DSCA Lean Six Sigma Green Belts Honored
Story and Photo by Juanita White
(WASHINGTON,
November 3, 2008) On October 23, 2008, the Deputy Secretary of Defense recognized Defense Department employees, including three members of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), for their achievements in Lean Six Sigma (LSS) management.
During a Pentagon ceremony, Gordon R. England honored Pam Berg, Suellen Raycraft, and Leon Yates for qualifying for their Green Belts by completing their first LSS projects.
LSS is a widely used management tool that combines Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma methods to continuously improve process speed, quality, and productivity.
The Green Belt is the first level of LSS certification.
 To achieve Green Belt certification, Berg, Raycraft and Yates passed the Green Belt exam; completed a Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control tollgate project; and received Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) Continuous Process Improvement Board approval. During her project, Berg reviewed the process for coordinating Congressional Arms Sales Notifications within the Department of Defense.
Raycraft examined the hiring and pay-setting process for the Washington, DC-based Regional Centers for Security Studies.
Yates reviewed processes associated with inventories of Man Portable Air Defense Systems (MANPADS) transferred to foreign partners.
DSCA has completed 19 Green Belt projects and has several more underway.
England said that he was "thrilled" to add these recipients to the Department's roster of certified belts, because the Office of the Secretary of Defense has exceeded its goal for LSS training.
OSD set its goal for LSS certification at five percent green belts and one percent black belts per population of employees.
However, OSD already has approximately 150 belts, which is about five percent more than the goal.
DSCA is well on its way to meeting its LSS certification goals.
DSCA's Green Belt goal of 39 has already been exceeded with 42 trained and another nine who will complete training by the end of November.
The Agency has five of its eight Black Belts on board, and is on track to bring on three more by June.
England said that he has been a proponent of LSS since "his days in industry," because he feels that it is an effective management process.
"Lean Six Sigma will improve the department," said England.
"It produces environments where people want to excel."
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