Jennifer Ayers, Author at NWHPEC

28Jan 2025 by Jennifer Ayers

The Bench: AI in the Workplace – Feb 20th

February Benchmarking Discussion: AI in the Workplace 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 on the 20th of the month. This is an open “SIG-like” roundtable discussion. Bring your examples, questions, and challenges. The group will offer advice, share examples, and offer valuable lessons learned. 📅 Date: Thursday, February 20, 2025 ⏰ Time: 10am (PT) 📌 Venue: Online via Zoom Open to all NWHPEC members Registration link

27Jan 2025 by Jennifer Ayers

5S Gemba Walk – Feb 20th

Learning Tours

Oregon Tool has invited us out for an onsite visit to see their 5S program in action. What we’re doing… To gain a deeper understanding and generate new ideas for implementing 5S in your facility, observing how other organizations have successfully applied these principles can be invaluable. Oregon Tool has generously invited NWHPEC members for a Gemba Walk at their facility. This event, similar to an in-person Special Interest Group meeting, will include introductory remarks, a walkthrough to observe their 5S practices (including sustaining tools), followed by a group discussion. Date: Thursday, Feb 20th Time: 2-3:30pm Location: Oregon Tool 4909 SE International Way, Portland, OR 97222 (Map link) Interested? Members can email [email protected], include name, email, job title. Initially limited to two attendees per company. PPE: Close toed shoes are…

25Jan 2025 by Jennifer Ayers

Webinar: Creating a Culture of CI – March 11th

Events, Webinar

Creating a Culture of Continuous Improvement with Mark Rosenthal March 11 @11am (PT) Image created by Mark Rosenthal The phrase “creating a lean culture” is often used in organizations striving for daily continuous improvement—but what does that actually mean? What would we see in an organization that has truly embraced lean? In this webinar, Mark Rosenthal will challenge us to move beyond vague aspirations with regards to lean and focus on the observable behaviors and interactions that define a lean culture. We often talk about the outcomes of lean, but culture isn’t a static thing—it emerges from the daily habits and patterns of how people work together. People learn what they practice – what are you practicing? For improvement to be truly continuous, everyone needs to be involved. But in…

01Jan 2025 by Jennifer Ayers

Leader Standard Work – Feb 7th (virtual) FULL

Application~, Beginner~, Classes, Leadership~

Class Description The Feb 7th class is full; reach out if you're interested in this topic so we can hold another class if there is enough interest. 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…

23Dec 2024 by Jennifer Ayers

Coaching for Engagement – March 7

Application~, Classes, Developing People~, Leadership~

Class Summary The true role of a leader is a coach. This includes coaching to develop, coaching to improve, and coaching to engage. Engagement comes when people feel supported and trusted to make decisions and to accept failures as learning opportunities. This class focuses on teaching the foundational skills required to create engagement within your team. When done effectively, coaching for engagement helps develop capability and creates motivation to innovate, improve, and solve problems. This course will teach you a different approach to conversations, ones that focus on development vs. just sharing information. This ultimately translates into a team that is motivated, engaged, and empowered to drive improvement and solve problems.Join us for this interactive four hour in person class to learn the critical coaching skills that allow you to…

22Dec 2024 by Jennifer Ayers

Lean 101 (6-week virtual series) starts Jan 22 (FULL – both sessions)

Beginner~, Classes

Lean 101 - Winter 2025 series starting soon... Our Winter sessions are full. Reach out if you are interested in taking our Spring series which will start up mid-April. 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, 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…

22Dec 2024 by Jennifer Ayers

Value Stream Mapping Workshop – Jan 7,9,14,16 (1/2 days, in person) FULL

Application~, Classes, Intermediate~

Availability: FULL; reach out to be placed on the waitlist This 16-hour workshop is beneficial for those looking to learn how to document, analyze and improve the flow of information or materials required to produce a product or service for a customer. While analyzing one of Stumptown Coffee Roaster’s value streams, participants will document the current state, identify and document a future state, and create specific steps to help Stumptown move toward their ideal future state. This is an excellent opportunity to learn and practice one of the key Lean tools. The focus of the VSM will be order to shipment of one of their product lines. Key Concepts:• Understand how to see the flow of value across a value stream• Visualize functional areas of work and how they interact•…

Author: Jennifer Ayers