ABSTRACT
Lean and Six Sigma are an evolution of traditional industrial engineering practices that date back to the late 1890s. When Fredrick Winslow Taylor, the father of scientic management, rst used a stopwatch in 1891 to measure, improve, and standardize the paper mill processes in the plant that he managed, Lean and Six Sigma were begun [1]. Taylor’s mantra for the scientic management system that he created was, “It is only through enforced standardization of methods, enforced adoption of the best implements and working conditions, and enforced cooperation that this faster work can be assured. And the duty of enforcing the adoption of standards and enforcing this cooperation rests with management alone.” This could still be applied today as organizations explore methods to improve quality and lower costs [2]. The remainder of this chapter provides a brief history of Lean Six Sigma to provide the necessary context related to the improvement methodology.
