Free resources

Continuous improvement tools, explained step by step.

Practical guides to the most used Lean and Six Sigma tools, ordered by DMAIC phase. Each one with a worked example, a PDF template to download and the option to build it straight in LeanOS.

Phase 1 · Define

Pin down the problem

What to improve, for whom, and where the project starts and ends.

How to write a Project CharterThe document that aligns everyone before you start.Guide + PDF template What a SIPOC is and how to build oneThe process at a glance, from supplier to customer.Guide + PDF template Voice of the Customer, from comments to requirementsTurn what customers say into requirements you can measure.Guide + PDF template

Phase 2 · Measure

Know where you stand

Baseline data before anything changes.

How to draw a value stream mapSee where the time is worked and where it waits.Guide + PDF template How to set improvement-project KPIsBaseline, milestones and trend, so progress shows early.Guide + PDF template The 8 wastes of Lean, with examplesLearn to see what consumes time without adding value.Guide + PDF template

Phase 3 · Analyse

Find the root cause

From symptoms to the cause that has to go.

The Ishikawa diagram, step by stepSort the possible causes before you act.Guide + PDF template The 5 Whys, with an exampleFrom symptom to root cause in five questions.Guide + PDF template How to make a Pareto chartFind the few causes behind most of the problem.Guide + PDF template

Phase 4 · Improve

Change what matters

Actions with an owner and a date, tested on the floor.

How to write an improvement action planFrom root causes to actions with an owner and a date.Guide + PDF template How to run a Kaizen eventA few focused days to improve one process.Guide + PDF template A3 problem solving, on one sheetThe whole problem, from background to follow-up, on one page.Guide + PDF template

Phase 5 · Control

Make it last

A plan so the gain holds after the project closes.

How to build a control planHold the gains once the project closes.Guide + PDF template

Calculators

Sigma level, OEE and takt time, worked out from your own figures, with the formula and how to read the result.

Sigma level and DPMOFrom defects and units to DPMO, yield and sigma level.OEEAvailability, performance and quality from one shift’s figures.Takt timeThe pace demand sets, and whether the line keeps up.

Free Excel templates

Templates for the core Lean Six Sigma tools. Each file has a blank sheet, the same sheet filled with a worked example and short instructions.

SIPOC templateSuppliers to customers on one sheet, with a filled example.Fishbone diagram templateThe 6Ms as columns, ready for the team’s causes.Pareto chart templatePercentage and cumulative percentage, calculated for you.Value stream map templateLead time, process time and PCE from a table of steps.Action plan templateEach action with an owner, a date, a root cause and a KPI.Control plan templateKeep the gains: metric, limits, owner and reaction per step.

Lean by sector

How the same DMAIC method applies on a production line, in a warehouse and in a hospital.

Lean manufacturingChangeovers, scrap, stoppages and stock on the shop floor.Lean logisticsPicking, order lead time, errors and empty kilometres.Lean healthcarePatient flow, waiting times, admissions and discharge.

Comparisons

When a spreadsheet is enough, and when a tool built for improvement projects pays off.

LeanOS vs Excel for continuous improvement projectsMost improvement programmes start in spreadsheets, and that is often the right call. This page sets out what each option does well, so you can decide when it is worth moving.LeanOS vs statistical software for improvement projectsStatistical software and LeanOS solve different problems within an improvement project. This page sets out what each does well, so you can decide whether you need one, the other or both.LeanOS vs generic task and project management toolsGeneric task tools are good at tracking work, and your team may already use one. This page sets out what each option does well, so you can decide where your DMAIC projects belong.

Continuous improvement glossaryThe terms of Lean and Six Sigma, each defined in one sentence.5S · 5 Whys · A3 · Control plan · DMAIC · Gemba · Ishikawa diagram · Kaizen · KPI · Lead time · Lean · Muda (waste)…See the glossary →LeanOS vs ExcelWhen a spreadsheet is enough, and when a tool built for improvement projects pays off.See the comparison →

Frequently asked questions

What is DMAIC?

The Six Sigma method for improving an existing process in five phases: Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve and Control. The guides on this page are ordered by those phases.

Which tool should I start with?

With the Project Charter and the SIPOC: they pin down the problem and the process before anything is measured.

Are the templates free?

Yes. Each guide has a PDF template to print and fill in by hand, and you can also build the tool in LeanOS on the free plan.

Run the whole project in one place

Charter, SIPOC, KPIs, causes, actions and control plan linked, with an AI copilot that drafts the first version.

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