Joel Smith

Director Continuous Improvement, Keurig Dr Pepper, Inc., Frisco, TX, USA

Joel Smith is Director of Continuous Improvement at Keurig Dr Pepper Inc. in Frisco, TX where he has served since 2016. In his role leading process improvement for the organization Joel is responsible for identifying and enabling successful execution of high-value opportunities within supply chain for the Fortune 500 beverage company.He has served as the Chair of the Statistics Division of ASQ, on the iSixSigma editorial board, on the board of ISSSP, and as Chair of the Lean and Six Sigma World Conference. Joel co-authored the Applied Statistics Manual and authors the Random Thoughts column for Lean & Six Sigma Review. He was the 2022 recipient of the Award for the Advancement of Six Sigma by ASQ.Joel received a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and a master’s degree in Statistics from Virginia Tech. Smith resides in Prosper, TX with his wife and two children.

4 Problems, 5 Solutions and 6 Sigma

For over two decades the integration of Lean and Six Sigma has been debated. Purists aligned to either can't even agree to disagree, and integrators of the two into "Lean Six Sigma" are far from in sync on what exactly that means. Is it a toolkit? A problem-solving methodology? A culture?

This talk will discuss the four types of problems that organizations experience, and the five types of solutions that resolve them; these problems and solutions are general and not defined by specific methods.

By understanding these are fundamental, we can then consider where Lean and Six Sigma can play a role in effective problem-solving without thinking of the two as a choice to be made. Rather than a prescriptive "best way" to do things, a systematic approach to thinking about Lean, Six Sigma, and any other continuous improvement method can be developed for any organization to drive maximum value.

Whether you are just starting on a journey, an extreme Lean fan, a Six Sigma addict, or a Lean Six Sigma enthusiast come hear this perspective and consider how to apply the thinking to your own improvement program!