Resources & Guides
Practical, plain-English guides to Lean Six Sigma, OEE and operational excellence — written for small and mid-sized businesses.
What Is Lean Six Sigma? A Practical Guide for SMEs
Lean Six Sigma explained in plain English — how Lean and Six Sigma differ, the DMAIC method, belt levels, and how a small business can start without a big budget.
Six Sigma Belts Explained: White, Yellow, Green, Black & Master Black Belt
A clear guide to Six Sigma belt levels — what White, Yellow, Green, Black and Master Black Belts do, how they differ, and which one your team needs.
What Is OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness) — and How to Calculate It
OEE explained simply: the formula (Availability × Performance × Quality), a worked example, what a good OEE score is, and how to improve it.
DMAIC Explained: The 5 Phases of Six Sigma Improvement
DMAIC — Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve, Control — explained phase by phase, with the key questions, tools and deliverables for each stage.
The 5S Methodology: Sort, Set in Order, Shine, Standardise, Sustain
5S explained step by step — what each S means, how to run a 5S event, and why this simple workplace-organisation method is the foundation of Lean.
Value Stream Mapping (VSM): A Step-by-Step Guide
How to create a value stream map — the symbols, current-state vs future-state, cycle time and lead time, and how VSM reveals where waste hides in a process.
PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act): The Continuous Improvement Cycle
The PDCA cycle explained — what each stage means, how it drives continuous improvement, and how it differs from DMAIC.
Kaizen: What Continuous Improvement Really Means
Kaizen explained — the philosophy of small, everyday improvements by everyone, what a kaizen event is, and how SMEs can build a kaizen culture.
The 5 Whys: Simple Root Cause Analysis
How to use the 5 Whys technique to find the real root cause of a problem — with a worked example, common pitfalls, and when to use a fishbone diagram instead.
The 8 Wastes of Lean (TIMWOODS), With Examples
The eight wastes of Lean explained with everyday examples — Transport, Inventory, Motion, Waiting, Overproduction, Overprocessing, Defects and Skills — and how to spot them.
A3 Problem Solving: The One-Page Method
A3 problem solving explained — the story a good A3 tells, the sections of an A3 report, and how it builds problem-solving capability, not just a document.
Voice of the Customer (VOC) and CTQs Explained
What Voice of the Customer means, how to gather it, and how to turn vague customer needs into measurable Critical-to-Quality (CTQ) requirements.
Operational Excellence: What It Is and How to Assess It
Operational excellence explained — how it differs from continuous improvement, the areas a good assessment covers, and how SMEs can benchmark and improve their maturity.
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