Abstract
Whether an improvement activity should be considered a kaizen event or Six Sigma project is a frequently argued topic and never seems to get settled. Everyone will quickly develop a different perspective upon exposure to lean and Six Sigma. Most perspectives are limited to personal experience, making them partial views by nature. Remember, both lean and Six Sigma can be looking at the same subject (a problem or issue) just from two different angles, resulting in two different sets of actions. A two-tier sequential practice -- lean followed by Six Sigma activities -- is widely accepted. To address this, you must look at the define, measure, analyze, improve and control method's common applications. As long as you have signature Six Sigma activities applications in a project, it will be considered a Six Sigma project. It's less about the type of improvement and more about the applications or activities, although efficiency may be reduced outside the core competency.