More Red Flags

Earlier this year we shared a list of ‘Red Flags’ we have encountered over the past 20 years of TMAC’s LSS Program. As a reminder, Red Flags are issues or concerns which can have a negative impact on the success of a Lean Six Sigma project. Often the impact is in the form of higher project costs or longer project timeframes. Sometimes the impact manifests itself as rework for belts or team members. In a worst-case scenario, the Red Flag can cause a project to fail.

The focus of that blog was on Red Flags which impact Lean Six Sigma Project Success. You can read that blog by clicking on this link.

With this blog we’d like to add to our list of Red Flags. But rather than look at risks to Project Success in this blog we turn our attention to risks associated with Program Success.

What’s the difference?

Well, consider that you could have project teams successfully complete GB and BB projects yet still not ‘move the needle’ in achieving higher-level business objectives. How could this be? Simple – by choosing projects not aligned with strategic objectives.

Or how about this: Imagine sitting in a Control Phase Gate Review for a successful project with a solution that can be replicated in other product lines. Yet, there is no formal process for arranging for a replication project. It might happen on an informal basis. But it could just as easily be forgotten.
As noted in the first blog on this topic, being successful with Lean Six Sigma takes hard work. To achieve the full potential of a robust and effective LSS Program also requires getting the right people in the right roles, and establishment of some basic processes. Here then are More Red Flags – but this time at the LSS Program Level.