
Lean management, Six Sigma, and Lean Six Sigma all walk into a bar. Lean orders a Scotch. Six Sigma orders bourbon. Lean Six Sigma orders a hot toddy. The bartender says, “So that will be a whisky, a whiskey, and a bit of both.”
The joke works because the methods are related, but they are not identical. Lean removes waste, Six Sigma reduces defects and variation, and Lean Six Sigma combines both goals. This guide maps nine practical Six Sigma tools and techniques to the Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control stages of the DMAIC framework.








