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In my last column I outlined some of the unique issues faced in government operations in pursuit to implement Lean Six Sigma (LSS) and other methods in an inclusive manner. I ended the last column by asserting that we have some hurdles to overcome to realize the promise of OpEx and LSS — principally due to the fact that there are conflicting agendas to deal with and creating an environment where change is accepted. To accomplish that takes strong leadership.

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In this entry of the column in MiBiz on Lean Six Sigma, we are going to venture something more topical that all residents in Michigan are keenly watching — the downsizing of government operations statewide.

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In the first part of this two-part series I introduced the concepts of BPR and other methodologies that have come and gone, only to re-surface with new life over time - and some needed changes. I posit for you a never ending cycle required to get the promised benefits of an improvement initiative with a process using the acronym RESULTS. Here we pick up the explanation.

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It does not seem all that long ago that business process reengineering (BPR) was sweeping most industries. Actually it was nearly 20 years ago. The 1990s and new century saw the ascendance of Lean, Six Sigma and more recently the fusion — Lean Six Sigma (LSS). Operational Excellence (OpEx) has seen popular press in recent years. Our latest book, Driving Operational Excellence provides a view of this from 24 contributing authors. More recently Business Process Management (BPM) and Business Process Optimization (BPO) have been popularized — especially in the ever-increasing areas of finding information technology enabling lines of thinking where melding process thinking first with an overlay of technology to provide workflow support, better exchange of information and business intelligence (BI) has delivered excellent results.

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In the first of this two-part series I introduced the concept of a lack of buy-in as a key roadblock contributing to the fact that most organizations don’t get the benefits they should from OpEx/Lean Six Sigma initiatives.

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I had the pleasure to recently to attend an event featuring the president of a growing franchise company in Michigan — Bob Fish of Biggby Coffee. They started out with their first store in Lansing in 1995.

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In my prior column I described a recent world café event at the Detroit Chamber of Commerce. I shared how the process works and the points of view about how to engage with employees in tough times.