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Six Sigma Project Preventing $375K in Cost and Major Schedule Slip

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The Challenge

The organizations lacked a structured, data-driven method for identifying root causes behind delays affecting 113 purchased items. Without a unified approach, issues were addressed reactively, resulting in repeated disruptions, inconsistent corrective actions, and escalating cost risk.

Impact

  • Up to 20 weeks of schedule slip across critical purchased items
  • $375,000 in potential cost exposure
  • Inefficient, reactive issue resolution
  • Increased pressure on program timelines and downstream operations

Solution

A Six Sigma project was launched to analyze cycle-time drivers, quantify variation, and identify high-impact failure modes. The effort included mapping the end-to-end procurement and supplier-interaction process, conducting statistical analysis, and implementing targeted corrective actions to eliminate bottlenecks and reduce variability.

Outcome

The project mitigated $375,000 in cost exposure and prevented 4–20 weeks of schedule slip across 113 purchased items. The standardized improvements strengthened supplier performance, stabilized procurement timelines, and provided a repeatable framework for future risk-reduction initiatives.

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Our Approach

The Results

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