Essentials of Lean Six Sigma

by Salman Taghizadegan

Six Sigma is a management program that provides tools that help manufacturers obtain efficient, stream-lined production to coincide with ultimate high quality products. Essentials of Lean Six Sigma will show how the well-regarded analytical tools of Six Sigma quality control can be successfully brought into the well-established models of “lean manufacturing,” bringing efficient, stream-lined production and high quality product readily together. This book offers a thorough, yet concise introduction to the essential mathematics of Six Sigma, with solid case examples from a variety of industrial settings, culminating in an extended case study. Various professionals will find this book immensely useful, whether it be the industrial engineer, the industrial manager, or anyone associated with engineering in a technical or managing role. It will bring about a clear understanding of not only how to implement Six Sigma statistical tools, but also how to do so within the bounds of Lean manufacturing scheme. It will show how Lean Six Sigma can help reinforce the notion of “less is more,” while at the same time preserving minimal error rates in final manufactured products.

304 pages, Hardcover

First published June 15, 2006

Reviews

[Bob Wallner · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is truly focused on Six Sigma over lean and the focus is on problem-solving not transformation. Lean and Six Sigma are both discussed as tools to achieve improvement where I'm a firm believer that lean is a corporate philosophy not simply a set of tools.

As far as books on Six Sigma go, this wasn't the worst I've ever read. There are long stretches of statistics and equations that tend to make you gloss over. Mixed in are some good case studies of how lean and Six Sigma have been applied to solve specific issues.

This was a textbook that was used for one of my Master's degree classes. I was surprised at the end to find a summary of Dr. Deming's 14 points.

I wouldn't call this a "must-read", but there is enough good in it if you're interested in Six Sigma. Like I said earlier be warned some of the chapters covering statistics are a little dry.