Veolia Eau France, which manages public drinking water and sanitation services, implemented Lean methodologies to move beyond rigid transformation plans toward a dynamic of continuous, step-by-step improvement. Central to this shift is the use of an Obeya, a dedicated space where management reviews key indicators (such as safety, quality, and cost control) to ensure they […]
The City of San Diego committed to continuous learning of its employees, and launched a new workforce-training partnership with UC San Diego Division of Extended Studies and Rady School of Management in early 2024. This collaboration between university and public sector government agencies also supports UC San Diego’s mission to help make learning accessible and […]
Written by Brion
On the Lean Six Sigma for Good podcast, Brion interviews Mike Wrathall, an Agile and Sustainability consultant about his extensive work background helping organizations in the private and public sector improve. Projects included social housing, homelessness, domestic violence victims, public education and regenerative agriculture. You can view the notes and transcript at https://leansixsigmaenvironment.org/index.php/e131-agile-and-sustainability-in-the-uk-with-mike-wrathall/, or watch […]
Written by Brion
The dominance of Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) as the “gold standard” for evaluating social programs presents significant challenges for nonprofit organizations. While a well-implemented RCT can demonstrate that a program causes a specific, measurable outcome, this singular focus often comes at the cost of continuous learning and organizational strength. In the Fall 2025 issue of […]
Written by Brion
Dr. Jean Kaseya, the director-general of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) stated that 60% of traditional foreign health aid to Africa was essentially wasted. The waste was due to fragmentation, inefficiencies, and cases where foreign aid didn’t align with specific government priorities. This assertion, which suggests African countries need significantly […]
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Jim Oskins from Minitab shares a real-world use case where a government agency turned 60,000+ nitrate tests into actionable insights, cutting analysis time from months to minutes. These tests are needed to quickly identify the cause of nitrate contamination in groundwater near large farms, to ensure groundwater near residential areas did not get exposed to […]
Written by Brion
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 […]
Written by Brion
As process improvement consultants, we are used to dealing with profit margins, customer satisfaction, efficiency, yields and cycle times. But what happens when you step into the public sector, where success is measured in policy outcomes, equity, long term impact (years or decades into the future), transparency and compliance? Terra Vanzant Stern’s Government in Motion: […]
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An ASQ webinar was held on April 11th, 2025 featuring Jarrett Perlow, chair-elect of the ASQ government division and Clerk of the Court for the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. He discussed the design and implementation of an agency-wide continuous improvement program within the federal judiciary. His presentation provides a compelling case […]
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Shane Daughenbaugh interviews his former mentor at the State of Nebraska, Matt Singh. He is currently a Senior Project Manager at Children’s Nebraska. Prior to that he spent 8 years as the director of operational excellence and master black belt for the Department of Administrative Services in the state of Nebraska. He became certified as […]
Written by Brion