Technical Sessions – LSS Conference
2012  Annual International Conference on  Lean & Six Sigma
February 29-March 1, 2012
Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress, Orlando, Florida, USA
Please see the LSS Workshops page for information on the LSS Yellow belt Certification workshop and other workshops.

Wednesday; February 29, 2012

7:30 a.m. - 8:00 a.m. Continental Breakfast
8:00 a.m. - 8:15 a.m. Opening Remarks
Ashley Stroud-LoVerde, Conference Chair
8:15 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.

#A1: Aligning Employee Engagement with Lean & Six Sigma
Robert G. Bryant, Senior Vice President of Quality and Lean Six Sigma, Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC), Canyon Lake, CA, USA

Rob Bryant is the Global Infrastructure Services (GIS) Vice President of Process Improvement/Six Sigma and the Master Black Belt for Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC), a Fortune 150 company. Bryant is a renowned motivational speaker who draws from his personal triumph of overcoming paralysis after a 55-foot fall in 1982. He subsequently achieved two world records (Guinness Book of World Records, 1992-2000). Bryant’s fall, due to a design change in a pulley that removed a 49-cent cotter pin, is one of the reasons he refocused his life’s work on quality and safety and wrote the book Walking Through Adversity: 7 Steps to Overcoming Life’s Challenges. He integrates his motivational messages into Lean & Six Sigma practices.

9:00 a.m. - 9:50 a.m.
#A2: Lean - Leverage - Leadership in a Private Equity World
Stanley B. Bikulege, President & CEO, Hilex Poly, Hartsville, SC, USA

While many times misunderstood – Private Equity (PE) firms have distinctive strategies that allow them to produce amazing results that their competitors cannot match. PE-owned companies have a way of managing that is sharply different from many other firms. Many of the lessons learned from PE companies apply to virtually any organization – from manufacturing to services to government. The good news is that you don't have to wait for a PE company to buy your organization to find out what they do. Hear from an engaging CEO whose majority experiences have been using these strategies in successful turnaround situations. Learn the secrets of private equity’s success and failures that differ from many public firms. Bring your CEO or senior manager as well.

10:15 a.m. - 10:50 a.m.
#B1: Creating a Sustainable Culture of Continuous Improvement
Bill Waddell, Consultant, Bill Waddell Manufacturing Leadership Support, Sterling, IL, USA

This presentation will discuss how successful companies have built and maintained a culture that enables them to fully engage their entire workforce in the effort of continuously increasing the value they create, and, as a result, improving the bottom line. Always provocative, and occasionally humorous, Mr. Waddell will challenge conventional thinking about metrics, accounting, and organizational structures which actually work to steadily erode a high performing culture. He will also demonstrate how a few companies have succeeded in achieving a culture that propels them to the top, while most companies fall far short.

10:50 a.m. - 11:25 a.m.
#B2: Lean & Six Sigma In Healthcare: The Mid Staffs Story
Tim O'Hanlon, Ph.D., Associate Partner, Atos Origin, Birmingham, United Kingdom
Maggie Oldham, COO, Mid Staffs Hospital, Birmingham, United Kingdom

An investigation into the mortality rate at the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust resulted in the Healthcare Commission publishing a highly critical report in March 2009. Attendees will see how the Trust systematically began the journey of rebuilding the skills and processes required to restore public confidence. Using Lean based methodologies, waste and errors were reduced or eliminated. As a result, at Mid Staffs, the HSMR was reduced from 127 to 88, where a risk of 100 represents the national average. Dr. O'Hanlon has twice been awarded the Best Speaker Award at this conference.

11:25 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
#B3: How to Use TRIZ for High-Creativity & High Speed Problem Solving
Ellen Domb, Ph.D., President/CEO, PQR Group, Upland, CA, USA

TRIZ is a systematic innovation methodology which has been adopted into Lean, Six Sigma, and other quality improvement methods. It gives problem solving teams specific analytical tools for finding creative solutions. This presentation will show you how to use TRIZ for accelerated problem solving, and you will learn the type of problems best suited for TRIZ. Dr. Domb will provide participants with enough knowledge that they are able to explain TRIZ to other team members and begin using TRIZ upon returning to their organizations.

12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. Networking Luncheon

1:00 p.m. - 1:35 p.m.
#C1: Mission Effectiveness of LSS, a Reliability Engineering Perspective
David Auda, Senior Reliability Engineer, Volvo Powertrain, Hagerstown, MD, USA

The Lean & Six Sigma methodology is solid, and many Master Black Belts would argue, infallible. Yet, it is not so unusual to have Black Belt projects fail. David Auda concludes that missions fail due to failure modes and causal elements that should have been identified in the planning stages. There are numerous reasons for such actions, and this session will focus on an approach that seeks to bring those elements into view, and recommend steps to resolve them.

