How to Write Your Lean Six Sigma Project Storyboard Presentation
Compelling storytelling is at the heart of every successful Lean Six Sigma project. A well-crafted storyboard isn’t just about showcasing your work; it’s about communicating data, insights, and recommendations in a way that drives impactful decisions and fosters continuous improvement. For professionals such as project managers, quality improvement teams, and Lean Six Sigma practitioners, mastering the art of creating a storyboard presentation can set the stage for organizational excellence.
This guide will discuss the structure and essential elements of a Lean Six Sigma storyboard presentation and offer practical tips to ensure clarity, persuasion, and efficiency.
Why Is Your Project Storyboard Presentation Vital?
Lean Six Sigma isn’t just about data—it’s about transformation and effective project management. Your storyboard presentation encapsulates the entire project lifecycle—from problem identification to solution implementation—and ensures stakeholders understand the value you’ve delivered. A strong storyboard builds alignment, simplifies complexity, and positions you as a trusted leader in driving business change.
Most Importantly, the Storyboard Tells the Story
A storyboard presentation is your opportunity to narrate the compelling journey of your Lean Six Sigma project as the project progresses. Each element of your storyboard should vividly illustrate the challenges faced, the data-driven methodologies employed, and the tangible outcomes achieved. This storytelling approach highlights your problem-solving skills and fosters a deeper connection with your audience, making them an integral part of the project’s evolution. By mastering the art of storytelling, you create an engaging narrative that informs, inspires, and facilitates decision-making among stakeholders, ultimately driving the project’s success forward with confidence and clarity.
Now, here’s how you can craft an exceptional Lean Six Sigma storyboard presentation step by step.
What is a Project Storyboard?
A project storyboard is a visual representation of a project’s progress, integrating the DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control) method for Lean Six Sigma (LSS) projects. It serves as a clear roadmap to success and efficiency at a glance, providing a concise and engaging way to communicate the project’s progress and goals to stakeholders. A project storyboard is a helpful tool for managing projects, offering a clear and engaging way to communicate the project’s progress and goals to stakeholders.
The structure of a presentation
A complete consulting presentation typically contains the following five overall sections:
- Frontpage
- Executive summary
- Body of slides
- Recommendation / Next steps
- Appendix
Let’s dive into each section one by one.
1. FrontPage
Your first impression matters. The front page of your storyboard sets the tone for your entire presentation, especially for lean six sigma projects. Keep it simple, professional, and visually aligned with your audience’s expectations.
What to include:
- Title: Use no more than 8 words to describe the project. Ensure clarity, e.g., “Reducing Customer Support Call Times.”
- Sub-headline: (Optional) Provide a brief elaboration if necessary, e.g., “A Lean Six Sigma Approach to Enhancing Efficiency.”
- Brand Identity: Depending on whether the presentation is internal or external, brand the slide appropriately. Use your company’s branding for internal presentations or the client’s branding if delivering externally.
- Date & Presenter Information: Transparency is key, so include the project date and who is delivering the presentation.
- Detail Tip: Remember that professionalism and consistency in formatting (correct fonts, alignment, and spacing) enhance credibility.
2. Write an Engaging Executive Summary
The executive summary serves as your “elevator pitch” in a single slide. Data-packed presentations can overwhelm busy executives, so your summary should distill the entire storyline into a concise, powerful narrative that highlights the improvement efforts undertaken throughout the project.
Use the SCR Framework (Situation-Complication-Resolution):
- Situation: Outline the context of the problem you’re addressing.
- Complication: Define the challenge or opportunity that called for the intervention.
- Resolution: Summarize the solution and its quantifiable impact.
Example:
- Situation: “Customer complaints about long support response times increased by 35% over two quarters.”
- Complication: “This caused a 15% drop in retention rates, estimated to cost $2M annually.”
- Resolution: “Introducing a streamlined workflow reduced response times by 40%, saving $1.2M annually.”
- Pro Tip: Make your executive summary visually engaging with bullet points, bold key metrics, and graphs where relevant.
3. Structure the Body of Slides
The body of the presentation covers the Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control (DMAIC) phases, structured as a sigma dmaic storyboard. Each phase deserves its own section and should be presented clearly and engaging.
The Anatomy of a Slide:
Each slide should include three essential components:
- Action Title – Clearly articulate the slide’s main takeaway.
- Subheadings – An insight or data used to prove the insight
- Slide Body – the actual data or details used to prove the insight
As a rule, there should be nothing in the action title that’s not in the slide body and nothing in the slide bode that is irrelevant to the action title
Presentations are often read by busy people, particularly busy executives. Therefore, it is critical to provide concise, easy-to-understand titles that clearly articulate the “takeaways” or “so what” of the slide.
(a) The Action Title
The Action title is the one phrase that encapsulates the entire slide. Utilizing project storyboards can help in mapping out these key points effectively.
For example, imagine you are creating a slide showing Q3 production delays:
A passive title for that slide would be:
“Production Delays in Q3.”
As a reader, you need to study the chart to understand the how big the impact and understand the so-what.
