Lean Six Sigma Success Coaching is key to avoiding pitfalls that typically sink a well-intentioned program. Here’s a quick rundown on the Top 4 Reasons Why Lean Six Sigma Success Coaching Works.
A meta analysis of articles about Lean Six Sigma programs reveals that anywhere between 60% to 80% of projects fail due to under delivered financial results. Nearly all the articles failed to even mention projects focused on customer-centric results.
Lean Six Sigma Failure Meta Analysis
What did writers and researchers cite as the reasons why?
| Reason | Remedy |
| Penny pinching on expertise – cutting off vital resources and training too early. | Set realistic expectations on training, leverage train-the-trainer and software training supported by just-in-time instruction. |
| Lack of executive participation. | Move beyond “support” and roll up their sleeves to participate in project reviews, program reviews, and “inspecting what is expected.” |
| Stand alone effort running parallel to rather than in the business. | Integrate Lean Six Sigma goals with existing governance and motivational structures. |
| Team Size and Scope too big and too broad. | Start small with 5 to 7 member teams and go fast: scope projects to deliver successful outcomes in one, two quarters at most. |
These may have been the most common reasons, but our review of Lean Six Sigma success factors did find many more.
- Lack of senior management support and involvement
- Failure linking programs to financial objectives
- Insufficiently measuring results
- Misaligned implementation approach
- Lack of process owner support
Getting Max Value from a Lean Six Sigma Success Coaching Program
Our experience and additional research on why Lean Six Sigma Success Coaching works shows that extracting the maximum value and ROI on a Lean Six Sigma program is absolutely possible. In order to achieve Lean Six Sigma success, an organization’s leadership needs to align & manage three key pillars across the enterprise or business:
- Your training and certification effort
- Your program or governance discipline
- Your C-Suite leadership’s expectation setting
Not having these three execution areas aligned typically leads to misunderstanding about priorities, battles over resource contention, and poor financial outcomes. The importance, relevancy, and value of the Lean Six Sigma program must be simplified and demonstrated for all stakeholders.
Benefits of a Great Lean Six Sigma Success Coach
A good Lean Six Sigma Success Coach can help become the “aligning glue” between these super critical areas. He or she does this by:
- Providing best practices across all three areas to drive consistency, accountability, and urgency behind the needed work
- Providing feedback across all three areas in a consistent, persistent, and positive manner to keep stakeholders focused and delivering against expected outcomes
- Providing insights to directly link Lean Six Sigma project portfolio performance to key financial & customer results metrics that the C-suite cares about most.
- Coaching belt candidates, initiative leaders, C-suite executives along personal growth dimensions to maximize their personal and company impact.
A Few More Reasons Why a Lean Six Sigma Success Coaching Program Works
Here are some additional facts the may help underscore the importance of an orchestrated and aligned Lean Six Sigma Success Coaching program.
- Wrong implementation approach or roll-out of the program company-wide. The Lean Six Sigma Program is often well-intentioned, but little thought is given to it’s introduction across all levels of the organization. Additionally, leaders may not connect dots between the program and key initiatives already underway.
- Emphasis on training the whole methodology and not providing enough time to do the project. One researcher found that much of what you learn in class can be forgotten if you don’t apply it within the next three days.
- Lack of process owner support. So much excitement and interest in the new program overshadows the teams already working in “areas of improvement interest.” This can often lead to competing agendas and occasional reluctance on behalf of the people working “in the process.” Alignment and motivation are key success factors in this situation.
Lean Six Sigma Success Coaching – Informal Meta Analysis
A quick look at the most recent articles on Lean Six Sigma Failures highlighted the following often cited but vaguely reported “causal” factors.
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Should you want to dig in more, here’s a list of references used in pulling together the information on this page.
References:
https://www.binghamton.edu/news/story/1018/lessons-from-lean-six-sigma-failures
https://www.sixsigmadaily.com/understanding-leads-six-sigma-project-failures/
https://www.panorama-consulting.com/lean-six-sigma-failures/
https://www.cbisco.com.au/top-10-reasons-lean-six-sigma-projects-fail/
https://www.qimacros.com/lean-six-sigma-articles/process-paradox/
In summary, running a Successful Lean Six Sigma Program is highly possible. Addressing key success factors along with a strong, experienced coach, can make the difference between a Lean Six Sigma Success that works and one that ends up in the pile of failed initiatives.