SOC-NM is the prime security contractor supporting the Los Alamos National Laboratories (LANL); it employs approximately 600 personnel who provide security services to LANL. SOC-NM has six divisions including Operations, Planning/Procedures, Business Operations, ES&H/QA, Community and Economic Development and Training.  In 2010, SOC-NM directives have implemented a process improvement initiative in an effort to reduce operating costs.  A Lean Six Sigma program, which included training, team facilitation, employee certification and coaching, was established to begin a continuous process improvement culture. 

SOC-NM contracted with PMC Solutions, Inc. (PMCS) in 2009, and continues to benefit from its Business Process Management and Lean Six Sigma Coaching services.  Through these services, 13 major areas of concerns were identified and three Lean Six Sigma projects were initiated as critical areas for immediate attention. These Lean Six Sigma projects are focused on reducing cycle times and variation, and will leverage the improved understanding of processes through the inProcess™ maps created. Seventeen SOC-NM resources are involved in these projects, which have an estimated cost-savings of over $500,000 annually. 

To date, over 75 processes have been mapped & documented and numerous improvements and changes to the process flow are being implemented as a result of the detailed analysis made possible through PMCS services. 

 SOC-NM has received training on process management fundamentals, as well as Lean Green Belt coaching. They are currently anticipating inProcess™ version 4.1 being installed to assist with their quality process improvement journey.