Learn: Your Continuous Improvement Library
Whether you’re new to Process Improvement or leading teams, you’ll find curated resources here to learn, apply, and grow.
Start with foundational concepts
Explore tools + templates used in Lean Six Sigma
Watch videos that explain ideas simply
Deepen your improvement practice
Start Learning Process Improvement NOW
If you are new to Process Improvement or Lean Six Sigma, begin here
Mini-White Belt Course: A beginner’s guide to key improvement concepts
Community Requested Mini-Courses
Organize Anything with 5S: A Lean Life Skill You’ll Actually Use
Short videos with FUN real life examples
A Beginner's Guide to Value Stream Mapping: Stardew Valley Starfruit Wine Production Line
Pull Systems Made Simple (Overcooked + Software Backlog Examples)
The Process Improvement Reading List
Quick Reads to Build Foundations - Click button below to see book details
Classics to Start Your Journey:
Popular Lean Six Sigma Texts Right NOW:
My Favourites for Getting Started:
Understanding Why Structured Problem Solving Works:
Additional Amazing Texts You Don’t Want to Miss:
Women in Lean Recommended Reading List:
Acronyms + Definitions
Too many terms, acronyms, and jargon? Get clarity by checking out our simple definitions below.
5S – Sort, Set in Order, Standardize, Shine, Sustain
ASQ – American Society for Quality (www.asq.org)
BB – Black Belt
CAVE Dwellers – Citizens Against Virtually Dwellers
COPQ – Cost of Poor Quality
CTQ – Critical to Quality
DPMO – Defects per million opportunities
GB – Green Belt
IPO – Input, Process, Output
LCL – Lower Control Limit
LSL – Lower Specification Limits
LSS- Lean Six Sigma
MBB – Master Black Belt
QDCS – Quality, Delivery, Cost, Safety
SIPOC – Supplier, Input, Process, Output, Customer
UCL – Upper Control Limit
USL – Upper Specification Limits
VOB – Voice of the Business
VOC – Voice of the Customer
VOE – Voice of the Employee
VOP – Voice of the Process
VSM – Value Stream Map
WB – White Belt
WIP – Work in Progress
YB – Yellow Belt
Cognitive Load – Amount of information that working memory can hold at one time
Gemba – The actual place where work is being performed
Histogram - Frequency distribution graph. Displays frequency of occurrences by the height of the bar in each bin.
Lean – a methodology that seeks to enhance value added steps
Lean Management – Top-down adoption and application of Lean principles to create a sustainable organization that continually delivers value
Organizational Culture - Learned patterns of perception, assumptions, values, beliefs, and behaviors that influence how people within an organization behave
Process – A series of actions, steps, and decisions taken to achieve a particular end
Process Map – Visualization of process steps
Run Chart – Line graph of individual data points in chronological order
Six Sigma (framework) – a set of management techniques intended to improve business processes by greatly reducing the probability that an error or defect will occur
Six Sigma (statically) – a reference to a statistical measuring system that is equivalent to 3.4 defects per million opportunities or six standard deviations from the mean
System - a network of interdependent components that work together to achieve a particular end
Value Stream Map (VSM) - A visualization of how value, material, and information flows from a supplier, through an organization, and to the customer
Variation – A change in data, characteristic, or function (ASQ)
Visuality – a language communicated using visual sensory devices (sometimes used to reference any sensory device)
What is Process Improvement (PI)?
A PROCESS is all the actions, steps, and decisions taken to achieve a particular end.
PROCESS IMPROVEMENT is increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of all of those actions, steps, and decisions taken to achieve a particular end.
EFFICIENCY is using as few resources as possible achieve a goal or objective.
EFFECTIVENESS is how close the process comes to delivering the desired value.
What are the different types of Process Improvement?
Continuous Improvement (CI) is often used as a blanket term covering all aspects of Process Improvement including Change Management.
Process Improvement (PI) references methodologies focused on improving processes. While these could be numerous, usually it refers to Lean and Six Sigma methodologies. At Beautiful Opportunities we use this term because it most universally recognized.
Lean is a PI methodology focused on eliminating waste to increase value. These tools simplify our processes.
Six Sigma is PI methodology focused on reducing variation and increasing the consistency of a process. These tools perfect our processes.
Recently Agile has sometimes created confusion about what is Lean. Agile is a method of managing software development work that was designed with Lean methodologies in mind, intending to reduce bottlenecks and increase the speed at which work is completed. Lean tools help Agile practitioners improve their process or program just as it would in any industry on any process. However, while Agile uses Lean tools, Agile is not the same as Lean.
Note: Each organization may define these terms for themselves, making it important to ask questions.
How do I get started in Process Improvement (PI)?
Getting started in Process Improvement is easy, in fact you’ve probably already started without even knowing it!
Every day on this Earth people work to make their lives better. Whether it is organizing a drawer, moving an object, eliminating something that doesn’t add value, or changing the sequence we do something. All of these are examples of small improvements we make to our processes.
There are three actions you can take to get started:
Recognize you’re already using it! As mentioned above, start recognizing the actions are taking to make work better.
Learn the lingo. Open a book or watch a video and learn some of the tools. How many of the tools have names for activities you already do?
Join others. Take one of our courses or join our PI community on Facebook. Start connecting so you can apply the tools with support.
What are some of the challenges with getting started in Process Improvement?
Our industry seems to have intentionally made Process Improvement as confusing as possible.
Change is hard. Leading change is risky and uncomfortable.
Many organizations focus on actions completed rather than meeting the intent of the tools: to improve the value to our customers and make the work easier for our staff. Ultimately the goal is sustainable improvement.
Check out the video to see many of the ways we’ve frustrated people interested in joining the industry and why some people you encounter may not be supportive when you share your journey.
Do I need to get certified? What does the job market look like?
The traditional and only standardized certifications are the Six Sigma Belts.
White Belt - Introduction to Six Sigma
Green Belt - Six Sigma and statistical foundations using DMAIC
Black Belt - More advanced statistical tools
Master Black Belt - More advanced tools, portfolio and change management
The best way to determine if you need to invest in a costly certification is to look at what the jobs you are targeting request.
With the popularity of Process Improvement in Service, Healthcare, and Software Development the traditional belts are less relevant. Traditional Green Belt has a tendency over teach some concepts (Minitab and advanced statistical analysis) and under teach the soft skills (Change Management) that ensure your success in applying the tools.
It is also common for organizations and consultancies to offer Green Belt (GB) training that does not satisfy the requirements for certification to industry standard. Training should be two weeks or approximately 80 hours of content and activities.
All of our training and workshops focus on practical application, if the course satisfies the certification requirements we offer that belt certification with demonstration of the applied knowledge.
The gold standard for Six Sigma certification is ASQ.
There is not an industry standard certification for Lean.
Work with Beautiful Opportunities Consulting
I help teams build sustainable Process Improvement programs that create long-term benefits for customers, staff, and communities.