Is six sigma knowledge an important asset for Project Managers?

I share your views. I possess both Agile and LSS experience and sometimes you find convergences. However I have noticed that the role of LSS has really being undermined.

While Agile tends to focus more on quality from perspective of product requirements, LSS takes it a step further to analyze the voice of the customer from the perspective of Total Quality Management. In other words, LSS is more applicable across processes than Agile which is more bespoke to adaptive methodologies.

Again while LSS is more statistical in nature and analyzes data more accurately to determine root cause, Agile is concentrated more on product requirements based on the requests of the product owner.

I personally believe that when it comes to continuous improvement of processes to eliminate waste, LSS does a whole lot more than Agile

That is very correct, and that is why the hybrid of Lean and six sigma is gaining ground.

What I wonder is why the role of the Lean Six Sigma Expert is undermined in projects...(or maybe the ones I have worked on so far).

Ola

I hear your concern and I tend to agree with Kiron's feedback which is in line with mine too.

In an industry like construction, for large projects, using Lean Siz Sigma might not be as beneficial as using Agile-Waterfall Hybrid. On the other hand, using LSS in PMO's or Manufacturing, will be more beneficial.

That being said, again, have LSS knowledge will add value to the PM so to second Kiron's recommendation, I trust Yellow Belt will suffice for the PM's, it cover a fairly decent amount of information.

I personally have Black Belt, but I mosetly benefited from Yellow and Green belts due to the nature of the industry I work in.

RK

My assumption is that folks who believe that their projects are truly unique would be cynical about any framework which assumes some degree of repeatability. LSS works really well for processes, but when you are dealing with projects, the uniqueness might defeat some of the power of the LSS tools.

Kiron

How about using some knowledge of LSS to improve the PDCA process during integration management of projects?

Ola -

I'd definitely feel there is some benefit in having complementary skill sets. One could say the same thing about a PM who possesses BA or UX skills. However, yellow belt level knowledge might be sufficient - would most PMs really benefit from knowing what a 2 Sample T Test is and when to apply it?

Kiron

Accuracy and Precision tests are most of the time handed over to the quality team, but for organizations who do not have a well rounded quality team or outsource same, you will find out that a green or black belt will come handy.

As a matter of fact, I will recommend that any team member who is managing Quality and Risk aspects of the project should be LSS trained

I absolutely agree with you. It is until we dive into LSS true applications that we would see the benefits as PMs

I don't think that the intention is for LSS to take over the role of PM, rather it should be a complementary effort to improving quality. Even in construction, waste is common. As a civil engineering graduate, I can tell you that LSS will assist a project manager in that sphere to avoid waste (both process and material). JIT principles that we use in PM are more pronounced methodologies birthed from the LSS concepts

Dear Casey
Interesting your reflection
Thanks for sharing

Can 5S be considered a six sigma practice?