Lean is a systematic approach to identifying and eliminating the eight wastes considered non-value-adding activities through continuous improvement by flowing the product completely at the pull of the customer. The eight wastes (non-value added activities) are: transportation, inventory, (unnecessary) motion, waiting, over processing, over production, defects and underutilized employees. The course also addresses the “speed to market” principle, as well as the ability of the individual to “understand the working environment”.
Program Details: The course is offered over a four-day period in a week. Upon course completion, the candidate will receive a Certificate of Completion. The knowledge gained in the classroom environment will allow the candidate to practice the tools and techniques s/he has learned. It is hoped that the student will complete a project for certification and thus acquire the title of Lean Practitioner.
Program Objectives: Upon completion of the four-day Lean Fundamentals course, the participant is deemed a Lean Practitioner Candidate. From this point onward, the candidate will have the tools necessary to complete a Lean project. The candidate will need to submit the project for final approval and certification from a qualified Lean Master Practitioner. Some of the topics covered are:
- Lean concepts and tools and how they apply to all types of processes, services and industries;
- Use of Lean methods and data to reduce costs, shorten cycle times, expand capacity, and improve productivity;
- How Lean and Six Sigma are highly complementary;
- The differences between successfully instilling Lean thinking and running the next “Flavour of the Month” program; and
- Getting input from knowledgeable instructors regarding specific concerns and projects to start on a proven path to success.
Facilitator Biography: Certifications: Six Sigma Black Belt (CSSBB) by the American Society for Quality (ASQ) in 2002; LSS Master Black Belt (CLSSMBB) by Quality & Productivity Solutions (an ASQ related organization) in 2004; and Lean Master Practitioner in 2005 by Six Sigma.us. George has implemented the tools of Lean and Six Sigma since 2000 for a varied list of clients, both in-house and in open enrolment environments. Some of the tools taught and used have been: Graphical analysis tools (e.g. box plots), Process and Value Stream Mapping, Swim Lanes, Failure Mode and Effects Analysis, Cause and Effect Matrices, Process Capability Studies, Measurement System Analysis, Hypothesis Testing, ANOVA, Regression, 5S, Kanban, Kaizen Events, Theory of Constraints, Design of Experiments (traditional, attribute and historical), simulations (Monte Carlo), Statistical Process Control, Mistake Proofing, Response Surface Methodology. Most recently, George developed, delivered and coached candidates Design for Six Sigma for companies such as Inscape (Markham, ON) and Canadian Tire Credit (Kingston, ON). Soft skills include Project Management, mentoring, facilitating, Train-the-Trainer and course development of a specific set of materials for Genentech, a subsidiary of Rausch which enabled five (5) out of six (6) Green Belts to write and pass the American Society for Quality’s Black Belt exam on their first attempt.
Team guidance enabled George to fulfill the role of Project Leader for Lean and Six Sigma deployment initiatives with specific corporations; Washington Mutual bank, Alltel Telecommunications, the Internal Revenue Services (IRS), the American Red Cross and the Bank of Montreal’s (BMO) mortgage initiatives. Work affiliations included the Toronto Dominion-Canada Trust Bank (TD) as a Master Black Belt and Project Manager; Boston Scientific in Galway, Ireland as a course designer (for the ASQ), instructor and mentor; and Alberta Treasury Branches (ATB) as a course designer, facilitator and MBB coach. These roles included one-on-one mentoring of 50 Black Belts and approximately 100 Green Belt and Lean students. The realized savings in the form of reduction in the cost of poor quality was in the tens of millions of dollars.
In all, George has supported hundreds of Green Belts, Black Belts and Master Black Belts from 2000 onward with project management and coaching. Project savings were in the millions of dollars in cost reductions and ROI (Return on Investment). The most recent initiatives wee with Alberta Treasury Branches (ATB) to the tune of $10,567,000 and TD-Digital Services, with savings of over $8 million; a result of eight (8) Lean and Six Sigma projects.
George has dealt with identifying projects from project hoppers, identifying the right type of project methodology using a Project Selection Matrix, and getting the projects successfully launched with the chartering process. Project management is continually being done as a Master Black Belt and was done throughout his Lean Six Sigma career (2002 onward).
George is a graduate from the University of Guelph (cum laude), Guelph, Ontario, Canada, with a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Statistics and completed one year in a Masters Statistics program. George’s apprenticeship was with Ford Motor Company and Motorola. He is fluent in English, French and Hungarian. He is also a Senior Member of the American Society for Quality (ASQ) and the Ohio Academy of Science (OAS).
Who Should Attend: The course is open to anyone who is truly interested in learning about continuous improvement. The individual should have a good understanding of where waste occurs in abundance, as well as a solid knowledge of the processes creating the waste and non-value added steps. This is applicable to all types of service and manufacturing organizations that experience the following challenges:
- Missed order dates
- High product or service cost relative to the competition
- Losing market share due to increased delivery time or cost problems
- Limited production capacity – space is used by inventory
Prerequisite: Although there is no prerequisite other than a desire to continually improve your processes, it is strongly desirable to have a potential area in mind that has an excess of waste and non-value added activities. A laptop will not be needed for the duration of the course.
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