“Big Three – Understanding Lean vs. 6 Sigma vs. TOC - Sharpening Your Saw”

By Bob Forshay, CPIM, CIRM, CSCP, CLTD, CSCA, CSCM, CLM, CSSC, CPIA, CSCTA, TFC

Lunch-and-Learn webinar at 12:00PM, Tue., 14^th Feb. 2023

Comparing improvement practices can be confusing.  Too many people seem to want to make it complicated and complex.  Far better to keep it basic, fundamental and simple.  It’s good to relate business to real life examples.

In this event we’ll explore the key elements and differences of the Big Three, LEAN, Six Sigma and TOC

Six Sigma has been around for decades, based on TQM, founded in process and control charting to measure variation according to Shewhart at the turn of 1900s.

LEAN has introduced the additional focus of flow to increase velocity by reducing waste and reducing materials in process.  Waste comes in many forms, sometimes resulting from poor quality with high variation.

TOC, Theory of Constraints was the first to focus on imbalances rather than balancing of resources, which are not always possible.

A major problem in industry has been the training and consulting that has added layers of confusion and competing priorities about what these are designed to accomplish and why that is important.  People are generally confused as to what tools to use.

We will explore how each of these approaches to business process improvement can be applied for best possible outcomes, reducing the confusion factor.

This event will help senior leadership, managers, supervisors and practitioners alike to guide their planning for business process improvement strategy development once you better understand the tools and application.  We want to help you avoid the pitfalls of choosing the wrong tools for the work to be done.  Helping you achieve results more quickly with less cost and churn is important.

Keywords: lean, six sigma, theory of constraints

Lean (production) – A philosophy of production that emphasizes the minimization of the amount of all the resources (including time) used in the various activities of the enterprise. It involves identifying and eliminating non-value-adding activities in design, production, supply chain management, and customer management.

Six sigma – A methodology that furnishes tools for the improvement of business processes. The intent is to decrease process variation and improve product quality.

Theory of constraints – a system within organizations, people, activities, information, and resources involved in supplying a product to a consumer.

Source: APICS Dictionary, 17^th Edition

Speaker Biography

Bob Forshay focuses on Business Process and Supply Chain Management transformation for clients, consulting to leaders and training teams to help them realize competitive advantage.  Working across scores of industries, a consultant to Fortune 500 firms since 2006, Bob is also a Master Instructor of supply chain management certifications since 1989 for APICS/ASCM, ISCEA, and VCARE.  Bob holds professional certifications including CSCTA, Certified Supply Chain Transformation Architect and CLM, Certified Lean Master in supply chain and operations management.  Bob has helped business leaders achieve remarkable gains through transformation projects, applying Lean-Six Sigma solutions.

Bob served as a volunteer leader on 2 non-profits including APICS NoCo chapter BoD for 33 years with 2 years as chapter president.  An author, and international speaker, Bob has supported 1000’s of practitioners passing through his certification classes from all around the globe. With experience in multiple industries, including food, beverage, pharma, paper, printing, metal fab, electronics, electro-mechanical, O&G, consumer retail, optics, construction, Bob has provided significant gains in Global Supply Chain Management practices, Planning and Forecasting, Product Development, Customer Service, Purchasing and Strategic Supplier Management, Inventory, Warehousing, Manufacturing, Operations Management

Bob (SupplyChainPro2Know) Forshay, CPIM, CSCP, CLTD, CLM, CSCA, CSCM, CSCTA | LinkedIn

Supply Chain Pro2Know, Business Process Leadership, People, Process, Technology