Lean Six Sigma is Dead. Here's What Actually Works Instead.
What really reduces errors: Common sense and simple tools. This 3-day process beats 6-month Six Sigma projects every time.
Lean Six Sigma is Dead. Here's What Actually Works Instead.
I have a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certification.
Cost: $15,000
Time invested: 6 months
Times I've used it: Zero
Current value: Less than the paper it's printed on
Meanwhile, last week I fixed a client's 40% error rate with a checklist and a shared spreadsheet. Took 3 days.
Here's why Lean Six Sigma fails and what actually works.
The Lean Six Sigma Industrial Complex
Every year, companies spend billions on Lean Six Sigma:
- Consultants who speak in acronyms (DMAIC, SIPOC, FMEA)
- Belts that mean nothing (Green, Black, Master Black)
- 200-slide PowerPoints about "methodology"
- Statistical analysis nobody understands
- 6-month projects to fix 3-day problems
The dirty secret: 75% of Six Sigma projects fail or deliver no measurable benefit.
Why I Got Certified (And Why I Regret It)
2018: Company sends me to Black Belt training.
Week 1: Statistics that would make a PhD cry
Week 2: Software nobody in real life uses
Week 3: Frameworks for frameworks
Week 4: How to run a "Kaizen event" (fancy word for "meeting")
Week 5: Project that took longer than just fixing the problem
Final exam: Multiple choice about standard deviations
What I never learned: How to actually fix anything
The Six Sigma Project That Opened My Eyes
The Official Six Sigma Way:
Company had invoicing errors. Launched DMAIC project.
Define Phase (Month 1):
- 15 stakeholder meetings
- 47-page project charter
- SIPOC diagram nobody understood
- $30K in consultant fees
Measure Phase (Month 2):
- Collected 10,000 data points
- Built statistical models
- Argued about measurement systems
- Another $30K burned
Analyze Phase (Month 3):
- Fishbone diagrams
- Regression analysis
- Root cause hypothesis testing
- $30K more gone
Never got to Improve. Project cancelled. Problem still existed.
The Common Sense Way (3 Days Later):
Day 1: Watched 5 people process invoices. Found the problem: They were using different templates.
Day 2: Made one template. Added dropdown menus for common entries.
Day 3: Trained everyone. Added a checklist.
Result: Errors dropped 95%. Cost: $0. Time: 3 days.
The "Anti-Six Sigma" Method That Actually Works
Step 1: Watch the Work (Not the Data)
Six Sigma says: Analyze 10,000 data points
Reality says: Watch 5 people do the work
This is the same philosophy behind our business process mapping approach - observe reality, not the documented fantasy.
What you'll see in 1 hour of observation:
- Sarah skips step 3 (it's redundant)
- Mike does steps in different order (it's faster)
- Jennifer has a workaround (the system is broken)
- Nobody follows the SOP (it's outdated)
- Everyone has their own Excel tracker (official system sucks)
You just learned more than 6 months of statistical analysis would teach you.
Step 2: Ask "What Sucks?" (Not "Define the Problem")
Six Sigma says: Create problem statement with measurable metrics
Reality says: Ask workers "What sucks about this process?"
Actual answers I've gotten:
- "The form has 50 fields but we only use 5"
- "I have to log into 6 systems"
- "Nobody ever approves things on time"
- "The template is from 2015"
- "We email Excel files back and forth all day"
Fix those things. Problem solved.
Step 3: Fix It Today (Not in 6 Months)
Six Sigma says: Follow DMAIC rigorously
Reality says: If you can fix it today, fix it today
The "Can We Fix This Right Now?" Test:
- Is it a broken template? Fix it now.
- Is it a missing dropdown? Add it now.
- Is it an unnecessary approval? Delete it now.
- Is it a training issue? Train them now.
- Is it a communication problem? Create a Slack channel now.
80% of problems can be fixed same-day. The other 20% take a week, tops.
The Only "Lean" That Matters
Forget TIMWOOD, Value Stream Maps, and Takt Time.
Real lean is simple:
The Three-Question Lean Method
For every step in your process, ask:
"Would the customer pay for this?"
"Does this prevent a disaster?"
"Is this legally required?"
Everything else is waste. Delete it.
Real example from last month:
- Process had 47 steps
- Applied three questions
- 11 steps remained
- Time reduced from 3 hours to 20 minutes
- Quality actually improved (fewer chances for errors)
The Statistics That Actually Matter
Six Sigma obsesses over standard deviations and Cp/Cpk ratios.
Here are the only numbers that matter:
The Reality Metrics
Time: How long does it really take?
Errors: How many times do we screw up?
Cost: What does this cost per transaction?
Pain: How much do people hate this?
That's it. Track these four. Improve these four. Ignore everything else.
Don't need:
- Control charts
- Pareto analysis
- Regression models
- Hypothesis testing
- P-values
Do need:
- Stopwatch
- Error count
- Calculator
- Honest feedback
The Failures Nobody Talks About
GE: The Six Sigma Poster Child
GE spent 20 years as the Six Sigma champion.
- Trained thousands of Black Belts
- Spent billions on initiatives
- Made it core to their culture
Result: Stock price collapsed, company broken up, Six Sigma abandoned.
