What should leaders ensure when implementing changes via Lean or Six Sigma?

• A. Changes are implemented without oversight.
• B. Changes are controlled to preserve safety and compliance.
• C. Changes remove all standard procedures.
• D. Changes are limited to documentation only.

Answer: (B)

Leaders implementing Lean or Six Sigma changes must ensure changes are controlled and governed to preserve safety and regulatory compliance. When improving processes, it’s essential to follow a disciplined change-management approach: obtain clear approvals, assess risks, update standard work, train people, and monitor results to verify the change delivers the intended benefits without creating new safety or compliance issues. This oversight keeps improvements sustainable, auditable, and aligned with requirements, rather than ad hoc or hazardous.

Choices that suggest moving forward without oversight, eliminating standard procedures, or restricting changes to documentation only miss the need for actual, controlled process change and accountability. Without oversight and updated standard work, improvements may not be safe or durable, and merely documenting changes does not ensure they are implemented correctly or realized in practice.