Culture Change

Scale Replication
Beyond DMAIC
Early Success
Strategy Maturing Maps, Goals
Launch
Software Excel, Stats Project Tracking

Reporting Anecdotal Aggregate, Average Aggregate, Average

Financial Impact Ad hoc Cost Reduction Consistency

Project Selection Burning Platform Low Hanging Copy Success

People Driven Few More Believers Career Development

Training Champion, Exec. External External, Custom

Leadership Support 1 or 2 Visionaries Validated Across Company

Level 1 Level 2 Level 3

3-9 Months 6-18 Months 12-36 Months
 Cuture
Transformation
Instituonalization
DNA of Org.

DFS, Lean IT, Product Dev.

Project Roll-up Full Closed-Loop

Portfolio Mgmt. Strategy + Portfolio

Cross-Org. Comps. Multi-Year History

Validation General Ledger

Idea Pipeline Formalized Eval.

Repatriated Majority

Internal, eLearning Internal, Speciality

Expected Ingrained

Level 4 Level 5
24-48+ Months
 Level 1
Initial visionaries needed to provide
Leadership
impetus for adoption – top-down or
Support
bottom-up

Executive buy-in via external trainers;

Training Champion training; initial Black Belts
identified and trained

A few driven believers, rest of the

People
organization mostly skeptical

Usually a burning platform provides

focus; but need to avoid “boiling the
Project Selection
ocean;”
need to manage excessive expectations

Financial Impact None yet, no projects completed

Reporting None yet, no projects completed

Software

Strategy Maturity

Beyond DMAIC

Culture Change
 Level 2 Level 3
Decision to drive Six Sigma throughout
The initial projects that are completed
the company; leadership across the
validate the vision of the leadership
company buys in

Many waves across the company; often

A few waves are completed, usually still
external trainers; content is customized
external
to the company
Six Sigma now seen as a career
Initial results are helpful; but most of
development path; change agents
the organization still waiting to see if
throughout the organization see a
this will affect them
platform that works

Usually replication of the patterns of

Low-hanging fruit (easy to identify
success already done (similar projects
projects that will yield significant
for similar problems in
results) are plentiful
plants/distribution centers, etc.)

Initial results are having some impact; Consistent measures of impact are in
usually focused on cost reduction place

Enough projects completed so that

No consistency yet, no roll-ups because average impact per project, per Belt,
number of projects is still small etc. can be predicted; aggregate impact
across the organization is significant

Software goes beyond statistical tools

to project tracking; consistent
Focus is on statistical tools for the Belts
application of methodology and financial
impact reporting is ensured

Creation of strategy maps to ensure

that the mass of projects under way are
aligned with corporate and
organizational priorities
 Level 4
Top leadership across the business
units, geographies and divisions are all units, geographies and divisions are all
expected to be Six Sigma supporters
Very large scale; usually internalized,
use of in-house Master Black Belts as
trainers; e-learning is used for scale
Initial Black Belt waves have been
repatriated, with enhanced career
prospects and positions in the
organization
Formal idea-generation/evaluation
process in place to ensure continued
flow of meaningful projects; no more
low-hanging fruit
Strict controls in place to ensure
validation of results; measures evolve
to include revenue impact
Comparison of results for each
organizational unit; aggregate
corporate-wide results are reported
Project tracking typically evolves to
include knowledge management and
portfolio management
Strategy maps at corporate and
organizational level; going beyond
alignment, to actually launch projects to
impact the strategic goals
DMAIC is mastered; but DFSS, Lean,
Kaizen, etc. also are integral parts of
the organization
Level 5
Top leadership across the business
expected to be Six Sigma supporters
Very large scale; usually internalized,
use of in-house Master Black Belts as
trainers; e-learning is used for scale
Initial Black Belt waves have been
repatriated, have risen in career stature
and positions in the organization
Formal idea-generation/evaluation
process in place to ensure continued
flow of meaningful projects
Strict controls in place to ensure
validation of results; measures include
revenue impact
Comparison of results for each
organizational unit routinely done;
aggregate corporate-wide results are
reported
Integrated portfolio and strategy
management across the enterprise;
replacement of legacy applications by
vendor applications
Full closed-loop of strategy, to projects,
to roll-up of project results, to
organization’s strategic goals
Six Sigma is being applied in spirit to all
project portfolios – new products, IT
projects
Entire organization operates at a higher
performance level; Six Sigma
embedded in culture; extends to
customers, vendors, supply chain,
distribution chain
 Max Score Actual Score
Culture Change 10
Beyond DMAIC 10
Strategy Maturing 10
Software 10 Operatio
Reporting 10
Financial Impact 10 Leaders hi p Support
Project Selection 10
People 10
Training 10 Trai ni ng
Leadership Support 10

Peopl e

Project Sel ection

F
 Operational Excellence Maturity
Cul ture Cha nge
Leaders hi p Support 10 Beyond DMAIC

5
Trai ni ng Strategy Maturi ng

Peopl e Software

Project Sel ection Reporting

Fi na ncia l Impa ct