Is six sigma knowledge an important asset for Project Managers?

I have a question to go along with this.

I have done basic lean six sigma training in the military and the main concept that stuck with me was to reduce the waste of motion. The example to us is the placement of tools or personnel in a work area. Making sure that tools and near by workstations so that personnel doesn't need to walk 10 feet to grab something.

I have tried to apply these principles with the teams I work with. Making sure that the design and concept teams sit near each other (in my situation they work a lot together). Or trying to place my work area between the multiple teams I work with. Having the printer near the teams that use it the most etc.

I have tried to apply this to the tools that we use. How many clicks does it take to create a Jira ticket, assign it to an employee, get it started, approved, and closed? If I am setting up project structure within a tool like Jira how do I ensure it's organized for the team to find tasks in the least amount of clicks?

Since my examples are related to process would they be considered PMO activities I saw mentioned early that LSS is useful for?

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

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

Ola, very insightful question. Years ago, I was fortunate to have been selected to attend Six Sigma training as part of our company's executive development program. It completely changed my way of thinking about how best to achieve business objectives, build high performance teams, scale the business, and continuously and relentless seek improvement. Hence, it is my conviction that Six Sigma training will make any business person better, including and maybe especially PMs.

Dear Ola
Interesting your question
Thanks for sharing

If you want to use six sigma practices in which processes would you use them?

A former employer of mine would have benefited from the Business Analysts being trained in and using LSS. They typically worked closely with the business and were responsible for developing project proposals and presenting them for approval. Sometimes, it seemed like they were a little too close to the business and were presenting proposals pet projects that didn't have a clear problem definition, didn't have data to support that there was a problem, and proposed solutions that didn't clearly solve the problem.

I don't blame them for doing what they were told, but now that I have received formal training in LSS, I recognize that the BAs, and the company, would have benefited from the discipline.

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

I don't disagree with you and I never mentioned that the intention was for the LSS to take over the role of a PM so not sure where that came from.

I've been in the Construction Industry for more than 15 years, and yes, waste is common every were. We also use JIT for our procurement except for long lead items and I, myself do have LSSBB which means, I did find value in it for sure but what I was trying to say is that on Construction on-site jobs, LSS Yellow Belt or Green Belt at most will suffice. LSS BB will be over and above.

This is my professional opinion.

RK