Jennifer Ayers, Author at NWHPEC

02Jun 2026 by Jennifer Ayers

Lean Happy Hour – June 17th

Uncategorized

It's time to connect, socialize, and network while enjoying some tasty food and beverages! Our "westside" Happy Hour is scheduled for Wednesday, June 17, 2024 from 4:15-6:30pm. Please join us! We’ll be getting to know each other better through conversations about summer, lean, and beyond. It’s a fun way to connect and network with others in the lean community. Open to everyone! Location: Lazy Days Brewing Co. 4505 SW Watson, Beaverton NWHPEC provides appetizers, attendees cover their own drinks and additional food (they have amazing pizza!). RSVP link

02Jun 2026 by Jennifer Ayers

Webinar: Expanding 3H – July 20th

Events, Webinar

Expanding 3H: What New Research Reveals About the Human Side of Leadership and Improvement Most leaders are not missing the tools. New research on trust, psychological safety, and how the brain responds to threat and uncertainty is helping explain why improvement still stalls…and what to do about it. Drawing on the latest neuroscience and relationship research, this session with 3H Leadership facilitators Kari Penca and Dan Miller reflects how 3H thinking has deepened, and what that means for your leadership practice. We'll focus on the real breakdowns leaders are experiencing and what it takes to move from reactive problem-solving to proactive, trust-based leadership. In this webinar, you will gain insight to: Why continuous improvement breaks down in the relational space, not the technical one How lack of trust and psychological…

02Jun 2026 by Jennifer Ayers

Leader Standard Work – Aug 7th

Beginner~, Classes, Leadership~

Leader Standard Work: Creating your new leadership routine It’s time to learn and apply Leader Standard Work to your daily routine! The true purpose of leadership is to empower and develop your employees so they can achieve awesome things. To accomplish this, you need a standard way of working that will allow you to maximize your efficiency and impact while fulfilling your most important duty - to your people.As the whirlwind takes over our day, we quickly lose control of our priorities. Once we fall into firefighting mode, our ability to improve and sustain processes and activities becomes secondary. This is where Leader Standard Work (LSW) comes into play. LSW is the foundation to creating new leadership habits that will allow you to spend more time listening to your team,…

01Jun 2026 by Jennifer Ayers

TWI Job Instruction – Aug 17-20

Application~, Classes, Developing People~

Title: TWI Job Instruction (JI) Training Description: This four-day (~3.5/4 hrs/day) hands-on class teaches the process for creating effective Job Instructions. Participants will learn this four-step method using a part or process they bring to the class. They will walk away with a complete Job Instruction Breakdown sheet for the part/process of their choice. Date: August 17-20, 2026 Time: 8am – noon Location: TBD (Clackamas Oregon) Cost: $500 per person Overview: The Training Within Industry (TWI) programs were developed in the United States sixty years ago and played a major role in boosting industrial production to the levels required to win the Second World War. After the war, they were introduced around the world and, most notably, are still in wide use in Japan today. The Toyota Production System approach of going to the source, observing…

02May 2026 by Jennifer Ayers

Benchmarking Tour: OHSU Hospital – June 8th (FULL)

Events, Learning Tours

Host Company: OHSU is Oregon's only public academic health center, encompassing a system of hospitals and clinics across Oregon and southwest Washington. As an institution of higher learning, they offer schools of medicine, nursing, pharmacy, dentistry, and public health. They are a national research hub, Portland's largest employer, and a statewide economic engine. As a public organization, they serve vulnerable Oregonians and work to improve health across the state. OHSU has been focusing on performance excellence through our own performance Excellence system – OPEx. OPEx is OHSU's approach to performance excellence. Grounded in respect for people and continuous improvement, our true north is to deliver excellent care for our patients, today and tomorrow. OPEx methods, management systems and mindset empower OHSU members and teams to identify and solve problems, improve…

30Mar 2026 by Jennifer Ayers

Lean 101 (6-week virtual series) Apr 23-May 28 (limited spots)

Beginner~, Classes

Lean 101 - Spring 2026 series starting soon... The AM session is full, join us at 1pm Pacific starting April 23, 2026 (limited spots left). 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 course consists of six, 1.5 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…

30Mar 2026 by Jennifer Ayers

Benchmarking: Engaging Employees in CI – April 8th

Benchmark Request, Member Sharing

April Benchmarking Discussion: Engaging Employees in CI Join us online at The Bench for engaging roundtable discussions where members can connect, collaborate, learn, and share best practices. We’ll dive into specific topics each time we gather. April’s online benchmarking session will be an open discussion focused on how organizations are engaging employees to do continuous improvement work. Whether you’re experimenting with suggestion systems, curious about how other organizations are rolling out CI, or if you want to share your own lessons, bring your questions and insights to tap into the collective experience of the group. We'd love to hear you share your wins and challenges! This is an open “SIG-like” roundtable discussion. 📅 Date: Wednesday, April 8, 2026 📌 Venue: Online via Zoom ⏰ Time: 2pm (PST) Open to all NWHPEC…

Author: Jennifer Ayers