The Certification Scam
What Black Belt certification proves:
- You can memorize formulas
- You can sit through boring training
- You can make pretty PowerPoints
- Your company has money to waste
What it doesn't prove:
- You can fix problems
- You can think practically
- You can improve operations
- You can deliver results
The 3-Day Quality Fix That Beats Six Sigma
Day 1: Find the Pain
Morning: Watch the process happen 5 times
Afternoon: List everything that goes wrong
Before leaving: Pick the biggest pain point
Day 2: Fix the Pain
Morning: Design simplest possible fix
Afternoon: Test with real work
Before leaving: Adjust based on feedback
Day 3: Lock It In
Morning: Roll out to full team
Afternoon: Document with 1-page guide
Before leaving: Celebrate the win
Real results from this method:
- Law firm: Reduced contract errors by 85%
- Retailer: Cut inventory discrepancies by 90%
- Agency: Eliminated project overruns
- All in 3 days, not 6 months
What to Do Instead of Six Sigma
Instead of DMAIC, Use FIXIT
Find the problem (watch the work)
Identify the easiest fix
Xecute the fix today
Iterate if needed
Track if it worked
Total time: 1-3 days
Total cost: Usually $0
Success rate: 90%+
This practical approach aligns perfectly with our operational excellence framework - fix what's broken, automate what's repetitive, delete everything else.
Instead of Belts, Develop Skills
Don't get certified. Get capable.
Learn:
- How to observe work
- How to talk to frontline workers
- How to spot waste
- How to test solutions
- How to use basic tools (spreadsheets, forms, automation)
Instead of Projects, Run Experiments
Six Sigma project: 6 months, $100K, maybe works
Experiment: 3 days, $0, definitely learn something
The Experiment Template:
- Problem: [One sentence]
- Hypothesis: [What we think will fix it]
- Test: [Try for one week]
- Result: [Did it work?]
- Decision: [Keep, modify, or abandon]
This rapid experimentation approach works especially well with workflow optimization - test, measure, iterate in days instead of months.
The Uncomfortable Truth
Lean Six Sigma is a religion, not a methodology.
It has:
- Prophets (consultants)
- Sacred texts (DMAIC)
- Rituals (Kaizen events)
- Hierarchy (Belt system)
- Faith requirements (believe without evidence)
- Tithes (certification fees)
But like most religions, the promise of salvation rarely materializes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Lean Six Sigma actually work?
Six Sigma fails 75% of the time or delivers no measurable benefit. While it promises rigorous methodology, most projects get mired in 6-month DMAIC cycles, statistical analysis nobody understands, and change management that indicates people don't want the solution. Common sense fixes applied in 3 days consistently outperform Six Sigma's theoretical frameworks.
What should I use instead of Lean Six Sigma?
Use the FIXIT method: Find the problem by watching the work, Identify the easiest fix, eXecute the fix today, Iterate if needed, and Track if it worked. Takes 1-3 days with a 90%+ success rate. Replace complex methodologies with three simple questions: Would customers pay for this step? Does it prevent disaster? Is it legally required? If no to all three, delete it.
Do I need Six Sigma certification to improve processes?
No. Black Belt certification proves you can memorize formulas and sit through training, not that you can fix problems or deliver results. Instead, develop practical skills: how to observe work, talk to frontline workers, spot waste, test solutions quickly, and use basic tools like spreadsheets and automation.
How can I reduce errors without statistical analysis?
Watch the work happen 5 times to see where actual errors occur, ask workers "What sucks about this process?", then fix the easiest problems immediately. Track four simple metrics: Time (how long it takes), Errors (how many screw-ups), Cost (per transaction), and Pain (how much people hate it). Real results: 85-95% error reduction in 3 days.
What's wrong with DMAIC methodology?
DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control) turns 3-day problems into 6-month projects. Most projects never reach the Improve phase because they're stuck in analysis paralysis, stakeholder meetings, and documentation. If you can fix something today, fix it today—don't wait months for a framework to tell you the obvious solution.
How long should process improvement take?
Most quality problems can be fixed in 3 days: Day 1 to find the pain by watching the process, Day 2 to design and test the simplest fix, Day 3 to roll out and document with a 1-page guide. Real examples include reducing contract errors by 85%, cutting inventory discrepancies by 90%, and eliminating project overruns—all in 3 days, not 6 months.
Your Monday Morning Action Plan
8:00 AM: Pick your most error-prone process
9:00 AM: Watch it happen 5 times (don't analyze, just watch)
10:00 AM: Ask the people doing it: "What sucks?"
11:00 AM: Pick the easiest thing to fix
1:00 PM: Fix it
2:00 PM: Test the fix
3:00 PM: Refine based on feedback
4:00 PM: Roll it out
5:00 PM: Go home (you just beat a Six Sigma project by 179 days)
Stop Analyzing. Start Fixing.
Your business doesn't need Six Sigma. It needs common sense applied quickly.
You don't need statistical analysis. You need to watch the work.
You don't need a Black Belt. You need a brain and a bias for action.
Every day you spend in DMAIC meetings is a day you're not fixing problems.
Every dollar spent on certification is a dollar not spent on solutions.
Want to see the real numbers? Our ROI calculator shows you exactly how much money these quick fixes save versus traditional Six Sigma projects.
Cedar Operations fixes quality problems without the Six Sigma circus. If you're tired of methodologies and ready for results, let's fix your top 3 error-prone processes this week →
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