Wednesday, September 03 2025
Deploying Lean Six Sigma: A Roadmap for Continuous Improvement Success (Part 1)
Written by Jennifer Christie, MBB, Senior Services Manager of Productivity Improvement | Part 1 of a Series on Lean Six Sigma
Companies across diverse industries worldwide deploy Lean Six Sigma as a core part of their continuous improvement strategy. While many root cause analysis methodologies aim to solve problems, Six Sigma offers a more targeted, data-driven approach. It enables organizations to mathematically and conclusively identify sources of defects and variation—issues that might otherwise remain hidden or be solved through costly trial-and-error.
When combined with Lean principles, organizations gain the dual advantage of solving complex problems and eliminating waste. In this article series, I’ll share powerful tools from the Lean Six Sigma toolbox. But before diving into tools and techniques, it's critical to understand that the success of any Lean Six Sigma initiative starts with how it's deployed. The culture and mindset of your organization toward continuous improvement will ultimately determine your success.
A well-executed Lean Six Sigma deployment can yield transformative savings, often delivering 1000X return on investment within a few years. As a Master Black Belt with over 30 years of experience working with hundreds of companies and leading thousands of projects worldwide, I’ve observed both best practices and common pitfalls. Let’s explore the key ingredients to a successful Lean Six Sigma deployment.
- Lead with Commitment
Start by clearly communicating your purpose and commitment across the organization through consistent channels: meetings, town halls, newsletters, emails, and everyday conversations. As a leader, your job is not only to communicate but also to inspire. Why are you pursuing this journey? Is it to become best in class? To elevate your market position for your employees? To make a broader impact in the world? Define the mission and rally your team around it. Remember, continuous improvement is the means—not the end.
Support your words with action by training everyone on the fundamental philosophy and purpose of Lean Six Sigma. This can be done effectively and economically with a basic overview course for all employees, ensuring shared vocabulary and understanding. The training method will vary depending on your organization’s size and structure. Once the foundation is laid, identify your continuous improvement leaders.
- Champion the Effort
Every successful deployment needs strong champions. Identify leaders in each functional area who will be responsible for supporting the effort and selecting improvement projects. These champions play a pivotal role—they not only guide and sponsor projects, but also ensure alignment with organizational goals.
Start by identifying key performance indicators (KPIs) with gaps. Within those gaps lie your continuous improvement opportunities. Champions own these KPIs and are accountable for supporting projects that improve them while developing talent along the way.
Train your champions in project scoping and selection. In Six Sigma, every project starts with a charter—created, owned, and maintained by the champion. While Green Belts and Black Belts lead the execution, champions provide essential guidance and oversight throughout the project lifecycle.
- Select and Equip Practitioners
Once you’ve defined your goals and identified your champions, the next step is to select project leaders. In smaller organizations, current employees can take on these roles as a developmental opportunity. Larger organizations may choose to dedicate staff to full-time process improvement roles. Regardless of the model, involving existing employees is key for credibility and for embedding Lean Six Sigma into the culture.
Train your selected practitioners. Green Belts typically lead projects within their functional areas as part of their regular job responsibilities. Black Belts often work full-time on process improvement across the organization. Many companies use a combination of both. Purdue MEP, for example, offers certification and training at all levels.
- Scope Projects to Four Months
Choose projects that can be completed in approximately four months. In the spirit of continuous improvement, smaller, faster wins are preferable to large, slow-moving efforts. Success breeds momentum. Every completed project builds confidence and motivation for the next.
If needed, break down larger objectives into smaller, actionable projects. This approach improves cultural engagement and often leads to better long-term financial results.
- Make Continuous Improvement Everyone’s Job
Project teams, led by Green or Black Belts and supported by their Champion, must include subject matter experts who dedicate time to map processes, analyze issues, and implement solutions. Including improvement objectives in employees’ goals helps establish accountability and encourages engagement.
Communicate the value and objectives of each project clearly. Regularly share project updates and celebrate results—whether in team meetings, newsletters, or internal bulletins. Recognizing contributions reinforces the culture and encourages future participation.
- Gate the Projects
Lean Six Sigma projects follow the DMAIC methodology: Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control. Set regular checkpoints or "gates" during these phases. Practitioners should present progress at the D-M, A, and I-C (Close) stages to their Champions and leadership (including the Master Black Belt, if applicable).
The final presentation should be a celebration—formally or informally—of the team’s achievement and contribution.
- Track the Results
A good continuous improvement program tracks both financial and non-financial results. Document the benefits and participant contributions for each project. This enables you to calculate real ROI and identify future leaders.
Involve your finance department to validate and sign off on project benefits. While financial gains are typically realized over a year, tracking them—whether or not they are formally booked—is essential. This data helps set realistic annual goals and communicate success internally and externally.
- Feed the Funnel
Each project often uncovers more opportunities. Capture these out-of-scope or future ideas during project closure and add them to a central improvement database. Encourage employee submissions and maintain a communication channel for new ideas.
To manage this idea pipeline, Champions can prioritize and score ideas to continuously generate and select impactful projects.
A Real-World Example: Amcor
Amcor recently launched a Lean Six Sigma deployment that exemplifies these best practices. They began with strong leadership commitment and invested in training employees to run and support projects. They launched their program and sent a wave of Black Belts to training with projects that were aligned with their KPIs. Their Head of Continuous Improvement also completed the Black Belt training with the team, leading a project as well. They tracked, gated, valued, and celebrated. This disciplined approach resulted in projects closing within four months of the launch date.
Financial results are measured and verified, and new opportunities are actively captured for future work. This structure, combined with a committed Continuous Improvement leader, has made a measurable difference. Within just six months, Amcor has completed impactful projects and built a positive, forward-looking improvement culture.
Their success isn’t an accident—it’s the result of intentional effort, structured deployment, and a deep understanding that culture is the foundation of sustainable improvement.
Amcor, like many successful organizations, didn’t wait for perfection. They pursued it. And in doing so, they remind us all that continuous improvement is a journey we take together—and that the key to progress is to begin.
Writer: Jennifer Christie, 317-275-6810, jennchristie@purdue.edu
