Lean and Six Sigma methods help organizations identify and eliminate unnecessary and non-valued added process steps and activities that have built up over time. These process improvement approaches were developed originally for use in the private sector to target manufacturing processes, but there has been steady progress towards adapting them for use on service and administrative processes. In non-manufacturing settings, waste (non-value added activity) is most prevalent in the information flows associated with these processes.
Public sector interest in Lean and Six Sigma is increasing rapidly. Government organizations are using them to improve their administrative activities. Interest among environmental programs is growing, and they are getting results. About 30 state environmental agencies, including a number in the Northeast, are using Lean to dramatically improve permitting, administrative reviews, and other processes.
State environmental agencies have found that these methods enable them to understand how their processes are working and to make adjustments that optimize desired outcomes. By getting routine activities to function more smoothly and consistently, staff time can be freed to focus on higher value activities.
NEWMOA's members are using Lean to improve the quality, transparency, and speed of their permitting, enforcement, record-keeping, and other activities. NEWMOA has convened a LEAN Practitioners Workgroup to facilitate information sharing to help our members learn from each other's experience and exchange technical resources.