Company News

Jun 18, 2008

The Powerful Synergy Between Theory of Constraints and Lean Six Sigma Showcased at the Velocity World Conference

 When implemented in concert, dramatic improvements in net profits, throughput and flow times are realized as inventories, operating expenses and defects are reduced.

New Orleans, LA (PRWEB) June 18, 2008 — In the evolution of process improvement methodologies, the Velocity World Conference held in April 2008 at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut marked a milestone to move beyond process improvement to Continuous System Improvement (CSI). The event focused on the integration of Theory of Constraints (TOC) and Lean and Six Sigma (LSS). It was the continuation of past successful global conferences on TOC that have been presented since 1990 by AGI, the Avraham Y. Goldratt Institute.

Experts answered questions from the audience on the integration of TOC & LSS.

Since 2005, NOVACES and Dynamics Research Corporation (DRC) have teamed with AGI to develop a breakthrough approach to continuous and sustained organizational improvement by combining the synergistic parts of TOC, Lean and Six Sigma methodologies. During three days of intensive sessions and workshops attended by a packed audience, experts shared the details of their approach to both TOC-LSS integration and CSI. To illustrate the power of implementations in government, the advanced methods were illustrated by case studies from successful projects completed by the US Department of the Navy’s Naval Aviation Enterprise, including Marine Corps Aviation, to dramatically improve their global maintenance, logistics and supply system.

The TOC-LSS methodology combines the principles of TOC and its thinking processes (a breakthrough methodology to identify and manage a system’s constraints) with Lean (a systematic approach to eliminate waste) and the best practices of Six Sigma (a rigorous, data-driven process to eliminate defects), resulting in a very structured, focused approach to process improvement with system-level impact.

The successful integration of TOC and LSS requires identification of the system constraint first. As a result, LSS project selection can focus on improving or protecting the performance of the System Constraint (the weakest link) to provide total system improvement. TOC is implemented first to stabilize the system by removing unnecessary interdependencies and policy constraints. Then TOC is used to identify sources of waste and variation which most affect the performance of the total system. Finally, an analysis of the stabilized system performance is used to focus Lean and Six Sigma improvement projects where they will have the highest impact.

Specially developed by the integration team to demonstrate the impact of TOC-LSS, a Velocé simulation was conducted by the conference attendees in five teams. As TOC and LSS methodologies were implemented in concert, attendees observed dramatic improvements in net profits, throughput and flow times as inventories, operating expenses and defects went down.

A special session focused on how the discords of TOC and LSS are resolved in order to provide a seamless, mistake-proof method for the integrated approach. In the process design area, two conflicts were addressed; (1) the conflict of balanced line as advocated by Lean Thinking and unbalanced line as advocated by TOC, and (2) the conflict between time-based replenishment vs. quantity based replenishment. In the process execution area, findings were shared on resolving two other conflicts; (1) the conflict between the Road Runner work ethic of TOC vs. working to TAKT in Lean, and (2) the conflict between using the Drum Buffer Rope signaling of TOC vs. the Kanban signaling of Lean.

On the final day of the conference, a panel of experts answered questions from the audience on the integration of TOC-LSS. The panel included CEO Bahadir Inozu, Ph.D. of NOVACES, Suzan Bergland, President of the North America Group of AGI, Hugh Cole of AGI and Mark Holt of DRC.

Jun 9, 2008

U.S. Navy Medicine Presents at First DOD Continuous Process Improvement Symposium

NOVACES supports Navy Medicine at joint-service conference.

New Orleans (PRWEB) June 9, 2008 — The consulting and training firm NOVACES, members of Navy Medicine, and members of the Jacksonville, FL-based Navy Medicine Support Command attended the first DoD Continuous Process Improvement Symposium May 13, 2008 in Landsdowne, VA.

NOVACES is contracted to provide Lean Six Sigma (LSS) deployment support, project mentoring and additional training to Navy Medicine’s four major Echelon III Regional Commands: Navy Medicine East, Portsmouth, VA; Navy Medicine National Capital Area, Bethesda, MD; Navy Medicine West, San Diego, CA; and Navy Medicine Support Command.

“Navy Medicine participation was part of an ongoing aggressive business transformation effort through LSS deployment,” said Cmdr. Joseph Myers, a LSS Black Belt for the Navy Medicine Support Command.

More than 500 military members and civilians representing all services attended the symposium. Navy Medicine highlighted three successful projects among the storyboard displays from the U.S. Navy, Air Force, and Army.

Myers presented a case study on a project to improve the credentialing process for contracted healthcare workers. As a result of the improvements identified by Myers and his team, the Navy anticipates it will realize $789,000 annually in Type II savings (commonly referred to as “cost avoidance”) at the command. The improvements were approved by the senior leadership committee within Navy Medicine for global implementation, and the roll-out is projected to generate an estimated $114 million annually in Type II savings.

