Anand Sharma, president and CEO of TBM Consulting Group (Raleigh, NC), wondered whether the best of both strategies couldn’t be combined: the statistical tools of Six Sigma and the urgency of lean manufacturing. Sharma details his hybrid improvement strategy, which he dubs "LeanSigma," in his new book, The Perfect Engine, co-authored with Patricia E. Moody (The Free Press, 2001).
Q: How does LeanSigma build on the concepts of lean manufacturing?