A Matt Update

Yesterday, Matt found out that he is going to be entering into a new program along with his current Quality program. Describing this is a little confusing for me, but I'm going to do my best. :)

First, you may be asking, why the change?

Recently Matt and Theresa had a chat about his future with the company and after a few follow up chats, Matt was asked if he would be interested in training for the Kaizen program.

Question #2 (mom!) - what is Kaizen?

This program focuses on continuous improvements within the plants. Matt accepted this and will now be training under this program in conjunction with his Quality training. The Kaizen program will take a while for him to complete and will involve training in Ohio and other plants. His level of travel should be about the same as it is now. Eventually, when he finishes the training, he will be certified, which will allow him to all follow a career being a Kaizen Leader. Essentially, he now will have two different opportunities to get him in further with the company.

Question #3 - do we know how long we will stay in Ohio?

Nope, this is still a mystery to us. If an Assistant Quality Manager position opens up, then Matt will still be offered that job when it's his turn. This doesn't mean, though, that he has to stop his Kaizen training. He can continue it while on the job and in some cases, he may be able to use the job and a way to expedite it. In fact, Matt, when offered a Quality position, may negotiate that he be allowed to take on both roles just so he can finish his certification sooner.

Question #4 - Do we know what plants are open for Kaizen leaders?

Nope again. This new position is just as mysterious as Quality. If Matt finishes his Kaizen training before he is offered a Quality position (which is unlikely) there are no specific plants that, as of now, are known to be in need of Kaizen Leaders. But, the good news is that each plant should eventually have one - hence why this opens up more opportunities for Matt.

Question #5 - When will this training start?

Early October, which means that his Toronto trip will be cut short. Hooray! Once he has finished the initial two week, in-class training, then he'll be assigned his first of 10 projects and he'll keep plugging away at those until he is offered a Quality job or he finishes all 10 Kaizen projects - whichever comes first. Although, my gut is telling me that a Quality potion will become available before his is Kaizen certified.

Whew! That's all I know for now, folks. I'll have Matt read this post to see if I missed anything. At the end of the day, everything around here is status quo for us personally, we still don't know when or where we are going next. But professionally, this is going to be a huge change for Matt and I'm glad it will open up even more opportunities for him. :)