Dictionary of Lean Six Sigma Tools/Concepts

A common control chart, it is a statistical tool that measures the performance of a process to see how "in control" it is. It does so by plotting individual data points from the process plus the distance between each data point (i.e., its moving range) and evaluates the capability by comparing these data points with the lower/upper control limits (LCL/UCL) for the process. A series of tests can be applied to the control chart to identify special causes.
Related StatStuff Videos: 
   -Section 8-Control Phase, Lesson #4 - Control Charts: I-MR Chart
   -Section 5-Measure Phase, Lesson #16 - Testing for Special Cause Variation

A chart designed to balance each idea between its potential impact/value vs. its difficulty/complexity to implement. It's also known as a PICK chart that is an acronym referring to the 4 quadrants of Potential, Implement, Consider, and Kill. It's often used in the Improve phase of DMAIC or during any brainstorming session when multiple ideas need to be evaluated and prioritized.
Related StatStuff Video: 
   -Section 7-Improve Phase, Lesson #6 - Prioritize Solutions with an Impact Matrix

A prioritized list of actions that comprise all improvements to be piloted or implemented for a project or workout. For each action, the responsible owner and due dates are identified as well as a method for tracking the progress for completion. 
Related StatStuff Videos: 
   -Section 7-Improve Phase, Lesson #9 - Piloting Solutions: Build the Pilot Plan
   -Section 2-Lean, Lesson #14 - Leading a Lean Workout (Kaizen Event)

A measure suggesting the amount of variation in a distribution by expressing the range of the middle 50% of the data points. It is calculated as (Q3 - Q1) and is commonly used when the data is non-normally distributed. The smaller the result is, then the less variation there may be in the distribution. 
Related StatStuff Video: 
   -Section 5-Measure Phase, Lesson #12 - Spread

A description of how items flow as Inputs through a process that changes them to become Outputs from that process.
Related StatStuff Video: 
   -Section 1-Introduction, Lesson #2 - Introduction to Lean and Six Sigma

A method of evaluating a business area to identify and prioritize potential opportunities. It explores the Inputs, Process, and Outputs (IPO Flow) of a business area from three perspectives: 1) Flow, 2) Accuracy, and 3) Timeliness. It can be used when a business area has several problems with potentially inter-related root causes and it's not immediately known what order to target the root causes and problems. It can also be used to find opportunities in a business area by exploring the inputs and processes in that business area from different perspectives.
Related StatStuff Video: 
   -Section 1-Introduction, Lesson #9 - Project Strategy Using the IPO-FAT Tool