How Lean Six Sigma is Furthering Process Improvement in Government

For the past 20 years or so, Lean Six Sigma has had a good legacy within the U.S. public sector. In this Profit through Process podcast, Genna Weiss speaks with Ron Wince, President and CEO of Guidon Performance Solutions, who discusses the current state of Lean Six Sigma deployment within the U.S. government and how it can be leveraged for further public sector process improvement in light of the passage of the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Lean Six Sigma deployment began primarily within the federal government, which was an early adopter of TQM tools that are now part of the Lean Six Sigma toolbox. Wince describes how Lean Six Sigma adoption has branched out to state agencies and local governments, such as the city of Fort Wayne. He explains how Lean Six Sigma has translated to a public sector setting and identifies successful early adopters of Lean Six Sigma within the public sector, including the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Army and the state of Iowa. Wince offers his advice on how create a sense of urgency for the need of Lean Six Sigma tools within the public sector, including aligning Lean Six Sigma projects to the critical issues of the agency and working cross-functionally.