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Lean Six Sigma Visually

Visual Thinking for Lean Six Sigma

If you want everyone to have the same mental model of a problem, the fastest way to do it is with a picture.

- David Sibbet.

Dan Roam created a tool for visual thinking and problem solving that directly applys to Lean Six Sigma.

I've modified his map to use Lean Six Sigma tools and methods.

	Simple/ Elaborate	Quality/ Quantity	Vision/ Execution	Individual/ Comparison	Change/ As-is
Who/ What (Picture)	Product/Service	Product/Service	Tree Diagram	Product/Service	Product/Service
Why? (Plot) Six Sigma	Control Chart	Control Chart		Control Chart
How Much (Chart) Six Sigma	Pareto Chart Histogram	Pareto Chart Histogram	Fishbone Diagram	Pareto Chart Histogram
Where? (Map)	Spaghetti Diagram	Spaghetti Diagram		Spaghetti Diagram	Spaghetti Diagram
When? (Timeline)	Value Stream Map	Value Stream Map	Value Stream Map	Value Stream Map	Value Stream Map
How? (Flowchart)	Flowchart	Flowchart	Action Plan	Flowchart	Flowchart

Problem Solving - A Story Told With Pictures

The average manager will only look at a spreadsheet for 5-to-10 seconds. Turn the numbers into pictures that convey all of the information needed in a handful of charts and diagrams that can be easily grasped.

When it comes to problem solving, we need to answer: Who? Why? How Much? Where? When? and How? And we can do it with pictures, charts and diagrams.

Why? Control chart of current performance (e.g., defects, deviation, delays)
How Much? Pareto charts of defects or histograms of deviation
Where? Spaghetti diagram of workspace and product flow
When? Value Stream Map of process flow and delays (arrows)
How? Flowchart of process, action plans for improvement and control plan