County Assembly Day
May 19 in Raleigh
The North Carolina Association of County Commissioners (NCACC) will hold its annual County Assembly Day on Wednesday, May 19 in Raleigh. The 2010 General Assembly will be in session.
Speaker of the House Joe Hackney and Senate President Pro Tem Marc Basnight will address attendees in the morning, and a panel discussion on the “state” of state politics will follow. In the afternoon, NCACC staff will provide an overview of the most current legislative issues.
Board members are welcome and encouraged to attend. On-site registration is available for $100. Board members who are interested in attending or would like additional information should contact Assistant to the County Manager Brian Francis at or704-336-2611.
Six Sigma Taking Hold
Mecklenburg County is adopting the principles of Six Sigma and Lean Six Sigma as the corporate methodology for process improvement. Six Sigma has been used for some time in various departments, including the Business Process Management (BPM) team in Information Services & Technology Department (IST).
The BPM team was initially launched in IST to refine processes prior to automating the processes using technology. Over time, BPM has expanded its scope to help County staff to improve processes whether or not technology is used.
Previously, departments had wide flexibility in the process improvement methodologies that were used in examining and improving business processes.Over time, however, the use of Six Sigma techniques has proven so successful that it has been established by the County’s Executive Team as the preferred methodology. This decision also enables the County to have a common set of principles and techniques for business process management to enhance process improvement collaboration within and across departments. It also allows more consistent and focused training among staff.
Recently, 20 staff members completed training in Six Sigma, earning “black belt”, “green belt” or “executive/champion” certifications. These certifications indicate achieving various levels of expertise in Six Sigma.
Six Sigma is a statistical quality improvement technique developed in the manufacturing environment of Motorola in the 1980s. Typically, it is used at an operational level to identify ways of improving processes that reduce costs and improve efficiency and accuracy of work.
BPM and the use of Six Sigma will assume a larger role in the organization as we implement change and renewal initiatives such as those in financial management services that were outlined for the Board at its workshop earlier this week.
Board members who would like additional information should contact General Manager John McGillicuddy via email at 704-336-2661 or .
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