· Calendar of Events ·

Join us on a journey to discover the basic elements of lean principles and see the impact they make when you put them into practice.  This highly regarded, virtual course consists of six, one-hour classes focused on the foundational elements of lean.  During this course, you will learn more about the history/background of lean, why these principles are important to creating a culture of excellence, standard work, 8 wastes, 5S, PDCA, and visual management.  Each week will include instruction, discussion, and simulations followed by small project assignments between each class to help you practice the concepts in your own environment.

Lean 101 is a beginning-level course that teaches participants the basic concepts of Lean Thinking.  This session is focused on people in admin/information flow positions and includes many real-world examples from a wide variety of work environments. 

Date: Weekly Tuesdays, Sept 15-Oct 20, 2026 from 9-10:25am (Pacific) 

Cost: $150 for NWHPEC members, $250 for non-members

No refunds will be issued for cancellations within one week of the class start date.  Payment by check or ACH preferred; credit card payments will incur a service fee of 3.5%.

Invoices will be sent to your company representative by Sept 7 .

Email jennifer@nwhpec.com to register.  Include name, role/position, and email address.

Throughout 2026 we will be meeting on the 3rd Tuesdays at 11am (Pacific).  NWHPEC members can reach out to Jennifer if you're interested in joining. 

Agendas may be pre-defined, or they may be ad-hoc.  We’ll discuss this at the end of each meeting, and I’ll communicate it in advance.  If we have an opportunity to do an in-person demo, I’ll make an adjustment to timeslot.

What do we talk about at the Training SIG?

Over the past few years, we’ve tackled topics like: adult learning, creating engaging virtual sessions, online learning (software and training development), onboarding programs, train the trainer (including TWI Job Instruction), and much more.  We’ve met in person to experience and provide feedback on trainings like: Lean 101 with Chocolate Chip Cookies and Train the Trainer.  We’ve created a resource board and are open to sharing our training plans and training resources we’ve discovered or developed.  This group is made up of passionate learning and development professionals who love to talk about challenges, brainstorm training ideas, and demo their training for feedback.

What is a Special Interest Group?

Special Interest Groups, or SIGs, are member-started, led, and disbanded.  They start with an individual who is interested in learning from and connecting with others on a particular topic.  The focus is on learning together, sharing together, and supporting each other on the given topic.  After the SIG has learned all they planned to learn, they decide if they want to continue meeting or disband.  SIGs are a great way to leverage the combined experiences and knowledge within NWHPEC!

Sessions: 9/30, (10/20), 10/21, (11/3), 11/4, (11/17), 11/18, (12/8), 12/9
Time:  8-2:30pm (virtual: 1-2:25pm)

Sessions 2-5 will have a virtual component the day before our in-person session.  You are required to attend all sessions in order to receive a certificate of completion.

Series info:

Lean organizations strive to continuously improve quality, lead-time, and cost performance by harnessing the natural problem-solving creativity of all employees on a daily basis. This focus on problem-solving capability naturally emphasizes the importance of engaging employees' critical thinking skills - their “heads”. Tapping the full potential of their creativity, however, also relies on engaging their human need to contribute and be creative – their “hearts”. 3H Leadership is a series of five focused conversations for leaders pulling the development of their leadership skills to connect with both the hearts and the heads of employees and, in doing so, create a true high-performance organization. The series content focuses on:

• Personal Responsibility
• Personal Communications
• Leading People for Performance and Improvement
• Responding to Criticism and Constructive Confrontation
• Managing Change and Transition

The first two sessions explore the building blocks for effective relationships and connecting with the “heart”. The final three sessions focus on using these building blocks in common leadership interactions to connect with both the “heart” and “head” of employees and their true potential as performers, where they willingly give us their “hands”.

The series curriculum is:

• Aligned with Lean as the “respect for humanity” system and the key Lean management principles of visual management, go and see, standard work, flow, pace, and quick Plan-Do-Check-Act (P-D-C-A) learning cycles.
• Grounded in behavior science and neuroscience - the science of human interactions - and needs-based communications.
• Designed for participants to explore and discover concepts through classroom simulations, experiences, and discussions
• Built on a foundation of work done by Dan Miller of Dan Miller and Associates, LLC who generously gave NWHPEC and Kari Penca and Associates (KPA) the gift of content and mentorship.

Cost: $925 (series)/$1500 nonmembers
Email jennifer@nwhpec.com to register

Sessions: 9/30, (10/20), 10/21, (11/3), 11/4, (11/17), 11/18, (12/8), 12/9
Time:  8-2:30pm (virtual: 1-2:25pm)

Lean organizations strive to continuously improve quality, lead-time, and cost performance by harnessing the natural problem-solving creativity of all employees on a daily basis. This focus on problem-solving capability naturally emphasizes the importance of engaging employees' critical thinking skills - their “heads”. Tapping the full potential of their creativity, however, also relies on engaging their human need to contribute and be creative – their “hearts”. 3H Leadership is a series of five focused conversations for leaders pulling the development of their leadership skills to connect with both the hearts and the heads of employees and, in doing so, create a true high-performance organization. The series content focuses on:

• Personal Responsibility
• Personal Communications
• Leading People for Performance and Improvement
• Responding to Criticism and Constructive Confrontation
• Managing Change and Transition

The first two sessions explore the building blocks for effective relationships and connecting with the “heart”. The final three sessions focus on using these building blocks in common leadership interactions to connect with both the “heart” and “head” of employees and their true potential as performers, where they willingly give us their “hands”.

The series curriculum is:

• Aligned with Lean as the “respect for humanity” system and the key Lean management principles of visual management, go and see, standard work, flow, pace, and quick Plan-Do-Check-Act (P-D-C-A) learning cycles.
• Grounded in behavior science and neuroscience - the science of human interactions - and needs-based communications.
• Designed for participants to explore and discover concepts through classroom simulations, experiences, and discussions
• Built on a foundation of work done by Dan Miller of Dan Miller and Associates, LLC who generously gave NWHPEC and Kari Penca and Associates (KPA) the gift of content and mentorship.

Cost: $925 (series)/$1500 nonmembers
Email jennifer@nwhpec.com to register