business process improvement using lean six sigma_the hellenic reality

HELLENIC OPEN UNIVERSITYSCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES

Masters in Business Administration (MBA)

DISSERTATION

Business Process Improvement using Lean Six Sigma:

The Hellenic Reality

STUDENT: EMMANOUIL FRAGKISKOS

SUPERVISOR: DR. NIKOLAOS RACHANIOTIS

ATHENS,

SEPTEMBER 2015

ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΟ ΑΝΟΙΚΤΟ ΠΑΝΕΠΙΣΤΗΜΙΟΣΧΟΛΗ ΚΟΙΝΩΝΙΚΩΝ ΕΠΙΣΤΗΜΩΝ

Μεταπτυχιακό στην Διοίκηση Επιχειρήσεων (MBA)

ΔΙΠΛΩΜΑΤΙΚΗ ΕΡΓΑΣΙΑ

Βελτίωση Επιχειρηματικών Διαδικασιών με τη χρήση τουLean Six Sigma: H Ελληνική Πραγματικότητα

ΣΠΟΥΔΑΣΤΗΣ: ΕΜΜΑΝΟΥΗΛ ΦΡΑΓΚΙΣΚΟΣ

ΕΠΙΒΛΕΠΩΝ ΚΑΘΗΓΗΤΗΣ: ΔΡ. ΝΙΚΟΛΑΟΣ ΡΑΧΑΝΙΩΤΗΣ

ΑΘΗΝΑ,

ΣΕΠΤΕΜΒΡΙΟΣ 2015

Table of ContentsTable of ContentsLIST OF TABLES.............................................................................................................................6

LIST OF FIGURES...........................................................................................................................7

ΠΕΡΙΛΗΨΗ ......................................................................................................................................8

SUMMARY.....................................................................................................................................10

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS................................................................................................................12

1. INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................13

2. LITERATURE REVIEW .....................................................................................................................15

LEAN SIX SIGMA METHODOLOGIES AND TOOLS.....................................................................................................17DMAIC ...................................................................................................................................................17DMADV .................................................................................................................................................20

TECHNICAL COMPETENCY LEVELS (“BELTS”).........................................................................................................22DEPLOYMENT ............................................................................................................................................23

Enterprise Wide Model .........................................................................................................................24Department / Business Unit model .......................................................................................................25Targeted model .....................................................................................................................................26Grass Roots model ................................................................................................................................27

L6S PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS .................................................................................................................27L6S ROLES ................................................................................................................................................28

3. METHODOLOGY ..................................................................................................................33

QUALITATIVE RESEARCH DEFINITION .......................................................................................................33FOCUS OF THE RESEARCH ..........................................................................................................................33QUESTIONNAIRE ........................................................................................................................................34

4. ANALYSIS..............................................................................................................................36

ABOUT QUESTIONNAIRE’S PARTICIPANTS..................................................................................................36QUESTIONS FOR ALL ROLES ......................................................................................................................39QUESTIONS FOR THE CHAMPION ROLE ......................................................................................................48QUESTIONS FOR THE DEPLOYMENT MANAGER ROLE ................................................................................50QUESTIONS FOR THE PROJECT MANAGER ROLE.........................................................................................53QUESTIONS FOR THE TEAM MEMBER ROLE ...............................................................................................60QUESTIONS FOR THE PROCESS OWNER ROLE.............................................................................................63QUESTIONS FOR THE TRAINER ROLE..........................................................................................................65SUMMARY OF ALL QUESTIONS.........................................................................................................69

5. CONCLUSION .......................................................................................................................72

ABOUT THE AUTHOR .................................................................................................................................72ABOUT THE QUESTIONNAIRE .....................................................................................................................72

For All Roles.........................................................................................................................................73Deployment Manager ...........................................................................................................................75Project Manager ...................................................................................................................................75

Process Owner......................................................................................................................................79Trainer ..................................................................................................................................................79All Roles................................................................................................................................................80

ROOM FOR IMPROVING PENETRATION .......................................................................................................80LIMITATIONS AND FURTHER RESEARCH ....................................................................................................81

REFERENCES................................................................................................................................83

GLOSSARY ....................................................................................................................................85

APPENDIX .....................................................................................................................................86

QUESTIONNAIRE...................................................................................................................................86

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List of Tables

Table 1.1: Dissertation chapters 14Table 2.1: Long Term Goals towards L6S Deployment 24Table 3.1: L6S Roles 28Table 3.2: Functional Roles vs. L6S Roles 31Table 4.1: Participants working on Manufacturing / Production,

Services or both vs. Role 37

Table 4.2: Participants working on Manufacturing / Production,

Services or both vs. L6S Certification 38

Table 4.3: Participants vs. Roles 39Table 4.4: Scoring Frequencies of PAs assigned Role vs. ScoringFrequencies of PAs not assigned role 41

Table 4.5: Operational Targets and the extent that L6S addressesthem 43

Table 4.6: Hellenic market sectors and their Suitability vs.Maturity regarding L6S 45

Table 4.7: Deployment Manager difficulties 51Table 4.8: Resources management difficulty 53Table 4.9: Measurements management difficulty 56Table 4.10: Soft vs. Hard Skills 57Table 4.11: Statistical vs. Non-Statistical Tools 58Table 4.12: Summarized impact on Penetration 71Table 5.1: Topics for further discussion 73Table 5.2: Criteria for L6S Company Readiness 74

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List of Figures

Figure 4.1: Lean and 6S Merging Success 42Figure 4.2: L6S for Manufacturing / Production or Service

Environments 44

Figure 4.3: Hellenic market sectors: Suitability vs. Maturity for L6S 46Figure 4.4: Organizations’ size for a L6S Initiative’s success 47Figure 4.5: Difficulties on Champion’s Activities 49Figure 4.6: Soft vs. Hard Skills 52Figure 4.7: Contribution on Improvements selection 61Figure 4.8: Improvement results over process, according to Team

Member role 62

Figure 4.9: L6S usability as a Management Framework 63Figure 4.10: Improvement results over process, according to Process

Owner role 64

Figure 4.11: Statistical Tools Comprehension 66Figure 4.12: Non Statistical Tools Comprehension 67Figure 4.13: Penetration impact 71

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Περίληψη

Η κλασική οικονομική θεωρία περιγράφει τέσσερις συντελεστές της παραγωγής, τους Γη,

Εργασία, Κεφάλαιο και Επιχειρηματικότητα. Επίσης, κάποιοι σύγχρονοι οικονομολόγοι

προσθέτουν τη Τεχνολογία σε αυτούς τους παράγοντες, υπό την έννοια ότι είναι ένας

καταλύτης της παραγωγής.

Όλοι αυτοί οι παράγοντες εμπεριέχουν διαδικασίες με στόχο το επιδιωκόμενο

αποτέλεσμα. Μία διαδικασία, που είναι μια προκαθορισμένη σειρά από δράσεις / μέτρα

που λαμβάνονται προκειμένου να επιτευχθεί ένας συγκεκριμένος στόχος, αποτελεί το

«νευρικό σύστημα» της κάθε εταιρίας.

Η εστίαση στην εξεύρεση μεθόδων για τη βελτιστοποίηση των επιχειρηματικών

διαδικασιών ξεκίνησε το 1920, αλλά οι πιο σοβαρές ανακαλύψεις έγιναν στην Ιαπωνία

στα τέλη της δεκαετίας του 1940 και την αρχή της δεκαετίας του 1950, όπου ξεκίνησε το

κίνημα της Διοίκησης της Ποιότητας, χρησιμοποιώντας τη βοήθεια επιφανών γκουρού

της ποιότητας όπως οι Juran, Deming και Feigenbaum.

Από εκεί και πέρα, η έννοια της Διοίκησης Ποιότητας εξαπλώθηκε σε όλο το δυτικό

ημισφαίριο, όταν οι ΗΠΑ και η Ευρώπη αναγνώρισαν τις σημαντικές βελτιώσεις που

επιτεύχθηκαν στην Ιαπωνία και άρχισαν να εργάζονται για την αξιοποίησή τους.

Ήταν η δεκαετία του 1980 όμως, όταν η Motorola, ένας ήδη γνωστός βιομηχανικός

κολοσσός, ξεκίνησε το πρόγραμμα Six Sigma, που ήταν ένας από τους πιο

αποτελεσματικούς και οργανωμένους τρόπους για να επιτευχθεί πραγματική βελτίωση

κάθε επιχειρηματικής διαδικασίας, με την αναγνώριση και την άρση των αιτίων που

προκαλούν διακυμάνσεις στην απόδοση και, στη συνέχεια, των ελαττωμάτων σε κάθε

διαδικασία παραγωγής.

Σήμερα, στον 21ο αιώνα, το Six Sigma, το οποίο έχει συγχωνευθεί με την μεθοδολογία

Lean, που προάγει την αναγνώριση των περιττών ενεργειών στις διαδικασίες

παραγωγής, είναι μια ώριμη και καθιερωμένη μεθοδολογία για την επίλυση

προβλημάτων και τη βελτίωση των επιχειρηματικών διαδικασιών γενικότερα.

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Αυτή η διπλωματική εργασία ερευνά το κατά πόσο αυτή η μεθοδολογία έχει διεισδύσει

στην ελληνική αγορά και ποια είναι τα εμπόδια και τα προβλήματα που προκύπτουν,

προκειμένου να μπορεί να εφαρμοστεί αποτελεσματικά.

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Summary

Classical economic theory describes four production factors: Land, Labor, Capital and

Entrepreneurship. Some modern economists are also adding Technology into these

factors, in the sense that it is a catalyst of production.

All these factors consist of procedures / processes aimed at the desired result. A

procedure, which is a predefined set of actions / measures taken to yield the targeted

result and processes, as being predefined series of actions taken in order to achieve a

specific goal, are in the very heart of each and every corporation, as they constitute its

"nervous system".

The focus on finding methods to optimize business processes arose in 1920’s, but its more

serious breakthroughs came in Japan in the late 1940s and the early 1950s, where the

Quality Management movement begun, utilizing the assistance of notable quality gurus

like Juran, Deming and Feigenbaum.

From there, the Quality Management notion spread throughout the western hemisphere,

when USΑ and Europe have recognized the significant improvements achieved in Japan

and started working on their exploitation.

It was the 1980’s, when Motorola, a well-known industrial colossus, launched the Six

Sigma, one of the most efficient and organized way to achieve real process improvement,

by identifying and removing the root causes of variation and, subsequently, of defects in

all production processes.

Today, in the 21st century, Six Sigma, which has merged with the Lean methodology to

identify wastes, is a mature and well established methodology for solving problems and

process improvement in general.

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This dissertation studies the penetration of this methodology in the Hellenic market and

what are the obstacles and issues that deals with in order to be applied effectively.

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Acknowledgments

First of all, I would like to thank my supervisor Dr. Nikolaos Rachaniotis for all his support

and valuable input and feedback during the whole duration of this dissertation’s

implementation.

Also, I would like to thank all the people that cooperated with me the last 10 years I am

working full time with Business Process Improvement programs / projects as a Consultant,

for they have given me this unique perspective on why and how the Human factor is the

most critical and yet the most underestimated, when it comes to provide a value based

change.

Last, although their place is at the top of my acknowledgements, I would like to especially

thank all those people that did not, will not, would not and yet they somehow did, embrace

the Change that we created together and brought it to the next level, in order for their own

and their organization’s goals to be met.

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1. INTRODUCTION

Having started right after World War II, Production Control or Business Process

Improvement as it is called these days, is one of the most important disciplines in modern

corporate environments, since it embodies the latest methods and technologies in the front

of optimizing the ever rare resources, in order for them to provide cheaper, faster and

flawless products and services. Methodologies for succeeding that exist and they are used

throughout developed countries and markets for years now. But is this the case for the

modern Hellenic market, as well?

This dissertation asked this very question to a number of business executives that have been

either trained and / or used one of the most popular and efficient methodologies for

Business Process Improvement, Lean Six Sigma (L6S hereafter) in projects implemented

in the Hellenic market. Through a specialized questionnaire, business executives were

asked about which are the difficulties and conditions, in general, in applying L6S and,

subsequently, how they affect its Penetration.

L6S Penetration is defined as the degree that the methodology is adopted to the means of

serving either as management framework or a series of problem solving methods and

techniques for business organizations. The Penetration has two separate pillars. The first is

the organizations that it is used into and the second is the individuals that are getting

certified or trained to it.

In order to actually measure Penetration, a specialized questionnaire was constructed and

sent, in order to collect the responses of the participants and conduct a qualitative analysis.

The purpose of each question is to determine if the condition or parameter described is

affecting Penetration in a positive, a negative or a neutral way. Each of the multiple choice

questions is linked with one of these three “values” as described in Appendix I.

The conclusions of this analysis are both identifying the most troubled areas, as they arose

from the responses of the participants and also provide their potential root causes according

to the author’s experience. One of the most interesting conclusions is that a L6S initiative

has a rather small possibility of success, when the company that launches it has no or very

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vague identified operational targets, which can be linked to the expected results of the L6S

initiative.

These conclusions came with some limitations. The fact that this is a MBA dissertation and

not a survey, the constraint of time and resources in general, the focus on the Human factor

of L6S penetration and the limited responses to questionnaire sent are the main ones.

Content wise, the chapters of the dissertation are presented into Table 1.1.

CHAPTER DESCRIPTION

1. Introduction (This Chapter)

2. Literature Review Contains a brief background of L6S and some explanations

on L6S terminology that will be used throughout the

dissertation. Last, but more important, it contains a

framework that a L6S initiative may use.

