Lean Six Sigma addresses two questions. Which pair is correct?

• A. Does this process need to exist? How can this process be improved?
• B. Is this process efficient? Can it be automated?
• C. When will this process be completed? What is the budget?
• D. Who owns this process? What is the scope?

Answer: (A)

Lean Six Sigma centers on delivering value by removing waste and reducing variation in processes. The two questions it emphasizes are whether a process should exist at all, and if it does, how it can be improved. The first question asks us to assess value from the customer’s perspective: does this process add meaningful value, or is it non-value-added waste that should be eliminated or redesigned? The second question then drives the improvement effort—how can the remaining value-adding steps be made more efficient and reliable, reducing defects and variation.

This pair is the best fit because it captures both deciding if a process is worth having and then making it better. The other options focus on efficiency or automation, or on timing, budget, ownership, and scope—important in project work but not the core dual focus of Lean Six Sigma, which is value existence and systematic improvement.