1:35 p.m. - 2:10 p.m.
#C2: How to Run Kaizen Events with Your Suppliers
Ron Darnell, Lean Six Sigma Program Manager, Siemens Energy, Orlando, FL, USA

This presentation is for those in the Supply Chain Management (SCM) who are seeking to improve supplier performance using Lean Tools. It is also for the experienced and inexperienced Lean practitioners who want to become skilled in running Kaizen events. Four main steps of a Kaizen event will be discussed, including walking a joint customer-supplier team through the supplier’s manufacturing process; performing a value stream map on the process; identifying waste; and developing ways to eliminate or reduce identified waste. This session will equip participants to take a holistic view of their suppliers' process and drive long term results.

2:10 p.m. - 2:45 p.m.
#C3: Lean Success in a Low Volume/High Mix Manufacturing Environment
James M. Joyner, Director of Lean, Quality & Service, Card-Monroe Corporation, Chattanooga, TN, USA

In 2004, Card-Monroe Corporation (CMC) began looking for ways to improve quality, productivity, throughput, and on-time deliveries. After attending a number of sessions on Lean & Six Sigma, the company was discouraged to learn that most applications of Lean were oriented towards high volume processes. In fact, some even said that Lean would not work in the low volume/high mix environment that defined the CMC operation. Now, six years later, the company is a shining example of how Lean can work - even if your Takt Time is one per week. The session will cover the essential Lean concepts to achieve this progress.

2:45 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Refreshment Break

1:00 p.m. - 1:35 p.m.
#D1: How the U.S. Marine Corps is Applying LSS to Improve Effectiveness
Michael P. Levy, LSS MBB, ASQ CMQE, CPI/LSS Deployment Manager, USMC, Vinton, VA, USA

This presentation will describe how the USMC is using the Lean, Six Sigma, and Theory of Constraints (TOC) to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of Marine Corps processes. Topics to be discussed include the structure of the program, leadership buy-in, embedding process improvement into daily life, measuring success, and lessons learned from the journey. Details will be provided on how the USMC has created a best practice approach to deploying CPI in Marine Corps organizations to create an organic, self-sufficient capability for Continuous Improvement in the shortest amount of time in a service branch of the Department of Defense (DoD).

1:35 p.m. - 2:10 p.m.
#D2: Quality, the Cultural Norm
Bobbie Williams, PMTS, Sandia National Labs, Albuquerque, NM, USA

This session will demonstrate a model for a program that has been very successful for eight years in building and sustaining a Lean & Six Sigma culture. It will provide a brief background of the structure of the organization and what the organization does. The presenter will describe how the program has proven to be very successful in getting employee buy-in to the concept and application of LSS. It will contrast the model of the current program to a previous LSS implementation that was viewed by the very same employees as just another “flavor of the month.”

2:10 p.m. - 2:45 p.m.
#D3: Using Tools for Aerospace Services and the Trade Study Tool
Russell M. Scott, LSS MBB/Senior Staff Engineer, United Space Alliance, Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA

The presenter will discuss the application of Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Quality Function Deployment (QFD) tools in a less traditional space of trade studies in Launch Vehicle and Launch Site Operations architectures. Getting a thorough understanding of the Voice of the Customer is crucial to developing any new product or service to ‘Wow’ the customer while achieving the cost and profit objectives necessary for long term health. In the case of selecting architectures for future launch vehicles, the stakes are extremely high. Up front decisions have far reaching implications, affecting both government agency budgets and contractor bottom lines for decades.

2:45 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Refreshment Break

1:00 p.m. - 1:35 p.m.
#E1: Quality Journey Transforms Primary  Care Practice
Kush K. Shah, Chair, American Society for Quality Automotive Division, Oakland Township, MI, USA

This case study demonstrates how quality expertise from the manufacturing industry can be successfully applied to improve patient care while improving practice efficiency and reducing cost for primary care practice. Key enablers for the transformation include: application of Lean & Six Sigma principles; implementation of electronic registry; e-prescription system; evidence-based care; total staff engagement; use of protocols; and emphasis on patient self-management strategies.

