Is Lean Six Sigma applicable for HR Professionals?
You will agree that every business should always be looking for ways to streamline different parts of their operation to make them better and more profitable. One way that many businesses and professionals will address these issues is through Lean Six Sigma courses. The methodology of Lean Six Sigma may have started with manufacturing, but it now it is widely applied to almost any kind of process or industry. One such field is that of Human Resource department, which holds a key position in any organization. So if you have been wondering “Is Lean Six Sigma applicable for HR Professionals?” then here is your answer.
A common misconception is that Lean Six Sigma can only be used to improve manufacturing processes. However, the philosophy of Six Sigma has shown time and again that it is really a process improvement method that can be applied to any field.
DMAIC (Define Measure Analyze Improve Control) methodology of Lean Six Sigma can be effectively used to improve the functioning of your HR department. To start with you need to identify some of the areas, which you think might be underperforming. Take an account of the different responsibilities of the HR department and look for areas where there may be a problem. Once you have an idea where things are going wrong, then try to define the process. This is the define phase of DMAIC.
In defining the process, you can ask yourself a few questions.
- What is the purpose of the given process?
- What is it expected to produce?
- How do we measure the quality of the end result?
- Are there any chances for error in the current process?
Answering these questions will give you a clear definition of the process and what you want it to achieve.
Along with answering these questions, you will also want to gather as much data about the current process as possible. This is the measure phase of DMAIC.
Take a look at the step-by-step procedure of the process. Record the average time of the steps and identify parts of the process that breed inefficiency and error. If you pull together a mass of data about the process, you will be able to analyze the information and find the various wasteful activities like repetition, reworking and possibly a lack of standardization. This is the analyze phase of DMAIC.
Finding these wasteful activities will allow you to identify the possible solutions to the problem. Try adding the improvements to the process and measure it against the previous performance of the task. Measure to see if the new process has reduced waste, improved the end result or made the process faster and more efficient. This is the improve phase of DMAIC.
Try to standardize the improved process, so as to sustain the improvement. This is the control phase of DMAIC.
The problem that exists in many HR departments is that there are a lot of jobs that they have to perform, but in many cases, there is a lack of standard process for these jobs. This condition will inevitably lead to inefficiency and waste of time. By applying the principles of Six Sigma in HR department, you can save on a lot of time for other important activities of the organization.