3. Methodology Detailed description of the rationale behind the whole

qualitative analysis and the construction of the

questionnaire.

4. Analysis The results from the responses collected from the

questionnaire, for all questions. Moreover, discussion on

the questions..

5. Conclusion Discussion on the issues arose from the previous chapter,

with root causes provided, according to the author’

knowledge and experience. Finally, room for improvement

for both Penetration of L6S into the Hellenic market and

the research process itself.

Supporting Material Glossary and Appendix

Table 1.1: Dissertation chapters

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2. LITERATURE REVIEW

The majority of new concepts are evolutions of previous ones. L6S was created as an

umbrella of already existing methodologies and tools, combining them to a single package

with a sole purpose: to identify and eliminate all sources of waste and variation in a process.

Voehl (2014) define the Lean, Six Sigma and their merging result, L6S, as follows:

“Lean: The Lean methodology is an operational philosophy with a focus on identifying and

eliminating all waste in an organization. Lean principles include zero inventory, batch to

flow, cutting batch size, line balancing, zero wait time, pull instead of push production

control systems, work area layout, time and motion studies, and cutting cycle time. The

concepts are applied to production, support, and service applications. Lean focuses on

eliminating waste from processes and increasing process speed by focusing on what

customers actually consider quality, and working backwards from that.

Six Sigma: The Six Sigma methodology is a business-management strategy designed to

improve the quality of process outputs by minimizing variation and causes of defects in

processes. It is a subset of the TQM methodology with a heavy focus on statistical

applications used to reduce costs and improve quality. It sets up a special infrastructure

within the organization that is specifically trained in statistical methods and problem

solution approaches that serve as the experts in these approaches. Six Sigma aims to

eliminate process variation and make process improvements based on the customer

definition of quality, and by measuring process performance and process change effects.

Lean Six Sigma (L6S): The L6S methodology is an organization-wide operational

philosophy that combines two of today’s most popular performance improvement

methodologies: Lean methods and the Six Sigma approach. The objective of these

approaches is to eliminate nine kinds of wastes (classified as defects, overproduction,

transportation, waiting, inventory, motion, overprocessing, underutilized employees, and

behavior waste) and provide goods and services at a rate of 3.4 defects per million

opportunities (DPMO).”

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Furthermore, L6S, can be examined from three different perspectives:

As a Metric

As a Methodology

As a Management System

As a Metric:

The term "Sigma" is used to measure levels of quality. Using this scale, “Six Sigma”

equates to 3.4 defects per one million opportunities (DPMO). Therefore, L6S started as a

defect reduction effort in manufacturing and was afterwards applied to other business

processes for the same purpose.

As a Methodology:

As L6S has evolved, less emphasis is given on the literal definition of 3.4 DPMO, or

generally counting defects in products and processes. L6S is a business improvement

methodology that focuses on:

Understanding and managing customer requirements

Aligning key business processes to achieve those requirements

Utilizing rigorous data analysis to minimize variation and waste in those processes

Driving rapid and sustainable improvement to business processes

As a Management System:

At the next level of evolution of L6S, companies have learned that the disciplined use of

metrics and application of the methodology is still not enough to drive desired

breakthrough improvements and results that are sustainable over time. For achieving the

greatest impact, these companies ensure that processes metrics and structured methodology

are applied to improvement opportunities that are directly linked to the organizational

strategy.

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When practiced as a management system, L6S is highly performing in implementing

business strategy.

The L6S Management System provides clarity around the business strategy and the metrics

used. It provides the framework to prioritize resources utilization for projects that will

improve the metrics, and it leverages leaders who will manage the efforts for rapid,

sustainable, and improved business results.

Lean Six Sigma methodologies and tools

L6S is divided into two separate methodologies, each with different scope, but with similar

tools and methods.

The first methodology is DMAIC and it is targeting to improve an existing process making

the necessary amendments on it. It is an acronym for the respective methodology phases:

Define – Measure – Analyze – Improve – Control. The second is DMADV, targeting

mainly in designing a new process from scratch and it is an acronym for the respective

methodology phases: Define – Measure – Analyze – Design - Verify. A description for

each of them is presented in the following paragraphs.

DMAIC

DEFINE

In this phase, the identification of the problem area, regardless its nature, is attempted. It is

essential to recognize WHAT is the problem, along with its, quantitative preferably,

impact.

At the end of this phase, the problem area, therefore the process (es) it contains, with what’s

included and what’s excluded from it, will be clearly defined.

Typical tools for this phase are the following:

Project Charter

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SIPOC (Supplier – Input – Process – Output – Customers) Diagram

CTQs (Critical to Quality)

Stakeholder analysis

VOC (Voice of the Customer)

Descriptive statistics

MEASURE

This phase is divided into two separate sub-phases that run either synchronized or

independently.

The 1st sub-phase deals with the collection of the measurements that are the outcome of

process’ performance.

Accordingly, the 2nd sub-phase deals with the mapping of the process and the collection of

qualitative data for its performance.

At the end of this phase, all data, regardless the method used in order to collect them, will

be validated, stored and prepared to be analyzed.


Process mapping

Value stream mapping (VSM)

Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA)

Data collection plan

Measurement system analysis

Process Sigma calculation

Benchmarking


Statistical analysis

Histogram

Pareto chart

Time series / Run chart

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Scatter plot

ANALYZE

During this phase, the measurements and the qualitative data that were collected in the

previous phase are analyzed in an attempt to reveal the Why’s, behind the process’

performance. To this end, both statistical and non-statistical tools are employed, often in

combination.

At the end of this phase, the root causes that govern the performance of the process will be

located and the project will continue with the implementation of the improvements to

amend this very behavior towards the targeted results.


Regression analysis

Cause and Effect diagram (Fishbone)


Hypothesis testing

Non-normal data analysis


5 Whys

IMPROVE

During this phase, the improvement actions selected will be implemented. Typically this is

a long, in terms of duration, phase, since it is common that some, if not all, of the

improvements require a project to be completed, in order to be implemented to their full

extent.


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Brainstorming

Mistake proofing (Poka Yoke)

Design of Experiments (DOE)

House of Quality


CONTROL

During this phase, new controls are designed and implemented to prevent the original

problem from re-emerging and to hold the gains yielded by the improvement.


Process Sigma calculation

Control charts

Cost savings calculations

Control plan

DMADV

DEFINE

During this phase the target is for the team to identify the goals for the new process, taking

into account customers’ requirements and the expectations of the organization.


Project Charter

Communication Plan

Stakeholder analysis

Surveys

Questionnaires

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Interviews

Reviews

CTQs (Critical to Quality)

MEASURE

During this phase the target is for the team to develop a set of performance requirements

for the new process that match these very goals.


KANO model

RACI Matrix

Check sheets

ANALYZE

During this phase the target is for the team to conduct an analysis of these performance

requirements for the new process, and based upon it to produce an outline for the new

process.


Quality Function Deployment (QFS)

Prioritization Matrix


Brainstorming

Affinity diagram

DESIGN

During this phase the target is for the team to implement a detailed design for the new

process, based on the outline created during the previous phase.


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Design of Experiments (DOE)

TRIZ

Six Thinking Hats

VERIFY

During this phase the target is for the team to validate that the new process is performing

according the requirements and expectations defined and agreed and to introduce controls

to ensure it keeps performing that way.


Check sheets

PDPC (Process Description Program Chart)

Standard Operating Procedures

Process Manuals

Work Instructions

Technical competency levels (“Belts”)

L6S, as a methodology is relying heavily on a vast amount of tools and practices that

individuals must possess in order for them to apply it efficiently. Starting in General

Electric, one of the first and more enthusiastic adopters of the methodology, a scheme of

certifications, signifying the level of individuals competency on L6S, has started under the

name “Black Belt Program” (Voehl, et al, 2014).

Voehl, (2014) also defines the level of expertise of these “belts” as follows:

“Blue Belts: Individuals who are trained in basic problem solving and team tools, thereby

establishing a common improvement approach throughout the organization. All employees

should be at least at the Blue Belt level.

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Yellow Belts: Individuals who have been trained to perform as members of L6S Teams.

They are used to collect data, participate in problem solving and assist in the

implementation of the individual improvement activities.

Green Belts: Individuals who have completed L6S training, are capable of serving on L6S

project teams and managing simple L6S projects.

Black Belts: Individuals who have had advanced training with specific emphasis on

statistical applications and problem-solving approaches. These individuals are highly

competent to serve as on-site consultants and trainers for application of L6S

methodologies.

Master Black Belts: Individuals who have had extensive experience in applying L6S and

who have mastered the L6S methodology. In addition, these individuals should be capable

of teaching the L6S methodology to all levels of personnel and to deal with executive

management in coaching them on culture change within the organization.”

Deployment

Before an organization starts applying L6S in its daily operations, there is a phase that is

both challenging and fruitful. This phase, Deployment, contains all the elements that the

organization needs to address, in order for the L6S methodology to be applied as effectively

as possible, but also to utilize its many facets and add value.

During the planning phase of the Deployment, the main consideration that should be dealt

with is which will be the Deployment Model. That should be selected, with one eye on the

Long Term Goals / Targets, or the Vision of the Organization, in general, and the other eye

on the real life circumstances and conditions at the decision time.

Needless to say that in order to deploy L6S, a proper Change Management culture should

be bred and grow within the Organization, at least with respect to the Human Factor.

As Iowa Office for Lean Enterprise (2011) describes it, the four long term goals that a

typical organization is considering, while planning a L6S initiative, are described along

with their focus in Table 2.1.

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Goal Focus

LEVEL I:Business Transformation

Targeting to an organization wide deployment,

which leads to a major cultural change, as well.

LEVEL II:Strategic Improvement

Targeting at specific critical problems, with projects

necessary for success or even survival.

LEVEL III:Problem Solving

Targeting at specific operational issues and yields

incremental improvements in organizational

performance

LEVEL IV:Cost Cutting

Targeting specific processes with focus to direct or

indirect cost cutting improvements

Table 2.1: Long Term Goals towards L6S Deployment

According to which of the above the organization decides to pursue, there are four models

to consider, regarding the deployment itself, which are the following:

Enterprise wide

Department / Business Unit Targeted

Grass roots

Enterprise Wide Model

This model is traditionally a top down driven approach, and it requires, most of the times,

major cultural changes into the very DNA of the organization and a highly visible and rapid

deployment, as well.

The characteristics of this model are the following:

It requires a strong, active commitment from the Top Management, in order for it to be

efficient. This is a mandatory condition, since it will wear off very fast, if it does not

have a strong support mechanism from all levels of management.

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Since it requires a rather large infrastructure, due to the new departments / roles it

instills into the organization, an investment in full time staff is to be expected.

A large (series of) Program(s) will be deployed, and that will require careful planning

and constant monitoring / management.

It needs to address cross functional processes and activities

It requires extensive use of external consultants and trainers, in order to prepare the

organization and the staff for the full extent of the change

Since a new “breed” of management approach will be embedded into organization’s

DNA, a new terminology of some kind, something that will not be far from the existing

one for adaptability purposes, but that will have the elements of Change management

into it, in order for the initiative to be performed adequately will be required. Especially

the L6S Program will address organization wide issues and concerns, i.e. cross

functional processes that are run end-to-end across many departments and teams,

therefore a common language for communication purposes is required.

Finally, as L6S is also a Management System, it should be integrated with the active

ones within the organization, in a way that will not conflict with them, but without

losing its core mission targets, as well.

A typical life span of a full deployment of this type, is expected from 3 to 5 years,

depending on the maturity of the organization, the active commitment and support from

the Top Management and external forces affecting the whole initiative, such as market

pressures, for example.

This Deployment Model, being by far the most efficient in terms of impact on

organization’s results, is also the most challenging to execute.

It is the preferred selection for the Business Transformation target, as it was described

in Table 2.1.

Department / Business Unit model

Being second best only to the previous model, in terms of magnitude and complexity, this

one requires a strong department leadership commitment but also Top Management

support, as well. It is usually a stepping stone for deploying L6S, based on the previous

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model, and that’s why a department is being utilized as the pilot for the organization.

Another similarity shared with the previous model is that it also requires a rather large

cultural change.


It is less complex and with a smaller risk to start and maintain its pace, comparing to

the previous model

Serving as a pilot for the whole organization, it permits a slower speed, and gives the

opportunity to scale it up, after pilot’s success

The associated risk is that it may never scale up to organization level, if the results are

not the expected and that’s why it needs a very clear and pragmatic target setting

It is ideal for a strong mid-level manager, but with a highly supporting Top

Management

It is the preferred selection for the Strategic Improvement target, as it was described in

Table 2.1.

Targeted model

Sharing some similarities with the two previous models, this one also requires Top

Management strong commitment and leadership, in order to succeed. The main difference

is that it focus on just a few specific business problems and that means that a cultural change

is optional.


Ideal for smaller organizations

Easier than the previous two models in terms of getting started and duration of planning

Quick results, due to the fact that the problems have been identified ahead of time and

the whole deployment is targeting only them

The infrastructure required is rather small and the resources needed could easily be

contracted from outside the organization (outsourcing to consultants)

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The associated risk is that there is a possibility that the gains from the deployment will

not last, since the focus is rather small and it may not impact the organization, in a way

other than solving its short term problems

It is a good model if resources are very limited or a momentum needs to be built, as a

first step for one of the previous models.

It is the preferred selection for the Problem Solving target, as it was described in Table

2.1.

Grass Roots model

Also known as Bottom – Up model, this one originates at the lower level of hierarchy into

an organization. It is based mainly on (self) motivated individuals that will lead the effort,

sometimes dedicating time and resources that are outside their job description and always

is problem specific, which is a similarity with the previous model.