1:35 p.m. - 2:10 p.m.
#E2: Implementing Lean & Six Sigma in Healthcare: Key Differences and Opportunities
Kristine Nissen Bradley, MBB, Principal, Firefly Consulting, Austin, TX, USA

The healthcare industry is being continually pressured to reduce cost while improving patient outcomes and customer service. Lean & Six Sigma methods are well suited to assist organizations in driving these improvements, but the deployment design must be modified to the different needs of a healthcare environment. This presentation will explore how healthcare deployments should be adapted from traditional manufacturing and service deployments. It will highlight the opportunities in your healthcare organization and help you recognize tools for different types of projects.

2:10 p.m. - 2:45 p.m.
#E3: Applying LSS in Dental Delivery within Community-Based Healthcare
Dr. James Patsis, DDS, Director, P3Dental Solutions, Bethesda, MD, USA

In the United States, there are 150 million people who are in need of dental services and those with Medicaid, underinsured or/and non-insured have trouble accessing care. This presentation is a case study in the application of Lean & Six Sigma into a Federally Qualified Health Center (community- based or public health). Learn how a community health center was actually able to increase patient visits from 3,000 to 16,000 and expand from 1 to 3 delivery sites while reducing patient no-show rates from 37% to 9%. Attendees will see how a value-based practice delivery model developed from Lean & Six Sigma for design can result not only in significant savings but also in expanded access to health care.

2:45 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Refreshment Break

3:00 p.m. - 3:35 p.m.
#F1: Supplier Quality Management in China – A Case Study
Bradley A. Pritts, Consulting Engineer, The Bradley Group, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

The session covers personal “war stories” from China: company sales are in the $10 - $25 million annual range with imported products representing about 50%. Quality performance is crucial for the many safety-related components and most suppliers are small, single plant manufacturers in China. Learn how to identify typical differences in manufacturing and quality system operations between Chinese and US parts manufacturers. Learn to identify supplier quality practices with high payoff in the Chinese environment. Learn several historical and cultural differences between North American and Chinese firms that impact Quality Management.

3:35 p.m. - 4:10 p.m.
#F2: Ways to Make Lean Work for You
Vivek E. Naik, Vice President Operations, Ultra Seating Company, Inc., Euless, TX, USA

Lean is often considered a strategy for large corporations, but in reality, it is even better suited for small businesses and non-manufacturing operations. This is based on the presenter’s experience while transforming a small manufacturing company to a Lean Enterprise. During this presentation you will understand the dynamics of Lean Transformation and how to apply the and recognize that Lean is a philosophy that we have to live by. Get tips on how to get started on your own, even if others are not supporting, until the organization reaches a tipping point to change radically. Learn at least three simple ways to get started making Lean work for you regardless of your organization's size or industry.

4:10 p.m. - 4:45 p.m.
#F3: Six Sigma at the Winery
Joseph R. DeSimone, Owner/President, DeSimone Quality International, San Pedro, CA, USA

Winemaking is generally considered to be an art. However, with careful study, we will see that winemaking is a process, and therefore Six Sigma methodologies can be applied to characterize the process and make valid business improvements. Mr. DeSimone will then describe the wine making processes, starting with grape growing and on to harvesting, while applying the DMAIC process. Participants for this presentation will enjoy an informative experience presented in an entertaining fashion, and the opportunity to do some actual wine tasting at the end of the presentation.

Track G
Lean & Six Sigma at Your Service
Moderator: John Gray

3:00 p.m. - 3:35 p.m.
#G1: Successful Operational Excellence in a Customer Care Center
Perian N. Stavrum, Sr. Director, Operational Excellence, Wolters Kluwer Financial Services, St. Cloud, MN, USA; Julie Schneider, Sr. Director, Support and Services, Wolters Kluwer Financial Services, St. Cloud, MN, USA

Operational Excellence is an overriding strategy to Wolters Kluwer Financial Services. Weaving the concepts of operational excellence into the fabric of the business culture makes Continuous Improvement sustainable within our business. This presentation will include how the cost of poor quality, understanding customer expectations, and mistake-proofing apply to a customer care center.

3:35 p.m. - 4:10 p.m.
#G2: Applying Lean Tools to Service Functions
Scott Smith, LSS MBB, SNF Holding Company, Midway, GA, USA

This is a case study describing the step-by-step use and adaptation of Lean Tools to improve the Accounting Close Cycle Time at a French-owned chemical company located in Georgia. The presentation will discuss the triumphs and tribulations of the initial introduction of these tools into the back-office functions and the lessons learned during this process. The similarities and differences between the uses of Lean & Six Sigma tools in a manufacturing and office setting will be explored. Finally, the presentation will discuss critical next steps in the Lean evolution from manufacturing to office applications.

