LYNN — Zosia VanMeter, Director of Inspection for the Inspectional Services Department (ISD) in Lynn, is looking to boost the department’s processing efficiency and reduce its margin of error through a Six Sigma Black Belt certification and training course.
Six Sigma is a system utilized by businesses in all industries to reduce error and variability through a data-driven approach to decision making processes.
“It was always talked about amongst the engineers at one of my previous jobs and it piqued my interest, and it sat sort of dormant in the back of my mind for about a decade,” said VanMeter. “Finding myself in this leadership position at Lynn City Hall, I believe I found a use for it in my professional career.”
Becoming a Six Sigma Black Belt means not only having a total grasp on the program’s mission, but the ability to teach the methods of quality assurance to employees so the statistical-forward system can be applied to practical projects.
An example where this type of perspective on problem solving has helped the ISD is when the department went paperless two years ago.
“Not only did this expand who could apply for permits and when, but it also saved a lot of time for the clerks with entering permits,” said VanMeter. “Now the focus can be on ensuring all required documents of the permit are there and, if so, the issuance timeline can be tightened up.”
Before her appointment as the administrative director of the ISD in November, VanMeter stacked up a list of accomplishments as the acting director, like a rodent abatement pilot program and assisting in creating and maintaining written standard operating procedure.
She hopes to finish her certification within the next six months, but she’s already realized that the potential of the program reaches beyond improving a business’ profitability, as it molds practices that break barriers to promote equity.
“Sometimes when a need is presented, it’s easy for things to get lost in the politics of things,” said VanMeter. “With the Six Sigma methodology, we can identify a problem and review the metrics. The more we stick to the data, the less our solutions are influenced by outside opinions.”
That approach has prioritized ensuring the ISD’s new online platform can translated into different languages, opening up accessibility for people that weren’t there before.
“The unique thing about the Six Sigma methodology to me is that it’s all based on data and things that are quantifiable,” said VanMeter. “I feel it allows me to make decisions and implement changes with confidence.”
