Lean Six Sigma Acronyms
Below is a comprehensive list of more than 220 Acronyms / abbreviations relevant for Lean and Six Sigma. These acronyms are compiled from multiple publicly available resources. It should serve as a handy, ready reference guide for all Lean Six Sigma practitioners and enthusiast.
Although sufficient care has been taken to ensure accuracy of the information provided here, I or LSSSimplified.com do not claim the information to be free from errors. The use of this information should be based on your own due diligence, and by using this information, you agree that I or LSSSimplified.com is not liable for any success or failure of your business that is directly or indirectly related to the download and use of this information.
In case I have missed adding any, acronym or abbreviation, please feel free to point it out and I will add it. Also, do let me know if any of the below LSS Acronyms are incorrect and I will correct it immediately.
Drop me a note on sachin@lsssimplified.com
Here you go!
Lean Six Sigma Acronyms : 0 – 1 & A – B
| Abbreviation | Full Form |
|---|---|
| 3P | Production Preparation Process |
| 6M | Man, Machine, Material, Method, Measurement and Mother Nature |
| 8R | Right Quality, Right Quantity, Right Material, Right Place, Right Time, Right Source, Right Price, Right Transport, Right Contract |
| AAR | After Action Review |
| ABC | Activity Based Costing |
| AND | Activity Network Diagram |
| ANOVA | Analysis of Variance |
| APQP | Advanced Product Quality Planning |
| AQL | Acceptable Quality Level (Limit) |
| BB | Black Belt |
| BOM | Bill of Materials |
| BOSCARD | Background, Objectives, Scope, Constraints, Assumptions, Risks and Deliverables |
| BPM | Business Process Management |
| BPMN | Business Process Model and Notation |
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Lean Six Sigma Acronyms : C – D
| Abbreviation | Full Form |
|---|---|
| CAPA | Corrective Action and Preventive Action |
| CAPM | Certified Associate in Project Management |
| CCPM | Critical Chain Project Management |
| CCR | Capacity Constraint Resources |
| CI | Continuous Improvement |
| CLT | Central Limit Theorem |
| COBACABANA | Control of Balance by Card Based Navigation |
| COPQ | Cost of Poor Quality |
| CoV | Coefficient Of Variation |
| CP | Critical Path |
| CPI | Critical Performance Indicator |
| CR | Completion Rate |
| CSM | Characteristic Selection Matrix |
| CT | Cycle Time |
| CTC | Critical to Customer |
| CTQ | Critical to Quality |
| CSCC | Cumulative Sum Control Chart |
| DBR | Drum Buffer Rope |
| DCF | Discounted Cash Flows |
| DDMRP | Demand Driven MRP |
| DF | Degree of Freedom |
| DFLSS | Design For Lean Six Sigma |
| DFM (DFA) | Design for Manufacture (Assembly) |
| DFMA | DESIGNED FOR MANUFACTURING AND ASSEMBLY |
| DFMEA | Design Failure Mode Effect Analysis |
| DFSS | Design for Six Sigma |
| DMADV | Define, Measure, Analyse, Design, Verify |
| DMAIC | Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve, Control |
| DOE | Design of Experiments |
| DOWNTIME | Defects, Overproduction, Waiting, Non-utilized Talent, Transportation, Inventory Excess, Motion Waste, Excess Processing |
| DPM | Defects per Million |
| DPMO | Defects per Million Opportunities |
| DPPM | Defective Parts Per Million |
| DPU | Defects per Unit |
| DQC | Delivery, Quality, Cost |
| DSI | DAYS SUPPLY OF INVENTORY |
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Lean Six Sigma Acronyms : E – H
| Abbreviation | Full Form |
|---|---|
| ECRS | Eliminate, Combine, Rearrange, Simplify |
| EOQ | Economic Order Quantity |
| EPEI | Every Part Every Interval |
| ECR | Engineering Change Request |
