Originally Published 12.14.2018

MAKATI CITY, Philippines- Regie Legaspi, Department Manager at St. Luke's Medical Center - Bonifacio Global City, was recently awarded his Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Certification on the last day of that month's Green Belt Workshop at One Pacific Place Serviced Residences. 

Regie's project was about the reduction of the cycle time of the blood transfusion at the Hospital. Prior to the completion of his project, the cycle time for the said process takes more than 8 hours. After the project though, the cycle time got a major reduction and was trimmed down to 28 minutes - unbelievable!

Regie gave a short testimonial during the awarding of his certificate and even left a few tips for the graduating class. But of course, such success stories must be shared to inspire more people! That's why we conducted a one-on-one interview with Regie to get in-depth info on his project and his story, see below:

Q. What prompted you to take the Lean Six Sigma Workshop?

A. Part of St. Luke's vision seeks continuous improvement, and one of the best ways to have it structured is through the Lean Six Sigma way of doing it. We always find ways to make things better and that is why the company took the opportunity to conduct a Lean Six Sigma workshop for its associates

Q. What Prompted you to start your project?

A. Identified problems were given to us and from there, we have to look into them deeper and coordinate with the respective department.

Q. What was your project about?

A. My project was about addressing the cycle time of blood transfusion in the hospital. In the Healthcare industry, it is very important because any delay in blood availability can make or break the life of our patient. And it’s our job to save their lives.

Our 2017 data showed that our processing time is 8 hours and 41 minutes. Our threshold is 45 minutes. (That's where we started with our problem).

Q. What was it like for you, starting up and executing your own project?

A. Starting up the project is not that easy, but with the support of the management, the execution part is not that hard. As long as you have clear objectives, why you are making the improvements, and what you want to achieve in the long run it will be easier. ​

Q. What were the results of your project?

A. With the help of the lean Six Sigma training provided (DMAiC Methodology, RCA, fishbone, Pareto, 5whys, and the like) we were able to have a total turnaround time of 28 minutes.

Q. Among/Aside from the Action Items that were done, what were the key elements that led to the success of your project?

A. Dedication and teamwork are really the key elements that led to the success of this project. Without the cooperation and active participation of all the involved partners, it will still be a problem that we'll continually face.

Q. What was the impact of your project on your company?

A. Since we addressed cycle time/processing time with this project we were able to save manhours amounting to P 6, 897,910.00

Q. What was the impact of being a certified Lean Six Sigma Green Belt on you as an individual / professional?

A. The significant impact focuses on our patients, our mission "the needs of our patient come first" is our top priority. With the help of the Lean Six Sigma way of improving the system, we'll make our good service even better for them. ;)

Q. What would be your message to those who are currently taking/planning to take the Green Belt Program or those who are currently conducting their own projects?

A. For the tip that I can share with you, we have to make Lean Six Sigma part of our daily lives, not to burden us as an individual but to guide us on how we are going to make things better. It is not an overnight thing, we have to go with the process and once we are able to successfully complete the steps, we will harvest the fruits of our labor. It is like metamorphosis, going through the step-by-step process before it blooms into a beautiful butterfly and flies :)

Q. If there’s anything else that you’d like to share about your experience, kindly write it here:

A. Take every problem as an opportunity for improvement. We are all a work in progress and there is no better way to make it happen than the Six Sigma PH way of doing it ;)

To be certified in Lean Six Sigma, one has to complete an actual Lean Six Sigma project and apply process improvement tools, methodology, and techniques learned in class. "That's one reason why companies give high value to Certified Lean Six Sigma individuals. One does not just attend a program and receive his certification but has to successfully apply and show proper use of tools and methodology with actual work processes. One has to earn his Lean Six Sigma certification," Tuozo said. "If you attend our Lean Six Sigma programs, unlike other training providers, you get continuous support after the program, for no additional cost. You'll be assigned a Black Belt to help you complete your project," Tuozo added.

"If you attend our Six Sigma programs, unlike other training providers, you get continuous support after the program, for no additional cost. You'll be assigned a Black Belt to help you complete your project," –Rex Tuozo, “The Six Sigma Guy"

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