Jim Leonard of Quality Support Group

Dr. W. Edwards Deming defined a system as “a series of functions or activities (sub-processes, stages – hereafter components) that work together for the aim of the organization.” He added that the flow chart (or process map) is helpful toward understanding a system.  Process mapping is a technique that provides a structured analysis of a process flow.  It can be used to distinguish how work is actually being done from how it should be done.  It’s very important to map the actual situation (“As Is” or “Current State”) to identify opportunities for improvement.  Further study leads to mapping how the process “Should Be” (or Future State) once improvements are achieved.

Moving beyond basic process mapping, Value Stream Process Mapping (VSPM) can be viewed as a means to expose waste that’s hiding in the organization’s systems and processes.  It’s used to quantify the flow of throughputs as well as waste, rework, queue time and other drains on resources.  It is a technique that is easily and effectively applied in any type of process – manufacturing, laboratory, health care, retail, office, school…

Join Jim Leonard to examine clear guidelines to closely assess your current processes, and effective tools for exposing opportunities for improvement that eliminate frustration, errors, delays and excessive costs. The webinar will cover the following topics:

• Product Quality versus Process Quality
  • Shewhart’s Concept of a Process
    
    
• Process Mapping Terms and Symbols
  
  
• Examples of Various Process Maps – Manufacturing and Non-Manufacturing
  
  
• Procedure for Generating the Initial Process Map
  
  
• Value Stream Process Mapping
  • The concept of “white space”
  • Defining meaningful and actionable data
  • Calculating the Value Effectiveness Ratio
    
    
• Moving from the Current State to the Future State
  
  
• Let’s Draft a Value-Stream Process Map

Biography:

James F. Leonard is a semi-retired consultant and educator who specializes in teaching the principles of the late Dr. W. Edwards Deming as a new system of management.  His clients come from a wide variety of industries, including electronics, health care, chemicals, biotech, injection molding, medical devices, and consumer products, and he has also worked with service organizations, schools, and government agencies.

Jim has worked with manufacturing and service organizations throughout North America, Europe, and in China. He serves as a senior consultant for Quality Support Group in Westford, MA.  For 29 years Jim presented his seminars for the Division of Corporate and Professional Education at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, MA, where he also served as an Adjunct Professor of graduate Operations and Industrial Engineering.

Jim is an alumnus of the U.S. Naval Academy, where he majored in Mechanical Engineering and Analytical Management, as well as the George Washington University and Clark University.  He resides in Ave Maria, FL, with his wife Kate. They are the proud parents of six children and the grandparents of ten grandchildren.