by Brion Hurley Kieran Mohammed started his Lean Six Sigma journey as an operations manager in manufacturing. His early years taught him how performance success relies on the development of and collaboration with people. Along with his experience as a performance improvement consultant and program analyst in government, he has tailored his own unique approach […]
Quality professionals possess a unique skill set that can be used to prevent problems outside of their organizations. The author shows how applying quality tools, such as Pareto analysis, failure mode and effects analysis, and quality function deployment, can help solve issues such as homelessness in Seattle, and deaths from diarrheal disease for children under […]
Written by Brion
For nonprofit organizations, working with skilled volunteers on pro bono projects isn’t your typical volunteer engagement. These projects take lots of advance planning, careful selection of the right skilled volunteer for the job, and a unique type of management throughout the entire process to make sure you’re communicating with your internal team and volunteers appropriately. […]
Written by Brion
The Lean Startup has helped businesses of all stripes manage risk and maximize their potential by listening to customers, running experiments, and driving fast feedback loops. Nowhere do we find bigger problems and greater uncertainty than in efforts to tackle the most intractable challenges facing people and our planet. So, why does it seem like […]
Written by Brion
Ann Mei Chang is the Executive Director of Lean Impact, the social good division of the Lean Startup Company. This fall, her book based her own experiences using lean approaches to innovate in the social sector, including during her time at USAID, as well as stories from nonprofits, social enterprises, companies, government agencies, foundations, and […]
Written by Brion
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
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
Lean government. The very idea sounds implausible. Even to the seasoned Lean practitioner, the idea of a Lean government sounds far fetched. Governments are traditionally seen as the epitome of bureaucracy, and the guardians of red tape, incomprehensible forms and endless queues. But there are workable Lean strategies for governments seeking to reduce waste and […]
Written by Brion
While it’s clear nonprofits and startups are alike in overall concept, the similarities also carry over into daily operations. As such, philosophies that work well for startups can be employed by your organization. To understand what specific strategies nonprofits might take inspiration from and employ, we looked to the Lean Startup Methodology (LSM). Created by […]
Written by Brion