UC Davis Lean Community of Practice

The Lean Community of Practice works to expand the knowledge of Lean principles and practices and serves to support and promote a continuous improvement culture at UC Davis. By leveraging our collective knowledge, we want to build a broad and diverse network of practitioners interested in creating an agile, sustainable, and supportive infrastructure and a culture of continuous improvement at UC Davis.

Read more about establishing a Culture of Continuous Improvement at UC Davis 

Community Goals

1. Create a learning forum focused on developing Lean and continuous improvement skills
2. Increase members' knowledge and competency in Lean and continuous improvement
3. Increase campus community knowledge in Lean and continuous improvement

The Lean Community of Practice will serve as a forum to connect people, enable dialogue, stimulate learning, improve skills, share knowledge, generate new knowledge, and much more. Lean, at its core, is about practicing respect for people and continuous improvement every day, with everyone. Through the sharing of a common language and experiences, we strive to use this forum to share tips, best practices, resources, and institutional knowledge to align and support our organizational missions.

Membership will consist of Lean and Continuous Improvement enthusiasts who are willing to share their experiences and learn from other like-minded individuals. Members have varying levels of training and experience in Lean and continuous improvement.

Lean Ambassadors Bench

In August 2023, Lean enthusiasts and process improvement advocates gathered for the inaugural Lean Ambassadors Bench (LAB) in-person kick-off event. This half-day workshop brought together Lean Ambassadors from campus and Health to shape the future of the UC Davis Lean Community of Practice. During the event, participants engaged in:

• Setting 1-, 3-, and 5-year goals for the Lean Community of Practice
• ADKAR Change Management exercises
• Analyzing current and future states related to process improvement
• Reviewing a recently completed Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Project case study

The insights and strategies developed at this workshop are pivotal for defining future initiatives and outreach efforts to promote a culture of continuous improvement at UC Davis. LAB members meet monthly to implement these strategies. Read more about the LAB in the Staff Voice section on "Lean Community of Practice". 

The LAB 2023-2024 Cohort celebrated the successful conclusion of its first year. Learn more about the end of the year celebration here. 

• Members of the Lean Ambassadors Bench (LAB) 2024-2025

• Name	Organization
  Aaron Etcheverry	College of Letters and Sciences
  Alicia Webber	Finance, Operations and Administration, Administrative Innovation & Technology - Office of Business Transformation
  Amy Burns	Finance, Operations and Administration, Administrative Innovation & Technology - Office of Business Transformation
  Bernadette Hill-Comeau	Finance, Operations and Administration, Administrative Innovation & Technology - Office of Business Transformation
  Andrey Furmuzan	Finance, Operations and Administration, Supply Chain Management
  Donelle Davis	Student Housing and Dining Services
  Maura Mcloughlin	Finance, Operations and Administration, Supply Chain Management
  Erica Aichwalder	Finance, Operations and Administration, Administrative Innovation & Technology - Office of Business Transformation
  Krista Newberry	UC Davis Health, Office of Medical Education
  Michelle Agnew	Finance, Operations and Administration, Administrative Innovation & Technology - Office of Business Transformation
  Naomi Rosario	Finance, Operations and Administration, Administrative Innovation & Technology - Client and Infrastructure Services
  Peter Blando	Information and Education Technology, Project Management
  Priya Venkatesan	Finance, Operations and Administration, Administrative Innovation & Technology - Office of Business Transformation

  List of previous LAB Members

• LAB Open Office (virtual) Hours
• Lean experts (UC Davis Green and Black Belts) host a twice monthly virtual office hour. These office hours are true drop-in sessions, feel free to join anytime during the hour. Resources will be available to address questions about Lean Six Sigma, brainstorm process improvement opportunities, and discuss potential or in-process process improvement projects. See Events for schedule. 
• Lean Insights Quarterly Newsletter
• Lean Insights newsletter, published quarterly and packed with insights and updates on continuous improvement at UC Davis. Read the Latest Lean Insights Newsletter.
  
  Be sure to join our distribution list so you don't miss an edition of Lean Insights!