Randy Johnson - Constant Improvement with Lean Six Sigma

-

During a time of limited funding and increased customer needs, there is always a need to do more without additional funding or resources. Randy Johnson, KC Scout Manger, has embarked on a journey of transformation to help find a solution to this challenge of optimizing processes, reducing costs, and improving quality.

For the past six months Johnson has been participating in a program titled “Lean Six Sigma.” For those unaware of what Lean Six Sigma is, it is a program that focuses on enhancing value for the customers by improving and smoothing the process flow and eliminating waste.

There are many different fairly intense stages to this program, known as the Six Sigma Belts. Each stage indicates a different level of knowledge, skill and experience and Johnson was able to reach the highest level of belt, the Black Belt, despite it not being his primary occupation. The black Belt “marks a professional’s capability to implement improvement processes in the workplace.” Achieving the Black Belt was no easy task, yet Johnson persevered and accomplished this goal.

After completing this process, Johnson is eager to implement these skills at KC Scout. “I have learned the impact of Lean Six Sigma on our operations can be profound. It has the ability to reshape our culture, enhance decision making, and driving continuous excellence,” Johnson said. “I believe of all the knowledge and tools I have learned; I think the best one to start with is Lean Six Sigma process mapping. This process includes such things as helping to identify steps of the process that add complexity and need to be simplified, cross functionality improvements and to root out causes of waste and errors in a process.”

The biggest takeaway from the whole program is it will help create a high performing team. Lean Six Sigma helps improve customer satisfaction, employee engagement and team collaboration. All of which create a win/win for our customers and team members. 







Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The FIFA 2026 World Cup Update

-
Image
It’s never too early to start planning for a major event and the event coming to Kansas City in 2026 is just that. The FIFA World Cup will be coming to the area and local leadership throughout the KC metro are starting the conversation on how the community can be ready to accommodate visitors from all over the world. The official schedule has been released and Arrowhead Stadium will host six matches including four group fixtures and two knockout games. The transportation working group has been developed and met on March 15. This group includes organization’s like KDOT, MoDOT, KC Scout, KCMO, MARC, and more! They will continue to meet monthly to discuss ways to be proactive and ready to host. More updates are to come as we approach 2026. Visit fifa.com to learn more about the 2026 World Cup: Kansas City (fifa.com)
Read more

Scout Innovations for 2024

-
Image
  On December 13   KC Scout shared three separate Innovations Challenge Entries at the local showcase, including one from ER operators Hector Ortiz, Michael Maynard and Gregory Morgan in the equipment category. Their innovation was named “ C-3PO ” which is an acronym for “ C onfigurable C argo C ontrol & P rojection O ptimizer” a low-cost, easily installed cargo containment system for securing loose items in a truck bed. It has universal safety implications for every vehicle in MoDOT’s fleet.                                                                                    Figure 1  ER's C-3PO Scout also presented two productivity entries, each with “leveraging information sharing” for improved understanding of Scout functions. respectively named LOTUS ( L everaging O utreach T raining U sing S mall G roups) and EVOLVE ( E mbedded V ideo O ption L everaging V ital E ducation). LOTUS showed the effectiveness of small group, short duration training sessions, while EVOLVE was
Read more

Neil Kornis – Scout Senior TMC Operator and Eyes on the Road

-
Image
One April 25, KC Scout was hit with a cyberattack that shut down all cameras and communication to the roadways. Without their normal resources, the Scout team quickly pivoted to using alternative means to continue providing traffic incident management services. Without cameras, the TMC relied on getting accurate lane closure information from first responders including KHP MAV and MoDOT Emergency Response. After further coordination efforts, it was decided that KHP Scout Senior TMC Operator Neil Kornis would assist with KHP MAV in the field for the further facilitation between KC Scout and KHP. “The opportunity to sit alongside with a MAV and witness them doing their job while also discussing how we could do a better job as a team couldn’t be passed up,” Kornis said. During this time, not only did Kornis act as another point of communication between Scout and MAV, but he also used this time to evaluate ways the teams could improve.  “I used the time to put myself in the MAV’s shoes and
Read more