Two key questions that entrepreneurs must work to answer about their innovation are 1) what is the value, and 2) to whom?

The key skills, responsibilities, and the day-to-day activities for a process engineer vary by industry.

“Lean” and “Six Sigma'' are often mentioned together. In practice, they are complementary in process improvement efforts. Lean focuses on reducing waste, while Six Sigma focuses on reducing defects and variations. Generally, Six Sigma methods are more analytical compared to lean.

By practicing lean and building a culture rooted in value for the customer, problem-solving, and the relentless pursuit of perfection, start-ups can accelerate innovation, set themselves up for long-term success, and altogether avoid pitfalls that plague larger, more established companies.

In the never-ending effort to improve, it is important to approach your training system thoughtfully and plan ahead. Doing so will not only ensure that the right information and hands-on skills were learned by the trainee quickly and accurately, it will also set your team up to keep raising the bar to keep improving their work going forward.

Over the years, these simple but powerful words have stayed with me and become the foundation of how I approach problems.

A well-rounded, capable process/manufacturing engineer can dramatically accelerate operational growth and help the company deliver value to their customers sooner.