Charlie is an internationally renowned consultant, practitioner, author, speaker, and trainer, of Lean and Agile improvements spanning over 4 decades. Charlie has published 20 books to date, in healthcare, manufacturing, and a children’s book and received two Shingo Prizes. Seven of the books have been translated into other languages. There are more in the works. Charlie spent over 13 years with AlliedSignal (now Honeywell) and has been implementing TQM/ Lean Principles and Thinking since 1985. He was the first TQM/Lean Master and a Strategic Operations Manager for AlliedSignal where he received several special recognition and cost reduction awards. Charlie is an external consultant for the Maryland World Class Consortia (MWCC) and a co-author for the resulting World Class Guidelines in 1998. He has been a keynote speaker for the MWCC, Chinese Industrial Engineering Institute, China’s Benchmark Lean conferences, and Agile DEVOPS conference in Portugal and done several Lean/ Agile podcasts to date. He has put on training seminars for The Dark Report’s Quality Confab and Executive War College.

Charlie started Business Improvement Group (BIG) in 1997, and along with his son and other partners, spent the last 28 years implementing successful Lean Implementations and World Class Kaizen events for small to fortune 100 companies across the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Europe and Asia. He has taught Lean Thinking Principles to students from all over the world.

Charlie is following in the footsteps of his grandfather, Charles W. Protzman, Sr. who, as part of the CCS, under the direction of MacArthur in 1949-50, along with Homer Sarasohn, taught CEO's of over 50 prominent Japanese Telecommunications Companies an eight-week course in American Industrial Management. It was Protzman and Sarasohn that then recommended Deming to JUSE, to continue their quality teachings leading to Deming’s 8-day Quality Course starting in 1950 and creation of the Deming Prize.

Charlie has a BA and MBA from Loyola University in Maryland.

• Link to claim CME credit: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/3DXCFW3
• CME credit is available for up to 3 years after the stated release date