Putting Lean Six Sigma in the Bureaucracy
Posted by: meikah | 17 June 2008 | 12:28 am
There’s always much to be desired in bureaucracies. Imagine performing 10 steps when something can be done in three steps. Bureaucracies are famous for creating multiple steps or procedures to accomplish something. It’s tiring, expensive, and time-consuming. Often, it’s such a waste of time!
An article on TMCNet discusses a clumsy rental procedure. This is the scenario:
By the government’s own estimate, it can take two and a half weeks to secure a rental permit. Telephone messages are left, calls exchanged, questions answered, a check mailed and, finally, a permit will either be mailed or the renter can come downtown to pick it up.
To which, Erie County’s Six Sigma guru calls as insane. As one of the officials that will help Chris Collins succeed as county executive, Alfred Hammonds Jr. will embark on a Lean Six Sigma deployment to improve the situation.
Hammonds has nine Six Sigma-driven improvements afoot. The solution to a 10th project, to issue a park rental permit in two days rather than 12.5, will be tested starting Monday by letting users reserve a picnic shelter on erie.gov, the county’s Web site.
It reminds me of the show, Name that Tune. A contestant would say, “I can name that tune in 5 notes.” Another contestant would then counter, “I can name that tune in 1 note.”
This should be our goal. If a customer comes to us for a service or product, we’d go, “I can do that for you in 1 minute.” 
Filed under: Lean Six Sigma, Deployment, Public Sector
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Lean Six Sigma Improves Security Clearance Processes
Posted by: meikah | 29 April 2008 | 10:44 pm
According to FCW.com:
A governmentwide plan to overhaul the security clearance process and introduce more automation will soon be headed for White House consideration, according to leaders of an interagency team that is crafting the proposal.
For this purpose, a Joint Security Clearance Process Reform Team is formed. This team now will use Lean Six Sigma to achieve its goal, which is to reduce the time for employees to get or process their clearance.
Currently, employess get cleared in 120 days. But the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 require faster clearances. Thus, the goal of the team now is to process security clearances within 60 days. The whole team hopes that by December 2009, security clearances should be completed in 60 days.
Such an improvement requires a complete overhaul of the clearance process, and Lean Six Sigma fits the bill. How they plan to do this, read: Clearance process gets makeover.
Governments, whether in the US or overseas, are famous for their beauracratic red tapes. I wish the Philippine government would discover Lean or Six Sigma, too.
Filed under: Services, Lean Six Sigma, Six Sigma Organizations, Public Sector, Processes, Six Sigma
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“Slow down Six Sigma…”
Posted by: meikah | 24 March 2008 | 9:52 pm
Early this year, Erie County had put its high hopes on Six Sigma. Believing that the methodology will help them save on taxpayer’s money, county officials planned on sending employees for Six Sigma training.
The latest news however is saying that the control board and the Erie County Legislature have taken a stand to slow down on Six Sigma. According to the new on tradingmarkets.com, the budget for the Six Sigma training would run up to $912,000. But the control board’s finance committee would want to start small and see how it would go. Read the full story.
I think Six Sigma is not really for the faint-hearted. Unlike other quality methodologies, Six Sigma has to start big. Big because the first step in Six Sigma is training. And Six Sigma training is quite pricey.
I can now hear quality practitioners say that quality is free. Free in the sense that the cost of starting a quality journey cannot compensate for the benefits and savings that one reaps in the end.
So in the case of Erie County, I’m not quite sure if this is a case of being prudent or a case of politics getting in the way.
Filed under: Finance, Training, Public Sector, Six Sigma
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Six Sigma Delivers at USPS
Posted by: meikah | 23 March 2008 | 11:53 pm
I knew whatever system the United States Postal Service (USPS) is using must be really good. I’ve already heard a lot of good postal stories.
In fact, my admiration for the efficient postal service was magnified anew when I watched the movie Atonement last week. Even at the height of World War II, mails get delivered and received! If that is isn’t efficiency, I don’t know what is. Unless it was just dramatized in the movie.
At any rate, today, I found this news on iSixSigma about why Six Sigma receives USPS stamp of approval.
The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) has a number of tools at its disposal to ensure that letters and packages get from Point A to Point B on time and in one piece. Web tools and other technological advances allow for easier shipping and tracking of materials, but it was the use of Six Sigma tools that allowed USPS to enhance customer service by improving on-time delivery at an air mail processing center (AMC). Specifically, the largest contributors to delivery failures were examined and reduced at the AMC in Columbus, OH.
*Photo credit from imagesthatsing.com
Filed under: Six Sigma Organizations, Public Sector, Processes, Six Sigma, USPS
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Six Sigma for Garbage Collection
Posted by: meikah | 9 March 2008 | 9:50 pm
With the renewed focus on going green, public and private companies launch projects to address environmental problems. Among the projects, it’s probably the garbage collection that is the most difficult to handle.
In fact, garbage management gets even more complex for big or growing cities. However, there is a way to manage garbage collection more efficiently. City of Fort Wayne, Indiana launched Six Sigma and missed trash pick-ups were reduced by 50%.
How did Fort Wayne City do it?
Read the city’s Six Sigma Project: Garbage Collection.
*Photo from Stock.Xchng
Filed under: Six Sigma Organizations, Public Sector, Six Sigma, Fort Wayne City, Environment
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Hattiesburg, Missouri Adopts Lean Six Sigma
Posted by: meikah | 12 February 2008 | 8:57 pm
The list of governments going into Six Sigma and Lean Six Sigma is getting longer. My previous posts had featured Erie County, City of Fort Wayne in Indiana, and Iowa. These governments have implemented Six Sigma and Lean to improve operations and ultimately their service to their people.
