Deploying and Sustaining Improvements

This unit focuses on planning, deploying, and sustaining Lean Six Sigma improvements within metals manufacturing organizations. Students learn to adapt methods to organizational culture and size, apply problem‑solving and flow tools, and design change‑management, communication, and sustainment strategies that preserve gains and prepare for final capstone implementation.

Learning Objectives

• Analyze organizational culture, size, and sector characteristics in case studies to recommend tailored adaptations to Lean Six Sigma deployment strategies.
• Apply root‑cause analysis and Lean/Agile tools (flow mapping, Kanban, QFD, preventive maintenance, and design thinking) to identify and quantify improvement opportunities and produce a prioritized implementation plan with estimated metrics.
• Demonstrate the creation of a deployment plan and governance artifacts (project charter, roles including a deployment program manager, roadmap/timeline, and risk‑mitigation steps) that address common project traps and cognitive biases.
• Evaluate change‑management, communication, and sustainment approaches (including internet and social media considerations, update cycles, and monitoring metrics) and recommend a plan to maintain and continuously improve results.