It’s time to reconsider the future of process improvement.
For years, organizations have relied on methodologies like Lean Six Sigma, Business Process Management (BPM), and BPMN 2.0 to streamline operations, reduce waste, and deliver consistent value. These frameworks have stood the test of time because they are built on natural intelligence (NI), the ability of people to analyse processes, identify inefficiencies, and apply creativity and judgment to solve complex problems.
Now, a new type of intelligence has entered the game: Artificial Intelligence (AI).
When we think of AI, we often picture automation, predictive analytics, or chatbots. But AI is more than a tool. It’s a force multiplier that, when combined with human intelligence, creates what I call HI (Higher Intelligence).
AI is brilliant at handling huge volumes of data in seconds, recognizing patterns invisible to humans, automating repetitive, rule-based tasks, providing predictive and prescriptive insights, but it lacks what NI (natural intelligence) brings: creativity and innovation, ethics and judgment, contextual awareness, empathy and leadership.
So how does this play out in methodologies like Six Sigma and BPM?
- Data-Driven insights on steroids
Six Sigma has always relied on data to drive decisions. AI supercharges this by analysing not just thousands, but millions of data points instantly, identifying correlations, root causes, and variations with unmatched speed and accuracy. - Smarter Process Modelling with BPMN 2.0
BPMN diagrams map processes visually. AI can analyse those models, simulate scenarios, and even suggest optimizations automatically. Imagine a BPMN tool that doesn’t just document a process but advises you how to improve it in real time. - Predictive and Preventive Quality
Instead of reacting to defects, AI helps predict where they will occur. Combined with Six Sigma’s DMAIC framework, this leads to proactive process improvement, not just reactive fixes. - Faster, more confident decisions
Humans often get stuck in analysis paralysis. AI cuts through the noise, offering options backed by data. NI then steps in to evaluate those options considering strategy, ethics, and long-term goals.
The new role of process professionals
Far from making process experts obsolete, AI makes their role more valuable.
- The Six Sigma Black Belt of the future will not spend weeks cleaning data but will focus on interpreting AI-driven insights and leading change initiatives.
- BPM professionals will use AI not just to document processes, but to continuously optimize them in dynamic, data-rich environments.
- Leaders will rely on HI (Higher Intelligence) the powerful synergy of human wisdom and machine intelligence.
The future is augmented, not automated
The organizations that succeed won’t be those that rely on AI alone, nor those that cling stubbornly to tradition. They’ll be the ones that recognize:
AI + NI = HI (Higher Intelligence).
It’s in this partnership that process improvement methodologies like Lean Six Sigma and BPM will evolve from tools of efficiency to engines of transformation.