Hattiesburg, Forrest County in Mississippi is another city that is adopting Lean Six Sigma for the same reason. According to the news article on the city’s website, HattiesburgAmerican.com, city officials have said that their program will focus on key principles known as DMAIC: Define opportunities, measure performance, analyze opportunity, improve performance and control performance.
Already, under this program, the city has selected city employees, Julia Lowe, an Urban Development accountant, and Maj. Billy Lane with the police department to attend Lean Six Sigma training classes.
Common notion has it that public service sucks. But with these cities taking the lead in changing that reputation, I’m sure in time, excellent public service will be achieved and sustained.
Source:
hattiesburgamerican.com, City adopts Lean Six Sigma
Filed under: Services, Lean Six Sigma, Six Sigma Organizations, Public Sector, DMAIC, Six Sigma
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Erie County Goverment Gears Up for a Six Sigma Training
Posted by: meikah | 13 January 2008 | 8:32 pm
About a couple of months ago, I shared here the plan of Erie County to use Six Sigma to save taxpayers’ money. The county would begin doing it by giving its people Six Sigma training.
Well, just last week, wgrz.com reports that by a vote of 14 to 1, Erie County lawmakers voted to approve a 6 Sigma appointment for Erie County government.
Al Hammonds, a Six Sigma Blackbelt, will be the Director for Six Sigma in Erie County and accordig to him, he will teach, train, implement those methodologies, administrate and establish an infrastructure and systems to get Six Sigma, or more importantly the improvements, going.
I commend the County for going seriously into improving their operations. I wish other governments would do the same.
Source:
iSixSigma News
Filed under: Six Sigma Organizations, Training, Deployment, Public Sector, Six Sigma
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Six Sigma To Save Taxpayers’ Money in Erie County
Posted by: meikah | 25 November 2007 | 9:27 pm
I have written about Fort Wayne, the Six Sigma City, and Iowa, the Lean State. I’d like to believe these two places are doing good, serving their constituents and inspiring other cities and states to take the path they’ve taken.
Inspiring they may have been because Erie County of Pennsylvania will be going Six Sigma to protect taxpayers’ money. Isn’t that cool?
wkbw.com reports:
Companies that use Six Sigma say it saves them money, and Erie County Executive-Elect Chris Collins is hoping he can use it to save Erie County taxpayers money.
Collins says a priority he hopes to accomplish by the end of his run as county executive is to turn Erie County into a model for other county governments to follow. “That we are recognized around the country as one of the most efficient county governments,” says Collins of his goal.
To get there he plans to implement Six Sigma principles. Six Sigma is a methodology like many other business theories in that it focuses on problem solving, but Six Sigma is different in its use of statistical methodology and the “Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control” process known as DMAIC.
“It’s all about process process process like real estate is location location location,” says Tim Leyh, Director of Business Development at the U.B. Center for Industrial Effectiveness where they train people in Six Sigma principles.
Source:
Can “Six Sigma” Save Taxpayers Money? an iSixSigma featured link
*Photo from Stock.Xchng
Filed under: Six Sigma Organizations, Public Sector, Six Sigma
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Lean Government Day in Iowa
Posted by: meikah | 27 September 2007 | 8:22 pm
If Fort Wayne City in Indiana is a Six Sigma city, then Iowa State is the Lean State. Iowa began using lean as a business improvement methodology in 2004.
Two years later, the State established the Office of Lean Enterprise within the Iowa Department of Management. The office is to promote and facilitate continuous improvement in Iowa state government through the use of a specific set of proven tools and methodologies collectively known as Lean.
Since then the Iowa has transformed service agencies by achieving double-digit improvements in time savings, quality, costs, and service levels.
According to a recent press release:
Iowa Governor Chester J. Culver has declared October 2nd as “Lean Government Day” to raise public awareness of the benefits of “Lean” productivity improvement techniques for state government agencies and to acknowledge the State of Iowa’s commitment to streamlining public services through the Lean culture. The proclamation will be presented on October 2nd in Des Moines during the Lean Government Exchange, hosted jointly by the State of Iowa and Guidon Performance Solutions, a TBM Consulting Group company.
Other cities and states or governments in general can learn from Fort Wayne and Iowa. It’s time that governments be run systematically and eliminate bureaucratic red tape.
Filed under: Benefits and Savings, Services, Lean Six Sigma, Six Sigma Organizations, Deployment, Public Sector, iSixSigma, Lean
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How GE Uses Six Sigma to Drive Security ROI
Posted by: meikah | 24 June 2007 | 9:49 pm
That’s the title of the article on CIO. Francis X. Taylor, General Electric’s (GE) chief security officer, explains how to apply process imrovement methods to manage security risks.
Taylor was speaking before an audience of security executives at the CSO Perspectives in March. Here are excerpts of insights from him.
A methodology like Six Sigma requires a change in how you think about your organization and how it works. It requires shifting loyalties from how your organization operates to how those operations affect customers—the people and organizations who determine the value of what you produce. Performing well in this task adds value to your organization, can help security executives anticipate risks and identify resources to mitigate them, and it enables your leadership to pursue new opportunities for growth.
Taylor then presented process gains in policy violations at , background checks, and security alarms. He improved these processes These are real-life experiences when he was still working at the State Department.
The processes are improved through analysis and knowing what each process involves. The lesson learned is that one only needs to know the processes, gather relevant data, and work toward making the processes work more efficiently. Read more…
Source:
CIO, a Six Sigma Zone featured link
