Lean Coffee Chat Summary: September 2025
A crisp September evening brought together a diverse group of lean professionals, the
familiar faces and new voices of our network, for our monthly “lean coffee” chat. The
session, less a formal meeting and more a free-flowing exchange of ideas, served a
unique purpose: to collectively define what “lean” means to us, not through textbooks,
but through shared experience. It’s a living, breathing knowledge base, built one
conversation at a time. The atmosphere was charged with curiosity, as topics for
discussion were added and voted on in real-time.
The most popular topic of the evening, leading the charge with the most votes, centered
on a question on everyone’s mind: “How will AI disrupt lean or Six Sigma work?”. The
conversation immediately pivoted from a theoretical question to a practical exploration
of how individuals are already integrating AI into their daily work.
One participant shared how they use AI to create prompts for problem statements and
to calculate the ROI of projects, essentially creating a personal AI agent that
understands their specific methodology. Another pointed to a concept of using AI as a
“root cause analysis problem solving coach” to supplement human thinking rather than
replace it. This approach was seen as a way to overcome the bottleneck of limited
access to expert coaches.
The discussion also touched on the risks of relying on AI, such as confidentiality and the
potential for “AI hallucinations,” where the tool invents information. A key piece of
advice was to use specific prompts that restrict the AI to only using the information
provided. A participant highlighted a spectrum of AI usage, from simply assisting with
tasks like meeting summaries to more advanced applications, noting that we’re mostly
still in the “assist and augment” phase.
The conversation then flowed into a closely related topic: “Which certifications do you
think matter most for Lean Six Sigma careers right now?”. The connection between
these two topics became clear as the discussion unfolded. While AI is changing the
landscape of lean work, the value of formal credentials is also being re-examined.
A participant with over a decade of experience confessed to having no certifications,
noting that in corporate environments, their lack of a certification often meant they were
seen as an assistant to a black belt, even while creating curriculum. Another shared a
similar sentiment, having recently earned a Black Belt but questioning its value outside
of manufacturing, where the focus on statistics is less applicable. They noted that in
public health or local government, the focus is more on people and the customer, which
doesn’t always resonate with the statistical side of the black belt program. This led to a
discussion about the value of different certifications, with one attendee suggesting that

certifications in change management or project management are also becoming
increasingly important.
A powerful insight emerged from a career coach’s advice: instead of piling up
credentials, a better investment might be in personal well-being, like a massage, to be
more confident and ready to tell your story. This underscored the idea that the true
value lies not just in a title but in the ability to demonstrate an understanding of the tools
and to tell the story of a lean journey. Another participant added that organizations often
default to requiring a “black belt” in job descriptions simply because they don’t know
what skills they truly need.
The evening concluded with a discussion on takeaways from a recent summit. One
attendee shared their appreciation for a specific change model, the “Cotter’s change
model,” and its emphasis on enlisting a “volunteer army” of champions to help drive
cultural change.
Overall, the conversations revealed a community that defines “lean” not just by its tools
and certifications, but by its adaptability, its focus on people, and its ability to learn and
evolve. It’s a space where a master’s degree in organizational psychology can be seen
as more valuable than a Six Sigma belt in a service industry, and where AI is not a
replacement for human thought, but a powerful tool to be used with caution and
ingenuity. The collective body of knowledge is taking shape, one conversation at a time,
proving that the most valuable lessons are often found not in a textbook, but in a coffee
chat.