RICHMOND, Va. –
To enhance operational efficiency and warfighter support, Defense Logistics Agency Weapons Support (Richmond) kicked off its first locally offered Continuous Process Improvement Green Belt training course March 23 on Defense Supply Center Richmond, Virginia, marking a new chapter in workforce development for the agency.
The five-day, 40-hour course is designed to train employees to become CPI masters within their respective directorates. It moves beyond simply identifying problems and instead equip participants with the tools and methodologies needed to analyze, improve and standardize day-to-day processes. Previously, Richmond-based employees had to travel away from their home site to receive this level of in-person instruction.
“The primary motivation for creating the course was to expand the in-person option for our folks here in Richmond,” said Ilene Berman, a team lead in the Weapons Support (Richmond) Audit and Process Compliance Directorate. “Offering the course locally provides a unique advantage, allowing employees to meet and collaborate directly with the CPI office personnel while applying improvement concepts to their specific work environments.”
This initiative is a key element of the agency's commitment to strategic goals. The CPI course provides the framework to align agency improvement efforts to the DLA Strategic Plan, ensuring the delivery of tangible and measurable strategic outcomes.
The inaugural class was a diverse mix of talent from across the Weapons Support enterprise, including production specialists, resolution specialists, customer account and engagement specialists, material planners, program analysts and acquisition specialists. Participants were selected on a first-come, first-served basis with supervisor approval, reflecting a broad interest in professional development and process improvement.
The course curriculum is rooted in the CPI "Book of Knowledge," teaching methodologies designed to identify and eliminate waste and non-value-added steps in a process. Instructors guided the new Green Belt candidates through the practical application of these principles.
“Green Belt level practitioners are taught what to look for and how to document the data using a problem-solving worksheet that identifies the problem and the issues it is causing,” Berman said. This documentation allows teams to delve deeper using data collection templates, process mapping and a comprehensive storyboard for each phase of an improvement initiative.
To make these concepts tangible, the course featured hands-on exercises. One such exercise required participants to engage in a catapult game to help understand process variation and other activities associated with learning the principles of 5S – a program used to organize workspaces efficiently and effectively.
The Green Belt training program directly supports the "People" imperative of the DLA Director's Strategic Plan. This imperative, one of four transformation goals that also include Precision, Posture and Partnerships, focuses on building organizational agility through people and culture. By investing in employees and providing them with skills to drive meaningful change, DLA is fostering an adaptive culture of growth and empowerment that builds workforce skillsets to reflect mission-driven standards.
The ultimate beneficiary of the agency improving its processes is the warfighter.
The hope is that by equipping the workforce with a "CPI mindset," newly trained Green Belts will be better able to identify and rectify process inefficiencies that hinder performance. This focus on output quality translates into more reliable, timely, and cost-effective support for service members. As the nation’s combat logistics support agency, every process DLA performs is in service of military readiness.
Reflecting on the inaugural course, the CPI office expressed immense satisfaction with the participants' engagement.
“The most rewarding aspect was the enthusiasm the class showed when they realized they have the power to identify and change current processes,” Berman said.
One participant shared this enthusiasm, noting that the course was both refreshing and led by a group of highly trained and knowledgeable individuals.
“This course has enhanced my understanding of Lean Six Sigma principles, and I look forward to applying these skills in my daily responsibilities of providing support to the DLA team,” said Michael Harris-Smith a customer account specialist in the Weapons Support (Richmond) Army Customer Facing Division of the Customer Facing Directorate. “My goal moving forward is to approach every challenge with a new perspective and establish a clear path towards making a meaningful impact.”
Following the success of this first session, the Weapon Support CPI office plans to make this training a recurring opportunity. Four courses are scheduled annually, with two set to be held in Richmond and two in Columbus, Ohio.
Employees interested in becoming a CPI practitioner and attending future training sessions are encouraged to contact the local CPI office at avncpi@dla.mil. Additional resources and introductory courses on various CPI tools are also available online through the agency's Learning Management System.