Harvesting The Benefits Of Both Lean And Six Sigma In IT
Variations and defect exist even in the IT industry. In a lot of instances, IT technology is usually the answer in reducing variations and defects. IT companies also have situations arise when they need to use methods of improvement like Six Sigma. Six Sigma is in demand with IT companies because it gives them a solid solution to grow their abilities and services.
The IT industry, like the manufacturing industry, is faced with a few challenges. The biggest problem is the length of the project. Projects take too long to complete beyond set deadlines. Not just the data oriented tools, but the lack of knowledge base in the industry is an area of concern. On some occasions, companies have not been able to utilize the DMAIC methodology properly for software development projects. Once the projects are completed, the teams disperse – and Six Sigma remains limited to that project itself.
The solution comes in the form of using Lean tools with Six Sigma. They are very complementary, especially in instances of high variations and wastes. These result in defects, which Six Sigma helps attack. It can be difficult to see where total wastes may be, but Lean can help with this.
A good way to improve is to use Lean tools and methods to identify what is creating the drawbacks. This is referred to as “leaning out” the processes, which in turn, makes it simpler to use the Six Sigma tools and concepts. Figuring out the causes of variation can be done using the Six Sigma tools. The end result is very good.
Analyzing a larger scope of the project allows movement towards cost reduction by seeing where quality is poor, thus lowering costs. There is not a one size fits all solution. With Lean and Six Sigma working together, problem areas are taken care of and overall success can be seen.
Filed under: Management