OACADEMY
Competence building from
practitioners for practitioners
OPEX BELTS
Together, we develop your capabilities
to drive process improvements
TRAINING WORKSHOPS
Together, we tackle your challenges
while developing capabilities
OPEX BELTS
Do you love to drive improvement? Become a certified process improvement expert and change your workplace for the better.
To create the best possible training experience tailored to the needs of your organization, each of our programs starts with understanding your challenges, demands and goals. The special feature in all our trainings: immediate application of the achieved skills to a process improvement project addressing a significant business need for your company. We provide advice on project selection and individual coaching during project progression. Upon successful completion of your improvement project, you will obtain our well-recognized certification as OPEX / Lean Six Sigma Belt.
Our OPEX Belts:
- Yellow Belt
- Green Belt
- Black Belt Bridge
- Master Black Belt
- GB/ BB refresher
Upon request
Location: On your site
Capacity: 16 participants
Price: Upon request
Yellow Belt
You would like to increase your service quality and improve your operational processes? Enable everyone in your organization to support a process improvement initiative and raise awareness for Operational Excellence. Yellow Belt trainings provide the perfect opportunity to reach many people and communicate Lean Six Sigma basics to work in a strong customer- & result-oriented way.
Training Outcome
✓Confidence to explain the idea of Operational Excellence and Lean Six Sigma to colleagues
✓Ability to contribute to a process-improvement project
Details
Training Program (1 day)
- Introduction and Expectations
- Simulation Round 1
- Introduction to OPEX
- Problem Definition
- High level process mapping
- Voice-of-Customer & CTQ
-
Value-Added Flow-Analysis
- 5 Why
- Simulation Round 2
Depending on your improvement program, audience and available time, this training can be enhanced to two or three days by adding more of the basic tools. For longer trainings the simulation rounds will be distributed over the days to maintain a high level of engagement.
For whom:
Everyone to be involved in process improvement projects, typically subject-matter- experts, managers, process owners and team members
Preparation: None
Certification: Yellow Belt certification
Key Features
Interactive and fun Pizza delivery simulation to make the concepts & tools tangible and to increase the motivation in the organization
Green Belt
You would like to execute a process improvement project with Lean Six Sigma tools? Achieving significant performance improvements is crucial for the future competitiveness while requiring time, energy and communication. Green Belts are experts in solving process problems with the efficiently structured, fact- based project approach DMAIC, focusing on sustainability.
Training Outcome
✓The numerous skills needed to lead DMAIC projects
Details
Part 1 (3 days)
Basics: DMAIC, problem definition, customer focus, project management, statistical thinking
Quick-Win techniques: 7 Wastes, 5S
Data-based process analysis: Process mapping, Lean metrics, discrete measurement system analysis, data collection, qualitative root cause analysis
Data-based process monitoring & validation: Control Charts, process capability calculations
Part 2 (4 days)
Quantitative root cause analysis: Basic hypothesis tests, simple linear regression
Process improvement: Dogma Busting & Blue Sky, Standard Work, Poka-Yoke, Visual Management, Flow & Pull
Part 3 (3 days)
Sustainable implementation: Mitigating risks, agile implementation principles, PDCA for continuous improvement
From project to daily business: Process- check-on-site, statistical process control, roles and responsibilities, project close-out
Training closure: Final recap, exam and take- aways
For whom:
Everyone with a passion to improve processes
Preparation:
Process requiring significant improvement, laptop with Minitab
Certification:
Certificate of attendance after completion of the exam, Green Belt certification after successfully completed GB-project
Key Features
- Learn through direct practical application in interactive simulations and exercises
- Measurable business results from leading a Green Belt improvement project
- Receive support with project selection and coaching throughout training
10 days
Aug 18-21, Sep 15-17, Oct 20-22
Location: Hamburg
Capacity: 12 participants
Price: € 5,700 p.p.
10 days
Mar 31-Apr 2, May 4-7,
Jun 2-4
Location: Hamburg
Capacity: Max 9 participants
Price: €6,500 (€4,300 if booked with GB)
Black Belt Bridge
As a Green Belt you have already experienced the power of Operational Excellence during previous process improvement projects and training. Take this to the next level and tackle higher value projects: multiple stakeholders, difficult data analysis, more complexity! Learning the advanced tools and roadmaps not just helps you to succeed, but also to coach Yellow and Green Belts.
