Lean Six Sigma is a proven methodology used across most industries to reduce costs and improve quality and customer satisfaction. Businesses have saved hundreds of billions in waste over the past two decades. One area that has been slow to embrace the practices has been local government operations. We have seen sporadic adoption of Lean Six Sigma practices in government operations, but it has not been implemented at the level to fully realize potential savings. Are there bright spots in the government sector for Lean Six Sigma programs?
El Paso Local Government Enjoys Cost Savings
The City of El Paso has embraced Lean Six Sigma and reaped significant results. Their Lean Six Sigma Green Belt team recently took on three projects related to the Fire Department. As a result of their work, the Green Belt team reviewed personal protective equipment inventory management, 911 communications recruit training time, and firefighter on the job injuries and lost work days. The team recommendations not only resulted in the $252,000 savings, they also provided a future cost savings of $111,173 and 13,463 hours saved.
“I am proud our department has embraced Lean Six Sigma for process improvement. It is the enthusiasm within the department to continuously improve how we do business that makes Lean Six Sigma successful to the El Paso Fire Department.”
~Interim Fire Chief Mario D’Agostino~
The Lean Six Sigma program in the City of El Paso is an integral part of the city’s strategic plan to reduce costs to the taxpayer and significantly improve their services.
Lean Six Sigma Gets Results
The reason Lean Six Sigma has become so popular now is the need for organizations to streamline to provide the best product or service at the lowest cost possible. Their success is seen in the long-lasting and continuous quality improvement and cost savings.