| ERP | Enterprise Resource Planning |
| ETO | Engineer to Order |
| EVOP | Evolutionary Operations |
| FACTUAL | Focus, Approach, Converge, Test, Understand, Apply, Leverage |
| FBS | Final Build Sequence |
| FIFO | First In First Out |
| FILO | First In Last Out |
| FISH | First In Still Here |
| FMA | Failure Mode Analysis |
| FMEA | Failure Modes & Effect Analysis |
| FMECA | Failure Modes, Effects and Criticality Analysis |
| FMS | Flexible Manufacturing System |
| FPY | First Pass Yield |
| FRS | Final Requirement Sheet |
| FTT | First Time Through |
| GB | Green Belt |
| HMLV | High Mix Low Volume |
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Lean Six Sigma Acronyms : I – L
| Abbreviation | Full Form |
|---|---|
| ID | Interrelationship Digraph |
| IPOD | Input Process Output Diagram |
| IRR | Internal Rate of Return |
| JI | Job Instructions |
| JIS | Just in Sequence |
| JIT | Just In Time |
| JM | Job Methods |
| JR | Job Relation |
| JUSE | Japanese Union of Scientists and Engineers |
| KPIV | Key Process Input Variables |
| KPOV | Key Process Output Variables |
| KPR | Key performance Resource |
| KPT | Keep, Problem, Try |
| LAMDA | Look, Ask, Model, Discuss, Act |
| LCL | Lower Control Limit |
| LIFO | LAST IN FIRST OUT |
| LSL | Lower Specification Limit |
| LSS | Lean Six Sigma |
| LT | Lead Time |
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Lean Six Sigma Acronyms : M – N
| Abbreviation | Full Form |
|---|---|
| MBB | Master Black Belt |
| MBO | Management by Objectives |
| MBP | Management by Policy |
| MBWA | Management by Walking Around |
| MCE | Manufacturing Cycle Efficiency |
| MIFA | Material and Information Flow Analysis |
| MIFD | Material and Information Flow Diagrams |
| MOMS | Manufacturing Operations Management System |
| MoSCoW | Must have, Should have, Could have, Would have. |
| MOST | Maynard Operation Sequence Technique |
| MQB | Modularer Querbaukasten, German for Modular Transversal Toolkit |
| MRP | Material Requirement Planning |
| MSA | Measurement System Analysis |
| MTBF | Meantime Between Failures |
| MTM | Methods-Time Measurement |
| MTO | Make to Order |
| MTS | Make to Stock |
| MTTF | Mean Time To Failure |
| MTTR | Mean Time to Repair |
| NCF | No Cause Found |
| NGT | Nominal Group Technique |
| NUMMI | New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc. |
| NVA | Non Value Added |
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Lean Six Sigma Acronyms : O – P
| Abbreviation | Full Form |
|---|---|
| OAE | Overall (Production) Asset Efficiency |
| OEE | Overall Equipment Efficiency |
| OFE | Overall Factory Efficiency |
| OGSM | Objectives, Goals, Strategies and Measures |
| OHAS | Occupational Health and Safety |
| OKR | Objectives and Key Results |
| OLE | Overall Line Efficiency |
| OMCD | Operations Management Consulting Division |
| OODA | Observe, Orient, Decide, Act |
| OPDCA | Observe, Plan, Do, Check, Act |
| OPE | Overall People/Process Effectiveness |
| OTE | Overall Throughput Efficiency |
| OTIF | On Time In Full |
| PCE | Process cycle efficiency |
| PD | Program Development |
| PDCA | Plan Do Check Act |
| Project Definition Form | |
| PDPC | Process Decision Program Chart |
| PDSA | Plan Do Study Act |
| PEC | Process Evaluation Checklist |
| PEE | Production Equipment Efficiency |
| PEEP | Plan for Every Part |
| PERT | Program Evaluation and Review Technique |
| PFMEA | Process Failure Mode Effect Analysis |
| PLM | Product Lifecycle Management |
| PLT | Process / Production Lead Time |
| PMI | Project Management Institute |
| PMP | Project Management Professional |
| PMTS | Predetermined Motion Time System |
| POLCA | Paired-Cell Overlapping Loops of Cards with Authorization |
