In 2009, Jim DePriest became the first employee of Fort Hood Army Base’s mission support element to attend Lean Six Sigma black belt training. Since then, the Army has embraced the principles of Lean Six Sigma, according to an article in the Fort Hood Sentinel, and has applied them to a number of operations.

One of the Lean Six Sigma projects that has been implemented at Fort Hood is a warehouse project aimed at increasing the efficiency by which the post processes received repair parts. The Army has managed to safe more than three million dollars with that project, the article stated. Another project at the post, implemented by the Unit Food Health Promotion Officer, avoided an estimated $417,000 in unit inspection failures.

In lean times caused by the draw down and budget cuts, Army officers are finding Lean Six Sigma particularly important for cutting costs, freeing up dollars to be redistributed to areas where they are needed more, and maintaining efficiency with fewer soldiers and less civilian support personnel. Praising the Lean Six Sigma process which forces soldiers and personnel to stop and consider an entire situation from start to finish, officers stated that commander support for the initiative is crucial to its success.

Just as the Army is seeing the positive impact of Lean Six Sigma in increasing efficiency and reducing costs, so are businesses across the nation and the world. You can receive training in these valuable principles at your own pace from the author of the handbook that is used as the standard Six Sigma reference.


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