility, a MBB will come in and teach a 3 to 5 day event that puts “hyper-focus” on a particular problem. People often believe that Lean Kaizen events only occur during those 3 to 5 days, however a good, structured event begins long before the event (called Day 0) and may not conclude until up to 90 days after the event. The main difference between Lean events and Six Sigma projects is that 3 to 5 day period of “hyper-focus.”

Moving on, Lean Six Sigma projects usually conclude within 6 months. The Change Agents (Green Belt and Black Belt Students) should meet two times a week as a Project Team to talk about the project advancement and to ensure that the steps and requirements are being met. However, like most business meetings, the Change Agents will come to the meeting and leave their attention elsewhere. Without that focus, or coming prepared, they will push off assignments until the next meetings. When they are only focusing on the project for a short period of time each week, their tasks will not be completed on time, pushing their project completion date back.

The issue we found in common with multiple Lean Six Sigma project structures is that they do not allow for a set chunk of time for the Change Agents to have “hyper-focus” on their project problem. So can you fit your Lean Six Sigma project in the Kaizen structure? Absolutely!

From this, SSDSI developed a Lean Six Sigma Jumpstart event that puts “hyper-focus” on the process problem for the entire event using Lean and Six Sigma methodologies. The event structure is not exactly the same as the Lean Kaizen event, however the same principles are followed. Below is an example of our Lean Six Sigma Jumpstart event structure.

Day Zero:
  • ·         Begins around 4 weeks before the scheduled Lean Six Sigma Jumpstart event
  • ·         Begins the “Define Phase” of Lean Six Sigma
  • ·         Finish Project Charter
  • ·         Begin Multi-Vari Sheets
  • ·         Gather Data for Baseline Capability Analysis
  • ·         Gather event resources
  • ·         Finish SIPOC

Session #1:
  • ·         First 2 ½ days (Start of Monday through noon Wednesday) with Group 1
  • ·         Last 2 ½ days (Noon Wednesday through end of Friday) with Group 2
  • ·         Complete “Define Phase”
  • ·         Begin “Measure/Analyze Phase”
  • ·         Complete SIPOC with SME’s (Subject Matter Experts)
  • ·         Complete VSM (Value Stream Map)
  • ·         Apply Lean Tools if necessary (Spaghetti Map, QFD, etc.)
  • ·         Execute MSA’s
  • ·         Implement Initial Capability Analysis
  • ·         Finish Process Map with SME’s
  • ·         Finish Variables Map, C&E Matrix, and FMEA
  • ·         Execute Multi Vari Analysis, Hypothesis Test, etc. to conclude KPIV’s

 4-week break between Session #1 and Session #2

Session #2:
  • ·         First 2 ½ days (Start of Monday through noon Wednesday) with Group 1
  • ·         Last 2 ½ days (Noon Wednesday through end of Friday) with Group 2
  • ·         Finish Quick Wins
  • ·         Assemble and Analyze more data if necessary
  • ·         Complete MSA’s with updated data measurements
  • ·         Create Improvement Pilot Test
  • ·         Finish DFMEA (Improvement Risk Management)
  • ·         Finish Improvements that can be finished by 5 week deadline
  • ·         Gather data from Improvements made to process
  • ·         Complete updated Capability Analysis
  • ·         Create “30 Day Plan”
  • ·         Create Stakeholder Report Out

o   Project team delivers Report Out to Stakeholders during final hour of event (11am to noon Wednesday)

SSDSI uses this event structure with 3 to 5 Change Agents per group. Each 2 ½ day session grants my associates and I a chance to work intricately with each group. Jumpstart Sessions are very successful as long as they are completed accurately with a solid infrastructure. The Jumpstart Sessions work in “hyper-focus” which eliminates team distractions. The Stakeholder Report is given to the organization’s Senior Level Management and Vice Presidents; which motivates the team to stay focused on their projects.


For more information about our Lean Six Sigma Jumpstart Event Agenda, please email Kevin Clay at kclay@sixsigmadsi.com. What is your experience with Lean and/or Six Sigma Project completions. Have you had any that stalled?


About Six Sigma Development Solutions, Inc.
We are Certified as an Accredited Training Organization with the International Association of Six Sigma Certification (IASSC)
“The IASSC Accredited Training Organization (ATO) designation validates Six Sigma Development Solutions, Inc. has demonstrated adequate management systems, courseware with a high degree of correlation to the subject matter contained in the IASSC Bodies of Knowledge, delivery schema consistent with such content and highly qualified instructors.”
We Provide Public Lean Six Sigma Green Belt and Lean Six Sigma Black Belt Certification Training Courses in 34 Cities across the globe.

Our Training Centers are located in: Albuquerque, New Mexico | Anchorage, Alaska | Atlanta, Georgia | Austin, Texas | Boston, Massachusetts | Calgary, Canada | Charlotte, North Carolina | Chicago, Illinois | Cincinnati, Ohio | Cleveland, Ohio | Columbus, Ohio | Dallas, Texas | Denver, Colorado | Detroit, Michigan | Dubai, UAE | El Paso, Texas | Fort Smith, Arkansas | Honolulu, Hawaii | Houston, Texas | Indianapolis, Indiana | Jacksonville, Florida | Kansas City, Missouri | Las Vegas, Nevada | London, England | Los Angeles, California | Louisville, Kentucky | Memphis, Tennessee | Mexico City, Mexico | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | Minneapolis, Minnesota | Montreal, Canada | Nashville, Tennessee | New Orleans, Louisiana | New York City, New York | Northwest Arkansas | Orlando, Florida | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Phoenix, Arizona | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Portland, Oregon | Raleigh, North Carolina | Salt Lake City, Utah | San Diego, California | Seattle, Washington | St. Louis, Missouri | Tampa, Florida | Toronto, Canada | Vancouver, Canada | Washington, DC

We Provide Onsite Lean Six Sigma Certification Training. Some of the training's we provide are: Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt, Lean Six Sigma Champions Training and Lean Certifications for Healthcare, Finance, I.T, Manufacturing, Processing, Logistics, Retail Sales and Government.
SSDSI will come to your site to train for your choice of the Lean Six Sigma Certification Levels.
Onsite training is more cost effective than open enrollment training when training larger groups of team members.
Benefits of Onsite Training:
The Training is focused on Your Opportunities
SSDSI uses your opportunities in class (vs. generic examples)
You will get the experience of a seasoned Lean and Six Sigma Master Black Belt who will help mentor you while completing your Lean and Six Sigma Project
You can train up to 20 employees for one fixed cost (this cost includes course ware and the instructors travel & lodging)
Our courses are full of games, simulations, and active learning to help the adult learner
SSDSI can customize the training to meet your company’s particular training needs
Call Kevin Clay at 214-731-3176 or email at kclay@sixsigmadsi.com for more information

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