Training Outcome
✓Strengthened expertise and repertoire
✓Ability to select most efficient roadmap / tools for each scenario in operations
Details
Part 1 (3 days)
Project selection: 1-2-3 Model, Value Stream Mapping, Voice-of-Customer and demand analysis, OPEX business cases
Data-based process analysis: Additional distributions, transformation, continuous measurement system analysis, gage linearity, baseline analysis for non-normal data
Part 2 (4 days)
Quantitative root cause analysis: Power & sample size, advanced hypothesis tests, multiple non-linear & logistic regression
Finding best solutions: Creativity techniques and facilitation, Design of Experiments (DOE), Monte Carlo simulations
Part 3 (3 days)
Leadership & Change: Setting up Shopfloor Management for continuous improvement
Data-based process control: Sustain change with monitoring for all types of data
Specific roadmaps: IDOV/DFSS, Kaizen, RCA, SMED, OEE, Lean Lab, Lean Transformation
Training closure: Final recap, exam and take-aways
For whom:
Part- and full-time improvement experts who lead complex projects and coach other improvement project leaders
Preparation:
Green Belt certificate, complex improvement project, laptop with Minitab
Certification:
Certificate of attendance after completion of the exam, Black Belt certification after successfully completed BB-project
Key Features
- Strengthen your leadership and facilitation through teachbacks
- Measurable business results from leading a Black Belt improvement project
- Receive support with project selection and coaching throughout project lead
Master Black Belt
A Black Belt knows how to manage cross-functional projects. As Master Black Belt, there is a stronger focus on leading employees, business processes and functions. As drivers of OPEX Deployments and working directly with site management, Master Black Belts have both: a solid foundation in advanced methods as well as the ability to drive change on the highest level.
Training Outcome
✓Highest level of OPEX expertise
✓Prepared for leading OPEX across a business
Details
Day 1 – Leadership Skills
- Role of the MBB
- Coaching project sponsors
- Facilitating site leadership decisions
Day 2 – Advanced Statistics
- Multiple curvi-linear regression
- Recap & Advanced DOE
Day 3 – Opportunity Identification
- Lean Management Systems
- Financials for OPEX Leaders
Day 4 – Setting up for Success
- Strategy Deployment
- Portfolio Management
- Specific topics of interest
- MBB Exam Preparation
Day 5 – Exam (4 hours)
- 100 Multiple Choice questions on OPEX
- 10 open questions on approaching different project situations
- 3 case studies using advanced statistics in Minitab to conclude practical advice
Follow up Coaching (4 hours)
- Session 1: Exam review
- Sessions 2-4 per individual choice
For whom:
Site- & Global OPEX leaders who want to become or improve as MBBs
Preparation:
Laptop with Minitab, Black Belt certificate, portfolio of led and coached OPEX projects
Certification:
MBB certification requires successfully completed projects solving complex problem, 10+ coached OPEX projects, co-delivery of BB training and having advanced OPEX in one’s company
Key Features
-
Final agenda will be tailored to the needs of this small expert group
-
Ample networking and exchange built in to allow benefitting from the deep expertise of fellow participants
5 days
Oct 12-16
Location: Hamburg
Capacity: Max 8 participants
Price: € 4,000 p.p.
2+2 days
Jul 14-15, Jul 16-17
Location: Hamburg
Capacity: Max 8 participants
Price: €1,400 (€2,500 for both refreshers)
Green & Black Belt Refresher
You were certified many years ago and, maybe after a pause in OPEX work,
you would like to refresh your knowledge? Or recap the tools before pursuing
the next level of certification? Learning about the latest additions to the OPEX toolkit and exchange with other experienced practitioners sounds like a good idea? Then join one or both of our refreshers – Either way the training will be tailored to address your most pressing questions.
Training Outcome
✓Refreshed and deepened understanding of the most relevant tools
Details
Part 1 (2 days) – Green Belt Refresher
Basics: DMAIC, project management, customer focus
Data-based process monitoring & validation: Basic statistics, selecting metrics, Control Charts, process capability calculations
Selected OPEX tools: Determined by participants’ needs, typically includes Lean metrics, value added analysis and hypothesis testing
Part 2 (2 days) – Black Belt Refresher
Basics: Various OPEX roadmaps, 1-2-3 Model
Leadership: Engaging stakeholder, training, coaching, facilitating
Selected OPEX tools: Determined by participants’ needs, typically including advanced data analysis tools
For whom:
Green & Black Belts
Preparation:
Laptop with Minitab
Certification:
Certificate of attendance displaying list of topics
Key Features
-
Refreshed tools will include the ones most relevant for you
-
Work on your most critical OPEX problems during the training
-
Exchange with experienced practitioners
-
Individual coaching opportunity
TRAINING WORKSHOPS
How about a training & workshop at your site, addressing specifically the real-life cases of your business?
As dedicated practitioners we like to roll up our sleeves and become part of your team to work on improvements. Our training workshops are tailored towards meeting the needs of a specific group or organization. They are interactive trainings with a stronger focus on delivering results while ensuring the appropriate tools are selected and learning takes place by action and reflection. Coaching and feedback are the most important elements and enable your people to master new challenges.
