8.2 Introduction

The health pandemic crisis of 2020 led to interesting trends that encompassed nearly every aspect of life. Two particular—yet opposing—trends dealt with physical fitness routines.

Most people went one of two ways. The first trend was that with the limited mobility imposed by quarantines, physical fitness fell by the wayside, even for those who had before been highly focused on physical fitness. The other trend went the complete opposite direction. Many home fitness programs became incredibly popular, from workout apps to interactive exercise equipment, such as Peloton bikes. Many people started using these new services due to their sudden convenience. While fitness consciousness had been a growing concern for years, these home fitness programs gave them a major boost.

You or someone that you know may have started the fitness journey. It can be a good health habit that correlates with academic performance, productivity, quality of sleep, and quality of life. As the popular saying goes, “healthy body, healthy mind.” But it is also a somewhat arduous journey, as work deadlines and daily commitments, more often than not, get in the way. A sense of purpose is critical here for keeping us motivated and committed.

However, a sense of purpose is necessary but not sufficient if you want real success along your fitness journey. You will also need to measure your progress. Let's say you want to join the Armed Forces cycling challenge. This is an annual event that challenges you to perform as many laps in the closed circuit in and around Crystal City, the Pentagon, and the Air Force Memorial within the allotted time. You will need to practice during the preceding months in preparation if you're going to finish and achieve your personal best performance.

The point is, besides a sense of purpose to keep you motivated and engaged with your training, you will also need to measure where you are at the beginning and use that baseline to assess your progress. The saying goes, "if you cannot measure, you cannot improve." The same applies to other situations you may be involved in, such as finishing a marathon, passing the driver’s test, or obtaining a competitive GMAT score. Similarly, in the context of lean six sigma, the measurement phase serves a somewhat similar function and sets you up for success.

The purpose of this topic is to take you through the key activities of the Measure phase of the lean six sigma DMAIC framework so that you can eventually apply them to projects at your organization. We also discuss crucial tools that you need to add to your lean six sigma toolset and that are essential to this phase of the DMAIC process.