Lean & Six Sigma Foundations: 8‑Week Reading & Practice Journey

Welcome

Use this 8‑week journey to move from learning Lean and Six Sigma concepts to practicing them at work. Each week has a clear objective, brief suggested readings (10–30 minutes), a focused on‑the‑job task you can do with your team, simple success criteria, and a short reflection template to capture what you learned. The plan is intentionally lightweight so you can apply ideas immediately without classroom time. Pace it weekly, or compress it into shorter sprints for teams that prefer an intensive workshop approach.

How to use this journey

• Before you start, pick one small process or work area to focus on for the full 8 weeks (example: customer returns, a short production line, a service intake process).
• Allocate a 60–90 minute weekly block for reading, observation, and hands‑on practice. Invite one colleague or a coach to join critical weeks (Gemba, kaizen, A3).
• Record a simple baseline measure in Week 4 so you can see change. Use a tally, stopwatch, or simple defect count — whatever is practical.
• Use the reflection prompts at the end of each week to capture insights and next actions. Keep the reflections in a shared folder or the team’s improvement log.

Week-by-week plan

Week 1 — Lean principles and the value lens

Objective: Understand Lean’s core idea: maximize value for the customer by eliminating non‑value work.

Suggested short readings: A concise primer on Lean thinking or a short article that explains value, waste, and respect for people (10–20 minutes). Examples: an accessible article or the opening chapters of a Lean primer.

On‑the‑job task: Do a 1‑hour Gemba observation in the process you chose. Observe the workflow, where people wait, where materials pile up, and where rework happens. Take notes — no judgement, only facts.

Success criteria: You and at least one colleague can name three examples of value work and three examples of waste in the chosen process.

Reflection template (copy to your log):

• What did the customer truly value in this process?
• What wastes did we observe (transportation, waiting, defects, overproduction, inventory, motion, overprocessing, unused talent)?
• One small change to test next week:

Week 2 — Identifying the 8 wastes and mapping a single process

Objective: Learn the common categories of waste and create a simple process map for the chosen flow.

Suggested short readings: A 10–20 minute overview of the 8 wastes and a short how‑to on process mapping or swimlane mapping.

On‑the‑job task: Map one end‑to‑end process on a single sheet (sticky notes or whiteboard). Identify each step, who does it, inputs/outputs, and where waits or handoffs occur.

Success criteria: A visible process map with at least one identified waste hotspot and at least one owner for a follow‑up experiment.

Reflection template:

• What surprised you about the process flow?
• Where were the longest waits or most rework?
• Which step should we test changing first and why?

Week 3 — Flow, pull, and 5S basics

Objective: Improve flow by reducing interruptions and trial a basic 5S to reduce motion and defects.

Suggested short readings: Short article or chapter on flow and pull systems; a one‑page 5S checklist.

On‑the‑job task: Run a 30–60 minute 5S walk in the chosen area: sort, set in order, shine, standardize, sustain. Document before/after photos and remove one source of delay or poor ergonomics.

Success criteria: A tidier, safer workspace and one reduced interruption (fewer trips, quicker handoffs, or clearer material placement).

Reflection template:

• What did 5S make easier or faster?
• What small barriers remain to flow?
• Next small test to reduce interruptions:

Week 4 — Introduction to DMAIC and collecting baseline data

Objective: Learn the DMAIC problem‑solving structure and collect a simple baseline metric for the process.

Suggested short readings: One short overview of DMAIC and a brief primer on pragmatic measurement (run charts vs. averages).

On‑the‑job task: Define the problem statement, scope, and who the customer is. Collect 1–2 simple measures for a week (cycle time samples, defects per hour, or counts). Record results in a simple table or spreadsheet.

Success criteria: A clear problem statement and at least 10 data points (sample size depends on process) forming a simple run chart or table that shows baseline variability.

Reflection template:

• Problem statement (concise):
• Baseline metric(s) and what the data showed:
• Hypothesis about main causes (from observation):

Week 5 — Measurement basics and simple SPC (run chart)

Objective: Learn how to see variation and use a run chart to track changes over time.

