Chad Laux, an associate professor in Computer and Information Technology and expert in Lean and Six Sigma systems, has won a third international award for a book he co-authored, "The Ten Commandments of Lean Six Sigma."
Laux and his co-authors were presented the book award in November 2023 by the International Lean Six Sigma Institute (ILSSI), a society and accrediting organization that offers training, certification, coaching, and consulting.
Lean Six Sigma is a methodology for achieving operational excellence that can be used by a wide array of industries and organizations. It uses methods like workplace organization and continuous improvement initiatives to standardize work, eliminate waste and prevent defects.
The award-winning book offers both guidance and theoretical perspectives on process enhancement, and Laux says its principles can serve as a helpful guide for managers and executives in any industry. For the same book, the authors also previously won two additional awards for contributing significant knowledge to the field of quality management.
Many people relate the principles of Lean Six Sigma to the manufacturing industry, but Laux says quality improvement methodologies like this one have implications for other industries as well, such as information systems, retail, banking, biopharmaceuticals, and higher education. He became interested in Six Sigma while working in quality improvement before his academic career.
“Quality is not only systematic, and it involves working with people, too,” Laux said. “I got involved in Six Sigma in the mid-90s when it was distributed to my company. Back then it was really not known at all like it is today.”
Laux believes the Lean Six Sigma principles can be applied to higher education just like any other organization, and he is conducting research on integrating them into higher education processes. He also co-chairs an international Lean Six Sigma conference, where every other year they focus on improving higher education processes to better serve the university’s mission and its students.
“I’m very keen on helping the Polytechnic and wider university improve processes and the work that we do,” Laux said. “I never imagined winning any international award, much less three. I am just really thankful and grateful to CIT and my colleagues at Purdue Polytechnic. It’s a great place to work, and I’m really thankful for the opportunity.”
Laux is currently on sabbatical to research how sustainability principles can be applied to the lean production system. He also recently co-authored and published a new book called "Lean Sustainability," which explores some of the theories and methods he is currently researching.
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