{"id":14465,"date":"2025-08-15T14:42:29","date_gmt":"2025-08-15T13:42:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.theleansixsigmacompany.com\/uk\/?p=14465"},"modified":"2026-02-16T13:24:54","modified_gmt":"2026-02-16T12:24:54","slug":"the-lean-six-sigma-mindset-all-you-should-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theleansixsigmacompany.com\/uk\/library\/the-lean-six-sigma-mindset-all-you-should-know\/","title":{"rendered":"The Lean Six Sigma Mindset\u2026 (all you should know)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
I often hear it said that Lean Six Sigma is nothing more than a process improvement methodology aimed at increasing productivity and decreasing variation and waste. There is of course some truth to this statement, as it\u2019s one that not even the most rebellious Lean Six Sigmaian could entirely refute. To me, Lean Six Sigma is about adopting a certain state of mind; an attitude, if you will. An attitude of wanting to continuously improve the way you work and adapt to the ever-changing demands of both your customers and life itself. Because in the end, the only true constant in life is change. And that\u2019s why, the way I see it, this attitude is a necessity rather than an addition, and there is no excuse not to start adopting it right now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So if we possess this attitude to life, how can we apply it? The answer depends on your situation, as Lean Six Sigma offers solutions to a variety of problems, both short-term and long-term. I often make the distinction between \u2018low-hanging fruit\u2019 and \u2018complex problems\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018Low hanging fruit\u2019, referring to any obvious issues your customers have, can be tackled on a regular short-term basis. We often call these \u2018ongoing initiatives\u2019, as you should strive to identify and solve these issues on an ongoing basis; it is just part of our daily work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The more complex issues that present themselves, with causes that are unknown to you at the start, should be solved by means of what we call \u2018project-based initiatives\u2019. These are often longer-term projects, taking roughly 3 to 6 months in general.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some ways to apply the continuous improvement mindset with these project-based initiatives could be monthly reviews or bi-weekly workshops\/meetings as part of a project (e.g. a Six Sigma project or an A3 project<\/a>). Low-hanging fruit can best be picked up by using an improvement board and perhaps a daily or bi-weekly huddle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These types of initiatives and methods to continuously improve and solve problems require the right attitude and mindset, but we can only apply them by using the tools we have at our disposal. Anyone reading Lean Six Sigma books will find a magnitude of tools. These range from more complex statistical tools such as a Design of Experiments (DOE) to qualitative tools such as brainstorming or fishbone diagrams. The tool you pick depends on what you want to change (the type of problem) and the situation you\u2019re in (long-term project or ongoing initiative).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, I\u2019d like to take the time in this article to tell you that Lean Six Sigma<\/a> is much more than just a methodology. I\u2019d like to take the time to tell you that Lean Six Sigma, at its heart, is about a mindset.<\/p>\n\n\n\nLean Six Sigma \u2013 A mindset<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Mindset + application<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Your toolset<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Tools, methods and the pitfall of obfuscation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n