Felipe Velasco, the first Navy Medicine civilian to receive Black Belt certification from the American Society for Quality, co-facilitated a workshop with Jan Bauer, a Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt with NOVACES. The workshop, “Lean Six Sigma in a Transactional Environment and the Dogma of Normality,” addressed common issues associated with analyzing data from transactional processes.

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May 27, 2008

Lean Six Sigma Deployment at Kent Hospital in Turkey Pays Dividends

Implementation of the methodology at the facility produced improved operations along with measurable financial results that more than paid for program setup.

New Orleans, LA (PRWEB) May 27, 2008 — One year after pioneering the first Lean Six Sigma deployment at a healthcare facility in Turkey, Kent Hospital shared its success stories at the Six Sigma & Lean Conference held in Izmir, Turkey on May 9-11, 2008. Organized by the Chamber of Mechanical Engineers, the conference was attended by a record crowd of over 1,100 professionals.

Kent Hospital made its presentation on how Lean Six Sigma can be implemented at a hospital, and co-facilitated a workshop with its deployment partner, NOVACES, a consulting and training firm. In his presentation on Lean Six Sıgma in hospitals, Mesut Guderel, deputy leader of Kent’s Lean Six Sigma coordination team showed how they improved patient billing, materials management, discharge and bypass surgery processes.

“There is a belief that Lean Six Sigma is more applicable in the manufacturing industry. However, by applying Lean Six Sigma tools to hospital processes, for example, we shortened the discharge process from 134 minutes to 79 minutes and the ratio of patient files waiting for doctor signature went down from 26% to 1%,” said Guderel. He underscored that while increasing patient satisfaction and improving quality, the hospital also saw serious financial gains. “Training financed itself from the very beginning,” Guderel noted.

To read case studies about the Kent Hospital deployment, download the whitepaper.

During the conference workshop attendees learned how Lean Six Sigma techniques are applied to improve patient satisfaction and outcomes by focusing on process improvement. The methodology combines the principles of Lean (a systematic approach to eliminate waste) with the best practices of Six Sigma (a rigorous, data-driven process to eliminate defects), which results in a very structured, focused approach to process improvement.

The session theme stressed that Lean Six Sigma programs require both commitment and consistency. In large measure successful implementations require significant culture change, which most companies find a challenge. To help meet this challenge and ensure continuous improvement, senior management champions who are accountable for quantifiable results are one of the keys to the journey to performance excellence.

“The Lean Six Sigma deployment at Kent Hospital demonstrates that combining top-level management support with empowered teams can dramatically improve quality while reducing costs in a healthcare setting,” said CEO Bahadir Inozu, Ph.D. of NOVACES.

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May 20, 2008

Change Management Seminar to Focus on the Three Key Stages for Success

To be jointly conducted by NOVACES, LLC and the University of New Orleans, the course is intended for Change Management Practitioners, Project Managers, Deployment Managers, Executive Sponsors of Change Initiatives, and anyone leading or facing change in their organization.

New Orleans, LA (PRWEB) May 20, 2008 — NOVACES, a provider of Lean Six Sigma consulting and training services, and the University of New Orleans have announced a seminar designed to provide attendees with a window into the greatest influences on organizational change outcomes, including the proven implementation steps that ensure success and improved performance. The seminar is scheduled for June 11-13, 2008 in New Orleans.

Now more than ever enterprises need to plan, implement and manage change in a fast-changing world. To effectively optimize an organization’s response to needed change requires dynamic skills and processes. The seminar will deal with these critical requirements, showing how to achieve sustainable long-term performance improvements.

All too often people engaged in navigating change in their organizations lack the skills to be effective change agents

Among the distinguished faculty is William Lannes, Professor Emeritus of the University of New Orleans and former vice president of Entergy Corporation, a Fortune 500 company. Lannes is author of The Change Cycle Handbook: How to Initiate, Implement, and Institutionalize Change and he will be the principal presenter during the seminar. Based on the proven principles in his handbook, the seminar also will reveal how to stay competitive and gain critical know-how to meet the challenges of organizational change.

Attendees will learn through interactive classes and hands-on workshops how to select the right people for key roles in a change initiative; how to use the principles and tools of successful change implementations; and how to approach each phase of change in proven and effective steps.

“All too often people engaged in navigating change in their organizations lack the skills to be effective change agents,” said Lannes. “This seminar will cover the real-life solutions that bring about lasting change in any organization.”

Attendees who successfully complete this seminar will be eligible for 17 PDUs from the Project Management Institute and 2 CEUs from the University of New Orleans. For a detailed course description and registration information visit the website by clicking here.

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Apr 24, 2008

Change Management Seminar to Provide Critical Skills for Business Change Leaders

Seminar participants will learn to manage and sustain organizational change using proven techniques. The course is being jointly presented by NOVACES and the University of New Orleans and is intended for project managers, deployment managers, executive sponsors of change initiatives, change management practitioners, and anyone leading or facing change in their organization.

