Lean Six Sigma Processes - MIT Course Notes

 

Lecture Notes

In this course, some subtopics are covered by the instructor and some subtopics are covered by students. The projects listed below are presented courtesy of and used with the permission of the students named.

LEC #	TOPICS	SUBTOPICS	Presenter(s)
Part I: Foundations
1	Welcome and Overview Lean Thinking	Course Syllabus and Expectations Class Experience with Lean/Six Sigma Historical Perspective on Lean/Six Sigma Lean Thinking (PDF) Mass and Lean in Historical Context Exercises (Seven Wastes, 5S's, Work Cell Redesign) Value Stream Maps and Knowledge-Driven Continuous Improvement (PDCA) Infrastructure, Stability, Flow and Pull	Prof. Joel Cutcher-Gershenfeld
2	Six Sigma Principles Systems Change Principles	Six Sigma Principles (PDF) Variance and Variance Reduction DMIAC Process - y=f(x) Six Sigma Measurement Tools Systems Change Principles (PDF) Stakeholders and Systems OD Roles Strategy, Structure and Process "Top-Down" and "Bottom-Up" Change Socio-Technical Dynamics (PDF)	Prof. Joel Cutcher-Gershenfeld
3	"Pre-Stability" Considerations	"Brownfield"/"Greenfield" Contrast (PDF) Active and Passive Opposition to Lean/Six Sigma (PDF) Inadequate or Missing "Social Infrastructure" - Forums, Capabilities, Relationships	Prof. Joel Cutcher-Gershenfeld
Part II: Stability
4	Team-Based, Knowledge-Driven Work Systems	Team/Work Group Structure and Roles - Socio-Tech vs Lean Teams (PDF) "Front-Line Leadership Capability and Motivation" by Craig Abler and Thomas Neal (PDF) Knowledge-Driven Work (PDF)	Prof. Joel Cutcher-Gershenfeld Craig Abler and Thomas Neal
5	Manufacturing Stakeholder Alignment	Support Function Alignment (PDF) "Supply Chain Alignment" by Kevin Lennox and Dave Penake (PDF) Union-Management Partnership (PDF - 1.7MB)	Prof. Joel Cutcher-Gershenfeld Kevin Lennox and Dave Penake
6	In-Station Process Control and Standardized Work	"Standardized Work" by Jessica Dolak and Ben Lathrop (PDF) Statistical Process Control and "Control Points" Andon Response Systems "PDCA and Control Point Improvement Processes" by Jeremy Weinstein and Steve Vasovski (PDF)	Jessica Dolak and Ben Lathrop Jeremy Weinstein and Steve Vasovski
7	Total Productive Maintenance and Standardized Support	5S's and Waste Walks "Preventive Maintenance Principles" by Scott Couzens and Scott Hiroshige (PDF) Lean Machine Tooling Maintenance/Skilled Trades Work Groups	Scott Couzens and Scott Hiroshige
Part III: Flow
8	Value Streams	"Assembly Operations - Takt Time" by Colin Ducharme and Todd Ruddick (PDF) "Machining Operations - Cycle Time" by Tamboura Gaskins and Sean Holly (PDF) "Continuous Flow Operations" by Bret Awbrey and Jacob Silber (PDF) Engineering Design Operations Service Operations - Cycle Time "Sustainability and Lean/Six Sigma" by Todd Robinson and Kerry Person (PDF - 1.0MB)	Colin Ducharme and Todd Ruddick Tamboura Gaskins and Sean Holly Bret Awbrey and Jacob Silber Neil Bar, Todd Robinson and Kerry Person
9	Material Flow	Kanban/Supply Chain Sequencing "Presentation of Parts and Parts Marketplace" by Min Shao and Jason Kary (PDF) "Hejunka/Product Leveling" by Amy Reyner and Kweku Fleming (PDF)	Min Shao and Jason Kary Amy Reyner and Kweku Fleming
10	Knowledge and Information Flow	"Kaizen-Teian Improvement Systems" by Yue Cathy Chang and Johnson Wu (PDF) "Hoshin Planning/Policy Deployment" by Ian MacDonald and Howard Shen (PDF - 1.7 MB) Enterprise Resource Planning Tools Design for Manufacture "Performance Metric Feedback" by Krishnan Raghunathan and Linsey Rubenstein (PDF)	Yue Cathy Chang and Johnson Wu Ian MacDonald and Howard Shen Krishnan Raghunathan and Linsey Rubenstein
Part IV: Pull
11	Customer "Pull" Systems Auto Industry	Forecast "Push," Customer "Pull," and Hybrid Models by Bruce Pan and Nicholas Svensson (PDF) The Three-Day Car	Bruce Pan and Nicholas Svensson
12	Aerospace Industry Customer Support Operations	Low Volume and High Complexity in Defense Aerospace Fujitsu "Sense and Respond" Customer Support System	Prof. Joel Cutcher-Gershenfeld
Part V: Enterprise
13	Transitions from "Pre-Stability" to Stability to Flow to Pull (#13), and Lean Enterprise Alignment Principles (#14)	Within-Function and Cross-Functional Challenges in the Transitions from "Pre-Stability" to Stability to Flow to Pull Lean Enterprise Alignment (PDF) Enterprise Structure and Alignment Value Identification, Value Proposition and Value Delivery in the Enterprise Context Concluding Course Overview	Prof. Joel Cutcher-Gershenfeld
14	Ready, Set, Go	LFM Alumni Panel
15	Lean Simulation	A Simulation Exercise Designed to Illustrate Lean Principles in Manufacturing Operations (PDF 1 of 4 - 1.2 MB) (PDF 2 of 4 - 1.3 MB) (PDF 3 of 4 - 1.4 MB) (PDF 4 of 4 - 1.7 MB)	Prof. Joel Cutcher-Gershenfeld