Spring is here and everyone is warming up for their summer plans.
During the summer, all plans feel spontaneous – beach days, weekend trips, last-minute adventures. The reality is that the best summer moments don’t just happen, they are planned. Summer plans might feel spontaneous but anyone who’s tried to coordinate trips, events or even a few weekends, realizes – everything is a process.
Coordinating schedules, aligning calendars, and organizing agendas – it all takes intention, and a little planning goes a long way towards an enjoyable time.
Fortunately, this is where Lean Six Sigma and process mapping can make a huge difference. When you break down your summer planning, a few objectives become clear:
- Align schedules as soon as possible
- Identify critical decisions (dates, budget, locations, activities, etc.)
- Reduce back-and-forth on coordinating certain decisions by making choices faster
- Build in flexibility without introducing chaos
- Consider Lessons Learned for future trips
Lean Six Sigma isn’t just for operations and manufacturing – it’s a mindset. Define what a “great summer” looks like, map the steps to get there, and address challenges as they come up (reduce overthinking decisions, minimize excessive provisions for the trip, decrease delays in completing planning, etc.)
The smoother the process, the more you can enjoy the outcome. Turns out, even relaxation benefits from a good process!