Method

Project selection

In French: Sélection de projets

Choosing which improvement projects to launch is the decision that determines the return of a Lean Six Sigma approach — far more than the mastery of the tools used afterwards.

What makes a good project

A problem, not a solution. "Reduce the complaint processing time from 12 to 5 days" is a project; "deploy a new complaint management tool" is a solution already chosen, for which DMAIC will only serve to justify the installation after the fact.

A measurable gap. Without a starting figure, there will be no finishing figure, and the project will conclude on an impression.

An unknown cause. If everyone already knows why and how to correct, then correct — do not open a project. A structured approach on an obvious problem gives the organisation the certainty that the method is an expensive ritual.

A manageable scope. One process, one site, one product family. A project whose scope covers the whole company never ends.

Prioritising

Two dimensions are most often enough: the expected gain and the ease of implementation. Placing them on a matrix quickly separates what must be launched now, what deserves to be prepared, and what must be set aside.

High-gain, low-effort projects are not up for discussion. High-gain, high-effort ones make up the core portfolio. Low-gain projects are set aside whatever their effort — it is the quadrant wrongly retained because it looks easy.

One constraint is added: the actual availability of people. A portfolio of ten projects entrusted to Green Belts 90 % taken up by their job produces ten late projects. The number of projects open at the same time is a decision as important as their choice.

The link with strategy

A project that serves none of the retained orientations consumes resources that nothing justifies, even if it succeeds. That is the junction with policy deployment: improvement projects should come down from the orientations, not up from wishes.

The practical test comes down to one sentence: which orientation does this project contribute to, and by how much? If nobody can answer, it should not be launched — or it is the orientation that is missing.

The common mistakes

Launching the projects that volunteers propose. That guarantees buy-in and nothing else: the subjects raised are those that bother the people who speak, not those that cost the company the most.

Opening too many projects at once. It is the most frequent mistake at the start of an approach, carried by enthusiasm, and a year later it produces a collection of half-done projects that discredits the whole.

Quantifying the gain after the fact. A gain estimated before launch commits; a gain calculated at the end always adjusts to what was obtained.

On the shop floor — Specialist retail

Of fourteen projects opened in the first year, four were finished. The rule introduced afterwards — three projects maximum per Green Belt, no new one until a previous one is closed — raised the completion rate to nine out of eleven the following year, with a higher cumulative gain.

The other tools illustrated by this trade: logistics and distribution.

Frequently asked questions

How long should a Green Belt project last?

Three to six months is the usual order of magnitude. Below that, the problem probably did not warrant a structured approach; beyond it, the team scatters, the sponsor changes priority and the data from the start no longer describes the process.

Is a sponsor needed?

Yes, and it is a selection criterion in its own right. A project without a committed line manager will stall at the first decision that goes beyond the project leader. It is better to set aside a good subject with no sponsor than to open a project that cannot be concluded.

How do you estimate the gain before starting?

Roughly, and that is enough: an order of magnitude makes it possible to prioritise. An estimate to within 30 % on the ten candidate subjects is worth more than a precise costing on the one already decided on.

Who decides?

A body that brings together those who fund and those who provide the resources, not the person in charge of the approach alone. That is the condition for the means to follow the decision — a portfolio arbitrated by quality alone then runs into production.