One group of people that can greatly benefit from Lean Six Sigma training is military veterans who struggle in their transition to civilian life even though they have valuable skills. Employers and former service members aren’t “connecting the dots” on how the military mindset of continuous improvement translates to the Lean Six Sigma concepts that […]
The Six Sigma Racial Equity Institute was founded by Joy E. Mason in spring 2021 as an offshoot of her Optimist Business Solutions company in response to the murder of George Floyd by the Minneapolis Police Department. Since then, the institute has grown into a space for Black women and Black Latinas to increase their […]
Written by Brion
A board retreat is a great way to get alignment of the key leadership positions within a nonprofit organization. Typically, nonprofits hold board meetings monthly or quarterly, while a board retreat is typically conducted once (maybe twice) a year. These retreats allow an organization to step away from the day-to-day management, and instead think more […]
Written by Brion
Andrew Parris shared “A Vision of Process Excellence and Seven Habits for the Journey” in a Lean Frontiers webinar in August 2023. In the webinar, he explains how he merged the approach of Lean Six Sigma and other improvement methods from the corporate world with the vision, mission and values for a humanitarian organization into […]
Written by Brion
The IISE Annual Conference Volunteering Event, organized by the Sustainable Development Division, connects volunteer with a local nonprofit agency in the conference’s host city. The organization selected for 2023 in New Orleans was SBP, which shrinks the time between disaster and recovery. To achieve their mission, SBP takes a holistic approach to disasters—increasing resilience before […]
Written by Brion
The article is an excerpt from a new book on Lean Government (written in Dutch). It discusses a transformation taking place in the City of Breda. A new law was implemented to make it easier for residents and entrepreneurs to apply for permits by combining 24 regulations into one integrated environmental permit process. They describe […]
Written by Brion
Lean is especially appropriate for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in developing countries because it requires little financial investment to promote economic development that builds up and empowers workers, and is easy for everyone to grasp and apply. Andrew Parris, a Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt at Medair, shares details about the International Trade […]
Written by Brion
In a recent interview, Joy Mason, CEO and founder of Optimist Business Solutions discusses her background in continuous improvement, what led to the creation of The Six Sigma Racial Equity Institute™ (SSREI), along with some project examples. SSREI is an innovative leadership program designed to upskill Black Women to be complex problem solvers. She also […]
Written by Brion
Tim Gebauer shares his thoughts on applying Value Stream Mapping (VSM) to a thrift store. He feels that one of the first things to do to improve a store is visualizing and understanding how things are really being done now. A VSM can identify the flow of raw donations through the facility. Once they arrive, […]
Written by Brion
Joy Mason helped found the Six Sigma Racial Equity Institute, which is a nonprofit in Indianapolis, Indiana that teaches Black female professionals problem solving skills to receive the institute’s Six Sigma green belt certification. Six Sigma training is normally $5,000, but the tuition is reduced for these women due to corporate sponsorships. Students meet all […]
Written by Brion