This online event with Brian Elms, hosted by ICMA, was designed to address the pervasive issue of inefficiency within the public sector and government agencies, specifically focusing on local government. By highlighting key bottlenecks, invisible inefficiencies, and proven strategies from his experience, the event aims to equip public sector professionals with actionable techniques to drive […]
Food for the Poor, a nonprofit organization, transformed its manual container shipping process into an efficient digital workflow. Previously, the Gift-in-Kind (GIK) team relied on printed documents and informal communications, leading to frequent delays and errors. On average, 13 to 15 containers missed their shipping deadlines weekly, incurring over $180,000 annually in penalty fees. The […]
Written by Brion
Remembrance Ranch is a 12-month transformation experience for teenagers and their families in high risk situations founded by Patrick Adams. Patrick is a lean and six sigma expert and founder of Lean Solutions. In his interview with Ron Pereira of Gemba Academy, Patrick talks about the inspiration for creating the nonprofit due to his own […]
Written by Brion
With the upcoming 2024 elections ending on November 5th, how are election officials managing the ballot traffic and executing a free and fair election process? In this IISE podcast, they talked to Gretchen Macht, Ph.D., an associate professor in the Department of Mechanical, Industrial & Systems Engineering at The University of Rhode Island. She is […]
Written by Brion
This podcast interview features Andrew Rowe, a former entrepreneur with AllMed who has transitioned into a community advocate in Portland, Oregon. He discusses the challenges facing Multnomah County and the city of Portland. Drawing on his extensive business background, he discusses how Portland faces a critical juncture where systemic change is necessary to address its complex […]
Written by Brion
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 […]
Written by Brion
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
Lynne Smith, former Director of Business Design at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, discusses the potential and difficulties of applying Lean Thinking to NGOs, and how it can be used to scale impact. She reflects back on the lean transformation at the Gates Foundation with an interview with Steve Bell and Roberto Priolo, and […]
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In this episode of the WLEI podcast, they discuss how universities are connecting students with for-profit and nonprofit organizations to practice and apply hands-on lean learning experiences. Dennis Wade from Oakland University and Lisa Eshbach from Ferris State University (both schools in Michigan) go into details about their background in industry, how each of their […]
Written by Brion