01 · 1930s–1980s
Lean and statistical improvement lineages
Flow, waste reduction, statistical control and structured problem solving developed through distinct industrial traditions.
ASSURANCE DNA · LEAN AND SIX SIGMA COMPETENCE
ISO 18404
Requirements for demonstrating organisational and practitioner competence in Lean, Six Sigma and their combined application.
Does the team possess demonstrable capability to diagnose and improve the process it is promising?
REFERENCEISO 18404:2015CURRENT STATE · 21 AUG 2026Published and confirmed in 2025. It addresses organisational and practitioner competence for Lean and Six Sigma implementation.BID ENTRYModel · Story · Evidence · Measure · Learn · Adapt
It addresses competence and deployment, not a promise that every “belt” or improvement project produces valid savings. Yellow Belt and Design for Six Sigma are outside its stated scope. Source-bounded interpretation: no certification, protected text reproduction or award prediction.
LIVING EXPERIMENT · GENOME
The Capability Genome
Competencies form paired strands. Unsupported titles create missing genes; observed application and governance connect capability to the promised process.
MODEL STATESME · SENSE · APPLYDeterministic teaching model · no award prediction
ORIGIN × EVOLUTION × CURRENT PRACTICE
Why this reference exists—and what changed.
Manufacturing, services, health, public operations, logistics and transformation teams using Lean or Six Sigma capability.
02 · 1980s–2000s
Six Sigma and belt roles spread
Organisations formalised improvement project roles, training and deployment, with substantial variation in claimed competence.
03 · 2015
ISO 18404 published
The standard defined competence expectations for key practitioners and organisations applying Lean and Six Sigma.
04 · 2025
Current edition confirmed
ISO confirmed the 2015 edition, keeping its defined scope and exclusions visible.
A qualification label is not evidence that the proposed team can improve this contract. Relevant application, governance and measured outcomes matter.
OFFICIAL SOURCE FRESHNESS MONITOR
SOURCE CHECK PENDING
Monthly official-source reachability and change review.
LAST SOURCE CHECKloading…
What this date means
The check records source reachability and a content fingerprint. It does not silently change the page or claim that an edition changed.
PUBLICLY DESCRIBABLE ANATOMY
Every domain gets a specific bid-management translation.
These are navigational interpretations, not substitute clauses. Use the official publication for normative wording.
- 01
Organisational deployment capability
Test whether the bidder has an organisational system capable of selecting, supporting and sustaining improvement.
- Evidence object
- Improvement deployment assessment
- Decision test
- Is improvement part of operating governance or dependent on isolated enthusiasts?
- 02
Leadership and improvement governance
Give leaders responsibility for project selection, resources, barriers and realised value.
- Evidence object
- Improvement governance and sponsor record
- Decision test
- Can leadership stop a project whose metric does not matter to the buyer?
- 03
Lean practitioner competence
Evidence Lean competence through flow, waste, problem-solving and change capability.
- Evidence object
- Lean competence and application portfolio
- Decision test
- Has the practitioner changed a real process and sustained the result?
- 04
Six Sigma Green Belt competence
Evidence Green Belt competence for bounded analytical projects and team contribution.
- Evidence object
- Green Belt project and competence evidence
- Decision test
- Can the practitioner choose and explain appropriate analysis?
- 05
Six Sigma Black Belt competence
Evidence Black Belt competence for complex analysis, leadership and coaching.
- Evidence object
- Black Belt portfolio and coaching evidence
- Decision test
- Is advanced technique matched by judgement, governance and adoption?
- 06
Project selection and evidence of application
Select buyer-relevant projects and verify claimed results, attribution and control.
- Evidence object
- Project charter, baseline and benefit validation
- Decision test
- Would finance, operations and the buyer agree on the result definition?
- 07
Review and sustained capability
Review deployment maturity, refresh competence and sustain gains.
- Evidence object
- Competence review and control evidence
- Decision test
- Does capability survive turnover and the end of a showcase project?
BEFORE × INTERVENTION × AFTER
Worked case · back-office improvement promise
A fictional outsourcing bid claims a 25% productivity improvement through “Lean Six Sigma excellence”.
Worked competence visibility, not a savings forecast or certification decision.
What the team can observe
The bidder lists 38 belts but cannot show role currency, project relevance, validated baselines or control after project closure.
What changes in the operating system
The team maps competence to the proposed work, selects three bounded processes, validates data and separates capability evidence from projected benefit.
The offer names accountable practitioners, project gates, buyer-approved baselines and the evidence required before any saving enters the commercial model.
PROPORTIONATE IMPLEMENTATION
Scale the control—not the integrity of the decision.
It addresses competence and deployment, not a promise that every “belt” or improvement project produces valid savings. Yellow Belt and Design for Six Sigma are outside its stated scope.
WORKED CASEISO-18404–01Teaching scenario · no claimed outcome
Use one defined problem, baseline, change test and independent result check; avoid belt theatre.
Charter, data, control check
Match named practitioners and evidence to the proposed improvement work.
Competence matrix, project examples, measures
Govern deployment, coaching, benefit validation and role maintenance.
Portfolio, competence reviews, sustained results
SOURCE TRAIL · REVIEWED 21 AUG 2026
Trace each interpretation to its authority.
Publication status can change. Exact conformity questions belong with the current licensed publication and competent assurance.