This is one of the most common myths and refrains that people express, especially during the early period of Lean Six Sigma deployment. It is quite natural to consider my area so unique that whatever has worked for others or in other areas would not work in mine. It is important to realize that Lean Six Sigma is process or area agnostic. It has proven itself time and again in diverse areas, and there is hardly any field where it has not been successfully applied. Steer clear of this misconception that you are an exception to the rule—Lean Six Sigma can certainly work for you if you let it.

In the earlier section, we discussed how critical it is for organizations to have a data-driven environment. However, it is equally important to ensure that the systems and processes that churn out the data for decision-making are regularly validated. Using a measurement system that generates incorrect data...