James Coyle

WORK HISTORY

EDUCATION

ABOUT JAMES COYLE

With over 25 years directing teams to achieve business objectives, my goal is to lead organizational quality through strategic planning, team engagement, and strong leadership through periods of change and growth. A proven multi-site leader, I create effective Quality Management Systems, improve products and processes, and increase customer satisfaction. With repeated success leading complex challenges, my teams have consistently delivered bottom-line savings and business growth.My road to Six Sigma Master Black Belt Certification started with 6 weeks of training at SBTI in San Marcos, TX. At the time, energy costs were high, and I was asked to find opportunities to improve the energy efficiency of our largest and most complex manufacturing processes. Sites were selected across North America and Europe, and a team of engineers and chemists were assigned at each site to support the massive effort. Efficiency variation was high, with only tribal knowledge to explain the sources. We identified and analyzed hundreds of variables using advanced analytical and modeling techniques and were able to identify and execute significant improvements without negative impacts on productivity, cost, quality or safety. One of the most challenging aspects of the project was to win the support of the experts…those that spent years developing and optimizing the processes we were there to “fix”. We involved them every step of the way, asking them to challenge the integrity of our work at regular intervals, and receiving their feedback (sometimes very direct) with humility. Eventually, the data found its voice, and the opportunities became irrefutable. By that time, we had earned their respect and were able to begin work on the improvements.The most rewarding part of the project was working with the site project teams, often less experienced chemists and engineers. I learned from them, and in exchange was able to share my passion for analytical problem solving and introduce them to the Six Sigma DMAIC toolbox.Since that time, I have revised and written curriculum, delivered Green Belt and Black Belt training at many sites, and sharpened my skills as a teacher, coach and facilitator. As I approach retirement, I look ahead to a second career as a Six Sigma teacher and trainer and will offer my services to organizations that want to develop a deep bench of skilled problem solvers.