Originally Published 3.16.2018

MAKATI CITY, Philippines - The Philippines gained another Certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt last February, as the Six Sigma Guy awards Raphael Dannug his Black Belt Certification after his project reduced the processing time of Vendor Accreditation and improved it along the way. 

Also on that day was the last day of our Green Belt Class (Wave 49). The graduating wave was fortunate enough to witness the awarding and gather a few insights from the awardee's testimonial about his project. Raphael also left a few tips for the group and encouraged them to complete their project and get certified.

Here's Raphael's Testimonial Video:

Our team also conducted a one-on-one interview with him after the awarding to gather more tips that might be helpful for our readers who are aspiring to get their Lean Six Sigma Certifications. He definitely has very useful insights!

Q. What was it like for you, starting up and executing your own project?
A. It was a good start. Management and the team were all on board. We encountered problems during implementation due to resistance to change. With a good team lead and support from our champion, we were able to implement some changes. Another roadblock for us was the outside influence of other process stakeholders who did not take part in the project. To overcome this, we initiated a plan to pitch the project to them individually starting with the most influential. After getting her go-ahead it was easier to convince the other committee members since we got the head's blessing.

Overall it was fun and challenging. We learned that change must always be managed and even with roadblocks, progress might slow but if you are confident with your project just keep finding ways to implement them, and the people against you will slowly be the ones supporting you.

Q. What was your project about? 
A. It was to improve the vendor accreditation process by shortening Processing time and standardizing accreditation criteria

Q. What were the results of your project? 
A. We were able to decrease processing time from an average of 6 months to an average processing time of 1 month. This also brought about better competition between existing suppliers and new suppliers creating more x deals and better discounts with purchases.

Another effect of the project was an improvement in the collection of receivables from suppliers of government subsidies. We were also able to standardize and streamline the entire process to save on man-hours. It was considered so successful that the project was replicated across other purchasing divisions and was also implemented in a sister hospital. To date, the average processing time was further lessened to 3/4 months.

Q. Among/Aside from the Action Items that were done, what were the key elements that led to the success of your project?
A. The biggest factor for our success was the team and their unwavering determination to make a difference. Because of their passion for providing better healthcare and their eagerness to address key problems in providing quality to their patients, they were able to overcome de-motivation and roadblocks and found innovative ways to bypass showstoppers.

The next factor would be the teams’ people skills. We were very fortunate that the team had this skill and was able to utilize it in winning over additional support from other stakeholders who were hesitant and even additional support from other departments like IT to prioritize our project over others.
The third success factor is the creativity of the team to be able to create solutions and in the face of resistance and hesitation innovate the solutions to be modular and effectively manage change.

Q. What was the impact of being a certified Lean Six Sigma Green Belt on you as an individual / professional?
A. Personally, LSS has greatly helped me to be more organized, accurate, and credible. Organized because its DMAIC process is so efficient you are able to cover all aspects of the project from the start. Accurate because of the various tools and root cause analysis methods allowing you to go beyond symptoms and target the real root of the problem. Credible because it taught me what to measure and what each measure represents. It has become easier to pitch projects to top management because I am now able to relate problems with credible measures and data to reinforce my claims.

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. LSS will lead you to what to correctly address, so believe in your data.

You should be great facilitators to inspire creative and innovative solutions from your team! Don’t Give in and become demotivated. believe in your team and your project.

Always manage all stakeholders, People against you can become your greatest supporters!

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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