4:10 p.m. - 4:45 p.m.
#G3: Listening to the Voice of the Customer
Myriam Ochart, President, O-CHART Management Consultants, Inc., Parkland, FL, USA

We must be customer focused to enjoy long-term success and the Voice of the Customer (VOC) is what tells us how we are doing. This information is critical before embarking on any changes to processes. How often do we gather, translate, and use this information to make the right decisions? What is it that drives us to assume we already know what others need? Attendees will learn the value of VOC, the Kano Model, and see a VOC case study. The use and value of the Kano Model as a unique VOC tool is a way of establishing current performance from the customer perspective and categorizing their needs in order to understand their “must haves” as well as those features which may surprise and delight.

Track H
Lean & Six Sigma in Healthcare (Part 2)
Moderator: Beth Galt

3:00 p.m. - 3:35 p.m.
#H1: Improving Surgical Safety: Cut to the Chase
Jeannine Konzier, B.S. Nursing, M.E., Director Quality and Infection Prevention, Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

Improving patient safety is a priority for surgeons, staff, and hospitals since sentinel events can be catastrophic for patients, caregivers, and hospitals. Surgical Safety is a National Patient Safety Goal (NPSG) and the World Health Organization (WHO) launched the Second Global Patient Safety Challenge: "Safe Surgery Saves Lives" initiative, and introduced the “WHO Surgical Safety Checklist.” The Magee Hospital developed a process to identify and report real-time "near misses, errors, etc." with an executive leadership panel to identify quality/safety breaks in practice. This presentation will share the story of how to decrease discrepancies between the scheduled case and the planned surgery by working with OR schedulers.

3:35 p.m. - 4:10 p.m.
#H2: Patients Discharge Time Improvement by Using Six Sigma Approach
Mahmoud El-Banna, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, German Jordanian University, Amman, Jordan

According to government classifications, healthcare consists of hospital activities, medical and dental practice activities, and human health activities. Healthcare provides 13.4 million jobs for wage and salary workers. Healthcare will generate 3.2 million new wage and salary jobs between 2008 and 2018, more than any other industry, largely in response to rapid growth in the elderly population. A Six Sigma approach, coupled with simulation, has been applied to reduce the patients discharge time for pediatric, female, and male hospital departments. Upon applying the recommendations at hospital 60%, 80%, and 22% of insured female, male, and pediatrics patients, respectively, will have discharge times less than the original time, i.e. 50 minutes.

Thursday, March 1, 2012

7:30 a.m. - 8:00 a.m. Continental Breakfast
8:00 a.m. - 8:05 a.m. Announcements
8:05 a.m. - 8:40 a.m.

#I1: Keynote: Integration of Lean Tools in an Overall Business System for Whole Enterprise Benefit
Forrest W. Breyfogle, III, CEO and President, Smarter Solutions, Inc., Austin, TX, USA

To address today’s challenges, organizations need an effective framework to integrate Lean Tools with predictive scorecards and analytical/innovative strategies so that undertaking process improvement efforts benefit the enterprise as a whole. The described methodology provides the structure toward achievement of the 3Rs of business (everyone doing the Right things, doing them Right, and at the Right time). This presentation will discuss how to report Lean metrics, align Lean projects to strategy, and effectively integrate the phases of DMAIC.

8:40 a.m. - 9:15 a.m.
#I2: How Strong is Your Lean and Six Sigma Deployment? Introducing the
LSS Maturity Model
Kimberly Watson-Hemphill, President, Firefly Consulting, Austin, TX, USA

Interested in how your Lean & Six Sigma deployment compares? If you are part of a new program, learn some best practices for a solid start. If you are part of a mature deployment, understand how you could make it even more effective. Over the last 15 years we have worked with many of the most successful Lean & Six Sigma companies, and also with some deployments that could have been stronger. Leveraging that experience, our team has developed a maturity model to assess the current state of a program and help it reach its full potential.

9:15 a.m. - 9:50 a.m.
#I3: Value Stream Management; Organizing for Quality
Jeffrey Porada, Managing Member, Advantage Alliance Consulting, Lithia, FL, USA

Hoshin Kanri (Policy Deployment) is, by definition, “a method devised to capture and cement strategic goals as well as flashes of insight about the future and develops the means to bring these into reality." Attendees of this presentation will understand how Hoshin Kanri is an effective strategic approach to enable a business to achieve its primary goals and objectives through both short and long term planning. Learn how Hoshin commitments will drive organizational unity and remove departmental silos.