| PON | Price of Nonconformance |
| POUS | POINT OF USE STORAGE |
| PPAP | Production Part Approval Process |
| PPI | Producer Price Index |
| PPM | Parts Per Million |
| PQPRA | Product Quantity Process Routing Analysis |
| PTO | Purchase to Order |
| PTS | Purchase to Stock |
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Lean Six Sigma Acronyms : Q – R
| Abbreviation | Full Form |
|---|---|
| QA | Quality Assurance |
| QC | Quality Circle |
| QCD | Quality, Cost, Delivery |
| QCDF | Quality, Cost, Delivery, Flexibility |
| QCDMS | Quality, Cost, Delivery, Morale, Safety |
| QDC | Quick Die Change |
| QDIP | Quality, Delivery, Inventory, and Productivity |
| QFD | Quality Function Deployment |
| QRM | Quick Response Manufacturing |
| R&R | R&R. Repeatability and Reproducibility. |
| RACI | Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed Party |
| RCA | Root Cause Analysis |
| RCM | Reliability Centered Maintenance |
| ROI | Return on Investment |
| RPN | Risk Priority Number |
| RQL | Rejectable Quality Level / Rejectable Quality Limit |
| RTY | Rolled Throughput Yield |
| RUMBA | Reasonable, Understandable, Measurable, Believable and Achievable |
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Lean Six Sigma Acronyms : S – T
| Abbreviation | Full Form |
|---|---|
| SCE | Supply Chain Execution |
| SCM | Supply Chain Management |
| SCP | Supply Chain Planning |
| SDCA | Standardize, Do, Check, Act |
| SIPOC | Supplier, Input, Process, Output, Customer |
| SKU | Stock Keeping Unit |
| SMART | Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-bound |
| SMED | Single Minute Exchange of Dies |
| SOP | Standard Operating Procedure |
| SOP | Start of Production |
| SPC | Statistical Process Control |
| SPS | Set Part Supply |
| SQC | Statistical Quality Control |
| SQDC | Safety, Quality, Delivery, and Cost |
| SQPC | Safety, Quality, Productivity, Cost |
| SWCS | STANDARD WORK COMBINATION SHEET |
| SWS | STANDARD WORK SHEET |
| TBS | Temporary Build Sequence |
| TEEP | Total Effective Equipment Performance |
| TMC | Toyota Motor Corporation |
| TMU | Time Measurement Unit |
| TNGA | Toyota New Global Architecture |
| TOC | Theory of Constraints |
| TPDS | Toyota Product Development System |
| TPM | Total Preventive Maintenance |
| TPS | Toyota Production System |
| TQ | Total Quality |
| TQC | Total Quality Control |
| TQM | Total Quality Management |
| TSSW | Thinking the Six Sigma Way |
| TVAL | Toyota Verification of Assembly |
| TWI | Training Within Industry |
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Lean Six Sigma Acronyms : U – Z
| Abbreviation | Full Form |
|---|---|
| UCL | Upper Control Limit |
| USL | Upper Specification Limit |
| VA | Value Add |
| VAT | Value Added Time |
| VIF | Variance Inflation Factor |
| VM | VISUAL MANAGEMENT |
| VMI | Vendor Managed Inventory |
| VOB | Voice of Business |
| VOC | Voice of Customer |
| VOP | Voice of the Process |
| VSD | Value Stream Design |
| VSM | Value Stream Mapping |
| WACC | Weighted Average Cost of Capital |
| WCL | World Class Logistics |
| WCM | World Class Manufacturing |
| WIP | Work In Progress |
| X | Input / potential causes / significant causes [Y = f(X)] |
| Y | Outputs / Project Y / Project metric [Y = f(X)] |
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Sachin Naik
Passionate about improving processes and systems | Lean Six Sigma practitioner, trainer and coach for 14+ years consulting giant corporations and fortune 500 companies on Operational Excellence | Start-up enthusiast | Change Management and Design Thinking student | Love to ride and drive
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