The easiest of the four models of deployment, in terms of complexity, but with the

lowest possibility of sustainable improvement

Very few infrastructure needs, if any

A potential success may be a first step on using a higher level deployment model

Cultural change is very rarely a target

Model may improve results but they are likely to fade over time due to the lack of Top

Management attention over them

It is the preferred choice for the Cost Cutting target, as it was described in Table 2.1.

L6S Programs and Projects

For the needs of the dissertation hereafter, an L6S Project is defined as a series of tasks

with specific start and end date, that will utilize specific resources towards specific goals

or targets, while an L6S Program (or an L6S Initiative) is defined as the superset of L6S

Projects that will be executed, in order for the high level organizational targets to be met.

Page | 28

In terms of personnel assignment, an L6S Program is being run from a Deployment Leader,

while an L6S Project will be run from a Project Manager.

L6S Roles

A full description of what all these Roles are about and what is expected from them, during

a typical L6S program / project, is presented in Table 2.2.

CHAMPION

Job Description

The owner of the L6S program, from the Organizational point of view, since

he / she will be the one that will represent Top Management into the Program.

Typically not a full time job.

Duties and Responsibilities

To align Operational Level L6S program / projects with the Strategic

Level Business Objectives

To provide all the necessary Resources for the L6S program to be

implemented efficiently

To remove all the Roadblocks that potentially undermine the success of

the L6S program

To communicate to Top Management the necessity and the course of the

L6S program and its results

To inspire and motivate the L6S Projects Team(s) and get the best out of

them, in terms of work performance

To be able to achieve results with minimal or no errors, while monitoring

the entire execution phase of the L6S Program.

DEPLOYMENT MANAGER

Job Description

Page | 29

The Program Manager of the whole initiative, therefore his / her main focus is

on the deployment of the Projects, from a Strategic point of view.

In a mature L6S environment, this role is typically manned from a L6S Master

Black Belt or a L6S Black Belt, acting like one. In this case, it is a full time

job.


To agree with Top Management (and / or the Champion) the expected

results from the L6S Program

To engage the project teams

To provide the necessary coaching to project managers (Black Belts,

Green Belts)

To acquire the necessary knowledge for performing these duties (soft and

hard Skills)

PROJECT MANAGER

Job Description

The person responsible for running, from a tactical point of view, the L6S

projects. In a mature environment, this role is manned from, ideally, a L6S

Black Belt or, sometimes, a L6S Green Belt, coached by a L6S Black Belt.

Depending on the scope of the Project(s), this may be either a full time or a

part time job.


Page | 30

To run L6S project(s)

To gather, use and monitor the necessary resources, in order for the L6S

project to be efficiently implemented

To gather and analyze the necessary data, in order for the L6S Project to

be efficiently implemented

To make sure that all the improvements are formally owned by process

owners (presented in the following) and institutionalized correctly by

Operations

To perform L6S know-how transfer to all project participants and team

members

To perform the related statistical analysis, when this is applicable

PROCESS OWNER

Job Description

The manager of the department where the improvements on the process(es)

will take place.


To make sure that all members of the team will have the opportunity to

provide the required know-how, for describing the As Is situation

To provide his / her own know-how on the As Is situation of the process

in scope and the related information

To participate into the improvement that will be decided and implemented

To take any measure to sustain the implemented improvements, therefore

marginalize the results obtained by it

TEAM MEMBER

Job Description

Any Subject Expert within the department where the process in scope will be

improved and any employee that will be part of the implementation of the

Improvements decided.


Page | 31

To provide his / her know-how on the As Is situation of the Process in

scope and the related information

To be part of the implementation of the Improvements decided

To make sure, to his / her own extent, that the Improvements will be

sustainable and their results will be controllable.

TRAINER

Job Description

A full time or part time training deliverer that transfers know how on L6S

methodology to any intended audience within the organization deploying the

L6S initiative


To provide training services to all intended audience, for specific projects or

a generic purpose seminar

Table 2.2: L6S Roles

Since it is not common to have a dedicated L6S Team within an organization, most of the

times the previously mentioned roles are part of a broader job description of a functional

role. The typical scheme of such a program organization is presented in Table 2.3.

Functional Role in Organization L6S Role in Program / Project

Member of Executive Committee (depending

on the case, it may be the General Manager,

the CEO or COO himself / herself)

Champion

Quality Director Deployment Manager

Quality Manager Project Manager

Operations Manager (depending on which

department the focus of program / project will

be set upon)

Process Owner

Page | 32

Subject Matter Expert / Employee (depending

on which department the focus of program /

project will be set upon)

Team Member

Quality director or Quality managerTrainer (when inside the

Organization)

Table 2.3: Functional Roles vs. L6S Roles

Page | 33

3. METHODOLOGY

Qualitative Research Definition

When it comes to a definition of a qualitative research, it is preferable to describe it as

simple as possible. A simple, but to the point definition, is the following:

“Qualitative research is a research strategy that usually emphasizes words rather than

quantification in the collection and analysis of data.” (Bryman, 2008).

In contrast with a typical quantitative research, which is focused on hard data,

measurements and their resulted analysis, the research strategy that is used in qualitative

research is focused on answers provided on a specifically designed questionnaire which

has been designed with the scope of collecting the experience of the participants into an,

as more as possible, condensed way, using ordinal / nominal variables.

Focus of the Research

This research has used as guidelines other research papers, surveys, studies and reports that

were exploring how L6S is deployed into an organization, regardless the industry, the size

or the particular parameters of the specific market. Indicatively, special attention was given

to cases like the ones described in “Six Sigma and Developing Countries” (Rizwan, 2010),

“Under the knife: A National survey of Six Sigma programs in US health care

organizations” (Feng, Manuel, 2007), “Six Sigma Analysis, The Design and

Implementation” (McCarthy, Zuendoki, 2008) and “An exploratory qualitative and

quantitative analysis of Six Sigma in service organizations in Singapore” (Chakraborty

2009).

Page | 34

The common factor of the indicative above presented studies is that they are analyzing L6S

from a specific point of view, trying to discover the competitive advantage that it could

bring to the particular cases they analyzed.

Proceeding from there, the main focus of the dissertation is to explore the penetration of

L6S, as a philosophy and management System, into the modern Hellenic market. The

designed questionnaire is not paying so much attention into the technical details that

undeniably a broad management system like L6S incorporates, but on the human side,

which is how the members of a typical L6S program or project have performed one or more

roles according to their position. Questions on the technical side of L6S are not absent,

since they are intertwined with the focus of the dissertation, but they have secondary

importance, compared to the aforementioned ones.

In order to approach the human side of L6S, the questionnaire was divided into sections,

according to the roles that a typical L6S program or project would have, namely Champion,

Deployment Manager, Project Manager, Process Owner, Team Member and Trainer, as

described in the previous chapter. Different questions are addressed to each role, but there

is one last section with questions for all roles, regardless of their actual involvement or

experience on a L6S program or project.

The first five roles are the ones that are always part of a L6S Program, while the last one

(Trainer) appears either as a part of a previously mentioned role (when, for example, the

Deployment Manager or the Project Manager also provide training to Team Members) or

as a separate individual, usually outside of the Organization, that provides services to target

audience.

There are cases, especially when a L6S program is addressing the organization as a whole

and not specific operations part, that there are some other Roles involved. Nevertheless, in

any case, these Roles will be a variation of the ones previously described.

Questionnaire

Page | 35

The Questionnaire used for collecting the qualitative data, which are analyzed, has the

following sections:

1. Demographics questions

2. Role of Champion questions

3. Role of Deployment Manager questions

4. Role of Project Manager questions

5. Role of Team Member questions

6. Role of Process Owner questions

7. Role of Trainer questions

8. General questions, addressed to all participants, regardless of their involvement into a

L6S program or project.

In general, there are four types of questions.

The first one is the Free Text type, where the participant is asked to enter comments.

The second is the Ranking type, where the participant is asked to answer in a scale from 1

to 5, in order to express his / her opinion on a spectrum of choices.

The third is the Multiple Choice type, where the participant is asked to select one or more

of the answers provided.

The fourth is the Single Choice type, where the participant is asked to choose just one of

the answers provided.

For all types of questions, each potential answer will be signified as having a Positive, a

Negative or a Neutral impact on penetration. The details on that concept, can be found in

Appendix I, into the Answer / Impact part of each question.

Page | 36

4. ANALYSIS

About Questionnaire’s participants

The Questionnaire attached in Appendix I was sent to 110 separate individuals that, to the

best of author’s knowledge, are fullfilling one or more of the following criteria:

Have completed a L6S training, either to a Belt level (Green Belt, Black Belt, etc.) or

just a generic one (awareness seminar, for example)

Have participated into a L6S initiative, in one or more of the roles described to the

previous chapter

Are Process Improvement professionals, doing it as full time consultants, either internal

or external.

The rationale behind their selection is that they are the (informal) members of the L6S

Hellenic community, since they have been exposed to it, or working with it, in one or more

ways.

Participants that received the Questionnaire

The following tables are containing some data about the Participants that received the

Questionnaire, regardless if they responded to it or not. The criteria that were used for

depicting the data were whether the companies that PAs are (or were) working for, during

the time that they were members of a L6S team are into Manufacturing / Production or

Services and also the specific Market Sector, comparing to the Roles they were assigned

to (Table 4.1).

Table 4.2 contains the same information, but instead of Roles, the criterion is whether they

have a certification (and which specifically) or not.

Both tables contain information to the best knowledge of the author and they should be

treated as such.

Page | 37

Row Labels Champion DeploymentManager

ProjectManager

TeamMember

ProcessOwner Trainer Totals

Manufacturing /Production 4 1 5 8 4 1 23

Chemicals 1 1HR 1 1IT 1 1 2Quality 1 1Retail 4 1 5 4 3 1 18Manufacturing /Production,Services

13 2 7 40 25 2 89

Call Center 1 1Compliance 1 2 1 4Facilities 1 2 1 4Finance 2 6 5 13HR 1 3 3 7InnovationIT 8 2 3 25 13 2 53Procurement 1 1 2Publishing 1 1 1 3Quality 1 1 2Services 5 5 20 20 7 3 60

Banking 2 1 1 2 1 1 8Consulting 2 6 3 1 12Education 1 1 2 4Health Care 1 1HR 1 1 1 3Insurance 1 2 6 2 11IT 2 2 10 3 17Publishing 1 1 2Telecom 1 1 2Grand Total 22 8 32 68 36 6

Table 4.1: Participants working on Manufacturing / Production, Services or both vs. Role

Page | 38

Row Labels Black BeltGreenBelt

Master BlackBelt N/A

GrandTotal

Manufacturing / Production 2 3 7 12Chemicals 1 1HR 1 1IT 1 1Quality 1 1Retail 2 3 3 8

Manufacturing / Production, Services 3 3 1 45 52Call Center 1 1Compliance 2 2Facilities 3 3Finance 1 7 8HR 4 4Innovation 1 1IT 1 2 1 24 28Procurement 1 1Publishing 1 1 2Quality 1 1 2

Services 6 9 1 30 46Banking 2 2Consulting 1 4 1 6 12Education 1 3 4Health Care 1 1HR 1 1 2Insurance 2 1 4 7IT 2 12 14Publishing 1 1 2Telecom 1 1 2

Grand Total 11 15 2 82 110

Table 4.2: Participants working on Manufacturing / Production, Services or both vs. L6SCertification

The response rate was only 9% (10 individuals). The Roles that these participants (PAs

hereafter) have been assigned, are presented in Table 4.3.

Page | 39

ChampionDeployment

ManagerProject

ManagerTeam

MemberProcessOwner

Trainer

PA1 √ √ √ √ √ √

PA2 √

PA3 √

PA4 √ √ √ √ √

PA5 √

PA6 √ √ √ √ √ √

PA7

PA8 √

PA9 √ √

PA10 √ √ √ √ √ √

COUNT 4 4 5 7 4 5

Table 4.3: Participants vs. Roles

As the previous table presents, there is a symmetry into the roles that the PAs have been

manned during their career so far in the process improvement area. Moreover, there is

sufficient representation for each role with emphasis, as expected, into the Team Member

one.

Questions for All Roles

About the importance of each Role (Question #44)

Page | 40

First of all, it would be appropriate to present how the PAs understand the involvement of

the Roles that are assigned in a L6S initiative. This is illustrated by the answers in Question

#44, which asks how important each Role is.

Two different points of view for each Role will be presented..

The first is of the PAs that actually manned the specific Role and the second is of the PAs

that were not into this Role.

In Table 4.4 the scoring frequencies of PAs assigned a role vs. the scoring frequencies of

PAs not assigned the role are illustrated.

PAs

beeninto

Role

Frequencies PAs

notbeeninto

Role

Frequencies

Not

rea

lly

impo

rtan

tLe

ss

impo

rtan

tN

eutr

al

Som

ehow

impo

rtan

tTh

e mos

t

esse

ntia

l Rol

e

of a

ll

Not

rea

lly

impo

rtan

tLe

ss

impo

rtan

tN

eutr

al

Som

ehow

impo

rtan

tTh

e mos

t

esse

ntia

l Rol

e

of a

ll

Role: CHAMPION

4

PAs3 1

6

PAs2 1 4

Role: DEPLOYMENT MANAGER

4

PAs1 1 2

6

PAs2 4

Role: PROJECT MANAGER

5

PAs2 3

5

PAs3 2

Role: TEAM MEMBER

6

PAs3 3

4

PAs2 2

Role: PROCESS OWNER

Page | 41

4

PAs1 3

6

PAs1 1 1 3

Role: TRAINER

5

PAs2 3

5

PAs2 2 1

Table 4.4: Scoring Frequencies of PAs assigned Role vs. Scoring Frequencies of PAs not assigned role

Although the differences for each role are rather small, they do set an indication that

perhaps the PAs that have been assigned a role are thinking that the role is less pivotal

comparing to what the PAs that have not been assigned to it thought. That would signify a

lack of knowledge regarding what these roles actually have to do during a L6S program or

project. Consequently, that causes a slightly negative impact on the Penetration, since if

someone is aware of the duties and responsibilities of a role that potentially will be assigned

to, it could mean that a deep learning curve would occur.

