Department of Defense Saves Billions with Lean Six Sigma & Minitab

The U.S. military is saving billions of dollars by implementing quality improvement methods such as Lean Six Sigma, and these savings could grow even faster as the Department of Defense takes steps to expand these initiatives throughout the armed services.

For example, the Department of Defense recently selected Minitab Inc., the leading provider of software and services for quality improvement, for a General Services Administration Blanket Purchase Agreement.

The agreement makes Minitab’s solutions for quality improvement, data analysis, Lean, and Six Sigma more easily accessible at a time when all branches of the military are implementing such initiatives.

Since the U.S. Army deployed Lean Six Sigma in 2005, nearly 2,000 personnel have been trained, more than 1,000 projects have been completed, and more than 1,600 remain active. The Army credits these projects with achieving nearly $2 billion in savings so far.

The Department of the Navy has trained more than 5,000 sailors and Marines as Six Sigma green or black belts since 2006. The Navy estimates savings from its projects for 2006 and 2007 to be $450 million, a 4-to-1 return on investment.

The U.S. Air Force has trained more than 500 Six Sigma belts, and its Air Logistics Centers received two Shingo Prizes for quality improvement last year. The Air Force has committed to a 40,000-manpower reduction without impairing its operational capabilities due in part to efficiencies gained from its initiatives.

As more military personnel begin applying the tools of Six Sigma, they are likely to encounter Minitab’s products, including Minitab Statistical Software, Quality Companion by Minitab, and Quality Trainer by Minitab.

“Minitab’s software is used by the most successful Six Sigma companies, and this agreement gives the military easy access to the same tools and solutions,” says Paul Engle, commercial sales leader for Minitab Inc.

Many DoD agencies already use Minitab’s products, Engle notes, including the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines. “Our hope is that this blanket purchase agreement will make it easier for the armed services to implement their quality improvement initiatives at home and abroad.”

Minitab Statistical Software is the leading software used to implement quality improvement and Six Sigma worldwide. Thousands of successful companies, including 3M, Caterpillar, Honeywell, Bank of America and the leading Six Sigma consultants, use Minitab to improve their businesses and achieve world-class quality.

Quality Companion is a separate software package that makes Six Sigma projects easier to organize, standardize, and execute. It enables team members to centralize and share project data, get guidance from Coaches, map processes and assign variables, standardize project deliverables, and more.

Quality Trainer is an e-learning service that provides online instruction in analyzing data for quality improvement. Interactive lessons walk users through real-world problems and make advanced statistical concepts easy to grasp and retain.