by Brion Hurley The Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineer (IISE) Sustainable Development Division has created a new annual award to recognize successful improvement projects conducted with a not-for-profit (government agency, nonprofit or benefit organization, or non-government organization (NGO)). Organizations that would like to apply should show how they have successfully impacted at least one of the 17 […]
It seems like Six Sigma and profit go hand-in-hand. The methodology was designed around manufacturing, after all. When you hear terms like Lean or Kanban, you probably think of names like Toyota and Motorola (and recently, Amazon). You picture warehouses and forklifts and shelves stacked with products. Or maybe you think of service industries, like […]
Written by Brion
Cape Cod Child Development is a trailblazer in applying Lean Six Sigma to the nonprofit world. Lisa Donovan, Director of Family Advocacy is helping to increase services available to the homeless population. The goal of the project was to increase the homeless families receiving benefits at Cape Cod Child Development. Some Lean Six Sigma tools […]
Written by Brion
The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (JFS) had internal customers request delivery or pick-up of state record boxes. Emergency situations such as requests for files for litigation or audits cause the delivery schedule to go awry. Employees frequently work past their scheduled work day, or run out of time to complete deliveries. They […]
Written by Brion
Some of the most powerful lean lessons come from people I like to call “accidental lean thinkers” – leaders who successfully followed lean principles long before they had heard of the Toyota Production System. One such leader, who is unknown to the lean community, is Mauricio L. Miller, president and founder of Family Independence Initiative […]
Written by Brion
Staff from the Transit and Muni Customer Service (MCS) divisions of San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) embarked on a journey to improve the process by which it responds to employee-related feedback. Over a series of four rapid improvement meetings, the project team improved the process by: Creating standard guidelines for processing key types of […]
Written by Brion
by Brion Hurley For decades, the methodologies of Lean and Six Sigma have spread successfully throughout many industries, from manufacturing, hospitality, banking, utilities, aerospace, automotive, entrepreneurship, and even entertainment. In addition, sustainability and social responsibility are also becoming popular approaches within organizations. Volunteering and fundraising are common ways that companies populate their annual reports, to show […]
Written by Brion
Career development can take on many shapes and forms. Individuals looking to build their resumes and enhance their own careers can take part in many forms of learning besides their day-to-day job. Whether it be advanced degrees, professional certifications, or leadership activities outside of the work place, workers have a choice as to how to […]
Written by Brion
When people understand that they can learn and grow, they are able to move forward towards self-sufficiency. This is what Riverview Gardens, a non-profit organization operating on a repurposed executive golf club in Appleton, Wisconsin, has come to realize over time. The NGO strives to train transferable work skills for hundreds of people every year, […]
Written by Brion
This case study highlights how a poor performing School Water and Sanitation Project was transformed into a successful project through the implementation of process analysis and improvement techniques of Lean Six Sigma. The Challenge: In a midterm review of a $2.1m three (3) year water and sanitation project in Western Kenya, the following were reported: […]
Written by Brion