Our Training Workshops:
- Toyota Kata
- Lean Implementation Expert
- Train-the-Trainer
- Shopfloor Problem Solving
- Root Cause Investigation
- Statistics for APQR / CPV [Life Sciences]
- Design Excellence
1 day
Location: On your site
Capacity: 4-8 participants
Price: € 2,500
Toyota Kata Awareness
Toyota Kata is a leadership approach and style. It helps to turn around the dynamics of an organization and generates improvement bottom-up while setting challenges top-down. It prevents enthusiastic Lean leaders from the typical phenomenon of generating a lot of initiatives in production without prioritizing them. Toyota Kata applied in the right way can be very motivating and inspiring.
Workshop Outcome
✓ Understanding the idea of Toyota Kata and its benefits for your organization
✓ First experience and find leadership inspiration by applying Toyota Kata
Details
Workshop Program
Get an overview of our suggested approach to implement Toyota Kata, how to use the needed templates and practice during the training
- Background: What is Toyota Kata
- Improvement and coaching Kata
- Kata training in the Classroom “KiC”
- 6 steps after training
- Kata cascade to break down challenges
- Schedule for coaching Kata cycles
- Kata approach check-up
- Work with typical Toyota Kata tools like coaching plan, 5 questions & 4 steps, Kata board
- Practice Kata coaching techniques
- Move to action: Where to implement Toyota Kata and implementation plan
For whom:
For leaders in all environments
Preparation:
Bring your own challenge
Certification:
Participation
Key Features
- Effectively strengthen your leadership skills through experimenting with methodologies, role plays and feedback
- Key success factors to implement Toyota Kata: a strong coach-trainer relationship and practices within the real shopfloor environment
Lean Implementation Expert
Implementing Lean and supporting Lean transformations requires project leaders with versatile skills: It’s about enthusing and convincing people on all levels of the organization, it’s about managing projects and change. The ability to build on right methods and approaches determines success.
Workshop Outcome
✓Experience of the key Lean methods
✓Successfully solved business challenge
✓Capabilities for repeated success developed on site
Details
Scoping (0.5-1 days, free of charge) Definition of business problems to solve
Preparation activities
Session 1 (2 days)
Training: Setting up projects and Kaizen workshops, facilitation skills, basic Lean tools like 5S, 7 Types of Waste and PDCA Preparation: Schedule meetings for implementation support with coach
Individual project support (1 day per project) Hands-on support by consultant on your site
Session 2 (3 days)
Deeper into scoping and executing the projects, Lean metrics, OEE, Gemba, process mapping, Value Stream analysis, standard work and SMED
Individual project support (1 day per project) Hands-on support by consultant on your site
Session 3 (2 days)
Deep dive into methods to support leaders and make success sustainable like Performance Management, 1-2-3, problem solving, Flow, Pull and Kanban
For whom:
Those dedicated to driving improvement and with a career plan to professionally support their organization with Lean
Preparation:
Bring a challenge or a project
Certification:
Certification as Lean Implementation Expert for successful implementation
Key Features
- ROI of typically 5:1 within one year
- Great addition to Lean transformation programs
- Selection of tools specifically tailored to you
7 days training +
2 days support per participant
Location: Hamburg
Capacity: 3 – 5 participants
Price: € 7,500 p.p.
2 days
Location: On your site
Capacity: Max 4 participants
Price: € 5,000 per workshop
Train-the-Trainer
Implementing Lean requires to train people on all levels of the hierarchy. Thereby, the quality of the training itself represents a first success factor. Trainings need to be adapted regarding the deepness of theory. They should be exciting, practical and fun to ensure a lasting learning experience. This training workshop establishes the capabilities to get there.
Workshop Outcome
✓ Developed capabilities to run excellent in-house trainings on Lean topics
Details
Workshop Program (2 days)
Teach-backs with lots of feedback are built in throughout the day
- Purpose of Lean trainings
- Defining learning objectives
- Preparing a training
- Structuring a module to be interactive
- Generating the Lean experience
Typical Tools & Methods
We recommend to prepare one of these topics:
- Waste and Value
- 5S
- Standard Work
- Yellow Belt simulation
For whom:
Future inhouse trainers
Preparation:
Bring a training module you want to facilitate
Certification:
Participation
Key Features
-
Very small groups for the best training experience
-
After receiving valuable input you will have the opportunity to practice your trainer skills and receive qualified feedback
Shopfloor Problem Solving
On the shopfloor, most people understand a goal once they have started to
work on it. Thus, problem solving is at the core of motivating people to achieve goals. The training will help to greatly develop self-confidence and motivation. It will also generate ideas for improvements and show when to rely more on systematic problem solving.