Suggested short readings: Short guide on run charts and understanding common vs. special cause variation.

On‑the‑job task: Continue collecting the chosen metric and plot it as a run chart. Identify any obvious patterns or outliers. Add simple annotations (shifts, promotions, equipment issues) to explain variation.

Success criteria: A plotted run chart with at least two weeks of data and at least one interpreted pattern or special cause identified.

Reflection template:

• Any patterns seen (trends, runs, cycles)?
• Which variation is likely common cause vs. special cause?
• One measurement improvement for better data quality:

Week 6 — Root‑cause tools: 5 Whys and fishbone

Objective: Move from symptoms to root causes using 5 Whys and a fishbone (Ishikawa) diagram for one observed problem.

Suggested short readings: Two short walkthroughs: how to run a 5 Whys session and how to build a fishbone.

On‑the‑job task: Convene a short problem‑solving huddle and run a 5 Whys on a recurring defect or delay. Build a fishbone to capture categories and ideas. Identify one root cause you want to address experimentally.

Success criteria: A documented 5 Whys and fishbone with at least one agreed root cause and an owner for testing a countermeasure.

Reflection template:

• Root cause(s) identified:
• Evidence that supports this root cause:
• Countermeasure to test next week:

Week 7 — Design and run a small improvement experiment (PDCA / Kaizen)

Objective: Use Plan‑Do‑Check‑Act to test a low‑risk countermeasure and evaluate impact with simple data.

Suggested short readings: Brief explanation of PDCA (Plan‑Do‑Check‑Act) and a short kaizen example.

On‑the‑job task: Plan the experiment (who, what, where, when, how long), run it for a short trial period (one shift to one week depending on process), and capture the same metric used in Week 4–5 to measure effect.

Success criteria: Trial completed, with before/after comparison on the run chart and documented learnings (what worked, what didn’t, unintended consequences).

Reflection template:

• Plan summary (what we changed and why):
• Results (metric comparison):
• Decide: adopt, adapt, or abandon.

Week 8 — Standardize, share learnings, and plan the next cycle

Objective: Capture what worked in a one‑page standard work or A3-style summary and agree next steps to sustain improvement.

Suggested short readings: A short guide to standard work and a one‑page A3 template example.

On‑the‑job task: Create a one‑page standard work (steps, timing, checks) for the improved process and share it in a short team huddle. Document the improvement in a simple A3 or learning note and schedule a follow‑up review.

Success criteria: Standard work available at the point of use, at least one team member trained on it, and a follow‑up review scheduled.

Reflection template:

• What sustained change did we achieve?
• How will we ensure this becomes the new way of working?
• Next improvement area or deeper question to explore:

Additional guidance and tips

Tailor to your context: You may need to adjust the timeline or swap weeks (for example, run 5S earlier if the workspace prevents observation). The goal is repeated learning cycles, not strict calendar weeks.

Role recommendations: Team lead — sponsor and remove barriers; coach — guide with questions; participant — observe, test, and record results. Small teams (2–5 people) get traction quickly; larger groups should split into subteams with a common coach.

Short resource suggestions: For deeper study after the journey, consider foundational books and primers on Lean and Six Sigma, practical guides on value stream mapping, and brief case studies of small kaizen events. (This journey assumes only short, focused readings during the 8 weeks.)

Assessment and continuation

At the end of Week 8, run a short team review comparing baseline and post‑trial metrics, summarize what you learned, and choose either to scale the improvement or start a new 8‑week cycle focused on the next problem.

Reflection and learning capture (suggested template)

Use this one‑page template to capture the journey’s outcome: Problem, Baseline metric, Key experiments, Outcome, Standard work location, Next steps, Owner.

Coaching prompts for improving skills

• Ask at Gemba: What do you see that the data does not show?
• After an experiment: What surprised you most about the result?
• When standardizing: How will this change make the job easier or safer for the person doing the work?

Why this journey helps

Rather than teaching tools in isolation, this plan ties readings to immediate on‑the‑job practice, simple measurement, and repeated reflection. That combination reduces the risk of surface‑level knowledge and increases the chance your team will change how work actually gets done.

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