Knowledge Base · Foundations
What's the difference between Lean, Six Sigma, and continuous improvement?
Continuous improvement is the wider philosophy: the ongoing pursuit of better by everyone. Lean and Six Sigma are two practical methods inside it. Lean is about speed and efficiency, removing waste that adds no value. Six Sigma is about quality and consistency, using data to reduce variation and defects in a process.
Think first about the levels. Continuous improvement, as Chapter 1 presents it, is a philosophy and a mindset, not a one-time project: a commitment to progress, lived daily by the people doing the work. Lean and Six Sigma are among the key methodologies that have emerged to give that principle a practical framework in daily work.
- Lean asks: where is the waste? It removes activities that consume resources without adding value for the customer, making work faster and more efficient.
- Six Sigma asks: where is the variation? It uses data to reduce defects, aiming for fewer than 3.4 defects per million opportunities, making work reliable and predictable.
- Kaizen, the third of the Big Three, asks: what small improvement can everyone make today, continuously and gradually?
Chapter 1 uses a baker to separate the last two. Lean would tackle work the customer does not value around the baking. Six Sigma would tackle why Friday's loaf differs from Monday's, tracing causes such as yeast, oven heat and kneading, then controlling them. A team does not have to choose a camp; it chooses the method that fits the problem in front of it.
Compare the methods in Module 2 of the free course
Related questions
- What is Lean?
- What is Six Sigma?
- What are the "Big Three" simple tools to start continuous improvement?
Source: Continuous Improvement in the Workplace, Ch. 1 (Understanding Continuous Improvement).