New Orleans, LA (PRWEB) April 24, 2008 — NOVACES, a provider of Lean Six Sigma consulting and training services, and the University of New Orleans have announced a seminar designed to provide attendees with the insights and understanding needed to manage change in their own organizations. The seminar is scheduled for June 11-13, 2008 in New Orleans. The program will focus on the skills for preparing workable plans and choosing the right tools to manage and sustain change.

Among the distinguished faculty, William Lannes, Professor Emeritus of the University of New Orleans and author of The Change Cycle Handbook: How to Initiate, Implement, and Institutionalize Change, will be the principal presenter. Based on the proven principles in his handbook, the seminar also will reveal how to stay competitive and gain critical know-how to meet the challenges of organizational change.

This seminar will cover the real-life solutions that bring about lasting change in any organization.

Attendees will learn through interactive classes and hands-on workshops how to select the right people for key roles in a change initiative; how to use the principles and tools of successful change implementations; and how to approach each phase of change in proven and effective steps.”All too often people engaged in navigating change in their organizations lack the skills to be effective change agents,” said Lannes. “This seminar will cover the real-life solutions that bring about lasting change in any organization.”

Attendees who successfully complete this hands-on seminar will be eligible for 17 PDUs from the Project Management Institute and 2 CEUs from the University of New Orleans. For a detailed course description and registration information click here to visit the official website.

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Feb 1, 2008

NOVACES and University of New Orleans Executive Education Network Team Up To Provide Lean Six Sigma Training in Puerto Rico

Registration is now open for both Lean Six Sigma Black Belt and Green Belt courses that begin in March 2008. These courses are composed of a balance of classroom interaction, hands-on process simulations and practical application that enable participants to become certified experts. Additional information can be found at www.exednet.org.

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Dec 13, 2007

NOVACES Sponsors Webinar on the Integration of Lean Six Sigma with Theory of Constraints in MRO.

The International Society of Six Sigma Professionals (ISSSP) will host the program as part of its Focused Sessions for the advancement of education, research and implementation of Six Sigma.

New Orleans December 13, 2007 — NOVACES, a premier provider of Lean Six Sigma (LSS) consulting and training services, announced today that it will present the synergistic advantages of using Theory of Constraints (TOC) with Lean Six Sigma (LSS) to better focus efforts to achieve continuous system improvement. The event features contributions from the company’s team members Dynamics Research Corporation (DRC) and Avraham Goldratt Institute (AGI) who have been pioneering this breakthrough methodology together.

This integrated approach recognizes that interdependencies among processes must be considered to improve an enterprise’s output. While both Lean Six Sigma and TOC have been successfully implemented for some time, their effectiveness in tandem is now being proven. The value that TOC brings to improving an organization’s processes is its disciplined manner of identifying what to change, what to change it to and how to achieve the change.

TOC identifies the constraints and core conflicts that exist in an enterprise and points to the solution that will best align it with the strategic objectives of the overall system

“TOC identifies the constraints and core conflicts that exist in an enterprise and points to the solution that will best align it with the strategic objectives of the overall system,” said CEO Bahadir Inozu, Ph.D. of NOVACES. The result of the approach helps to build the tactical plan that will transition an organization.

This combination of methodologies is shown to deliver powerful results in the MRO (Maintenance, Repair, Operations/Overhaul) environment by focusing on the system, identifying constraints and removing waste and defects from the processes. The webinar will take place December 18, 2007 at 10:00 AM EST. Attendees are invited to register at www.isssp.com.

Our Partners in TOC/LSS Integration

About Dynamics Research Corporation

Dynamics Research Corporation (DRC) is a leading provider of mission-critical technology management services and solutions for government programs. DRC offers forward-thinking solutions backed by a history of excellence and customer satisfaction. Founded in 1955, DRC is a publicly held corporation (NASDAQ: DRCO) and maintains more than 25 offices nationwide with major offices in Andover, Massachusetts; Vienna, Virginia; and Fairborn, Ohio. For more information please visit our website at www.drc.com.

About Avraham Goldratt Institute

AGI is the birthplace of the Theory of Constraints (TOC). It was founded as an educational institution in 1986 by Dr. Eli Goldratt, author of the bestseller The Goal, It’s Not Luck, and Critical Chain. Today, AGI is home to the world’s foremost TOC experts and practitioners, with 14 offices across six continents. AGI is the world’s largest consulting firm specializing in the application of TOC to achieve significant bottom-line results in organizations as diverse as industry, services, government, education, military, and healthcare. For more information please visit our website at www.agi.com.

Apr 22, 2007

NOVACES Selected for Hospital Lean Six Sigma Deployment in Turkey

Kent Hospital Implements Proven Methodologies to Improve Patient Care Delivery and Financial Performance