Profound Knowledge Partners Inc.
Jane & Cliff are co-authors of two new books:
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Patient Safety at a Glance: For Medical Students, Junior Doctors and Nurses
Deming Institute Presentation 2016
C. Jane Norman Co-Owner/President
C. Jane Norman is the co-owner and President of Profound Knowledge Partners, Inc., which collaborates with clients to develop strategic intelligence for leadership, system thinking, personality intelligence, analytic data analysis and improvement throughout the organization. Jane has been an executive at Caterpillar Inc., ConAgra Inc., Conrad Company, and OCHIN and has focused on integrating improvement into business strategy while creating a learning organization.
With over 40 years of leadership and improvement experience, she has worked with executives and developed future leaders and improvement professionals in 12 countries. As a consultant, coach, and trainer, her wealth of experience spans manufacturing, food, distribution, technology, software, and health care.
In 2003, Jane created Ami™ (Accelerated Model for Improvement) methods, developed from the API Model for Improvement. After 15 years of manual documentation, these standardized methods are now offered since 2019 on a virtual learning environment (software or cloud-based) to educate, guide & manage projects and leaders.
Jane has a B.A. in Natural Science from St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa, and an MBA from Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida and is a co-author of Transforming Health Care Leadership, published by Wiley in 2013.
Born in Salem, Oregon, Jane grew up in the Midwest as the daughter of teachers and administrators, attending schools in Missouri, Kentucky, Iowa, and Florida. She has been a chapter officer for the American Society for Quality and was certified by ASQ as a Quality Engineer (CQE). She was also an advisor to Junior Achievement. She is a member of New England Women and Daughters of the American Revolution. She has five daughters and several grandchildren with her husband, Cliff. They currently reside near Houston, Texas.
Her hobbies include studying U.S. and world history, genealogy, performing music, and spending time with her grandchildren.
Cliff & Jane are co-authors of two new books:
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Patient Safety at a Glance: For Medical Students, Junior Doctors and Nurses
Deming Institute Presentation 2016
COMING SOON:
Quality as a Organization Strategy, Provost, Norman & William. (Winter 2023)
Clifford L. Norman Co-Owner/Author
Clifford L. Norman has been a partner with Associates in Process Improvement (API) since 1988. API partners publish, develop methods and provide consulting, education, and training to help organizations improve the value of their products and services. In 2000, Cliff became a Senior Fellow with the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) along with his other API Partners. He was recently honored by the presentation of the 2023 Deming Medal by the American Society for Quality (ASQ).
With more than 30 years of experience in manufacturing and quality, Cliff began his career at Norris Industries and McDonnell Douglas Corporation. From 1979 – 1986, he facilitated the effort to implement quality improvement throughout Otis Engineering, a division of Halliburton. While at Otis, he served as a manager in manufacturing and held several positions in the quality organization. In 1986, Cliff joined Philip Crosby Associates, where he led the effort to introduce SPC and Statistical Thinking to their educational offering. In 1988, Cliff joined API and moved to Austin, Texas.
In 2010, Cliff began work with Texas Tech University and their Doctoral of Nursing Program (DNP). Both Cliff and his wife Jane were appointed as Adjunct Faculty with the DNP program at Texas Tech in 2014. Cliff also serves on the Strategic Board for the Future of Nursing in Texas since 2010. In August 2016 Cliff was appointed to the faculty of the Texas A&M Medical School.
Born in Zanesville, Ohio, in 1952 and raised in South Gate, California, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree from California State University at Los Angeles and a Master’s degree in Behavioral Science from California State University at Dominguez Hills. He is a member of the American Society for Quality and is a Certified Quality Engineer (CQE). He has also been active in Junior Achievement as an advisor and corporate administrator. He and his wife have five daughters (ages 27-36), and six grandchildren and live in Georgetown, Texas. His hobbies are the study of the American Civil War, stamp collecting, reading, and travel (especially to Civil War battlefield sites). Cliff is a co-author of the book, The Improvement Guide - A Practical Approach to Enhancing Organizational Performance.
Click here for CV
TJ Gokcen AimiHub Software Architect
TJ Gokcen is the chief software architect of Aimi, Accelerated Innovation & Model for Improvement software.
TJ developed software applications for numerous enterprises in the USA, Europe and Australia working in or heading various sized software teams. A computer nerd and improvement professional at heart, he likes combining the two.
Known for his systems thinking, continuous and relentless improvement and can-do approach both in life and business, TJ speaks regularly at national and international conferences and hosts several meetups in Sydney, Australia on Systems Thinking, Improvement and software development methods.
