Rapid Action Tools Continue to Drive Faster and Bigger Lean Six Sigma Results

CHICAGO, IL, April 26, 2011 (Press-News.org) More and more organizations are adding Rapid Actions Tools to their Lean Six Sigma Deployments to drive faster and bigger results. Rapid Action Tools complement traditional Lean and Six Sigma methods with a just-in-time, simple to deploy process and toolset for engaging frontline employees in 60-day or shorter rapid improvement projects.

According to Lean Six Sigma Deployment Leaders adopting the toolset, major benefits delivered are reduced project cycle-times, increased Belt productivity and faster cultural change by expanding engagement of leaders and employees at all levels of the organization.

NewPage Corporation, a Fortune 500 pioneer in fully integrating Rapid Action Tools into Lean Six Sigma, trains all Green and Black Belts in these fast-change methods and tools. NewPage has added more than $30,000,000 in quantified savings to its Lean Six Sigma effort and engaged an additional 2,000 employees, most of whom would not have had the opportunity to participate in a conventional LSS deployment. Innovative applications include using Rapid Action Teams to replicate safety best practices; adding Rapid Action Tools to DMAIC Projects and Kaizen Events to speed solution implementation; and, empowering "non-Belted" supervisors and high potential employees to lead Rapid Lean Six Sigma Project Teams without the need for extensive classroom training or coaching.

Mosaic Company, the global fertilizer producer, has leveraged a small number of Black Belts to deliver over $75M in cost savings by using Rapid Acton Tools to engage frontline mining and operations workers in solution brainstorming and implementation.

Valspar Corporation, the global coatings manufacturer, added Rapid Action Tools to speed the realization of cost savings in the wake of the recent economic downturn. Based on success in the first year of implementation in the U.S., the company is implementing the process worldwide in more than seven different languages and countries.

Erie County New York, the first U.S. county government to embrace Lean Six Sigma, added Rapid Action Tools to their deployment in 2010. Now in their second wave of training Black and Green Belts in the tools, the County expects to use Rapid Action Teams to address more than 75% of their improvement projects, freeing-up Black and Green Belts to focus on complex problems requiring research and statistical analysis.

According to Joe Gliksman who heads up the Lean Six Sigma Deployment at Mosaic and has personally launched and coached over 150 Rapid Action Teams, "There are a lot of tools in the Lean Six Sigma toolbox and they each have value. But for us the Rapid Action Tools always get the most wear."

For a more information on Rapid Action Teams for driving faster and bigger Lean Six Sigma results, including white papers, deployment options and additional case studies, visit http://www.improvefaster.com/fastchange/leansixsigma.php or call 1.800.254.6805.

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Leap Technologies is a research, consulting and training firm specializing in rapid improvement tools and methods for business, healthcare and government organizations. We publish whitepapers and case studies of interest to leaders and change agents. For more information, please contact us at 800.254.6805 or email to request@improvefaster.com.