Ensuring Results Creating Stakeholder Value

Lean Six Sigma Plus (LSS+) is a highly disciplined approach to solve the chronic problems no one has been able to solve. LSS+ is about changing the way an organization works. It takes effort to define and collect data needed for new insights. It takes staying power to turn solutions into a new way of working. Not every company is ready for LSS+ Here is a self assessment that can help you decide if you are ready for LSS+. Score each question with a 9, 6, 3 or 0, with 9 meaning “almost certain”, 6 meaning “probably”, 3 meaning “maybe”, and 0 meaning “probably not.” You can add comments about your scoring if desired.

1 Are the senior leaders willing to make Lean Six Sigma one of their top priorities? This is especially important at the chief executive level. ______ Score ________________________________ Why (Opt) 2 Do the senior leaders have a history of successfully integrating company wide improvement initiatives? They avoid “flavor of the month” programs or simultaneous major initiatives. ______ Score ________________________________ Why (Opt) 3 Do the senior leaders have a history of sustaining initiatives by fairly and firmly setting expectations and dealing with the consequences of non-performance? Major initiatives normally require 2-4 years for planning, roll-out and integrating into the culture. ______ Score ________________________________ Why (Opt) 4 Are decisions at all levels based on analysis of relevant data? ______ Score ________________________________ Why (Opt) 5 Is the business relatively stable? No dramatic changes are imminent, including executive changes, restructuring, mergers, or other major initiatives. ______ Score ________________________________ Why (Opt) 6 Are senior leaders willing to commit the time to learning Lean Six Sigma concepts, tools and processes and their role in making it a success? Senior leaders will need to articulate why Lean Six Sigma makes sense for the business and they will need to be active sponsors of Lean Six Sigma projects. ______ Score ________________________________ Why (Opt) 7 Is the business willing to devote up to 10% of its resources to Lean Six Sigma? These may be existing resources currently working on process improvement projects. ______ Score ________________________________ Why (Opt) 8 Can a few of your best people be assigned 50%-80% of their time to Lean Six Sigma projects and can you give them assurance that they will still have a job if the initiative falters? ______ Score ________________________________ Why (Opt) 9 Does most work get done by teams – project teams, management teams, work groups, etc.? ______ Score ________________________________ Why (Opt) 10 Is work defined in terms of processes? ______ Score ________________________________ Why (Opt) 11 Are processes documented and accountabilities clear? ______ Score ________________________________ Why (Opt) 12 Are people more concerned about, and rewarded for, preventing fires rather than fighting fires ______ Score ________________________________ Why (Opt)

Scoring: Above 75: You are ready for LSS+ 50-75: Risky. You will need strong support from senior leaders or from a pilot division. Below 50: Your efforts will likely to fail.