United States Navy leaders got an early quality Christmas present from the government: a requirement to take a course on process improvements, lean and Six Sigma. They have until Nov. 30 to complete the new Fleet Business Course, an eight-hour training session in advanced leadership, lean principles, Six Sigma and theory of constraints.

“We’re providing our leaders with some inspiration and understanding, and a few tools they can use to maintain our warfighting culture, with the added dimension of business discipline,” says Rear Adm. James Winnefeld, director, Warfare Programs and Transformational Concepts, U.S. Fleet Forces Command.

Realizing the importance of educating leaders as part of a cultural change toward quality and efficiency, the Naval Education and Training Command and the Center for Naval Leadership produced a computer-based training course that provides practical instruction to command-level leadership in the methodologies.

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