Submitted by Jay845 on
in
Forums
Hello,
First some background information regarding my current career situation. I have a Bachelor's degree in Science. I have worked within a large health organization (largest employer in my home province) for the last 14 years. In this time, I have worked myself up from an individual contributor to managing 3 multi-disciplinary rehabilitation clinics with a total of 60 staff. I had been in this role for 4 years and my reviews and results have been excellent (Thanks Mark and Mike). My Director has been a great mentor and has helped me grow as a Manager and leader. Although this position has offered me great learning opportunities, it didn't provide a lot of operational exposure to other areas of the organization, which limited my ability for advancement within the organization. I expressed my desire for more exposure to the organization to my Director and his Boss, who very receptive to giving me this opportunity. They said they would keep me in mind for future roles/opportunities. Fast foward 2 months.
Our health organization is currently undertaking a major restructuring with a big emphasis on LEAN & Six Sigma (needed in my opinion). As part of this process I was asked by my Director's boss to take on a Project Manager position that would expose me to all levels and operations of the organization. The project itself relates to improving the patient, supplies and equipment transportation within our hospitals, specifically in the areas of cost efficiency, service effectiveness, patient safety and patient experience. I have been in this role for approximately 3 months and I love it. I have expanded my internal network immensely, and have gain a better understanding of health care delivery. I have also done some self learning on LEAN, Six Sigma, and Supply Chain Management/Logistics, which have been helpful for this project. I am analtyical by nature and make many decisions after reviewing cause and effect relationships. I love metrics and spreadsheets. This has been recognized by my bosses as one of my strengths. The subjects on LEAN, Six Sigma and Logistics fit real well with how I process information and I find them to be fascinating and rewarding.
Prior to taking on this Project Management role, I was considering starting a Master's program (likely in an MBA or a Master's in Leadership). Well furthering my education is still a big interest of mine, my recent role has made me consider focusing on LEAN or logistics. I have listened to the podcasts are Career Development planning and have begun implementing these suggestions.
What I am looking for is some recommendations from forum members on potential education or learning opportunities. What would you recommend for learning resources (books, websites), formal education (Masters programs, Certifications) or suggestions on how to move my long term career goals along.
I will ask my internal network but thought I would ask the forum for any suggestions recommendations that you may have.
Thanks for your time
Here is my path so far, for
Here is my path so far, for what seems a similar career:
Lean Six Sigma certified Green Belt
MBA with concentration in Project Management
What I plan for the future:
Lean Six Sigma certification Black Belt & Master Black Belt.
PMP (Project Management Professional) Certification.
If you plan on focusing on logistics, I would also suggest an APICS certification.
Practical Assignments:
I would suggest to try to be involved in both technical process improvements (ie, manufacturing, assembly process etc.) and transactional process improvements (customer quotation process, purchase order generation etc..).
Hi Jay, I work in
Hi Jay,
I work in logistics/freight forwarding operations and while certifications are great, the industry is moving away from that area and leaning towards experience and individuals who can provide ideas to simplify and streamline processes and optimize efficiency.
Have you considered an online supply chain or logistics course such as the one offered by Georgia Technology? Or diving in blogs and magazines on logistics operations such as American Shipper or DC Velocity are great resources. Both publications have well-written and timely content.
Also look at attending Council of Supply Chain roundtable events - www.cscmp.org. They have local chapters and reaching out to members through networking events is really helpful for getting ideas on improving your career.
Also second what Jay said on transactional process improvements - understanding and at least knowing the steps (number of handoffs and the time it takes from each step to the next will help in the six sigma area).
Feel free to send a message if you have more questions on the purchase orders, transportation management and transactional process related to logistics and destination structures.