Lean and Six Sigma have been implemented for many years and organizations have benefited from both methodologies. With Six Sigma, corporations have reaped benefits in the billions of dollars. With lean, organizations have reported up to 90-percent reductions in space utilization and cycle-times. When organizations consider implementing improvement methodologies, Six Sigma and lean are among the tools they evaluate. Then, they decide which methodology will get rid of waste and improve profitability.

Observing several organizations’ decision-making processes, it’s interesting to see that some choose lean over Six Sigma, and others pick Six Sigma over lean. Some companies choose a combination—lean Six Sigma—and others wait for a miracle to solve their problems. Any organization trying to improve its finances or reduce waste must practice both principles, knowing that neither will be fully implemented as promised by a quality guru or consultants. To maximize benefits, companies must balance lean and Six Sigma.

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