$ BBP 2.0


SPOTLIGHT MS. JUDY COLE


Performance improvement imperative


MS. JUDY COLE COMMAND/ORGANIZATION:


Program Executive Office for Ground Combat Systems


POSITION AND OFFICIAL TITLE: Lean Six Sigma process improvement specialist


YEARS OF SERVICE IN WORKFORCE: 4


AWARDS: U.S. Army Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt, Achievement Medal for Civilian Service


EDUCATION:


B.S. in mathematics, Oakland University


F


I have noticed a greater focus on process discipline and sharing information and best practices across organizations.


88 Army AL&T Magazine


or Judy Cole, a Lean Six Sigma process improvement specialist at the Program Executive Office for Ground Combat Systems (PEO GCS), Better Buying Power (BBP) 2.0 “really helped bring focus on what to work on, what priorities an organization needs to have [in order] to set


goals on what you need to accomplish. And I think it helped to empower people to say, ‘Yes, this is what we need to be doing.’ ”


Cole, a Michigan native, spent 20 years working in performance improvement in the automotive industry before moving into her civilian acquisition posi- tion. “My experience in the automotive industry provided me with outstanding opportunities


for training,” and offered considerable room for professional


development, she said. “I held positions in many different functions includ- ing manufacturing, engineering, quality, market research, sales and marketing.” Tis wide-ranging background prepared her to “take a holistic look at an orga- nization and apply best practices here in PEO GCS,” she said.


In 2008, she took a job with a government contractor and worked at the Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) in support of business transformation using Lean Six Sigma (LSS). While at TAR- DEC, she applied for a Master Black Belt position at PEO GCS and got it. At PEO GCS, she became a U.S. Army Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt, and part of her current work is teaching and mentoring other acquisition professionals.


“You can apply Lean Six Sigma to many different industries,” she said. “It’s really big in health care now, automotive and even banking. It’s the same meth- ods and tools, just applied to different industries.” Improving a process, product design and quality, or customer satisfaction will improve the overall perfor- mance of the organization, she said.


For Cole, BBP 2.0 has been something of a call to arms for LSS professionals, helping their cause by clarifying leadership priorities and providing a system for


October–December 2014


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