MANSFIELD – The Ohio National Guard, both Army and Air, participated this week in a National Guard Bureau (NGB) Continuous Process Improvement (CPI) Course at the 200th RED HORSE Detachment 1, in Mansfield.
The course ran from March 14 through 18. Twelve airmen of the Ohio Air National Guard participated in the CPI course with representation from three of the Ohio Air National Guard Wings and the 200th RED HORSE Squadron, as well as three Ohio Army National Guard soldiers.
The Ohio National Guardsmen are focusing on process improvement modeled after NGB’s Lean Six Sigma Green Belt course using Six Sigma, Lean concepts, and 8-step problem solving methodology.
Retired Chief Master Sgt. Mark Robertson was the CPI Director working with Joint Force Headquarters in Columbus, Ohio. He teamed with Chief Master Sergeant Kandi Hughes from the 121st Air Refueling Wing to lead the course.
“This CPI course is Lean Sigma Six greenbelt,” Robertson said. “The goal is to look at the way we operate in the Ohio National Guard and provide our Soldiers and Airmen with the tools and principles of that program to improve our processes and solve problems.”
Lean Six Sigma Training is internationally known and accepted within a myriad of industries to achieve savings, reduce process variation, and gain time efficiencies, while increasing customer satisfaction.
The Lean Sigma Six Green Belt program focuses on topics such as; Project Selection, Process Mapping, Cause and Effect analysis, Measurement Systems, Data Analysis, Process Control Planning, Project Planning, Lean Procedures, Graphical Analysis, etc.
The processes are improved by controlling variation and understanding the intricacies within them allowing for more predictable results. The program is designed to result in a reduction of waste as well as identification and reduction of non-value added steps within the processes.
“The military does a great job with leadership development and strives to find innovative ways to further empower those leaders,” Robertson said. “Courses like this can really help our Soldiers and Airmen make an impact.”
