Aligning PMI®’s PMBOK® Fifth Edition to Lean Six Sigma DMAIC: Q&A

Rod Baxter is principal and co-founder of Value Generation Partners, headquartered in Naples, FL. In his 30-year career, he has led operational excellence and continuous improvement efforts for global Fortune 500 companies.

  Quality   Using PMI Standards  

In his webinar Aligning PMI®’s PMBOK® Fifth Edition to Lean Six Sigma DMAIC, Rod Baxter talked to us about how Lean Six Sigma (LSS) DMAIC projects can benefit from aligning to PMBOK Guide® Fifth Edition processes. We were not able to get to all of the questions during the live session. However, we were able to capture those that were unanswered and the presenter has addressed them below:

1. In its full scope, does Lean also incorporate respect for people and continuous improvement?
Lean Six Sigma and Lean are definitely about continuous improvement. DMAIC and PDCA are both continuous improvement cycles. Yes, “respect for people” is core to both Lean and Lean Six Sigma methodologies, and it is typically understood and reinforced through coaching and mentorship.

2. How could these ancient models be built using Six Sigma methodology, i.e. having detailed statistical/historical mathematical data at a point in time?
I included the ancient engineering models to make the point that waste and variation in the process of designing and building each would have had to have been considered. While they certainly did not call their consideration of waste to be “lean” and of variation to be “six sigma,” they built magnificent structures that still stand today. Certainly, I conclude, there must have been thought and time given to …

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