Apply the DMAIC framework to identify, analyze, and resolve process problems step by step
Course profile · Process Improvement
Introduction to Lean Six Sigma
A practical foundation course covering DMAIC, process mapping, waste elimination, and data analysis with Excel, for beginners with no prior experience.
Free1h 52m23 lessonsBeginner
Outcome-focused
What You Will Learn in This Introduction to Lean Six Sigma Course
Use SIPOC diagrams and Excel flowcharts to document and map any process
Identify the 8 types of waste and separate value-added from non-value-added activities
Interpret process data using Excel's descriptive statistics toolbox, no prior statistics knowledge needed
Understand quality management systems and how they keep processes consistent
Build cause-and-effect diagrams and use prioritization tools to focus improvement efforts
Use FMEA to identify and reduce process risk before problems occur
Complete a full Lean Six Sigma project using ready-made, pre-filled templates
About this course
What This Free Introduction to Lean Six Sigma Course Covers
This course covers the foundations of Lean Six Sigma, what quality means, how quality management systems work, and how the DMAIC cycle applies to real process problems. All data analysis is done in Microsoft Excel, so there is no specialized software to install or learn.
Four ready-to-use templates are included with the course: a Project Charter, a SIPOC diagram, a Process Flow Diagram, and an FMEA. Each comes pre-filled with examples so you can see the format in action before adapting it to your own work.
The course ends with the Cool Oil Project, a complete walkthrough of one improvement project from problem definition through the Control phase. Following a real project from start to finish is the clearest way to see how the tools connect.
The course runs under two hours and covers enough ground for you to run a basic improvement project on your own. It is free and self-paced. If you want to go further afterwards, the related courses below carry on from where this one stops.
Is this for you?
Who this course is for
- Professionals who want to understand and apply process improvement without a long certification program
- Analysts and coordinators who already use Excel and want to apply it to quality and process problems
- Team leads and supervisors responsible for improving how work flows through their team
- Students building foundational knowledge of quality management and continuous improvement
Before you start
Requirements
- No prior experience needed
- A computer with Microsoft Excel (version 2013 or later)
- No statistics background required, all calculations use Excel's built-in tools
Inside the course · 23 lessons
Course outline
Course Outline
What the course covers and how the sections build on each other
What Is Quality and Quality Cost
How defects and failures translate into measurable business cost, and why quality pays for itself
Quality Management Systems
How a quality management system keeps a process consistent over time
What Is Six Sigma
Where Six Sigma came from and what problem it was built to solve
The DMAIC Framework
The five-phase improvement cycle (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control) and when to use each phase
Introduction to SIPOC
Framing a process end to end: suppliers, inputs, process, outputs, customers
Excel: Flow Chart
Building a process flowchart in Excel without specialist software
Project Initiation
Getting an improvement project properly started rather than drifting into it
Project Planning
Turning a problem into a plan with scope, milestones and a team
Project Charter Example
A completed charter, read through field by field
Process Evaluation
Measuring how a process actually performs before changing anything
Types of Waste
The 8 wastes that slow down office and service work, and how to spot them
Introduction to Statistics
The small amount of statistics an improvement project actually needs
Intuition for Statistics
Reading what the numbers mean rather than just calculating them
Data Visualization
Choosing a chart that shows the problem instead of decorating the report
Excel: Descriptive Statistics
Running descriptive statistics in Excel's Data Analysis Toolpak with no formulas required
Analysis Tools
The root-cause tools that turn a symptom into a cause you can act on
Brainstorming
Running an idea-generation session that produces usable options
FMEA and 7R
Failure Mode and Effects Analysis: identifying what could go wrong and reducing the risk
Effort Impact Matrix
Choosing which fixes to do first when you cannot do all of them
The Control Phase
Locking in an improvement so the gains do not fade once attention moves on
The Cool Oil Project
A complete improvement project walked through from problem definition to control
Final Word
A short close, and what to do next
Included materials
More than the videos
- 4 downloadable templates: Project Charter, SIPOC, Process Flow Diagram, FMEA
- A full project walkthrough from start to finish
Professional development
PDU information
This course lists 1.50 PDU. Review PDU guidance before claiming credit.
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