Lean Six Sigma, a business improvement program being used throughout the world, has been modified to become a training program for faculty and staff of Augusta State as part of the state’s Customer Service Initiative. Lean Six Sigma is geared to eliminating wasted time, material, and efforts in hopes of creating a better quality of customer service, says ASU’s Customer Service Champion Walt Alexanderson.

The program recognizes different levels of achievement, which is recognized by the color-belt system used in karate: white, yellow, green, and black. To earn a white belt requires one day of training; a yellow belt, two days; and three days of training are needed for a green belt. Several ASU faculty and staff participated in a Lean Six Sigma program recently at Southern Polytechnic University, and their “belts” were presented to them at a meeting of the President’s Cabinet on Thursday, July 24.

ASU’s Lean Six Sigma graduates are Kathy Boyd, business operations, (white belt); Aisha Lavin, budget office, (yellow belt); Carolyn Ingraham, continuing education, (yellow); Mark Brown, special projects, (green); Mary Filpus-Luyckx, special projects, (green); and Walt Alexanderson, human resources, (green).

Mr. Alexanderson has adapted the Lean Six Sigma into a one-hour training program for Augusta State faculty and staff to earn a blue belt. In the sessions, participants focus on customer service, decision making, and more. The training will take place in the JSAC Coffeehouse at 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Aug. 7, 20, and 28. Participants must register with human resources prior to the training.

The state’s Customer Service Initiative was mandated in all state agencies by Gov. Sonny Perdue after research showed only 75 percent of Georgia’s residents were pleased with government services. For more information, contact Walt Alexanderson, director of human resources, at 706-737-1763.

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