His hobbies include software development, swimming, reading, creating workshops and history.
David Thomas PKP Asia/AimiHub Support
David Thomas is a principal in Associates for Leadership Development, a consultancy formed in Hong Kong to foster leadership in all aspects of organizations, including business improvement, integration of complex human systems and personal development.
With more than 20 years experience in commercial operations, manufacturing, services management and quality, David has experience across industries as diverse as textiles, food and beverage, electrical and data contracting, engineering tooling, automotive, electronics, computing hardware and services, and lighting. He has worked in Asia for the past 12 years, serving in regional roles, most recently as Snr.
Director, Sales & Marketing, Automotive Lighting After Market Asia Pacific in Philips Electronics.
As a process improvement practitioner, trained by Associates in Process Improvement, David has led projects and coached improvement programs as an improvement leader that have delivered significant operational and financial results since 2001. His professional interests now lie in Leadership for Business Improvement, and change management in diverse cultures and complex systems, based on his experiences in both Asia and Australia.
Born in Australia, David now lives in Hong Kong, with his wife and 2 delightful daughters. He holds a B.Sc (Hons) in Textile Technology and Physics from University of New South Wales (Sydney).
Juliana Sadovich AimiHub Support
Juliana Sadovich, PhD, RN, is the Senior Consultant and Software Product designer at Profound Knowledge Partners Inc. (PKP). In her role, Dr. Sadovich brings executive and technical leadership for strategic planning, quality, and safety. She has served at IHS from October 2013 to December 2022, including the Director of the IHS Office of Quality. She served in the Office of Clinical and Preventive Services (OCPS) as an Executive Officer and a Nurse Consultant and Advisor to the Director for Emergency Medicine Services for Children. Previously she worked at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as Deputy Director of the Office of Special Health Affairs in the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and Director of the Office of Human Service Emergency Preparedness and Response in the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) from 2010–2013. She has also served in health and management roles at the Department of Homeland Security from 2004–2010 and with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) from 1995–2004. She completed her clinical experience at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) from 1984–1995.
She received her PhD in 2002 in Human Service and Specialty Health Care Administration and holds two Master’s degrees in oncology nursing and disaster medicine. The author and coauthor of many articles on emergency medicine, disaster management and the nursing field.
David Wayne AimiHub Support
David Wayne is a consulting statistician in enumerative and analytic studies and an educator in Improvement Science. His specialty and expertise is in providing practical guidance and advice to clients in management that lead to meaningful action for all types of business applications. He has designed and led division-level business process improvement efforts for major corporations. He was
the Chief Improvement and Quality Leader for Vought Aircraft Company (later a major division of Northrop-Grumman), for General Instrument Corporation, and for Motorola’s Broadband Division.
David’s educational background includes master’s degrees in management science and operations research, an MBA, and an undergraduate degree with majors in applied mathematics and history.
David is a member of the adjunct faculty at Temple University’s Fox School of Business, Management Science/Operations Management Department, and teaches Improvement Science and Quality at the graduate level. In 2001, he received the Executive Director’s Award for Outstanding Commitment to Teaching from the Fox School of Business at Temple University. He is frequently sought as a speaker
on various topics related to quality and process improvement. During the past three years, his speaking engagements include chapters of the American Society for Quality, Society of Manufacturing Engineers, Michigan State University, the University of Michigan, Purdue University, Wharton, the International Society for Performance Improvement, and the W. Edwards Deming Institute.
David has been an ardent practitioner of Associates in Process Improvement (API) methodologies since 1989, and has incorporated the API version of the Deming Management Methodology and System of Profound Knowledge into every aspect of his teaching and consulting. API methods have provided the template for his pragmatic approach to improvement.
Andy Brophy UK/Lean Master
Andy Brophy is a professional engineer. He has been working in the lean field for the last ten years primarily involved in hospital and manufacturing transformations. He specialises in providing practical facilitation and formal training to teams on their lean and innovation journeys.
He has a particular passion for developing and tapping into the creative potential of organizations employees. Andy also shares a passion for invention and innovation and the creativity techniques employed in this field.
Andy holds a 1st Class MSc in Lean Operations from Cardiff University and is Six Sigma Black Belt trained. In March 2010 he is scheduled to publish a book called Innovative Lean primarily based on the power of harvesting and implementing employee ideas and creating an innovative and empowered workforce. He has also written a section of a new book called Living the Lean Toolbox for the Lean
Enterprise Research Center at Cardiff Business School. In late 2010 he is also due to publish a co-authored book with Cliff & Jane Norman on Lean Healthcare with emphasis on Deming’s System of Profound Knowledge and The Science of Improvement. This work is the first of its kind to integrate these two powerful improvement methodologies.
