PROCESS IMPROVEMENT

Business Process Re-engineering & Lean Six Sigma

We specialize in using the lean methodology to increase productivity and quality of processes, knowledge sharing, and freeing up critical time back into the organization. The lean methodology is centred on the reduction of waste and inefficient activities. Applying these principles will help identify non-value-added activities, resulting in idea generation for building more efficient future state processes, and aligning people, processes, and systems to serve your organization better. After all, The Poirier Group is Toronto’s top Six Sigma consulting firm for a reason.

The heart of Lean Six Sigma and lean process re-engineering is focused on a systematic effort to eliminate waste, reduce the process variability and meet customer requirements. As opposed to improving an existing process, lean process re-engineering focuses on creating a new, more effective process. COVID-19 created widespread business disruptions, pressuring businesses to redefine and recreate their operations to adapt to the changing business landscape. Continuous improvement is not enough in the current environment. Organizations will need to reinvent and re-engineer their processes with a focus on agile sprints to remain viable through uncertain times.

Drawing from our team of Lean Six Sigma experts, we work to recognize where problems arise in current processes and how they can be changed to adapt to the current business environment. We then deconstruct procedures and build new and improved processes from the ground up.

Our experienced team gained their Lean Six Sigma certifications through a rigorous practical curriculum to demonstrate the utilization of appropriate tools, knowledge and methodologies to better understand, serve and add value to the customer. Based on our experience, credentials and reputation, we are able to stake our claim amongst the top Lean Six Sigma consulting firms in Toronto and delivering support across North America.

“Their expertise in process and systems design and engineering across both operational and corporate functional platforms has resulted in not only improved bottom line performance but also higher levels of customer service and employee engagement”
Alan Torrie, CEO
Morneau Shepell
5/5
Lean + Six Sigma

Lean Six Sigma is a combination of two powerful methods aimed at reducing waste, improving efficiency and eliminating variability. COVID-19 has shifted business priorities from expansion and growth to internal cost cutting, quality improvement initiatives, and adapting to customer expectations in an uncertain situation, which can be best addressed by Lean Six Sigma programs.

The Poirier Group’s practitioners are well versed in both, to apply the right set of tools at the right time to your organization, anywhere from the back office to the shop floor. With lean process engineering principles in mind, we will help get your business operating at an optimal level. 

Lean is a systematic approach to reduce or eliminate activities that don’t add value to the process. It emphasizes removing wasteful steps in a process and taking only the value-added steps. The Lean method ensures high quality and customer satisfaction. 

Six Sigma is a data-driven problem-solving methodology. The focus is on process variations and emphasis is given to customer satisfaction.

Lean Six Sigma combines the strategies of Lean and Six Sigma. Lean principles help to reduce or eliminate process wastes. Six Sigma focuses on variation-reduction in process. Thereby, the principles of Lean Six Sigma help to improve the efficiency and quality of the process. Lean Accelerates Six Sigma by solving problems and improving processes to be faster and more efficient. “Real World” projects rarely fit neatly within one bucket or the other

Lean Six Sigma in Practice

The integrated Lean Six Sigma (LSS) management approach is being used across multiple sectors and industries. It promotes exceptional changes in an organization’s performance. Lean Six Sigma leads to enjoying competitive advantages in various product and service-oriented companies in the world. The LSS methodology improves processes and makes them efficient. The key to success during these lean transformations and process re-engineering is management support, employee engagement and commitment to improving customer satisfaction.

The Poirier Group implements best practices into your organization while providing continuous support and training [link] to key personnel on your team. Rolling up our sleeves to transform your solutions into action builds trust with our clients and ensure sustainable results long after we have left.

Before Lean Six Sigma After Lean Six Sigma
- No time to build the business or improve
- Just maintaining the business and keeping it afloat
- Too much time catering to crises and fighting fires
- A lot of non-value-added actions
- Not enjoying your work
- More time to build the business
- Less time catering to crises, problems are addressed at the root cause
- More value-added activities
- Enjoy work and life
“Their expertise in process and systems design coupled with a high level of professionalism helped us set the stage for a successful implementation”
CIO, Canadian Crown Corporation
5/5

Benefits of Process Efficiency

We use a number of Lean Six Sigma best practices to make your enterprise as lean as possible:

Define

Prioritize projects based on business impact and alignment with organizational imperatives. Lean Six Sigma projects start by capturing the voice of the customer:

  • Organize a team to improve the process of interest and develop a Charter to guide team actions.
  • Identify the customer(s) and critical customer requirements (Voice of the Customer)
  • Determine what “success” looks like for the improvement project
  • Create a process map of the process to develop process knowledge

Measure

Measurements drive the Lean Six Sigma improvement process what gets measured gets done!

  • Define performance standards
  • Identify potentially significant Process Inputs
  • Validate the measurement system
  • Establish baseline performance with regard to customer requirements

Analyze

Analytical tools are used to dissect the root cause of process variability and separate the vital few inputs from the trivial many

  • Identify significant characteristics (inputs) and establish process capability
  • Define performance targets for significant characteristics (inputs)
  • Identify the root cause of process variation.
  • Use statistical methods to verify the effectiveness of alternatives

Improve

The Improve phase turns analysis into action.

  • Identify and evaluate potential solutions.
  • Implement short term countermeasures.
  • Implement long term corrective actions.
  • Identify systemic indirect effect and unintended consequences of improvement actions.
  • Establish operating tolerances for new processes

Control

After implementing improvement actions, the Control step verifies results and consolidates the gains:

  • Verify corrective actions and validate new measurement systems.
  • Determine new process capability.
  • Establish and implement control plan.
  • Share best practices and lessons learned