An article in the FCW.Com cited that Feds are now working toward improving their ranks. To do that, the Command launched a program called Navsea Lean, which integrated several management techniques, including Six Sigma.
For example, the Naval Sea Systems Command is responsible for maintaining naval ships and weapons. By the nature of its job, a streamlined system will definitely give a lot of benefits and savings to the organization. So last year, the organization went into Six Sigma and introduced Lean Six Sigma programs to 30 of its organizations. During the first year, Jim Brice, director of Navsea’s Task Force Lean, said that already the organization was able to realize total savings of $200 million on 500 projects.
Another department is the Army depot in Anniston, Alabama. It adopted Six Sigma by hiring a contractor to offer the 80-hour training program to about 10 managers. According to Patti Sparks, Anniston’s continuous improvement manager, the training is expensive but she hopes that it will pay off when the time comes for them to use Six Sigma concepts in industrial projects later on.
These are just some of the Fed’s initial projects, but Carl DeMaio, president of the Performance Institute, said that a full Six Sigma organization can happen if the Office of Management and Budget provides guidance for redesigning projects according to Six Sigma principles.
