Improvement Project Selection – Going Beyond Lean Six Sigma and the Balanced Scorecards

Lean Six Sigma is a project based process improvement methodology. It is not a business system. The Integrated Enterprise Excellence (IEE) system is a business system that goes beyond Lean Six Sigma and the Balanced Scorecard. IEE provides the mechanism for moving organizations toward achievement of the three Rs of business; i.e., everybody doing the Right things, and doing them Right, at the Right time.

People can be busy and an organization can be pushing for the creation of improvement projects; however often big-picture sight is lost, which can lead to much wasted effort and enterprise system suboptimization. IEE provides a system (See Figure 4.2, Volume II of book-volumes series noted below) for transitioning from firefighting daily or weekly problems to achieving the three Rs of business. In IEE, metrics and goals are created so that there is a pull for project creation, where project completion positively impacts the business as a whole.

The Enterprise Process Define-Measure-Analyze-Improve-Control (E-DMAIC) as part of an IEE governance system provides a long-lasting enterprise framework for measurements and improvement that is refinement over time: Organizations can be very successful through the directives and insight of a few key individuals. However, things can quickly degrade if these individuals are no longer with the company. The E-DMAIC system process provides a foundation for an enhanced enterprise performance measurement, analysis, and improvement system that is systematically refined over time and remains stable with leadership and organizational changes.

The above is a modified excerpt from the book-volume, Integrated Enterprise Excellence, Volume II Business Deployment: A Leaders’ Guide for Going Beyond Lean Six Sigma and the Balanced Scorecard, copyright 2008. Innovation is included as part of the analyze phase in the E-DMAIC system roadmap, as described in Chapter 12.

“… (Integrated Enterprise Excellence or IEE is) the most complete and effective operational management system available.” Keith Moe, Group Vice-President, 3M (retired). IEE provides an enhanced, unified approach to balanced scorecards, strategic planning, and business improvement.

For more information about IEE see:

- Lean Six Sigma and IEE Comparison Table

- An IEE 4 book-volume series is available at book resellers such as Amazon.com

- A video, articles, and more describe the details of IEE

A description of how to create a business system that overcomes many of today’s problems is: Executive Pay, Art of Deception and a 21st Century Governance Business System that Leads to the 3 Rs of Business

Forrest Breyfogle
Forrest@SmarterSolutions.com
512-918-0280
Professional Engineer and ASQ Fellow
ASQ Crosby Medal Recipient

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