By Jason Hardi, LSSGB
At KAI Partners, I manage Proposal Development. That means I’m responsible for our company’s response to contract solicitations such as requests for proposals from the State of California and other sources. The response process is extremely specialized, which necessitates different subject matter experts to write a tremendous amount of narrative that aligns to the customer’s requirements. Some of the responses require fast turnaround which means managing the entire process—work flow—in a short span of time. Because the process demands a great deal of writing, with tons of moving parts, it’s incredibly important to keep communications between the actors flowing, but to a minimum, so they can do the actual work.
Lean Six Sigma is a great for understanding how to interpret and deliver quality from a customer experience perspective. In my space, quality is crucial. One wrong word, one typo, can mean the difference between winning a multimillion dollar contract and losing a huge opportunity. This is where Lean Six Sigma methodologies are useful. We are constantly looking for ways to improve and control the process. The more efficient, effective, and quality focused we are, the greater chance of winning a critical contract.
For me personally, as a project manager, I am always looking for ways to improve or build on my own skills, so having the opportunity to learn more about quality methods, such as Lean Six Sigma, was a natural choice. Our instructor at the KAIP Academy, Ashley Christman, is a master black belt among many other designations. What sets her class apart is how she incorporates her own real-world examples, and those of her students, into the course. I found it incredibly helpful and valuable to hear others’ experiences. Her collaborative and caring spirit created an environment of success for all of us. For anyone looking to up level their current skill base, or learn more about how to deliver higher quality products, I very much recommend taking Ashley’s course.
Here is more information on the KAIP Academy’s courses, including the Lean Six Sigma course.
About the Author: Jason Hardi has been in the Information Technology field for over 25 years. Prior to that, he started his working life as a Marine Biologist. As a Marine Biologist, he saw the need to develop an early advanced statistical analysis program for biologists. The application, formerly called “Hyper Stats,” was subsequently marketed and sold at colleges across the country. Following this, Mr. Hardi entered the Information Technology field as a System Operator working in mainframe shops and has enjoyed advancing from entry level positions up to Project Director and Advisor.