The pattern is reverse for the Role of Project Manager, where not being one in the past

means that the PA slightly underestimates what needs to be done, comparing to the ones

that have been in this role, according to the job description of the role as presented in

Chapter 3. The very same pattern exists for the Team Member role, as well.

Both patterns need further investigation, in order to be explained sufficiently. Among other,

parameters like the specific projects and team dynamics, should be taken into account.

Summarizing the impact of these answers to the Penetration, there seems to be a

moderate positive impact on it, since not all of the PAs were knowledgeable regardingthe importance of the roles, if not the roles themselves and what they do.

About the success of Lean and Six Sigma merge (Question #37):

Having started their lives as separate methodologies and philosophies, Lean and 6S have

come to be jointly used and applied into process improvement projects, after process

Page | 42

improvement professionals discovered that they are both addressing the issues that an

organization has in a very similar way. This merging is not without difficulties, though.

The vast majority of PAs are considering that this merging is successful, giving it high

scores and therefore a positive impact, as it is presented in Figure 4.1.

Figure 4.1: Lean and 6S Merging Success

This result signifies a strong impact on the Penetration, since L6S methodology is

considered successful, when it comes to the merging of its two key ingredients.

Summarizing the impact of these answers to the Penetration, there is a definitivepositive impact on it, since the vast majority of the PAs think that Lean and 6 Sigma

are working together and their merging is a successful one, therefore it promotes theapplication of the methodology as a whole into the Hellenic market.

About the achievement of Operational Targets (Question #38):

Question #38 is asking for PAs’ opinions regarding the degree of achievement of L6S on

a series of operational targets, for which L6S is considered as one of the best Management

Systems. These operational targets, along with their scores, are presented in Table 4.5.

20%

80%

Lean and 6S Merging Success

Neutral Positive

Page | 43

Operational

TargetNot addressing

(Negative Impact)

Neutral

(NeutralImpact)

Addressing

(Positive Impact)

Time Delays

Minimization1 9

Defects

Elimination1 9

Increased

Customer

Satisfaction

2 8

Resource

Optimization2 8

Cost Cutting 2 8

Table 4.5: Operational Targets and the extent that L6S addresses them

The first two targets of L6S have to do with the minimization of Time Delays, which is an

expected outcome from both Lean and Six Sigma methodologies and the Defects

Elimination, which is a traditional Six Sigma outcome.

The two targets that are directly related to hard savings, namely Resource Optimization

and Cost Cutting, are last on the list, with a little difference from the others though. That

means that PAs are somehow more reluctant about the capability of L6S to address a

process improvement project, from a strictly financial gains (hard or soft savings) point of

view. This, in turn, undermines the Penetration, since, due to the financial crisis, more and

more of the organizations attempting to apply L6S are aiming to deliver savings as a main

success, if not the only one.

Summarizing the impact of these answers to the Penetration, there is a rather positiveimpact on the Penetration, but to the direction of considering the L6S methodology

more as a soft savings enabler and less as a hard savings one. This, consequently, maylead to less deployments, since, due to the economic crisis, hard savings are the main,

if not the only, focus of organizations.

Page | 44

About the L6S suitability to Manufacturing and Service Environments (Question #39):

This is a very important question, since it impacts the Penetration significantly. PAs were

asked to express whether L6S is more suitable to Manufacturing / Production or Service

environments, including the choice to select both, stating that it is equally applicable..

Figure 4.2 depicts in detail their responses.

Figure 4.2: L6S for Manufacturing / Production or Service Environments

The majority of the PAs stated that it is equally suitable for both types of working

environments and that increased the Penetration, since it adds more potential organizations

for applying L6S.

Summarizing the impact of these answers to the Penetration, there is a positive

influence on it, since the majority of PAs think that L6S is equally suitable for bothManufacturing / Production and Services environments, which means more

opportunities for deploying a related initiative.

ForManufacturing

/ ProductionOR Services(NegativeImpact)

30%

For Both(PositiveImpact)

70%

L6S FOR MANUFACTURING ORSERVICES ENIRONMENTS

Page | 45

About the Hellenic market sectors and their suitability and maturity, regarding L6S (Questions

#40 and #41):

These two questions and their respective answers should be examined together, since they

are strongly related. PAs were asked to answer which Hellenic market sector(s) is (are)

suitable and / or mature enough to apply L6S. The answers, divided by sector, are as

presented in Table 4.6.

Hellenic marketsectors

Suitability Maturity Diff.

Information

Technology6 4 2

Telecommunication

Services5 5 0

Financials /

Insurance5 4 1

Health Care 6 2 4

Industrials 8 6 2

Materials 5 1 4

Retail 5 1 4

Energy 4 0 4

Utilities 4 2 2

Table 4.6: Hellenic market sectors and their Suitability vs. Maturity, regarding L6S

The same information is depicted in Figure 4.3.

Page | 46

Figure 4.3: Hellenic market sectors: Suitability vs. Maturity for L6S

The three market sectors in Greece that are more suitable for applying L6S, according to

the ten PAs, are Industrials, Information Technology and Health Care, while two of them,

Information Technology and Industrials, with the addition of Telecommunication Services

and Financials / Insurance are also considered mature enough, therefore ready to apply it.

The points that need further analysis, are the following:

The Health Care sector, which is considered suitable but not mature enough to apply

L6S. Considering the criticality of the specific sector, it remains to be seen in the

Hellenic market if the conditions for the exploitation of L6S into it will arise.

The same comment applies for Materials, Retail and Energy sectors, which are, in

theory, suitable, but in real life not mature enough to apply L6S.

Telecommunication Services appear to be the single market sector that all PAs that

included it into both lists think that is both suitable and mature enough to apply L6S.

In close distance, follows the Financials / Insurance sector.

Moreover, three other market sectors that two PAs mentioned as potentially suitable and /

or mature for applying L6S and are not included in the list are Airline services, Postal

services and Rental services.

0123456789

Hellenic market sectors: Suitability vs. Maturity

Suitability Maturity

Page | 47

Considering that for both lists (Suitability and Maturity), PAs have selected morethan 5 sectors, the impact of these answers to the Penetration is considered strongly

positive. There is an open issue though with the differences between the two lists forthe majority of the sectors.

About the size of Organizations that have the more possibilities of success, while implementing a

L6S initiative (Question #42)

This is a question that deals with the ideal size(s) of the organizations that could profit

from a L6S initiative. The answers of the PAs are presented in Figure 4.4.

Figure 4.4: Organizations’ size for a L6S Initiative’s success

Small10%

Middle29%

Large29%

Very Big32%

L6S AND ORGANIZATION SIZE

Page | 48

As expected, sizes like Very Big and Large are taking the lion’s share. What was really

interesting though is the Middle size answer frequency.

That alone is influencing positively the Penetration, since, apart from the expectedsuccess of L6S into Very Big and Large Organizations, it significantly broads the

potential volume of organizations that a successful L6S initiative could beimplemented into.

Questions for the Champion Role

About whether a training was provided prior to Champion’s initiation on his / her role (Question

#09)

Considering the criticality of the Champion role, this question is examining whether a

formal or informal training session was offered to the PAs that were assigned the role of

the Champion. All four out of ten PAs that have been assigned this role have received some

kind of training and in most cases it was a formal one.

That underlines the necessity of training, when it comes to an individual being

assigned this role and has a positive impact on the Penetration, since it sets a highstandard, not to train only Black and Green Belts but Champions as well.

About the Difficulties of Champions when it comes to perform their duties (Questions #10 - #15)

This set of questions is examining the degree of difficulties that the four Champions / PAs

faced, when they were performing their duties, in the context of a L6S program. In Figure

4.5, the answers provided are illustrated, along with the areas of activities that were

included in the questions: (Note that the answers are ranging into a spectrum of 1 – Very

Easy to 5 – Very Difficult)

Page | 49

Figure 4.5: Difficulties on Champion’s Duties

Although none of the answers promotes clearly one of the activities as being the most

difficult, it is apparent that Aligning Projects, Remove Roadblocks and Achieve Results,

are, even slightly, comparing to the others, less easy to cope with.

Project alignment has as a prerequisite that there are clearly defined organizational

objectives and the role of Champion is to make sure that the whole L6S initiative is

supporting them. In the case these objectives are vague, the whole alignment effort is rather

difficult, since the Champion will have to guess, and sometimes improvise, in order to

provide the necessary vision to the teams that implement the L6S.

Another problem appears when a Champion is attempting to achieve results, in the case

where the initial objectives are not clearly defined. It is hard to focus right when the target

is not steady, and that is, according to the author’s experience, one of the most severe

difficulties, if not the most severe one, that a Champion is facing during a L6S program.

Removing roadblocks is another issue, but in most of the cases it can be overridden with a

strong Top Management commitment and a little help from “office politics”. It remains a

major difficulty though, since the Champion has to influence all the involved parties to

0 1 2 3 4

Aligh Projects

Provide Resources

Remove Roadblocks

Communicating to Top Management

Inspiring and motivating Teams

Achieve Results

Champion Difficulties

Difficult Neutral Easy

Page | 50

synchronize their agendas with the L6S program’s one. The same is applied to the duty of

providing resources.

When the previously mentioned difficulties are dealt with, inspiring and motivating teams

is easier, since the Champion has to communicate the purpose of the L6S program to them

and keep them warm, interested and active towards the overall agenda. Being a pure

Change Management activity though, inspiring and motivating is not coming without a lot

of man hours spent on keeping people involved.

Finally, as Figure 4.5 shows, communicating to Top Management the course of the

program is the least difficult activity, but not without some issues, especially when the

objectives of the organization are not clear enough, or they are not entirely connected to

the L6S program ones. In that case, reporting and maintaining the Top Management

commitment can be a very difficult task, especially when the other activities are investing

their success upon it, as described in the previous paragraphs.

Summarizing the impact of these answers to the Penetration, it seems that there are

considerable but manageable difficulties, when it comes for a Champion to performhis / her activities. Considering the criticality of the role for the L6S program, it

appears that the Penetration is affected in a slightly positive way.

Questions for the Deployment Manager Role

About the difficulties that Deployment Manager faced during the L6S deployment (Question #17)

This question explores the difficulties a Deployment Manager faced, during a L6S

program.

Table 4.7 contains the answers of the PAs that were assigned that Role and their

frequencies:

Page | 51

Difficulties Frequencies

Agreeing with Top Management the

targeted results from the L6S Program4

Engage the project teams 2

Acquiring the necessary knowledge for

perform the duties (soft and / or hard

skills)

2

Provide the necessary coaching to Project

Managers (Black Belts, Green Belts)0

Table 4.7: Deployment Manager Difficulties

Undeniably, obtaining an agreement with organization’s top management is the most

serious difficulty that Deployment Managers are facing not only when a L6S program is

about to begin, but also during reviews and the monitoring phases during the program.

Moreover, as it was discussed in the difficulties of the Champion role, the targeted results

of a L6S program should be (ideally) perfectly aligned with the organizational objectives.

When the latter are vague or even not so clearly documented and communicated, the whole

L6S program is in jeopardy, because very easily it could be misunderstood as an attempt

to bring quality for quality and not the real organizational needs that the program should

aim to support.

Engaging project teams, therefore providing the necessary support to all individuals

involved in the technical side of the program / project, is something that should also be

addressed, since it requires managerial (and not only) skills, that not all Deployment

Managers have in advance, when they start out in their role.

Acquiring these skills is another dimension of the role. Being a Deployment Manager

requires being 100% responsible for all program dimensions and that means not only

reporting to Management (Champion or Steering Committee) but also to have all the

necessary technical (in terms of methodologies and related tools) and managerial (as

Page | 52

discussed in the previous paragraph) skills, which in L6S terminology are translated to hard

and soft Skills, respectively.

Summarizing the impact of these answers to the Penetration, there seems to be anegative impact, since the agreement with Top Management issue is something that

goes beyond the boundaries of a L6S initiative.

About soft vs. hard skills (Questions #18 and #19)

These two questions, being the two sides of the same coin, are discussed together, since

they are attempting to point out how important are the aforementioned hard and soft skills

for the Deployment Manager.

Figure 4.6 presents the answers provided on these questions and their frequencies.

Figure 4.6: Soft vs. Hard Skills

There is a definite trend towards Soft Skills, as Figure 4.6 illustrates. This is to be expected,

since the role of Deployment Manager, although requiring technical knowledge, especially

when he / she also has the role of Trainer as well, most of the times as discussed earlier

0

1

2

3

4

Somehow Less Critical Medium Criticality Somehow Critical Very Critical

Soft vs.Hard Skills

Soft Skills Hard Skills

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requires managing the program by engaging the teams and providing coaching / mentoring

to anyone needing it.

Summarizing this answer, its impact on the Penetration is positive, since the resultsare as expected, according to Author’s knowledge on the very balance between hard

and soft skills and their role to Deployment Manager’s duties.