9:50 a.m. - 10:15 a.m. Refreshment Break

7:30 a.m. - 8:00 a.m. Continental Breakfast
8:00 a.m. - 8:05 a.m. Announcements
8:05 a.m. - 8:40 a.m.

#J1: Keynote: Double Your Productivity! Learn the Secrets of the Treasure Hunter
Philip Kirby, President and Managing Director, Organization Thoughtware Int'l, Inc., ON, Canada

Lean is a set of tools that encourages the design of production systems that expose problems and human systems (people). The Lean business model, when properly applied, will increase performance by 50% or more. There are five critical changes required to implement the Lean Business Model. Philip Kirby is a revolutionary speaker who will renew your thinking and transform your bottom line. He can show you how to become a Lean, mean, profit machine by thinking like a treasure hunter. He wants you to see the hidden gems that are stifling your profitability. You’ll learn where to find the secret stashes of cash! Kirby will take you where you’ve never gone before, and inspire you to achieve goals you never imagined.

8:40 a.m. - 9:15 a.m.
#J2: Innovative Six Sigma: a Different Implementation Approach
Anil Parikh, Vice President, IDS, Inc., Newark, DE, USA

This is the story of a two billion dollar company that saved $90 million in four years using an innovative Six Sigma deployment. Unlike traditional deployments, Six Sigma was initiated without the CEO being the driving force. Three middle managers led this effort and expanded it world-wide, with more than 200 part time Black Belts. This presentation will outline a step-by-step approach for a successful implementation with part time Black Belts and Champions.

9:15 a.m. - 9:50 a.m.
#J3: Fear Not the Expert
Don Johnston, LSS MBB, CEO, CAS Adaptive Solutions, Titusville, FL, USA

Whenever we seek to implement change, there seems to be no shortage of experts who know “why we can’t.” Throughout our professional lives, we must frequently lead even though we may not be “the expert” in the given subject matter. We can’t know everything, and yet we must chart our course in the face of others who claim to be “experts.” This presentation will show, through colorful examples drawn from basic human behavior, that we should not “fear the expert.” Participants will see examples of how non-experts, armed with a good approach (like Lean & Six Sigma) or a simple technology can make decisions better than the experts.

9:50 a.m. - 10:15 a.m. Refreshment Break

7:30 a.m. - 8:00 a.m. Continental Breakfast
(Please note the following session starts at 8:40 a.m.)
8:40 a.m. - 9:50 a.m.
#K1: Balance Chart Analysis of the Value Stream Map
Ken Leeth, Senior Member ASQ, ASQ CQA & CMQE, Owner, Common Sense Quality Solutions, Cassopolis, MI, USA

Value Stream Maps and how they help identify waste is the focus of this presentation. Processes, at times, do not respond as the Value Stream data predicts they should. When that happens, a Balance Chart may be used in conjunction with the Value Stream Map to help identify bottlenecks that may not be obvious from the Value Stream Map alone. A fairly simple Value Stream Map is presented. Some pitfalls in the preparation of Value Stream Maps are discussed. Customer demand, available time, and Takt Time are reviewed. When Takt Time is compared to cycle time at each work station, the process appears able to meet the required cycle time. Value Stream Maps look at customer demand versus cycle time while Balance Charts look at capacity versus customer demand. Using the Balance Chart will explain why the Value Stream Map presented appears to have an excess of inventory in the Value Stream.

9:50 a.m. - 10:15 a.m. Refreshment Break

#L1: Lessons Learned from 70 DOEs: What They Don't Teach You in Lean &
Six Sigma School
Bill Hooper, LSS MBB, Elkay Manufacturing Company, Oak Brook, IL, USA

This presentation will focus on five improvement techniques for successful Design of Experiments and process optimization that can be applied to all types of projects ranging from manufacturing to transactional processes. These five improvement techniques will not be found in any Lean or Six Sigma books or courses. Why? You ask. Because they are the author’s first-hand account of leading or facilitating over 70, and counting, Design of Experiments over the last 35 years. The presenter will discuss these five techniques and demonstrate how they are either critical for breakthrough results. This presentation promises to be magical.

10:50 a.m. - 11:25 a.m.
#L2: Middle Management The Black Hole of Change Implementation
Anthony J. Delmonte, Ph.D., Adjunct Associate Professor, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Port Orange, FL, USA

Deming’s 13th point says that organizations should “Institute a vigorous program of education and self-improvement” and Joseph Juran believed in training the entire management hierarchy in quality principles. In the early stages of the Lean & Six Sigma deployment at an aerospace company, it became apparent that if managers were going to drive the deployment, education of the entire management team on Lean & Six Sigma was a necessity. This presentation will discuss the factors that led to the development of a comprehensive management training course at United Space Alliance (USA).

