For many school districts, training can be a barrier to using Lean Six Sigma (LSS) into improve how their schools run.

Even though leaders recognize the benefits of LSS methods, it boils down to a cost, time and staff resource issue. With limited resources at their disposal, districts simply can’t afford to take staff out of the classroom to attend weeks of training.  

But that doesn’t have to be the case. Sometimes you just need to think outside the box – or in this case, outside the classroom. Marion City Schools in Marion, Ohio, for example, partnered with a local university to get the training job done and improve their operations.

First, Superintendent Gary Barber and school leaders met with the district’s 700 staff to pinpoint key areas for improvement. They narrowed the list to four processes they knew could be better, and would make an impact on the district’s overall operations:  1) purchase orders; 2) facility use 3) professional development and 4) busing.

Take busing, for example. The district has grown rapidly, with the addition of six new elementary schools throughout the city in a few short years. That growth complicated the busing system, with 2,300 students being transported every day. Coupled with a shortage of bus drivers and students’ varied schedules, they knew they had to get creative and use Lean Six Sigma tools to be more efficient.

At this point, many organizations would bring in a consultant to teach Lean Six Sigma over the course of many months. For school districts, however, it’s difficult, if not impossible, to have teachers, staff and administrators out of the office for a week or more to attend training.

Instead, Marion Schools partnered with the Alber Enterprise Center at The Ohio State University at Marion to allow staff to complete the majority of their training online. Staff participated in webinars and online learning and discussion, plus met with a LSS black belt Norma Simons, President of Performance Innovation LLC and an Alber educator partner, to apply the LSS tools to the four projects identified by the district.

Check out this case study about the district’s efforts and successes, as well as Alber Enterprise Center’s web-based training options.  If you are a school district or a small not-for-profit, I encourage you to “think outside the classroom” too, and consider whether online training can help you gain the tools needed to make your workplace better.

How are you helping your employees to work smarter by reducing the amount of time they spend on non-productive activities and correcting errors? If your business processes need a “check-up,” please email me at michael@leadingchangeforgood.com! I’d love to help you get back to a healthy, productive workplace.