Questions for the Project Manager Role

About resource management (Question: #20)

One of Project Manager’s main duties is the management of the available resources for the

project. This question deals with that duty, considering that a L6S project is not a typical

one. Although it does have a definite start and end and moreover expected results or targets,

being an endeavor that is mainly addressing the inside of the organization it becomes very

easy to be categorized as a second priority, when it comes to commit the resources that will

be exploited.

Therefore, the answers on this particular question are especially important. Table 4.8

contains the answers given and their frequencies.

Answers Frequencies

Very Difficult 1

Somehow Difficult 2

Neutral 1

Somehow Easy 1

Table 4.8: Resources management difficulty

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Being one of the most diverse questions in terms of provided answers, it indicates that the

majority of PAs participating think that performing resources management for a L6S

project is not an easy task.

According to the author’s experience, resource management becomes easier in the

following cases:

Mature (or relatively mature) organization into which the L6S project is being

implemented

Strong and active top management commitment, when it comes to providing resources

for the project

Project Manager’s personal authority and influence on the Resource Managers,

High volumes of idle resources (something that is very unlikely to happen, but, in

theory, a valid reason)

Very efficient resource management mechanism, ideally with an IT application

supporting it organization-wide

Regardless which one of the previous is present, these are some of the “must-have”, when

it comes to managing something so rare in quantity and quality as resources for a L6S

project.

Summarizing the impact of this answer to the Penetration, it appears to be negativesince most of the PAs think that resource management is indeed a difficult task and

the conditions that must be fulfilled, in order to be easier, are outside the boundariesof a L6S program.

About measurements management (Question: #21)

This is another very important question, since the whole L6S philosophy has been built on

the notion that there should be measurements to be examined (in a statistical and / or a non-

statistical way), in order for root causes to be surfaced, therefore preventive and / or

corrective improvements to be implemented.

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Although existing in theory, measurements and data in general are hardly common and

default in a typical Hellenic company, according to author’s own experience. That is not to

say that there are not companies that have spent a lot of resources trying to have all the

necessary data, but it is one thing to have data in place and it is another thing to trust them

and being able to drive improvements on them.

Managing measurements can be divided in two separate tasks, which in turn have different

approaches and difficulties, when it comes to implement them successfully.

The first is collecting the measurements, which includes the following sub steps:

1. Know exactly which measurements to collect

2. Locate the measurements

3. Obtain the measurements

4. Validate the measurements

5. Having the measurements ready for analysis

The second is analyzing the measurements. This includes the following sub steps:

1. Prepare the measurements for analysis (if this has not been performed in the previous

task)

2. Insert the measurements into the software tool(s) that will be needed for the analysis

3. Analyze the measurements

4. Interpret the result of the analysis

5. Validate the results of the analysis with the already known conditions that potentially

influence the whole process under investigation

It is clear that these two separate tasks are different. Moreover, it is apparent that the

success of the second depends heavily on the quality of the output of the first.

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What is additionally apparent is that performing the first task depends on mechanisms that

should create, maintain and collect measurements and this is something that is spread

organization wide, while to perform the second task, all it is required is the right set of tools

(mainly software) and the right skills to be possessed from the individual(s) that will

perform the analysis.

This is not to say that the first set of actions is more difficult than the second, just to point

out that it is expected, especially from a less mature organization not to have all this

infrastructure, in both human and resource’s capital, to perform both adequately. This

infrastructure includes skills, software tools and data repositories.

L6S has a specific tool, named G&R Study, that drills down on the very method that the

data is collected and produced in general, which gives the emphasis required on the severity

of having the right data when and how they are needed, in order to be able to analyze them

and reveal the hidden truth behind them.

Table 4.9 contains the responses of PAs on this specific question and the related

frequencies.

Answers Frequencies

Very Difficult 1

Somehow Difficult 1

Neutral 3

Table 4.9: Measurements management difficulty

Interpreting the responses above, it is apparent that managing measurements is certainly

not an easy task. Ranging from the majority as something between very difficult and

neutral, gathering and analyzing data is something that clearly troubles the PAs who have

done it.

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Therefore, the answers provided from the PAs in this question have a negative impact

on the Penetration, since they are raising this very issue.

About the importance of soft skills vs. hard skills (Question: #24)

Having already discussed this issue in Questions #17 and #18, this time it will be seen from

the Project Manager’s point of view, which is different from the Deployment Manager’s

one.

The main difference is that a Project Manager has, according to the author’s experience, to

exploit a larger part of hard skills, compared to the soft ones, since he / she will be

responsible for the analysis of the measurements, should they are present, and also for the

results’ interpretation that will be derived from it.

Table 4.10 contains the PAs’ responses on this specific question and their frequencies.

Answers Frequencies

Somehow towards Soft Skills 2

Neutral 1

Somehow towards Hard Skills 1

Strongly towards Hard Skills 1

Table 4.10: Soft vs. hard skills

This is another diversified question, in terms of answers provided, ranging to almost the

full spectrum of the possible answers. This means that that there are opinions strongly

opposed to each other regarding the relative importance of soft versus hard skills.

The related analysis conducted in questions #17 and #18 brought up that, for the

Deployment Manager, soft skills are more important to have and deploy than the hard ones.

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In this case, an almost equally distributed importance of whether a L6S Project Manager

should have and deploy both sets is present.

This leads to the conclusion that there is not a perfect recipe on this particular question and

it is heavily dependent on the very opinion of each Project Manager.

This, in turn, signifies that the answers provided in the question are impacting the

Penetration in a strongly negative way.

About the importance of statistical vs. non-statistical tools (Question: #25)

This question, similar to the previous one, contains a dilemma that Project Managers face.

On the one side, there is the toolbox of statistical tools that L6S is deploying in order to

process all the available measurements and find the root causes behind them. On the other

side there is an extremely large variant of non-statistical tools, which deals with the attempt

of L6S to represent the process in scope through a more qualitative approach.

Table 4.11 contains the PAs’ responses on this specific question and their frequencies.

Answers Frequencies

Somehow towards statistical tools 1

Neutral 2

Somehow towards non-statistical tools 2

Table 4.11: Statistical vs. non-statistical tools

Less diversified than the previous questions in terms of responses, this question attempts

to gain the opinion of the PAs on the issue of importance of statistical tools vs. the non-

statistical ones of L6S.

The pattern emerged here leans towards the non-statistical tools, signifying that this set of

tools is very helpful in order for a L6S project to be successfully completed.

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This question though should be analyzed along with Question #21, the result of which is

that measurement management is not an easy task. Since the measurements are the ones

that will be used as the main input for the statistical analysis, not having them or not having

the correct ones, certainly impacts the direction that a Project Manager / Analyst will

choose, in order to end up with the solutions required for the process in scope to be

optimized, as expected.

Therefore, in combination with Question #21, this question impacts the Penetrationin a neutral way, since it is clear that selecting non-statistical tools is potentially

another way to express the lack of the right measurements. Of course, the explanationthat the non-statistical tools themselves are very useful, cannot be ruled out, hence the

neutral impact.

About the preferable application for statistical analysis (Question: #26)

When it comes to performing the statistical analysis that a typical L6S project requires,

there are two kind of choices:

The generic applications, like MS Excel, into which most of the necessary statistical

tools are present and they can be used in a less than ideal way, in terms of efficiency.

The specialized application, like Minitab, SAS, etc., which were built around business

(and academic) statistical needs, therefore they are addressing all the potential

calculations, interpretations and analysis needs, in general.

This question explores what is the preferred application for the PAs that answer it. Four

out of five of them are Minitab users, while the fifth one is an MS Excel one.

Summarizing the impact of these answer to the Penetration, there is a strong positive

impact, due to the usage of Minitab application, which is a highly specialized tool forstatistical analysis’ needs.

About the preferable application for Process Mapping (Question: #27):

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Similar to the previous question, this one discusses which the preferable application for

performing process mapping is. Similarly to the previous question’s applications, there are

ones that are generic enough to cover all the potential needs (an example of which is MS

Visio) and there are specialized ones that provide features and tools that address the said

need in a much deeper and detailed way, but with drawbacks in usability and ownership

costs (an example of which is ARIS).

All the PAs have responded that the preferred application for this kind of work is MS Visio.

Summarizing the impact of these answer to the Penetration, there is a relativelystrong positive impact, due to the usage of MS Visio application.

Questions for the Team Member Role

About the contribution on the selected Improvements (Question: #28)

This question deals with the actual contribution of Team Members into a L6S project and

especially if this was heard and taken into consideration. It is a very important question, in

the sense that, when a Team Member feels that his / her contribution is appreciated, a

certain satisfaction is generated and also new, better and better, ideas are born, which

results to a continuous improvement wave.

The vast majority of the PAs responded to this one, felt that their ideas and suggestions

were implemented and appreciated, as Figure 4.7 depicts.

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Figure 4.7: Contribution on Improvements selection

Summarizing the impact of these answer to the Penetration a positive impact on the

Penetration is present here. It is always good for Team Members to feel that they areheard and that their contributions are valid and implementable.

About the actual improvement on the Process (Question: #29)

This question is also very important. It asks for a response on whether the L6S

methodology, as it was used, produced actual improvement on the process in focus. In other

words, it deals with the phenomenon of producing Quality for Quality, with no actual

benefit for the people involved.

Here the answers were more diverse than the previous question. Although two thirds of the

responses were reporting that there is improvement, there is also a part that signifies that

the improvement produced is not that important in terms of benefits, as depicted in Figure

4.8.

Neutral17%

Positive83%

CONTRIBUTION ON IMPROVEMENTS SELECTION

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Figure 4.8: Improvement results over process, according to Team Member role

That could be generated from a lot of potential causes. First of all, it can be interpreted as

a lack of communication between the stakeholders and / or team members and the Project

Manager, in terms of targeted results. Moreover, it could mean that the whole project is,

by design, focused on something that was not entirely, if not at all, approved from all

involved parties.

Summarizing the impact of this answer, a positive impact on the Penetration exists

here, with the note that a significant percentage of the responses indicate a somehowdifferent stance.

About L6S’s usability as a Management Framework (Question: #30):

This is the most important question of all for Team Members. This alone judges whether

L6S has penetrated enough its core benefits in the Team Members’ minds or not, which

results to a higher Penetration, if that is the case.

The responses depicted in Figure 4.9.

Neutral33%

Positive67%

IMPROVEMENT RESULTS OVER PROCESS

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Figure 4.9: L6S usability as a Management Framework

It seems that L6S has convinced the (Team Member) PAs that it is actually something more

than a set of statistical and non-statistical tools and it is more like a management framework

that just about everyone can (or may) use in his / her everyday professional life, in order to

deliver results.

Summarizing the impact of this answer, a positive impact on the Penetration existshere, signifying that even the project members that are less exposed to L6S appreciate

it as a Management Framework and not just another problem solving method.

Questions for the Process Owner Role

About the early enough notification and its impact (Questions: #31 and #32)

A typical problem with the Process Owners is that, for some reasons they are not notified

early enough, when it comes to the decision that a L6S project will be implemented for the

process they are responsible for.

Responses showed that no such issue exists. All PAs responded that there was an early

enough notification, which resulted to no problems, when it comes to the preparation for

the upcoming improvement project.

Neutral14%

Positive86%

L6S USUABILITY AS A MANAGEMENTFRAMEWORK

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When a not early enough notification exists though, that could be generated from the fact

that the decision for the improvement project was not taken at the Process Owner level, but

at a higher one.

Summarizing the impact of this answer, a strongly positive impact on the Penetration

exists, since Process Owners were “in the loop” of decision making for the processesof their areas of responsibility.

About the actual improvements on the Process (Question: #33)

Similar to question: #29, this one prompts PAs to respond on whether the actual results

yielded from the improvement project for the process of their responsibility, were indeed

significant and worthwhile. This is also a significant question for the Penetration, since it

is signifying if the L6S is achieving its results.

Figure 4.10 depicts PAs responses.

Figure 4.10: Improvement results over process, according to Process Owner role

The majority of the responders report that no significant improvement occurred in the

processes of their responsibility, due to the L6S project executed. That could be explained

from a number of potential reasons, like the ones in the following list:

Negative20%

Neutral60%

Positive20%

IMPROVEMENT RESULTS OVER PROCESS

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Lack of Communication between the Project Manager and the Process Owner,

regarding what this project is about and how it could benefit everyone involved

Lack of ability to realize what the actual problems with the process are and how to deal

with them, from the part of Project Manager

Lack of the communication channels that could permit the Process Owner to be heard

and contribute on the actual improvements and how achievable and efficient they really

are.

Summarizing the impact of these answer, a somehow negative impact on the

Penetration resulted from this question, since the Process Owners were not able tocomprehend the real value behind L6S, due to one or more reasons like the ones

described in the previous paragraph.

Questions for the Trainer Role

About the purpose of training provided (Question: #34)

The reason for this question is to identify whether the trainings provided to the team

members of L6S initiatives were focused on specific projects or they were generic ones,

giving knowledge to trainees, but not necessarily prepare them for the projects they were

to implement.

The vast majority of the PAs responded to this question answered that they have provided

trainings for both reasons, and there was one PA that responded that the trainings he

provided were for undergraduate and postgraduate courses.

Summarizing the impact of this answer to the Penetration, a strongly positive impacton the Penetration is presented. It is very encouraging to know that training is

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provided, focusing to specific projects or initiatives and this is done in an organizedframework.

About the overall comprehension and applicability of statistical tools (Question: #35)

The rationale behind this question is to clarify whether the statistical tools that each trainer

is describing and explaining, during the courses he / she provides, are indeed something

that the trainees are taking with them as a ready to implement knowledge or they are

treating them as a “necessary evil” of having to learn due to a L6S course.

