MCLB-Albany -- Jessica Walden is an Industrial Engineer, certified Six Sigma Black Belt, and a Federal Improvement Team (FIT) member. Her extensive background in Continuous Process Improvement (CPI) has allowed her to be heavily involved in CPI projects throughout Marine Corps Logistics Command and Marine Depot Maintenance Command (MDMC). Recently, she put her CPI tools and knowledge to work for the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) Proof of Principle (POP) effort at MDMC's Production Plant in Albany, Georgia. The JLTV POP was the first time an organization in the Department of Defense (DoD) completed a full teardown and rebuild of the vehicle. The CPI efforts aligned with the project resulted in the creation of Standard Operating Procedures that artisans will use at the depot for future maintenance and repairs. This same method is now being applied to the first DoD Amphibious Combat Vehicle teardown and rebuild.
Thanks to her involvement with FIT, Jessica can share lessons from the JLTV POP and future endeavors with a broad audience, including the DoD and other federal agencies. Over 900 team members from over 30 federal agencies and uniformed services serve on the Federal Improvement Team (FIT). Their mission is to instill confidence in continuous process improvement by delivering high-quality capacity-building resources and facilitating collaborative opportunities that improve the efficiency and effectiveness of federal government operations.
The FIT Community meets monthly for a lunch and learn event to share information and best practices from the continuous process improvement field. At a recent knowledge-sharing event, she used the platform to speak about more than just the basics of writing SOPs and the results of the JLTV effort; she also capitalized on the opportunity to inform the audience about MDMC's organizational alignment and capabilities. When discussing the benefits of having a diverse FIT community, Jessica said, "Sharing this knowledge to a broader audience provides an opportunity to explain what the depot does and how we might support other organization's future support needs."
The successful implementation of procedures and standards proven to work largely depends on employees like Jessica, who are passionate about applying CPI methodologies to their work. These individuals ensure that their organization operates efficiently and effectively, driving productivity and achieving desired outcomes. By embracing the challenge of CPI, they bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the table, which helps to identify areas for improvement and implement solutions that can lead to significant cost savings and other benefits.