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 […]
Skills of Central Pennsylvania is a nonprofit organization that provides vocational, rehabilitative, and social opportunities for individuals with disabilities. The Skills Industrial Centers workforce primarily staffs for manufacturing companies, and is known for their high-quality work, low turnover rates, and willingness to go above and beyond employer expectations with their service. When the Skills industrial […]
Written by Brion
When approached to take the position of repairing sewing machines in the IPI-Mitchellville Textiles Shop, I jumped at the opportunity. I love to work with my hands and make operations flow smoothly. Not long after I started, I ran into a problem that did not meet our lean standards of waste. This is my story […]
Written by Brion
The City and County of Denver proposed a new citywide licensing and enforcement system in 2016 that allows short-term rentals (STRs) in Denver’s residential neighborhoods to ensure the city’s rules and regulations are staying current with the emerging “shared economy.” To quickly develop processes that efficiently and effectively track STR operators throughout the city, the […]
Written by Brion
In this podcast, Cholpon Rosengren, Director of Family Support at United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona, is interviewed about her Lean Innovation boot camp results. In this episode, they discuss: – How to effectively apply lean innovation within a non-profit and social impact context. – What mindset shifts occurred during our Lean Innovation bootcamp […]
Written by Brion
The current minimum time frame for the processing of Section 248 and Act 250 permit applications is a 21-day turnaround, but it can be longer depending on the type of application. The process for soliciting comments on current applications involves a weekly email to over 200 staff, and does not receive prompt responses to these […]
Written by Brion
by Brion Hurley Lean Six Sigma consultant Brion Hurley is interviewed by Luke Andersen from the radio show, Northwest Business. He discusses applying improvement concepts beyond saving money or growing a business. He focuses on his work to help organizations achieve environmental sustainability, and his work with Lean Portland to help nonprofits provide more value, and achieve their mission more […]
Written by Brion
The hiring starts with the HR Contacts in the Colleges and Departments – when they initiate an FTE (Full Time Equivalent) hire by submitting a hiring packet. It can be a complicated process with many steps. Leadership chartered a team to streamline the hiring process and implemented some of the following improvement processes: Simplifying by […]
Written by Brion
The City of Colorado Springs Budget Office realized they had a number of time-consuming reconciliation and duplicate data entry in the last budget process and wanted to see if there was a way to address those issues. The budget team went through the “5 Whys,” the “If-Then” exercise to identify potential experiments, and then the impact/effort […]
Written by Brion
The City of El Paso is proud to announce the Lean Six Sigma program has saved El Paso taxpayers another $252,000 by reevaluating three El Paso Fire Department programs. The Lean Six Sigma Green Belt team reviewed personal protective equipment inventory management, 911 communications recruit training time, and firefighter on the job injuries and lost […]
Written by Brion