The opinions were evenly distributed, as Figure 4.11 depicts.

Figure 4.11: Statistical Tools Comprehension

Explaining why this is happening will require a further, more detail data gathering and

analysis. From a first reading, it seems that the difficulty of the statistical tools is not that

severe, regarding whether or not they are to be exploited into everyday workplace.

Summarizing the impact of these answer, a neutral impact on the Penetration existsregarding this question.

Positive20%

Neutral60%

Negative20%

STATISTICAL TOOLS COMPREHENSION

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About the overall comprehension and applicability of non-statistical tools (Question: #36)

Similar to the previous question, this one asks for responses regarding whether the non-

statistical tools were comprehended and if they are fit to be used in everyday workplace

from the trainees that were exposed to them.

The results are depicted in Figure 4.12:

Figure 4.12: Non statistical tools comprehension

The result from the PAs responded to this question is that non-statistical tools are harder to

be applied into everyday workplace, compared to the statistical ones (previous question).

A further, more detailed research needs to be performed on the rationale behind these

responses, since, to the knowledge of the author, non-statistical tools are not hard or

complex to implement.

Summarizing the impact of this answer, a negative impact on the Penetration exists.

Neutral80%

Negative20%

NON STATISTICAL TOOLS COMPREHENSION

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SUMMARY OF ALL QUESTIONS

Table 4.12 summarizes the impact of each of the questions on the Penetration, as analyzed.

The green arrows pointing upwards signify positive impact, the yellow “-“signs signify a

neutral impact and the red arrows pointing downwards signify negative impact.

QUESTION PENETRATION IMPACT

Champion

#9 ↑

#10 ↑

#11 ↑

#12 ↑

#13 ↑

#14 ↑

#15 ↑

Deployment Manager

#17 ↓

#18 ↑

#19 ↑

Project Manager

#20 ↓

#21 ↓

#24 ↓

#25 −

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#26 ↑

#27 ↑

Team Member

#28. ↑

#29 ↑

#30 ↑

Process Owner

#31 ↑

#32 ↑

#33 ↓

Trainer

#34 ↑

#35 −

#36 ↓

All Roles

#37 ↑

#38 ↑

#39 ↑

#40 −

#41 −

#42 ↑

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#43 ↑

#44 ↑

Table 4.12: Summarized impact on Penetration

The results of whether positive, negative or just neutral impact on the Penetration of L6S

into modern Hellenic market exists, are summarized in Figure 4.13:

Figure 4.13: Penetration impact

The focus of the conclusion will be upon the points that need further examination and

comments, which are the ones notated with the red and yellow colors.

7

2 23

21

6

01

3

01 1

00 01

0 01

2

012345678

Champion DeploymentManager

ProjectManager

TeamMember

ProcessOwner

Trainer All Roles

Penetration impactPositive Negative Neutral

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5. CONCLUSION

About the Author

The analysis that is going to be detailed in the next paragraphs, is a result of the author’s

personal experience and knowledge and it should be treated as such.

Author’s background, regarding L6S, can be summarized in the following list:

10 years’ experience as a full time (internal and external) consultant on Process

Improvement projects and initiatives, using methodologies like L6S

Worked for major multinational companies in management positions

Ran business improvement projects in both Manufacturing / Production and Services

business environments

Being certified in L6S as a Black Belt from American Society of Quality (ASQ)

About the Questionnaire

As described at the end of the previous chapter, the focus of the conclusion is on the points

that impact the Penetration in a neutral or negative way.

The list of the topics that will be discussed, is the following:

Question

No.Topic Responder

#17 Deployment Manager difficulties For Deployment Managers

#20 Resource management

For Project Managers#21 Measurements management

#24 Soft skills vs. hard skills

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#25 Statistical tools vs. non-statistical tools

#33 Actual Process Improvement For Process Owners

#35 Statistical Tools comprehensionFor Trainers

#36 Non-Statistical Tools comprehension

#40 Hellenic market sectors SuitabilityFor All Roles

#41 Hellenic market sectors Maturity

Table 5.1: Topics for further discussion

For All Roles

Each and every role has a very important place in the whole L6S ecosystem, regardless of

the size or the targets of the company. There is a possibility though that, in specific

circumstances, one role will be in the spotlight, compared to the others. This depends on

the maturity of the company that the L6S initiative is being deployed into. These criteria

of maturity, as they are discussed by Choudhry, A. (2011) , are presented briefly in Table

5.2.

CriteriaLeadership alignment

Leadership approach toward L6S

Employee involvement

Training

Process capability

Approach to errors

Data-driven problem solving

Continuous improvement methodologies

Standard Work

Value stream mapping

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Accounting support to L6S

5S/housekeeping

Table 5.2: Criteria for L6S Company Maturity

In case a company is not mature enough according to the previous criteria, roles like

Champion, Deployment Leader and perhaps Project Manager, have to rely on personal

skills, like negotiation and influence, in order to promote the targets of the L6S initiative.

When the company is mature enough, the aforementioned roles are performing mainly

administrative duties and the focus is on the roles of the Process Owner and the Team

Member.

These two are the “hidden treasures” of each and every L6S project. Their knowledge of

the business is the most critical ingredient into the business process improvement recipe

that will be executed.

Trainers, when brought from outside of the company’s environment, especially when they

have hands-on experience of the actual deployment of a L6S initiative, are bringing very

valuable information and knowledge about how to support the company’s targets through

L6S and especially how to use the various tools (statistical and non-statistical ones) that

L6S can employ.

Another issue worth discussing from the questions for all roles is the successful (or not)

merging of Lean and Six Sigma. Although these two methodologies started totally

separated from each other, it was only a matter of time before practitioners think that they

could combine them and create something significantly larger than just the addition of two

similar ways of thinking. In real projects though, it is very common for a practitioner to

focus, even subconsciously, to one for these two, depending on the nature of the problem

in hand. Merging these two methodologies brings priceless knowledge and tools to exploit,

in order for a suitable solution to be reached and implemented.

Finally the need for top and middle management commitment into applying L6S cannot be

emphasized enough. Regardless the deployment that will be chosen for the L6S initiative,

in some point of it, management will need to offer its true and active support, in order for

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all Team Members, from the first to the last, to have an actual chance to deploy L6S as it

should be.

Deployment Manager

About Deployment Manager difficulties (Question #17)

Regarding the difficulties that a Deployment Manager is facing while performing his / her

activities during a L6S initiative, they were presented and described in the related

paragraph of the previous chapter.

The one that stands out as the primary difficulty was agreeing with top management the

expected results from the L6S program. This agreement occurs during the setup of the

initiative, but it is revisited during the program, especially when the whole L6S philosophy

is something entirely new for the organization and top management is not entirely sure

what to expect from it.

Another important issue here is the lack of operational targets on behalf of the top

management or, at least, of clear strategic directions that the company is following. This

lack of strategic aims makes the alignment and the subsequent agreement between top

management and Deployment Manager even more difficult.

Therefore, a critical first step for a company starting a L6S initiative, is a clear strategic

positioning and targeting. This way, L6S initiative will serve not only as a problem solving

method, but also as a strongly positive enabler for these strategic aims to be achieved.

Project Manager

About resource management (Question #20)

Being an issue that each and every Project Manager is constantly facing into any project,

when it comes into a L6S project, resource management has an additional difficulty.

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In most cases, a L6S program is an internal one, which means that, even in mature

companies it has somehow a second priority, comparing to the projects that are addressed

or are ordered by the clients. This also affects the resources that will be deployed for the

program in the sense that the very same resources will potentially be assigned to another

project, if they are required for any reason by it.

Therefore, the main concern of resource management, as it was described by the PAs that

have been assigned the Project Manager role, is that resources, especially the highly

specialized ones, are not easy to be assigned into internal projects and whey they do, it is

rather easy to reassign them to a client project. This is an issue especially in the cases where

resources are subject matter experts, whose opinion and knowledge is highly required for

the successful completion of the L6S project. The solution to this issue is either to assign

these resources into the L6S with high availability, or make sure that the whole project

organization will make the necessary projections about their availability in advance,

therefore tasks will be reorganized in order for these resources to provide their services

when they are available.

Unfortunately, what happens most of the times when it comes to the Hellenic market, and,

according to the author’s experience, is that these resources are continuously reassigned,

resulting to a chaos when it comes to the actual work that they can do, not only for the

project but for the organization in general.

In companies with high maturity though, this is not happening. In these cases, even highly

valuable resources are dedicated for as long as it needs to the L6S project, with the highest

possible percentage of their time and there are safeguards, in the form of a Project Manager,

or even a Champion, that will make sure that the flow of the project will be not interrupted.

About measurements management (Question #21)

In L6S terminology, measurements are quantitative or qualitative that can be converted to

a quantitative set of data. They are produced either manually (someone creates and collects

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them even handwritten) or, in more advanced cases, with a totally automated infrastructure

of systems that even put timestamps automatically.

Measurements are describing the process’ behavior in a numerical way and that is why they

are so important to the L6S Project Manager.

Having measurements in place, of course, does not mean that they are correct or that they

are collected the right way or even that can be trusted. There is a specific series of methods

in L6S, titled Measurement System Analysis, which deals with situations where there is an

indication that the available measurements are not the right ones

Therefore, it is not rare that one of the first improvements that a Project Manager proposes

is to establish a mechanism which will create and collect the said measurements, in order

for them to be processed.

The measurements issue that was raised, as a result of the question, has a potential remedy:

the creation of small, at first, infrastructure of producing and collecting measurements, in

order for the company to start familiarizing itself with the culture of measuring

performance.

About soft skills vs. hard skills (Question #24)

Although having both soft skills and hard skills seems like the ideal solution, in the real

world this is something that an individual can acquire after years of training and experience

on projects.

The training to acquire the L6S hard skills is not difficult here, although the individual must

have a certain background in statistics, before he / she engages into that.

The real difficulty is to use the soft skills required. One does not have only to be trained to

them, but be able to use them in the context of projects and company operations in general.

That’s why it is highly recommended that a L6S Project Manager should possess not only

the hard skills required for the job, but also to have years of experience as a Project

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Manager, running significant and demanding projects, before he / she embarks into a L6S

project, leading it.

Moreover, another factor that influences the required mixture of hard and soft skills for the

Project Managers, is the maturity of the company. When this is high enough, which means

that the company embraces the L6S initiative, the job of the Project Manager is more

demanding on the hard skills side. When the opposite is true, Project Manager finds himself

/ herself very often in the position to exploit the soft skills set, in order for the project to be

executed as planned.

About statistical vs. non-statistical tools (Question #25)

This is closely connected to questions #21 and #24. When the measurement mechanism is

in place, which means that correct data exist and they are collected correctly, statistical

tools can be a very effective way to reveal the truth behind the numbers and provide

solutions to the problem in hand. In this case, statistical tools, which are into the very heart

of L6S, are playing a very important role, if not the first.

In the case where measurements are not the proper ones and until the measurement’s

mechanism is in place producing results, Project Managers have to rely on non-statistical

tools, which may consist a powerful set, but, to the author’s opinion, they are not the big

advantage of the L6S as a philosophy.

Therefore, through training and experience, both sets of tools must be acquired and

mastered, but it depends on the specific project whether statistical or non- statistical tools

will be deployed in order for the project to be fruitful. The most mature case would be that

the results of using non-statistical tools can be confirmed and expanded using the statistical

ones, fully exploiting the power of L6S for finding the most suitable solution for the

problem in hand.

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Process Owner

About actual process improvement (Question #33)

Regarding this question, a number of reasons on why Process Owners could not think that

there was actual improvement on the process of their responsibility is already detailed on

the related paragraph.

The potential solution to these root causes is Communication. But not only communication

between the Project Manager and the Process Owner, but also a detailed Communication

Plan, with the Project Manager as owner, which has the sole purpose to get everybody

involved onboard with the targets of the project, making them active and willing members

of the team and not strand them and make them feel that the project is something that it

going to happen outside their sphere of influence, although that could be true from time to

time.

Communications channels is one of the most important parts of an improvement project

and the Project Manager should take close attention to manage it very carefully, in order

for it to be an advantage and not a liability for him / her and the project.

Trainer

About statistical and non-statistical tools comprehension (Questions #35 and #36)

Being closely connected to question #25, these are analyzed through the perspective of the

Trainer, where an interesting theme came up. It seems that non-statistical tools have

similar, if not lower, comprehension degree compared to the Statistical ones. This is a

paradox, which requires, as described into the respective paragraph, a more detailed

analysis, with a variety of data available. In general though, both statistical and non-

statistical tools are part of hard skills set.

Page | 80

All Roles

About Hellenic market sectors suitability and maturity (Questions #40 and #41)

Perhaps the most important questions in their category, these ones are dealing with what

PAs think about which market sectors in Hellas are suitable enough, therefore in theory

L6S is applicable to them, and mature enough, therefore in real life L6S is applicable to

them.

It seems that certain market sectors, like Health Care, Materials, Retail and Energy are

considered suitable but not mature enough for applying L6S.

The actions that could be taken in order to address this gap, would be one or more of the

following:

Conferences, even in the form of a business breakfast, to be organized from consulting

companies in order to increase the awareness of companies from these specific sectors

regarding L6S and its benefits

Articles and publications regarding approaches on L6S to these very sectors from other

countries

Consultants to offer pro bono work to companies from these sectors, in order to

promote L6S

Consulting companies create and execute a specialized marketing plan, targeting these

sectors, with all the best practices that have been successfully implemented in other

markets, in order for some pioneer companies to get started applying L6S.

