Originally Published 8.27.2018

MAKATI CITY, Philippines - Three new Filipino professionals with outstanding projects were recently certified by "The Six Sigma Guy" last August 25. One of them was Mark Payabyab - with his project generating a whooping 3.8 Million Pesos (74K USD) in annualized cost savings, he is proof that Filipinos are indeed capable of excelling in the field of Process Improvement.

Also on that day was the last day of our Green Belt Class (Wave 33). Mark delivered his testimonial and gave a few tips to the graduating class, to inspire them and eventually help them through their certification.

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!
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Q. What prompted you to take the Lean Six Sigma Workshop? 
A. I manage the Quality Management System (QMS) for our company in the Philippines and Vietnam and, aside from being a QMS requirement, it has been our culture to drive continuous improvement. We believe in the value that Lean Six Sigma can bring to our company, which is the reason why I took the Lean Six Sigma Workshop.

Q. What Prompted you to start your project? 
A. I wanted to improve a process that can positively affect our company and at the same time give better value to our farmer customers. I wanted to achieve all these using what I learned in the Lean Six Sigma Workshop.

Q. What was it like for you, starting up and executing your own project?
A. It was very exciting and engaging to execute a Lean Six Sigma project. It also helped me improve my leadership skills during the course of the project.

Overall, it was fun and challenging. We learned that change must always be managed even with roadblocks, Progress might be 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. My project was about making the customer complaints process more efficient. Corn farmers invest a lot in farm inputs. When there are seeds that do not perform as expected and farmers are not able to replant immediately because of long complaints processing lead time, they lose the value of the inputs in the soil. Farmers will benefit a lot from a very efficient complaints management process.

Q. What were the results of your project? 
A. From an average of 70 days to process a customer complaint, we are now able to close a complaint within one day from logging it, triggering immediate replacement and giving great value to farmer customers.

Q. Among/Aside from the Action Items that were done, what were the key elements that led to the success of your project?
A. Management's support was very critical to this project's success. They were very open and supportive of the action items' implementation and they always gave me time during the Country Leadership Team meetings for me to update them and/or seek support. The action items' quick implementation was possible because of management's support.

Q. What was the impact of your project on your company? 
A. Because of this project, farmers now attribute our company not just to quality seeds, but also to great after-sales service. Farmers know that with our DEKALB corn seed brand, they have peace of mind. Financially, our company was also able to avoid losses of 74K USD. 

Q. What was the impact of being a certified Lean Six Sigma Green Belt on you as an individual/professional?
A. Being certified as a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt made me more marketable as a professional and gave me better career options. As an individual, it gave me a better perspective on things - that for every problem, there are always great opportunities.

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. The journey of Lean Six Sigma is always worth the effort. Always keep in mind that for every process we improve, we contribute to improving the world. Never give up, and keep on pushing!

Q. Is there anything else that you would like to share about your experience?
A. Because of this project's success in the Philippines, our country's Regional Leadership made the Philippines the model for the Standardized Customer Inquiry Process that will be implemented across the Asia and Africa hub.

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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