Every so often, a cartoon idea pops into my head that makes me laugh before the ink even hits the page. 6 Sigma Flakes was one of those. Maybe it’s because I’ve spent enough time in the Lean Six Sigma world to see humour everywhere… or maybe it’s because CI professionals secretly love a good pun. Either way, this cereal box still stands as one of my personal favourites.
If Six Sigma really were a breakfast cereal, I’m convinced this is exactly how it would look.
A Nod to the Real “Breakfast of Champions”
The tagline on the box — Champions for Breakfast — is my playful twist on the famous “Breakfast of Champions.” But in the CI world, champions aren’t athletes on a cereal box… they’re the people who bravely look at a process and say, “Yep, we can make this better.”
So if Wheaties fuel athletes, then Six Sigma Flakes fuel problem-solvers.
A true CI champion needs:
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A big spoonful of facts,
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A bowl full of discipline,
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And just enough fibre to stay (statistically) regular.
Which brings us to the ingredient list…
Let’s Examine the “Ingredients”
100% Fat Free — Not to Be Confused With Being Lean
We’ve all seen a team proudly announce they’ve “cut the fat,” only to discover nothing actually got leaner.
Six Sigma reduces variation.
Lean removes waste.
Both matter — but they’re not the same.
Just like eating fat-free ice cream doesn’t transform us into marathon runners.
100% Daily Fiber Requirement — Digesting This Product Makes You Regular
Data discipline keeps organizations regular.
When teams follow routines — measuring, validating, checking assumptions — the whole system experiences fewer surprises.
Fibre for the soul… or at least for the control chart.
Allergy Alert: This Product May Contain Facts
Some people break out in hives at the sight of a histogram.
Facts can trigger discomfort — especially when they challenge long-held beliefs.
But once the itching stops, truth is what ultimately makes an organization healthier.
Insert Minitab Here to Close
If only closing a project were as simple as closing a cereal box.
Anyone who’s ever stared at Minitab’s menus searching for the right button knows exactly what I mean.
New & Improved — 99.9997% Defect Free
You’ll see “new and improved” on every cereal box.
But this is the only cereal where improvement comes with a sigma level, a team charter, and probably a debate about sample size.
And yes — 99.9997% defect-free is the classic Six Sigma target.
If only our morning routines hit that standard.
Contents May Not Settle Well
Here’s the truth: improvement rarely goes down as smoothly as we imagine.
Some changes settle nicely… others spill everywhere.
People resist, data surprises, and results don’t always behave.
But that’s where growth is found — in the unsettled bits.
Why This Cartoon Still Makes Me Smile
Because behind all the jokes, puns, and cereal-aisle parody is a set of very real CI principles:
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Lean isn’t Six Sigma.
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Facts beat opinions.
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Discipline builds capability.
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Improvement can be messy.
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And humour helps us face all of it with a little more courage.
6 Sigma Flakes reminds me that CI work, even with its challenges, is still incredibly fun — and that sometimes the best way to learn is to laugh first.