Room for Improving Penetration

Apart from the points discussed in the previous section, there are some generic proposals

for improvement, regarding the Penetration, which are the following:

Page | 81

The actual penetration of L6S in Hellenic market is rather small, considering its

dynamics, even in times of economic crisis, like the current ones. Not a lot of

companies are exploiting it, but there are a lot of individuals that are trained and have

some, even small, experience into it. Moreover, there is a respectable amount of

certified individuals, which is hopeful, in order for the L6S to have a more promising

future in Hellenic market.

The deployment that most companies are choosing is the Targeted model or the Grass

Root model, which are the ones that immature companies are choosing, with (very)

slow percentages of expansion but also very little risk for the companies involved. That

could explain a lot regarding the given answers to some questions.

Consulting companies should be able to prove that L6S is not only for large companies

but it can be suitable even for middle size ones, as the respective question pointed out.

A usual mistake in applying L6S into a company is that the Deployment Manager (and

sometimes the Champion as well) are approaching the whole initiative as a L6S one. A

more indirect approach could possibly be more efficient, for example, instead of

labeling it as “Lean Six Sigma”, they could title it “Process Improvement using Lean

Six Sigma”.

Limitations and Further Research

Regarding the room for improvement on how this research could be more efficient and

complete, first its limitations have to be discussed:

This research was done within the scope of a dissertation, with all the limitations in

time and resources that this has

It focused on the Human factor of a L6S initiative, therefore it examines the initiative

from the prism of the roles that typically exist

It had a limited questionnaire, focusing on the human factor of a L6S initiative, It was

sent to 110 individuals, which, to the author’s knowledge, were complying with one of

more specific criteria

Page | 82

There were not weighting factors on each question, regarding its impact on the

Penetration

Having all these limitations in mind, the following list contains the proposed amendments

and discusses which conditions and with what benefits they could be fruitful:

Create a questionnaire based on aspects of the L6S Penetration, other than the Human

factor. The most efficient ones would be the purely managerial aspect, like how

thinking the L6S way could benefit problem solving, if not running an entire project,

along with the technical one, where some of the most profound tools of L6S should be

under the microscope, judged for their validity and efficiency in specific situations.

The research itself should be conducted from a 3rd party, a non-profit organization for

example, with no interest on promoting or demoting it. That way, a certain objectivity

could be assured, in order to make L6S, as a management philosophy, to be integrated

into the modern Hellenic market.

The questionnaire should be addressed to a much wider focus group, and not only to

those that, in one way or another, were directly involved or exposed to a L6S initiative,

even in a theoretic level, like a training seminar, for example. On the other hand, being

a methodology that addresses a wide spectrum of problems that an organization might

have, it should be open to critique from just about everyone that has something to say

on the areas that it covers.

Apart from the questionnaire itself, interviews with key people from the (still informal)

L6S community in the Hellenic market should be arranged, in order to give their insight

more deliberately, not limited from a set of questions.

Finally, the results of the Research should be presented in a conference, and have the

appropriate exposure to just about any interested party to see what L6S really is, not

something exotic or complicated with unnecessary tools or complex “lingo”. On the

contrary, L6S should be presented like it really is, a management philosophy, a problem

solving way of thinking with a tremendous amount of tools and capabilities to exploit

for just about any business problem possible.

Page | 83

References

BRYMAN, A. (2008a) “The end of the paradigm wars?”. London: Sage.

CHAKRABORTY, A. (2009). “An exploratory qualitative and quantitative analysis of Six

Sigma in service organizations in Singapore”, Management Research News. Available

from:

http://www.researchgate.net/publication/232907301_An_exploratory_qualitative_and_qu

antitative_analysis_of_Six_Sigma_in_service_organizations_in_Singapore [Accessed:

29th September 2015]

CHOUDHURY, A. (2011). “Are You Ready? How to Conduct a Maturity Assessment”

[Online]. Available from http://www.isixsigma.com/new-to-six-sigma/getting-started/are-

you-ready-how-conduct-maturity-assessment/ [Accessed: 30th June 2015]

IOWA OFFICE OF LEAN ENTEPRISE (2011), “Lean Six Sigma Deployment” [Online].

Available from http://slideplayer.com/slide/3199955/ [Accessed: 30th June 2015]

McCARTHY, M., ZUENDOKI, E. (2008), “Six Sigma Analysis, The Design and

Implementation”, Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Available from:

https://www.google.gr/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=

8&ved=0CCQQFjAAahUKEwj9pMuq7tXIAhUGfxoKHaU0Dho&url=https%3A%2F%

2Fwww.wpi.edu%2FPubs%2FE-project%2FAvailable%2FE-project-042308-

165608%2Funrestricted%2FSix_Sigma_Analysis.pdf&usg=AFQjCNG7NTi1J6lmHDn3

yotjN6OzX-M_hg&sig2=DPafyP63UyAPF1xzAsccxw [Accessed: 29th September 2015]

RIZWAN, Ali (2010) “Six Sigma And Developing Countries”, Quality Management and

Six Sigma, Abdurrahman Coskun (Ed.), ISBN: 978-953-307-130-5, InTech, Available

from: http://www.intechopen.com/books/quality-

management-and-six-sigma/six-sigma-and-developing-countries [Accessed: 29th

September 2015]

FENG, Q, Manuel, C. (2008) “Under the knife: Six Sigma programs in US health care

organizations”, International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, Available from:

Page | 84

http://www.researchgate.net/publication/23570208_Under_the_knife_A_National_survey

_of_Six_Sigma_programs_in_US_health_care_organizations?enrichId=rgreq-482599a8-

ced5-482d-8a6d-

09df64e33ae0&enrichSource=Y292ZXJQYWdlOzIzNTcwMjA4O0FTOjk5NDk1NDUw

Nzc1NTY1QDE0MDA3MzI5NzI2MjM%3D&el=1_x_3 [Accessed: 29th September

2015]

VOEHL, F. (2014). “The Lean Six Sigma Black Belt Handbook”. Boca Raton, Florida,

USA: CRC Press.

Page | 85

Glossary

Term / Abbreviation Meaning

L6S Lean Six Sigma

DMAIC Define – Measure – Analyze – Improve – Control

DMADV Define – Measure – Analyze – Design - Verify

CEO Chief Executive Officer

COO Chief Operations Officer

TQM Total Quality Management

Page | 86

Appendix

QUESTIONNAIRE

Demographics

Question

01. Participant Full Name (Last Name, First Name)

Type / Values

Free Text

Question02. Current Job Position

Type / ValuesFree Text

Question03. Current Company


Question04. Age Group

Type / ValuesSingle choice:

1. 18-24

2. 25 - 34

3. 35 - 44

4. 45 - 54

5. 55 - 64

6. 65 - 74

Page | 87

7. 75 or older

Question05. Education


1. High School Graduate

2. Bachelor's Degree

3. Master's Degree

4. Doctorate's Degree

5. Other (<Free Text>)

Question06. In either past or the present, have you fulfilled one or more of the following Roles for a

Lean Six Sigma (L6S) Program into your Organization or a Client's Organization? (please,

indicate more than one, if this is the case)

Type / ValuesMultiple choices:

1. Champion

2. Deployment Manager

3. Project Manager

4. Team Member

5. Process Owner

6. Trainer


Question07. Certification Title

Type / ValuesMultiple choices:

1. L6S Master Black Belt, from a 3rd Party Certification Body

Page | 88

2. L6S Master Black Belt, from an Organization / Company

3. L6S Black Belt from a 3rd Party Certification Body

4. L6S Black Belt, from an Organization / Company

5. L6S Green Belt, from a 3rd Party Certification Body

6. L6S Green Belt, from an Organization / Company

7. L6S Yellow Belt, from a 3rd Party Certification Body

8. L6S Yellow Belt, from an Organization / Company

9. No Certification Title

Question08. If you have a Certification Title from a 3rd Party Certification Body, which one of the

following was it?


1. ASQ (American Society of Quality)

2. IASSC (International Association for Six Sigma Certification)

3. Six Sigma Council

4. Online Certification


Role: Champion

Question09. As a Champion, have you received any Training on the duties that this role comprises?


1. Yes (Formal / Official Training that led into a Certification)

2. Yes (Formal Training that did not lead into a Certification)

3. Yes (Informal Training / Awareness Presentation)

4. No


Impact

Page | 89

If Yes (either one of them), there is a positive impact on Penetration, otherwise there is a

negative impact on Penetration

Answer / Impact1. Yes (Formal / Official Training that lead

into a Certification)

POSITIVE (↑)2. Yes (Formal Training that did not led into

a Certification)

3. Yes (Informal Training / Awareness

Presentation)

4. No NEGATIVE (↓)5. Other DEPENDS ON THE CONTENT

RationaleIn case a training was conducted for the role of Champion, especially if it led to a

certification, that signifies a higher maturity of the organization and a positive impact on the

Penetration is noted.

Question10. In a scale from 1 (Very Easy) to 5 (Very Difficult), could you rank the difficulties

presented on aligning operational level L6S projects with the strategic level business

objectives?

Type / ValuesRanking (1 - Very Easy to 5 - Very Difficult)

ImpactThe lower the number, the more positive the impact on the Penetration.

Answer / Impact1 - Very Easy

POSITIVE (↑)2 - Easy

3 - Neutral NEUTRAL (-)4 - Difficult

Page | 90

5 - Very Difficult NEGATIVE (↓)

RationaleDifficulties on aligning operational level L6S projects with the strategic level business

objectives have a negative impact on the Penetration


presented on providing all the necessary resources for the L6S program to be implemented

efficiently?






NEGATIVE (↓)5 - Very Difficult

RationaleDifficulties on providing all the necessary resources for the L6S program to be

implemented have a negative impact on the Penetration


presented on removing all the roadblocks that potentially rise the success of the L6S

program?



Page | 91





RationaleDifficulties on removing all the roadblocks that potentially rise the success of the L6S

program have a negative impact on the Penetration


presented on communicating to top management the necessity and / or the course of the L6S

program and its results?







RationaleDifficulties on communicating to top management the necessity and / or the course of the

L6S program and its results have a negative impact on the Penetration

Question

Page | 92

14. In a scale from 1 (Very Easy) to 5 (Very Difficult), could you rank the difficulties

presented on inspiring and motivating the L6S projects team(s) and get the best out of them,

in terms of work performance?







RationaleDifficulties on inspiring and motivating the L6S projects team(s) and get the best out of them,

in terms of work performance, have a negative impact on the Penetration


presented on being able to achieve results with minimal or no errors, while monitoring the

entire execution phase of the L6S Program?







Page | 93

RationaleDifficulties on being able to achieve results with minimal or no errors, while monitoring the

entire execution phase of the L6S program, have a negative impact on the Penetration

Question16. Were there any other difficulties you faced having the role of Champion?


ImpactDEPENDS ON THE CONTENT

Answer / Impact

Rationale

Role: Deployment Manager

Question17. Being the Program Manager essentially for the deployment of L6S across the

Organization, which were the major difficulties you faced?

Type / ValuesMultiple Choices

1. Agreeing with top management the targeted results from the L6S program

2. Engage the project teams

3. Provide the necessary coaching to Project Managers (Black Belts, Green Belts)

4. Acquiring the necessary knowledge for performing duties (Soft and / or Hard Skills)


ImpactThe more of the previous, the more negative the impact on the Penetration. If none is applied,

the impact on Penetration is positive, otherwise the impact is negative.

Answer / Impact

Page | 94

0 POSITIVE (↑)>= 1 NEGATIVE (↓)

RationaleWhen several of the difficulties apply, significant obstacles appear, which in turn result to a

negative impact on the Penetration

Question18. In a scale from 1 (Less Critical) to 5 (Very Critical) and on average, could you rank how

important soft skills that a L6S Deployment Manager should have, are?

Type / ValuesRanking (1 - Less Critical to 5 - Very Critical)

ImpactThe more important soft skills are, the more negative the impact on the Penetration

Answer / Impact

1 - Less CriticalPOSITIVE (↑)

2 - Somehow Less Critical

3 - Medium Criticality NEUTRAL (-)

4 - Somehow CriticalNEGATIVE (↓)

5 - Very Critical

RationaleIf soft skills are critical, there is a certain difficulty on the implementation of a L6S program,

therefore a negative impact on the Penetration

Question19. In a scale from 1 (Less Critical) to 5 (Very Critical) and on average, could you rank

how important hard skills for fulfilling the duties of Deployment Manager are?

Type / ValuesRanking (1 - Less Critical to 5 - Very Critical)

ImpactThe more critical they are, the more negative the impact on the Penetration.

Answer / Impact

Page | 95

1 - Less CriticalPOSITIVE (↑)2 - Somehow Less Critical

3 - Medium Criticality NEUTRAL (-)

4 - Somehow CriticalNEGATIVE (↓)

5 - Very Critical

RationaleIf hard skills are critical, there is a certain difficulty on the implementation of a L6S

program, therefore a negative impact on the Penetration

Role: Project Manager

Question20. In a scale from 1 (Very Easy) to 5 (Very Difficult) and on average, could you rank how

difficult it was to gather, use and monitor the necessary Resources, in order for the L6S

Project to be efficiently implemented?


ImpactThe higher the number, the more negative the impact on the Penetration.





RationaleWhen Project Manager faces difficulties, there is a negative impact on the Penetration

Question

Page | 96

21. In a scale from 1 (Very Easy) to 5 (Very Difficult) and on average, could you rank how

difficult it was to gather and analyze the necessary measurements, in order for the L6S

Project to be efficiently implemented?