Mike Sproul Innovation/Creativity
A west Texas native, Mike Sproul received his BBA from Angelo State University and later attended graduate school at Texas Tech University. In 1974, he joined the Halliburton Company, where he held positions as VP of Marketing and Product Development. During his 22 years with Halliburton, Mike handled a broad range of responsibilities and experienced a wide variety of cultures. Having traveled to
25 countries and conducted training in more than 15 of those countries, he gained a global perspective that few U. S. based trainers and consultants possess.
In early 1994, Mike left Halliburton to start his own business, Corporate Creativity Associates, focusing on training, consulting and facilitation in the field of organizational innovation. He met with Dr. Edward de Bono and was certified as one of the first independent instructor/consultants in the conceptual thinking courses. Mike is now certified as one of a small number of Master Trainers in Dr. de Bono’s Six
Thinking Hats® and Lateral Thinking™ courses.
When not consulting, facilitating, or training with leading organizations, Mike ranches in Schleicher County in west Texas. This "other" part of his life helps him maintain his results-oriented perspective. He has an unwavering belief that simply doing the same things better is no longer enough to ensure success or even survival in today’s rapidly changing business world. Organizations must learn to systematically generate and develop altogether new ways of doing things. This requires more than
encouragement and exhortation by management. It takes specific skill training. Providing world-class training, consulting, and facilitation in those skills is Mike’s commitment.
Sandra Murray Healthcare Data Analysis/Author
Sandra Murray is a principle in Corporate Transformation Concepts, an independent consulting firm formed in 1994. Sandra concentrates her consulting in the areas of effectively using process improvement methods to get results.
Sandra began her career in healthcare in 1976 as a Registered Dietitian and officer in the United States Air Force. She completed her Air Force career after 20 years. In 1990, while in the Air Force, she became the Quality Improvement Director for a large hospital. In 1994 her role expanded to encompass a seven-state region. She has been an Improvement Advisor with IHI since 2002. Sandra has worked with the Patient Safety domain and is faculty for IHI’s Breakthrough Series College and for IHI’s Improvement Advisor Professional Development Program.
Sandra has extensive background in both quality improvement theory and practice in the areas of using data for improvement, facilitation, process improvement, and strategic business planning. She is the editor of a book on improvement tools, of two DVDs on using data for improvement and co-author of the book The Healthcare Data Guide: Learning from Data to Improve.
Sandy is a native of, and currently lives in, Oregon. She graduated with honors from Oregon State University with a BS in Nutrition and Institution Management. She completed a Masters in management from Webster University in 1984. When not consulting, facilitating or teaching in Healthcare, Sandy is active with her two young children.
Jim Imboden Variation/Experimentation Software Developer
Jim, working with input from Lloyd developed a computerized teaching aid called Mid-State Brick Factory that created an environment for students to learn planned experimentation. Students are immersed in the environment and confront real-world problems as they learn to design and run experiments.
Jim also wrote the Study-It program that is included in the 2nd and 3rd editions of “Quality Improvement Through Planned Experimentation,” by Moen, Nolan, and Provost.
Jim went on to become a Senior Statistician and has run over 200 experiments. He also worked with groups of engineers running experiments on both warranty and new product design projects. He has worked with many plants to set up quality-related training classes and taught numerous classes on Process Control and Planned Experimentation both inside and outside of GM.
René Yates Office Manager/Bookkeeper
René Yates is the Bookkeeper for PKP, Inc. She is responsible for answering any questions our Clients or Vendors may have regarding billing they have received from PKP Inc. or payments they are expecting from PKP, Inc. René is a detail oriented Accounting Professional with over 20 years of experience in the Accounting field. She began her career as a Full Charge Bookkeeper handling Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, and Payroll. She worked as an Assistant Controller auditing
records from various branches and designing reports for upper Management at Productivity Point International. She was the Accounts Receivable Manager at The Conrad Co where she worked closely with both Jane Norman and Jesse Treviño before moving on to serve as the Accounts Receivable Manager for Designer Building Solutions where she was responsible for managing receivables and collections for a 5-State area.
René was born and raised in the Austin, TX area as were her father and grandparents. She attended Concordia University in Austin. René and her husband Cliff have one son, Colton, who is currently training to get his Automotive Technician Certification. They live outside of Austin, TX in Cedar Park.