Richmond Battalion Operations NCO Sgt. Maj. Andrew Privitera (front and center) leads a salute during a ceremony in Richmond, Virginia.
Six Sigma Training Applied to Recruiting Challenges
Story and photo by Natalie Skelton, USAREC, Richmond Battalion
Jan. 20, 2015
“Work smarter, not harder” … a goal worth achieving, but how to be done when the work seems to overrun the time in which it must be done?
Master Sgt. Michael Towne USAR Operations NCO for Richmond Battalion, believes it takes a streamlined approach, focusing on identifying and resolving problems before they occur. He has reinforced this belief by achieving Six Sigma Black Belt certification.
Towne said he is now equipped to see clearer picture processes, allowing both Towne and his peers to identify and correct inefficiencies at work.
“My communication skills are enhanced and I’m now able to effectively describe and correct errors,” he said. “Removing the opportunity for errors is so important. We waste a lot of time in the correction of Soldiers, and on investigating issues that lead to errors, and yet we do not change the process to eliminate the possibility of errors.”
Though Six Sigma is a serious program with devotees who are just as serious, the Boston native maintains a healthy sense of humor
Towne learned of Six Sigma from Donald Copley at the Soldier Support Institute at Fort Jackson in South Carolina.
“He would actively engage his staff on projects that were set up to reduce inefficiencies in processes or to avoid costs, Towne said. “The Army has a budget, so cutting cost is the eventual outcome, but in fact the cost avoidance is the immediate result in some of these processes.”
Battalion Operations Sgt. Maj. Andrew Privitera appreciates the professional development the 20-year Soldier took on.
“Towne and I have known each other since 2005, when he came to Iowa to conduct training with the unit I was assigned to at the time,” said Privitera. “Now, for the first time in our careers, we have an opportunity to work together and improve training, operations, and communications systems that impact recruiting operations throughout the battalion.”
To achieve Six Sigma certification, Towne submitted a project and received classroom instruction that paralleled the project once he was accepted.
“The course is four months long, but you work in a classroom one week a month,” he said. “The rest of the time you are working within your job capacity and also working on your project.”
Towne said Six Sigma is a valuable tool for leaders in USAREC because it enables them to fix processes that can lead to errors by Soldiers.
“In USAREC specifically, we have made it so easy for our Soldiers to make errors. We look at minimizing these errors, thinking it is the fix when in fact it isn’t. We should take away the opportunity for our Soldiers to make these errors,” he said. “I would tell leaders to be open-minded and embrace any change that might come from an analytical review of a process.”
Leaders who are interested in completing Six Sigma training can look to the Business and Transformation area for resources, accessible through AKO.
Privitera says Towne’s common sense approach to identifying problem statements and remaining objective and open-minded made him a good fit for Six Sigma training.
“Towne and I plan to work together on many Lean Six Sigma projects while assigned to the battalion,” Privitera added. “The projects will focus on streamlining operations and communication systems; and be prioritized by the needs of the battalion and command guidance from the battalion commander. Towne will likely take the lead on many projects; as he is the subject-matter-expert in many of the areas we will focus on. In fact, we are already working on two projects right now -- focusing on improving the efficiency of our Future Soldier management program, and our enlistment processing procedures.”
Story and photo by Natalie Skelton, USAREC, Richmond Battalion
Jan. 20, 2015
“Work smarter, not harder” … a goal worth achieving, but how to be done when the work seems to overrun the time in which it must be done?
Master Sgt. Michael Towne USAR Operations NCO for Richmond Battalion, believes it takes a streamlined approach, focusing on identifying and resolving problems before they occur. He has reinforced this belief by achieving Six Sigma Black Belt certification.
Towne said he is now equipped to see clearer picture processes, allowing both Towne and his peers to identify and correct inefficiencies at work.
“My communication skills are enhanced and I’m now able to effectively describe and correct errors,” he said. “Removing the opportunity for errors is so important. We waste a lot of time in the correction of Soldiers, and on investigating issues that lead to errors, and yet we do not change the process to eliminate the possibility of errors.”
Though Six Sigma is a serious program with devotees who are just as serious, the Boston native maintains a healthy sense of humor
Towne learned of Six Sigma from Donald Copley at the Soldier Support Institute at Fort Jackson in South Carolina.
“He would actively engage his staff on projects that were set up to reduce inefficiencies in processes or to avoid costs, Towne said. “The Army has a budget, so cutting cost is the eventual outcome, but in fact the cost avoidance is the immediate result in some of these processes.”
Battalion Operations Sgt. Maj. Andrew Privitera appreciates the professional development the 20-year Soldier took on.
“Towne and I have known each other since 2005, when he came to Iowa to conduct training with the unit I was assigned to at the time,” said Privitera. “Now, for the first time in our careers, we have an opportunity to work together and improve training, operations, and communications systems that impact recruiting operations throughout the battalion.”
To achieve Six Sigma certification, Towne submitted a project and received classroom instruction that paralleled the project once he was accepted.
“The course is four months long, but you work in a classroom one week a month,” he said. “The rest of the time you are working within your job capacity and also working on your project.”
Towne said Six Sigma is a valuable tool for leaders in USAREC because it enables them to fix processes that can lead to errors by Soldiers.
“In USAREC specifically, we have made it so easy for our Soldiers to make errors. We look at minimizing these errors, thinking it is the fix when in fact it isn’t. We should take away the opportunity for our Soldiers to make these errors,” he said. “I would tell leaders to be open-minded and embrace any change that might come from an analytical review of a process.”
Leaders who are interested in completing Six Sigma training can look to the Business and Transformation area for resources, accessible through AKO.
Privitera says Towne’s common sense approach to identifying problem statements and remaining objective and open-minded made him a good fit for Six Sigma training.
“Towne and I plan to work together on many Lean Six Sigma projects while assigned to the battalion,” Privitera added. “The projects will focus on streamlining operations and communication systems; and be prioritized by the needs of the battalion and command guidance from the battalion commander. Towne will likely take the lead on many projects; as he is the subject-matter-expert in many of the areas we will focus on. In fact, we are already working on two projects right now -- focusing on improving the efficiency of our Future Soldier management program, and our enlistment processing procedures.”