The James P. Womack Scholarship and Philanthropy Fund (JPW Fund) was created with the goal of creating and providing innovative gemba-based learning opportunities in order to develop more lean thinkers. The Fund epitomizes the use of lean principles and practices, including eliminating waste in work processes, going to the gemba, using plan-do-check-act (PDCA) problem-solving based […]
Joy Mason discusses her background, and her work creating the Six Sigma Racial Equity Initiative with podcast host Veronica Marquez. The initiative is designed to upskill Black women in the Indianapolis community with strategies and tools for critical thinking and complex problem-solving. Each program cohort includes training and certification provided by a local university. The […]
Written by Brion
Habitat for Humanity ReStore encountered a challenge with keeping track of donated items and purchased items they sell in their store. This is required in order to keep track of sales for tax purposes. After some struggle, one manager came up with a simple solution. By changing the last number on the price, they could […]
Written by Brion
In the Lean Six Sigma for Good podcast, Tracy O’Rourke shares her background with over 20 years of process improvement experience, working with nonprofits, government, education, military and the for-profit sector. She teaches Lean and Six Sigma at the University of California-San Diego (UCSD), is the co-host of the podcast and video series, Just-in-Time Cafe, and is […]
Written by Brion
Gemma Jones is one of the founders of the Kata Girl Geeks, and she has developed a way to mobilize continuous improvement practitioners to help underserved and at-risk members of society, specifically suicide prevention. Across the world every 40 seconds someone dies by suicide. That’s 90 people per hour. She created a MURAL board as […]
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Tim Gebauer shares some examples where small improvements at a thrift store led to major results when looked at over the long term. These savings seem small, but they can compound over time. Examples include: Moved a trash can closer by 10 feet – Saved 85 hours a year Adding rollers between stations – Saved […]
Written by Brion
Orange Sky Laundry is a not-for-profit organization that provides a platform for every day Australians and New Zealanders to connect through a regular laundry and shower service, especially those who don’t have housing (homelessness) or are financially-constrained. The focus is on creating a safe, positive and supportive environment for people who are too often ignored […]
Written by Brion
We are familiar with humanitarian aid work primarily through appeals for donations and through political action in the media. But there is much more to it than funding (inputs) or the political framework. Less well known is the fact that logistics can take up to 80% of the budget in a humanitarian response. Today, to […]
Written by Brion
In this podcast interview with Mark Dejong, Andrew Parris, a Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt Andrew Parris with over 25 years of experience in NGO/humanitarian and Aerospace Development, recounts his lean journey from the beginning. He talked about the differences between aerospace and other sectors, as well as how the aerospace industry approaches process […]
Written by Brion
This video shows how Lean Six Sigma training has helped support the State of Nebraska’s quick response to the needs of the COVID-19 pandemic across many state agencies through Daily Huddles and timely coordination. Watch the full video below, or go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00rbAS2Z4qo
Written by Brion