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Most of the textbook definitions of Six Sigma talk about Six Sigma being a strategy, methodology, metric, philosophy etc. There is another definition that I use in my training programs frequently. Lean Six Sigma provides you with world best methods of data driven decision making. If you are working in an organization or running a business, it is inevitable that you shall need to use data in decision making. Some pointers that highlight the importance of data driven decision making are given below. Even if one uses brainstorming techniques with teams, one can generate and use data.The use of basic cause-effect approaches for analysis like fishbone diagram get strengthened only by effective use of data.All functions in an organization generate data of various kinds. It makes sense to learn correct methods and techniques that help in decision making for business success.Analysis of wastes in a process requires data (like cycle times, takt times, value added time, non value added time, productivity, etc)Finding whether internal/ customer requirements (or regulatory requirments) are met requires data driven techniques like hypothesis testing.Forecasting methods are essentially a set of data driven techniques.Comparison of two or more sets of data( for comparing vendors, technology, techniques, materials, processes, customer types, teams etc) is a common need.Market research or R&D makes us of data all the time.Problem Solving is strengthened by usage of data.Project Management requires data driven decisions.Performance management cannot be considered fair unless data is capured, analyzed and used properly.To get more ideas on how Lean Six Sigma is useful in a specific Industry or Functional area, please make use of tags present at the top right section (found after clicking on forum tab above).