11:25 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
#L3: Driving Improvement While the Ground Shakes Under Your Feet
Steve Pierce, Manager, Accretive Solutions, Austin, TX, USA

As Lean & Six Sigma consultants identify improvement opportunities, we learn about existing work group culture. Often, we see that the structural process itself may provide a secondary improvement opportunity when compared to the work team dynamics with which the team carries out the existing process. This presentation is a case study illustrating the importance of adapting one’s approach and objectives to address current needs of the business when situations change dramatically.

10:15 a.m. - 10:50 a.m.
#M1: Are Virgos Unsafe Drivers?
Joel Smith, Statistician, Minitab, State College, PA, USA

Allstate recently published a press release (in jest) claiming that they were using drivers' zodiac signs as part of setting rates and included data on the number of accidents for each zodiac sign. But do different signs really have different accident rates? This presentation will teach about the "multinomial test" for whether or not proportions of defects, successes, or other metrics are different using several real-world examples, and find out whether or not Virgos are unsafe drivers.

10:50 a.m. - 11:25 a.m.
#M2: Trouble with Data: Use & Abuse of Data in Management Decision Making
Graeme Knowles, Principal Teaching Fellow, University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom

“In God we trust; all others must bring data.” The old adage, attributed to Dr. Deming, and repeated on a daily basis across the world, is taken as axiomatic. As Six Sigma practitioners we are driven by data in everything we do. Organization and senior management teams seek to be "data driven" or make "evidence based decisions." Rationality and logic backed by the numbers are the order of the day. Or are they? This presentation explores management decision-making process and the use of data; drawing upon a host of real life examples to illustrate how even the most numerate of organizations fail to understand how to use data to make effective decisions. We will see how data is under or over interpreted and how real signals can be missed.

11:25 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
#M3: Control Charts Made Simple
Sharyn E. Mlinar, Quality Engineer 5 - ATF Statistics and Numerical Methods, The Boeing Company (Ret.), Ridley Park, PA, USA

This interactive session will introduce the ideas of structured data collection as well as control chart selection and the calculation of decision limits and natural process limits. Participants will experience first-hand simple data collection, charting, control limit calculations, and decision-making based on the patterns in the chart; and they will be led through the interactive data collection and charting. The facilitator will answer questions and lead a discussion of what the chart is telling us and what should be the next steps. Also, the facilitator will introduce the audience to concepts developed by Walter Shewhart, and his two famous engineers, Drs. W. Edwards Deming and Joseph Juran.

12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. Networking Luncheon

10:15 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
#N1: How to Mentor LSS Belts to Accelerate Organizational Results
Michael P. Levy, LSS MBB, ASQ CMQE, CPI/LSS Deployment Manager, USMC, Vinton, VA, USA

This session will help attendees understand and apply a successful approach for mentoring LSS Green Belts and Black Belts for the purpose of accelerating the results and payback from the organizational investment in belt training. This hands-on workshop will provide a model and structured approach to mentoring and coaching newly trained LSS Green Belts and Black Belts. Using this model will accelerate their learning curve and produce results faster than being left on their own to apply LSS Tools and methods in their organizations. In addition to the conceptual framework for mentoring, the workshop will provide role play and live practice sessions to help participants learn and master the demonstrated methods.

12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. Networking Luncheon

1:00 p.m. - 1:35 p.m.
#O1: Thoughts on Sustaining a Continuous Improvement Deployment
J. Kenneth Feldman, Ph.D., LSS MBB, Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Miami, FL, USA

For decades now, organizations around the globe have attempted to implement a myriad of Continuous Improvement strategies. Most deployments start with lots of excitement and involvement. But, eventually they hit the “wall” of complacency and the question of how to sustain the effort is raised. The early adopters charged ahead and drove the early successes, but it is the people on the fence who need to get involved and stay engaged for the deployment to be successful in the long term. This presentation will offer ideas for sustaining a Continuous Improvement deployment.

1:35 p.m. - 2:10 p.m.
#O2: Sustaining the Gains: What Happens After the Event Week?
Sandra K. Miller, LSS MBB, President, X-Stream Leadership Group, Hotchkiss, CO, USA

Everyone knows that sustainment is the hardest part of process improvement; it’s what makes so many companies give up on Lean & Six Sigma. It seems that most companies are great at holding events, whether Value Stream Analyses or Kaizens, but the follow-up just doesn’t happen. This presentation will help any company struggling with ‘how to sustain’ the changes made by their process improvement teams. We all learn something every time we run an event and this presentation is the result of involvement in over 300 such events.