Workshop Outcome
✓ Capabilities to solve real problems quickly and sustainably
✓ Implement a culture of reviewing root causes instead of jumping to solutions
Details
Workshop Program (2 days)
- Discover the power of systematic problem solving
- Tools to identify root causes
- Exercise root cause identification and experience the effect
- Implement the solution and make it sustainable
Typical Tools & Methods
- Problem definition
- PDCA
- Fishbone (Ishikawa)
- 5W1H
- Action Plan
- Visualization
- A3
For whom:
Everyone to be involved in systematic problem solving, typically operators, technicians, team leaders
from production, engineering, assembly
Preparation:
Select real shopfloor problems to be tackled during the training
Certification:
Participation
Key Features
-
Fun and revealing case everyone can relate to
- Highly interactive through intensive group-work and real-time problem solving
2 days
Location: On your site
Capacity: Max 8 participants
Price: € 5,000 per workshop
2 days
Location: On your site
Capacity: Max 12 participants
Price: € 5,000 per workshop
Root Cause Investigation
Especially in regulated environments, it is important to efficiently identify
and document the root causes of deviations. At the same time, truly understanding the root cause provides an opportunity to stabilize and improve your processes. Not being able to release a batch due to an open deviation could be an expensive, nonetheless, often avoidable issue.
Workshop Outcome
✓ Systematic and thorough identification of root causes of complicated deviations
✓ Increase efficiency and sustainability of closing deviations
Details
Day 1
- Introduction and expectations
- Overview of the investigation
- Lessons Learned from deviations rRCI discovery case
- Root Cause Investigation thought process template
- Problem Statement
- Is/Is Not & timeline
- Distinctions/changes
- Fishbone/ 5 Why’s
- Contradiction Matrix
- Confirm true cause
Day 2
- Presentation of practice case
- Solving the case in groups
- Solving cases from your site
- Closure, evaluation next steps
For whom:
Leaders of deviation/ root cause investigations, Quality, QA
Preparation:
Bring an open investigation case with related documents ready
Certification:
Certification of participation and closing deviation
Key Features
-
Experienced support during investigation of current and open cases from your site
-
Highly interactive through intensive group-work and real-time deviation investigation
-
Specific to industries where addressing a deviation must also be documented, such as Automotive, Aerospace or Life Sciences
Statistics for APQR / CPV
The expectations of health authorities regarding the use of statistics in Annual Product Reviews, Product Quality Reviews and Continued/Ongoing Process Verification (APR / PQR / CPV / OPV) have increased.
Historically it was enough to be “inside the spec limits”, today producers are expected to explain their product’s variation using Control Charts and Ppk.
Workshop Outcome
✓ Application of statistical principles to assess product behavior and performance
✓ Working more efficiently by only doing the relevant calculations
Details
Workshop Program (2 days)
- Discover the power of systematic problem solving
- Tools to identify root causes
- Exercise root cause identification and experience the effect
- Implement the solution and make it sustainable
Typical Tools & Methods
- Problem definition
- PDCA
- Fishbone (Ishikawa)
- 5W1H
- Action Plan
- Visualization
- A3
For whom:
Everyone to be involved in systematic problem solving, typically operators, technicians, team leaders
from production, engineering, assembly
Preparation:
Select real shopfloor problems to be tackled during the training
Certification:
Certificate of attendance after completion of the exam, Green Belt certification after successfully completed GB-project
Key Features
-
Fun and revealing case everyone can relate to
- Highly interactive through intensive group-work and real-time problem solving
3 days
Location: On your site
Capacity: Max 12 participants
Price: € 7,500 per workshop
1 day
Location: On your site
Capacity: Max 12 participants
Price: € 2,500 per workshop
Design Excellence Awareness
Design Excellence is the concept of developing new products in a way to
balance quality (what does the customer want?) and manufacturability – (what can we produce efficiently and effectively?). To meet this balance, it is important to manage the design flow in both directions and simultaneously, consider requirement management and robust design.
Workshop Outcome
✓ Awareness of Design Excellence and its implications for your role
✓ Understanding the flow of the Design Excellence tools and how they work together, especially in the context of the Design Control process
Details
Workshop Program (1 day)
Design Excellence background
Design Excellence within a typical new product introduction process
Design Excellence simulation
Design Excellence tools like requirements identification and prioritization, Design Excellence Scorecard, product and process risk analysis, basics on process capability and control
For whom:
Line Management affected by development projects from Marketing, R&D, Operations, Life Cycle team leaders, Project leaders and R&D project team members
Preparation:
None
Certification:
Certification of participation and closing deviation
Key Features
- Experienced support during investigation of current and open cases from your site
- Highly interactive through intensive group-work and real-time deviation investigation
- Specific to industries where addressing a deviation must also be documented, such as Automotive, Aerospace or Life Sciences