Project Charter in Six Sigma

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https://www.smartsheet.com/content/six-sigma-project-charter

A project charter in Six Sigma is a two-page document that outlines a process improvement project. The charter contains data-driven information explaining the need for the project. Once approved, the document becomes the Six Sigma team's primary reference.

Like traditional project charters, a Six Sigma charter is the initial document that communicates a project’s purpose. It is also a living document that the team will update and review throughout the lifecycle of the project.

Both traditional project charters and Six Sigma project charters share these key elements:

Agreement: Document an agreement between the project team and management.
Alignment: Align project goals with the goals of the entire organization.
Business Case: Present the business case for the project.
Outline: Provide a broad outline of the project.
Overview: Describe the project’s objectives, necessary resources, and timeline.
Project Scope: Define the project scope.
Reference Point: Act as a reference point throughout the project.
Unlike a traditional project charter, a Six Sigma charter requires a team certified in Six Sigma methodology to prepare and execute it.

In addition to achieving the goals outlined above, the Six Sigma project charter will contain:

Six Sigma Certifications and Roles: Designate the team members assigned to the project, and include their Six Sigma certification and project role.
Six Sigma Methodology: Identify the Six Sigma tools and methods you plan to use to refine the business processes.
Six Sigma Statements: Identify the process improvements the project will accomplish, and outline any potential implementation issues.
What Is a Lean Six Sigma Project Charter?
A Lean Six Sigma project charter looks the same as a Six Sigma charter. Some experts believe that there is no significant difference between the two. Others explain that Lean charters focus on preventing issues rather than making incremental improvements.

The difference between the two is subtle. Similar to a Six Sigma charter, Lean Six Sigma methods and tools help teams eliminate waste in a process. The Lean charter reflects this approach in the goals. Both charters are the same in the structure, but they are different in the goals,

The Lean Six Sigma charter includes goals related to eliminating waste and non-value-adding activities. The Six Sigma project charter includes reducing variation in the process to reach a Six Sigma level, or 3.4 defects per 1 million opportunities.

To prepare a Lean Six Sigma project charter, start with a standard Six Sigma project charter template. Craft a Lean goal statement that targets issue prevention or preemptive waste avoidance. A Lean goal statement might say, “We will identify and remove all non-essential steps between intake and examination, such as repetitive forms and paperwork, to reduce patient wait time by 10 minutes.

To some purists, Six Sigma is aimed at reducing variation exclusively, while Lean is aimed at improvement.