2:10 p.m. - 2:45 p.m.
#O3: How to be Up in a Down Economy! One City’s Successful Creation of a Lean & Six Sigma Culture

Nancy Powell Bartlett, President, The Bartlett Alliance, Inc., Murphy, TX, USA

In 2006, the City of Irving was a successful and traditionally managed municipality with over 2,000 employees. However, there was still some rebounding from the 2001 economic issues occurring and peak organizational performance had not yet been realized. In 2007, a strategic decision was made to implement Lean & Six Sigma to align “how the work gets done” with the city’s new vision, mission, and values. Find out how the implementation of Lean & Six Sigma resulted in a transformational cultural change that looks, feels, and works in a very different way now than it did in 2007.

1:00 p.m. - 1:35 p.m.
#P1: Process Improvement Using ISO 9001 and Lean & Six Sigma Tools
Janet Bautista Smith, Director of Quality, Protrans International, Pittsboro, IN, USA

Identifying the requirements and expectations of stakeholders is an important part of being proactive. By combining elements of ISO 9001 and LSS tools, this presentation focuses on a proactive approach based on years of development and sustainment in manufacturing and service industries. Case studies depicting the models of integration, application of Lean Tools, and templates for auditing will be part of this discussion.

1:35 p.m. - 2:10 p.m.
#P2: QMS in Product Development with Cloud-Based Collaborative Project Management
Edward Cheng, Ph.D., President & CEO, EGI Technologies, Inc., South San Francisco, CA, USA

Globalization has led companies to carry out product design and development through Real-Time Collaboration (RTC). However, this decentralization has added new challenges to cross-border quality control. In this session, a cloud-based RTC platform solution called Collaborative Project Management (CPM) will be presented. Unlike a generic RTC solution which supports general file sharing, CPM has a knowledge base to allow users to re-deploy domain-specific processes that comply with industry standards such as ISO 9000. See how others have shortened time to market and improved quality using CPM.

2:10 p.m. - 2:45 p.m.
#P3: Optimizing Communications in Project Teams Using Social Network Analysis on E-mail Messages

Carlos Brando, R&D Manager, Itron, West Union, SC, USA

Exploratory Social Network Analysis applied to e-mail messages can provide the project managers with a measure and analyze the communications inside their teams and relationships that are generated as those teams go through different stages of development. Even if this analysis is exploratory in nature and limited to the e-mails received by the project managers, the sets of metrics generated could be used as the basis for improvements.

1:00 p.m. - 2:45 p.m.
#Q1: Myths about Process Behavior Charts
Donald J. Wheeler, Ph.D., SPC "Guru", and the Author of 24 Books on SPC and Data Analysis, SPC Press, Knoxville, TN, USA

Certain myths about process behavior charts persist because of a continued failure to appreciate how these charts differ from other statistical techniques. These myths and the difference in the conceptual foundation are addressed and explained. Shewhart’s approach to the analysis of data is profoundly different from the statistical approach. This is why people end up with such confusion when they try to “update” Shewhart by attaching bits and pieces from the statistical approach to what Shewhart has already done. Shewhart provided us with an operational definition of how to get the most out of any process. Nothing extra is needed to make process behavior charts work.

2:45 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Refreshment Break

Thursday March 1, 2012

Moderator: Candace Manora

3:00 p.m. - 3:35 p.m.

#R1: 14 Steps to Convert Your Technical Skills into the Gemba with Soft Skills

Samuel L. Cain, Jr., Industrial Engineer, The Boeing Company, Philadelphia, PA, USA

Businesses look for process improvements after discovering bottlenecks. Often, the root causes of process inefficiencies are known by the employees closest to the problem. The solution is to obtain information while minimizing shop disruption. In these situations, the Gemba is highly recommended. Basically, the Gemba requires you to "walk" the process, and ask the necessary questions. The challenge is that employees often fear process improvement related to layoffs. This is where you need soft skills to abstract the desired information. In this presentation, you will learn 14 steps to convert your technical skills into soft skills to obtain the intimate knowledge of your process.

3:35 p.m. - 4:10 p.m.