An Action Title would be:
“Over Q3 2024, Production Delays have caused a 20% reduction in overall production.”
As a reader, you immediately understand the message of the slide and if you want more details you can then investigate the slide to understand more.
(b) Subheadings
Subheadings are designed to succinctly summarize the data presented on the slide, either supporting the action title or adding depth to the primary takeaway. Keep them clear and concise,
Examples may be:
- Production Delays, XYZ Factory, Hours of Productivity
- Forecasted Productivity Levels in Q4
(c) Slide Body
Present relevant data and visuals to support your insights while keeping the design clutter-free.
A clear and concise slide body is essential for effectively communicating insights to an audience. The slide’s primary insight, as conveyed in the action title, should be bolstered by all pertinent information presented in the most straightforward manner possible.
You have likely done a lot of research, and including all the interesting data you have found is tempting. Avoid this. Instead, focus on eliminating any facts and figures that do not directly support the key insight highlighted in the title.
In this instance, the title is clear, with the slide’s content effectively reinforcing and validating the main insight. When creating a slide, you may not always begin with the title and then add supporting data. Often, it’s an iterative process where you explore various titles to align with your collected data and the overall narrative flow. Having covered the fundamentals of individual slides, let’s proceed to how consultants at McKinsey, BCG, and Bain craft a compelling storyline.
Building the Storyline
1. Sketch Your Sections
Start by outlining the overarching sections of your deck on paper. Break them down into the SCR structure:
- Introduction: Situation
- Analysis: Complication
- Recommendation: Resolution
2. Use Action Titles to Create Flow
Draft your slides using only action titles. This ensures the flow of your storyline is logical and engaging before adding supporting content.
3. Review the Flow
- Print and Lay Out Slides: Physically arrange the slides to see if the storyline makes sense.
- Use Slide Sorter Mode: View slides in PowerPoint’s slide sorter to assess the horizontal flow.
- Build a Detailed Outline
For a more text-driven approach, write the entire storyline in a Word document, focusing on:
- Action titles
- Supporting bullet points, including data or analysis for the slides, should be presented immediately afterwards.
Key Components of a Lean Six Sigma Storyboard
A Lean Six Sigma storyboard typically includes the following key components:
- Project Overview: A brief introduction to the project, including its objectives, scope, and timeline.
- Define Phase: A description of the problem statement, goal statement, and improvement charter.
- Measure Phase: A summary of the data collection and analysis, including Process or Value Stream Maps and data displays such as Control Charts.
- Analyze Phase: An explanation of how the root cause was determined using techniques such as Fishbone and Interrelationship Diagrams, or Pareto analysis or statistical tests.
- Improve Phase: A description of the potential solutions generated, the method used to select the most suitable solution, and the selection criteria involved.
- Control Phase: A summary of the Control Plan and the results following the implementation of the solution.
- Results and Outcomes: A presentation of the measurable results achieved through the project.
- Lessons Learned and Future Recommendations: A reflection on the project’s journey and capture of any valuable insights gained.
Visualizing Your Storyboard
Visualizing your storyboard is crucial to effectively communicate the project’s progress and goals to stakeholders. Here are some tips to enhance your storyboard with visuals:
- Use graphics and diagrams: Incorporate flowcharts, Process or Value Stream Maps, and data displays such as Control Charts to illustrate key process steps and data analysis.
- Add photos and images: Include photos of actual workstations or equipment to make the storyboard feel more connected to the real-world processes it represents.
- Use colors and icons: Use colors and icons to highlight key information, such as progress, milestones, and challenges.
- Keep it concise: Ensure that the storyboard is easy to understand and follow, with concise text and clear visuals.
4. Conclude with Clear Recommendations
Your recommendations link directly to the actionable steps derived from your analysis of sigma initiatives. Stakeholders should leave your presentation with a clear understanding of what needs to be done next.
5. Build a Robust Appendix
The appendix holds all your detailed supporting evidence, making your main deck concise and reader-friendly. Incorporating sigma training materials can further enhance the understanding of process improvement projects.
Best practices for an impactful appendix:
- Only transfer information from the main deck that isn’t essential to the primary narrative.
- Include additional charts, surveys, or raw data that stakeholders may request for reference.
- Organize the appendix clearly, labelling each slide by topic.
- Pro Tip: The appendix often becomes a crucial resource during Q&A sessions. Be ready to seamlessly direct stakeholders to any supporting data.
Final Thoughts
Your Lean Six Sigma storyboard presentation is more than just a report—it’s a persuasive tool that communicates the value of your hard work in six sigma projects, encourages decision-makers to act, and inspires confidence in your expertise. A well-structured presentation anchors your insights, showcasing the profound impact Lean Six Sigma methodology can bring to organizations.
Whether you’re delivering your first storyboard or refining your skills, clarity and storytelling are non-negotiable. Take pride in every slide—it’s your story, and it should resonate.
Looking to refine your presentation even further? Discover how Leanscape can guide you in mastering Lean Six Sigma tools and techniques. Reach out today and elevate your expertise!