RationaleWhen Project Manager faces difficulties, there is a negative impact on the Penetration

Question24. In general, how important are soft skills (like negotiation, project management, etc.)

compared to hard skills (like statistics, process mapping, etc.), when it comes to their usage

into a L6S Project?

Type / ValuesRanking (1 - Soft Skills to 5 - Hard Skills)

1: Strongly towards Soft Skills

2. Somehow towards Soft Skills

3. In between Soft Skills and Hard ones

4. Somehow towards Hard Skills

5. Strongly towards Hard Skills

ImpactIf both sets of skills are important, then there is a negative impact on the Penetration.

Answer / Impact

1 - Strongly towards Soft Skills POSITIVE (↑)

Page | 97

2 - Somehow towards Soft Skills

3. In between Soft Skills and Hard ones NEGATIVE (↓)

4 - Somehow towards Hard Skills

POSITIVE (↑)5 - Strongly towards Hard Skills

RationaleIf both sets of Skills are important, that signifies a negative impact on Penetration, because

both have to exist, in order for a successful L6S project to be executed.

Question25. In general, how important are non-statistical tools (like process mapping, FMEA, etc.)

compared to statistical tools (Descriptive Statistics, ANOVA, etc.), when it comes to their

usage into a L6S Project?

Type / ValuesRanking (1 - Non-Statistical Tools to 5 - Statistical Tools)

1: Strongly towards Non-Statistical Tools

2. Somehow towards Non-Statistical Tools

3. In between Non-Statistical Tools and Statistical ones

4. Somehow towards Statistical Tools

5. Strongly towards Statistical Tools

ImpactIf both sets of tools are important, then there is a negative impact on the Penetration.

Answer / Impact1 - Strongly towards Non-Statistical Tools

POSITIVE (↑)2 - Somehow towards Non-Statistical Tools

3 - In between Non-Statistical Tools and

Statistical onesNEGATIVE (↓)

4 - Somehow towards Statistical Tools POSITIVE (↑)

Page | 98

5 - Strongly towards Statistical Tools

RationaleIf both sets of tools are important, that signifies a negative impact on the Penetration, because

both have to exist in order for a successful L6S project to be executed.

Question26. What is your preferable application for conducting statistical analysis?

Type / ValuesSingle choice

1. Minitab

2. SAS

3. XLSTAT for MS Excel

4. STRATA

5. R


ImpactThe preferred application for either statistical analysis or process mapping is stating the

level of maturity within an Organization

Answer / ImpactAll choices, except Other

POSITIVE (↑)Other, in case of MS Excel

No choice selected NEGATIVE (↓)

RationaleIf the selected application is a specialized one (like Minitab or SAS), that potentially signifies

a higher level of maturity, when it comes to statistical analysis, therefore there is a positive

impact on the Penetration

Question27. What is your preferable application for performing the process mapping?

Type / ValuesSingle choice

Page | 99

1. MS Visio

2. BizSmart

3. ARIS


ImpactThe preferred application for either statistical analysis or process mapping is stating the level

of maturity within an organization

Answer / Impact1. MS Visio

POSITIVE (↑)2. BizSmart or 3. ARIS


RationaleIf the preferred application is a specialized one (like ARIS), that potentially signifies a

higher level of maturity, when it comes to process mapping, therefore there is a positive

impact on Penetration

Role: Team Member

Question28. In general, do you feel that your contribution on selecting the improvements to be

implemented, was used?

Type / ValuesRanking (1 - Not at all to 5 - Significantly)

ImpactThe higher the felt contribution, the more positive the impact on the Penetration

Answer / Impact1 - Not at all

NEGATIVE (↓)2 - A little

3 - Neutral NEUTRAL (-)4 - Somehow

POSITIVE (↑)5 - Significantly

Rationale

Page | 100

If the Team Member felt that his / her contribution was used, he / she would be more

receptive, if not eager, to join another L6S project in the future, hence there is a positive


Question29. In general, do you feel that the actual results of the L6S Project did improve the

performance of the process(es) they were used upon?


ImpactThe higher the felt improvement, the more positive the impact on the Penetration.





RationaleIf the Team Member felt that the actual results of the L6S project did improve the

performance of the process(es) they were used upon, he / she would be more receptive, if not

eager, to join another L6S project in the future, hence there is a positive impact on the

Penetration

Question30. In general, do you feel that the whole concept of L6S, as a management framework for

everyday's operations, is useful?


ImpactThe more the felt usefulness, the more positive the impact on the Penetration

Answer / Impact

Page | 101

1 - Not at allNEGATIVE (↓)

2 - A little



RationaleIf the Team Member felt that the whole concept of L6S, as a management framework for

everyday's operations is useful, he / she would be more receptive, if not eager, to join another

L6S project in the future, hence there is a positive impact on the Penetration.

Role: Process Owner

Question31. In case the decision for the Project was taken on a higher level than yours, were you

notified early enough for the upcoming Project?

Type / ValuesSingle Choice

1. Yes

2. No

ImpactIf the answer is No, that has a negative impact on the Penetration.

If the answer is Yes, that has a positive impact on the Penetration.

Answer / Impact1. Yes POSITIVE (↑)2. No NEGATIVE (↓)

RationaleIn the case of an early enough notification, the Process Owner had the time to prepare,

therefore the possibilities of success for the L6S Project were increased. That, in turn, is

equivalent to a positive impact on the Penetration. The opposite is the case of a not early

enough notification.

Page | 102

Question32. If NO, how much, from scale for 1 (Not at all) to 5 (Significantly), did this affect the

results of the L6S Project?


ImpactThe higher the impact on the results of the L6S project, the more negative the impact on the

Penetration


POSITIVE (↑)2 - A little


NEGATIVE (↓)5 - Significantly

RationaleIf the Process Owner was not notified early enough, but that had no impact on the success

of L6S project, the impact is not negative on the Penetration.

Question33. On average, did you feel that the improvement occurred on the Process, because of the

L6S project, increased its performance and end results?


ImpactThe higher the ranking number, the more positive the impact on the Penetration.





Page | 103

RationaleIf the Process Owner felt that the improvements were significant, that has a positive impact

on the Penetration. The opposite is the case when the Process Owner did not feel that there

was an improvement due to the L6S project.

Role: Trainer

Question34. Regarding the training sessions you have provided, do you know if they were focused

on specific projects or they were just for generic purposes?

Type / Values Both

Focused on specific project(s)

Generic purpose

Other

ImpactIf the Training was focused on specific project, that is equivalent to an increased positive

impact on the Penetration.

Answer / ImpactBoth or Focused on specific Project(s)

POSITIVE (↑)Generic purpose


RationaleIf training is focused on specific projects, that signifies an increased maturity within the

organization, therefore a higher impact on the Penetration.

Question35. In general, how difficult is for the average trainee to fully comprehend and apply

statistical tools in his / her everyday's work?


Page | 104






RationaleWhen statistical tools are not readily usable to every day work life, there is a negative impact

on the Penetration.

Question36. In general, how difficult is for the average trainee to fully comprehend and apply the non-

statistical tools in his / her everyday's work?







RationaleWhen non-statistical tools are not readily usable to every day work life, there is a negative


For All Roles

Page | 105

Question37. Considering that Lean is mainly addressing the wastes identification while Six Sigma is

focused on the control of the variation of processes, how successful do you think that the

merging of these two is, on addressing cost cutting, defects elimination and time delays

triptych?

Type / ValuesRanking (1 - The Not successful merging to 5 - Perfect merging)

ImpactThe better the merging, the more positive the impact on the Penetration

Answer / Impact1 - Not successful merging

NEGATIVE (↓)2 - Not really successful merging

3 - Neutral merging NEUTRAL (-)

4 - Somehow successful mergingPOSITIVE (↑)

5 - Perfect merging

RationaleIf the merging is successful, it is much easier and efficient to apply L6S into organizations,

hence there is a positive impact on the Penetration

Question38. From your experience, do you think that L6S is addressing successfully the targets in

the following lines and to what extent? [Cost Cutting]

Type / ValuesRanking (1 - Not addressing at all / totally irrelevant to 5 - Significantly impacts it)

ImpactThe higher the addressing factor, the more positive the impact on the Penetration

Answer / Impact1 - Not addressing at all / totally irrelevant

NEGATIVE (↓)2 - Not really addressing

3 - Neutral NEUTRAL (-)4 - Somehow addressing

POSITIVE (↑)5 - Significantly impact

Page | 106

RationaleIf the ranking is high in an important organizational target, that signifies a positive impact

on the Penetration


the following lines and to what extent? [Defects Elimination]








on the Penetration


the following lines and to what extent? [Increased Customer Satisfaction]





Page | 107




on the Penetration

Question38. From your experience, do you think that L6S is addressing successfully the targets in the

following lines and to what extent? [Resource Optimization]








on the Penetration

Question38. From your experience, do you think that L6S is addressing successfully the targets in the

following lines and to what extent? [Time Delays Minimization]



Page | 108






on the Penetration

Question39. In general, do you think that L6S is more suitable to Manufacturing and Production

environments or in Services environments?

Type / ValuesRanking (1 - Manufacturing and Production environments to 5 - Services environments)

1. Strongly towards Manufacturing and Production environments

2. Somehow towards Manufacturing and Production environments

3. Both Manufacturing / Production environments and Services ones

4. Somehow towards Services environments

5. Strongly towards Services environments

ImpactIf ranking is 3, it has a positive impact on the Penetration.

Every other ranking has a negative impact on the Penetration

Answer / Impact3. In between Manufacturing / Production

environments and Services onesPOSITIVE (↑)

Otherwise NEGATIVE (↓)

RationaleIf the answer is 3, this means that the Penetration is impacted positively due to the equal

possibility of L6S applied to both Manufacturing / Production environments and Services

ones.

Page | 109

Every other answer signifies that there is a notion for the applicability of L6S towards one

type of environment or the other, hence there is a negative impact on the Penetration.

Question40. Considering the Hellenic Market, which of the following Market Sectors do you think

are more SUITABLE for using L6S?

Type / ValuesMultiple Choices:

1. Energy

2. Financials / Insurance

3. Health Care

4. Industrials

5. Information Technology

6. Materials

7. Retail

8. Telecommunication Services

9. Utilities

10. Other (<Free text>)

ImpactThe more choices selected, the more positive the impact on the Penetration

Answer / ImpactCount = 0 NEGATIVE (↓)

Count >=1 POSITIVE (↑)

RationaleA market sector is suitable for applying L6S means that in theory its principles can be applied

to it. When several markets are considered suitable, that has a positive impact on the

Penetration, due to the increased possibilities of organizations applying it.

Question41. Considering the Hellenic Market, which of the following Sectors do you think are more

MATURE for using L6S?

Type / Values

Page | 110

Multiple Choices:

1. Energy

2. Financials / Insurance

3. Health Care

4. Industrials

5. Information Technology

6. Materials

7. Retail

8. Telecommunication Services

9. Utilities


ImpactThe more choices selected, the more positive impact on the Penetration

Answer / Impact

Count = 0 NEGATIVE (↓)

Count >=1 POSITIVE (↑)

RationaleA market sector is mature for applying L6S means that considering the current circumstances

in Hellenic market in general, its principles can be applied to it. When several Market sectors

are considered mature, that has a positive impact on Penetration, due to the increased

possibilities of organizations applying it.

Question43. On what size of companies / organizations do you think that a typical L6S program has

more possibilities of success?

Type / ValuesMultiple Choices:

1. Very Big

2. Large

3. Middle

4. Small

5. Very Small

Page | 111


ImpactThe more of them applied, the more positive the impact on the Penetration

Answer / Impact

Count = 0 NEGATIVE (↓)Count >0 AND Count <=3

POSITIVE (↑)Count >3

RationaleWhen L6S is considered applicable to multiple sizes of organizations that has a positive

impact on the Penetration. On the other hand, when it is considered applicable to just a few

sizes, it has a negative impact on the Penetration.

Question44. In a scale from 1 to 5, how pivotal to the achievement of end result do you think that each

Role is: [Champion]

Type / ValuesRanking (1 - Not really important to 5 - The most essential Role of all)

ImpactThe more important a role, the more positive is the impact on the Penetration.

Answer / Impact1 - Not really important

NEGATIVE (↓)2 - Less important

3 - Neutral NEUTRAL (-)4 - Somehow important

POSITIVE (↑)5 - The most essential Role of all

RationaleThis is the importance that participants feel that each role has on the deployment of a L6S

program, hence on the Penetration itself.

Question

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44. In a scale from 1 to 5, how pivotal to the achievement of end result do you think that

each role is: [Deployment Manager]








program, hence the Penetration itself.

Question44. In a scale from 1 to 5, how pivotal to the achievement of end result do you think that

each role is: [Project Manager]







Rationale

Page | 113

This is the importance that participants feel that each role has on the deployment of a L6S

program, hence the Penetration itself.


each role is: [Team Member]


ImpactThe more important a role, the more positive is the impact on the Penetration






program, hence the Penetration itself


each role is: [Process Owner]


ImpactThe more important a role, the more positive is the impact on the Penetration



3 - Neutral NEUTRAL (-)

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4 - Somehow importantPOSITIVE (↑)

5 - The most essential Role of all




each role is: [Trainer]


ImpactThe more important a role, the more positive the impact on the Penetration







Question45. Is there anything else you would like to add, regarding the topic of the overall

Research?


ImpactDEPENDS ON THE CONTENT

Answer

Page | 115

Points

Rationale

business process improvement using lean six sigma_the hellenic reality

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