#R2: Real Life Strategy Execution Using Hoshin Planning

William Wes Waldo, Chief Operating Officer and Managing Director, BMGI, Denver, CO, USA

The most successful organizations figure out how to execute their strategy despite obstacles. They link their daily execution with the vision of the future. Yet in most companies, problems with execution are quite common. According to Fortune Magazine, 70% of CEOs who fail actually fall short because of bad execution. The strategy might be good, but the implementation may be the problem. That is where Hoshin Planning comes in. This planning process links the major strategy objectives with the specific resources and action plans. Through a back and forth refinement system known as "catchball" the entire company becomes involved in delivering a combination of breakthrough performance.

4:10 p.m. - 4:45 p.m.

#R3: Linking Vision Support Plans and Hoshin Planning

James Alfred Aube, Lean+ Consultant, The Boeing Company, Fullerton, CA, USA

The concept of Hoshin Planning is extremely attractive. In theory, it has the power to dramatically increase the probability of executing your business plan by aligning employees in pursuit of your business goals. In practice, however, few organizations have been able to realize this potential. The Boeing Defense, Space, & Security (BDS), which provides end-to-end services for global military, government, and commercial customers, suffered those same ills. The presentation explains how Hoshin Planning was a key step in taking the process improvement strategies to the next “level”.

Moderator: Brian Clark

3:00 p.m. - 3:35 p.m.

#S1: Differences in Drivers of Employee and Leadership Engagement

Mary Johnson, Vice President, The Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, Moseley, VA, USA

This presentation describes a study of differences in key drivers of employee and leadership engagement at a large quasi-government agency in Virginia. The agency recognized the need for a culture of high performance, engagement, and inclusion for their diverse leaders and employees. Understanding if there are key differences in key drivers of employee engagement and leadership will help promote understanding of how to motivate leaders to provide the necessary leadership for success. The researcher utilized individually structured interviews to gather data from the employee subject group.

3:35 p.m. - 4:45 p.m.

#S2: Workshop: Communication, Convincing, and Gaining Consensus with A3

Tom Raidna, BB II, PNC Financial Services, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

This activity based presentation will explore how A3 can be used to effectively and concisely communicate problems within a business. Attendees will be provided with the framework for creating A3s and real-life examples from both the healthcare IT and banking industries. Participants will leave the session with tools to create their own A3s for problem solving, and personal development. Topics include using effective graphics for visual understanding, writing clear and concise goal statements, and active participation in root cause analysis. How do you gain consensus and buy in with your A3? Learn the most effective methods in this exciting presentation!

Moderator: Ashley Stroud-LoVerde

3:00 p.m. - 3:35 p.m.

#T1: High Performance Operations

Hillel Glazer, Principal & CEO, Entinex, Inc., Owings Mills, MD, USA

Don't let the bureaucracy of everyday compliance issues get in the way of being Lean and achieving excellence. Don't let your desire to be Lean and agile turn into its own form of "compliance." Learn about a revealing systematic approach that puts compliance in its place. Discover the secrets of incorporating non-value added necessities into the value-added work stream. Break the mold for dealing with compliance matters that hinder progress. The presentation looks at several facets including common mistakes that hinder high performance, the role of leadership, culture, empowerment, and communication as prerequisites.

3:35 p.m. - 4:10 p.m.

#T2: 21st Century Benchmarking: Searching for the Next Generation

Douglas F. Williamson, Ph.D., Employee Involvement Coordinator, The Boeing Comp., Ridley Park, PA, USA

This presentation investigates current benchmarking practices to determine new approaches, which may transcend the traditional benchmarking model developed by Gregory Watson (Strategic Benchmarking, 1993). A brief history of benchmarking practices will be reviewed. By reviewing past practices, attendees will gain a better understanding of the origins of LSS.

4:10 p.m. - 4:45 p.m.

#T3: End Keynote: The Power of Visualization^TM for Great Lean Leaders

Adil F. Dalal, ASQ Lean Enterprise Certification, Chair, Leadership, ASQ Lean Enterprise Division, ASQ HD&L, Pinnacle Process Solutions International, Cedar Park, TX, USA

Having the ‘power to visualize’ is an innate strength of some visionaries like Walt Disney, but is not an attribute which everyone possesses. This ‘power’ is a secret strength of almost all great Lean leaders. Why is this power a secret power for leaders? The answer is simple - because leaders set the direction for the rest of the organization. It always helps to ‘map out’ or ‘visualize’ that path prior to embarking on the Lean journey. Participants in this presentation will walk through the stages of project life cycle: initiation, planning, execution, monitoring, close-out, and Risk Management. Learn a 6-step process for mastering visualization; and translating vision into success in any project, no matter how complex.

4:45 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Closing Remarks;
Ashley Stroud-LoVerde, Conference Chair