Nyrma Soffel, Office Manager for the City of Harrisonburg’s Department of Community Development, is at the center of customer services related to development and building projects that come to City Hall. Nyrma has wide-ranging experience in operational quality control and assurance, and in Six Sigma and Lean methodologies. Her focus on service-oriented process improvement and quality control has been instrumental in the transition to providing engineering review and building permitting services on-line, and facilitating the implementation of new technologies to improve the permitting process for solar installations, among other improvement projects. She believes in examining existing policies in light of emerging technologies to ensure that the City is able to effectively and efficiently review development and construction projects while minimizing unnecessary requirements and red tape. She holds a B.S. in Individualized Studies focusing on Business Information Systems and Data Analysis from James Madison University, as well as JMU’s Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Certification.
June 2023 Spotlight
At SPQA, our support in helping organizations on their journey to excellence leverages the talents and experiences of our volunteer workforce. Each volunteer workforce member has a unique story to tell. In this article we have interviewed Nyrma Soffel.
What interested you in becoming an Examiner with SPQA?
In my current role, I don’t have as many opportunities to perform inspections, record reviews and other auditing/examining activities. Volunteering with the SPQA provided me with the ability to use my skills and experience in a new and exciting way.
What have you enjoyed the most about being an examiner?
I have enjoyed working with such a competent and professional group of examiners from various industries across the State. It was enlightening to hear the varying perspectives, and noting our areas of consensus. It is clear that while our professional backgrounds are diverse, we all strive for process improvement and operational excellence.
What skills have you gained since becoming a volunteer with SPQA?
The most challenging concepts I have learned in this process are the nuanced differences in the ADLI concepts. It was sometimes a challenge to adequately identify what was evidence of an approach versus evidence of deployment. Likewise, it was sometimes difficult to identify evidence of learning. Learning to discern these nuances in the applicant’s responses gave me insight into assessing my own work through a new lens.
What do you most want to learn from this experience?
I would love to continue on this journey and improve my examination skills. I documented my lessons learned this examination cycle and I look forward to improving on them in the next.
Outside of volunteering with SPQA, what is the hobby you’re most passionate about?
I enjoy planning outings and vacations with my family. We are a large family, spread over a relatively large geographic area, so bringing everyone together can be challenging. I enjoy working with my relatives to overcome the scheduling and other challenges so that we can spend time together.
2022 Rookie of the Year
The Rookie of the Year recognition is awarded to first year examiners who demonstrate active participation in team activities, collaboration with other team members, enthusiasm, initiative, professionalism, growth in their understanding of the criteria, and quality work. As a volunteer examiner, the learning curve is great and Nyrma Soffel demonstrated commitment and dedication to the process as a new examiner.
What encouraged/ motivated you to apply and become an SPQA Baldrige Examiner this past year?
I participated as an SPQA Examiner in 2022 and wanted to build on my previous experience. Every applicant provides a new opportunity to learn and understand the Baldrige Framework.
Being an Examiner for the SPQA is a significant time commitment, how have you been able to successfully juggle and meet the examiner requirements while maintaining good work/life balance?
I made sure to work on the application daily in small increments throughout the day. I was able to see progress without feeling overwhelmed.
Why should an organization choose to use the Baldrige Criteria for Excellence to drive improvement?
The Baldrige Criteria for Excellence is unique because it is not prescriptive. It does not require big changes in operations. It does not require the implementation of new processes. The beauty of the Criteria is that it helps organizations do a comprehensive review of their organization by asking the questions that can often be overlooked. Any improvements that are made as a result of this comprehensive review are rooted in the organization’s priorities and values, and build on their current strengths and weaknesses.
What have you learned about yourself while being an SPQA Baldrige Examiner?
I have learned that just like organizational excellence takes time, so does personal excellence. Excellence is in the journey: continuously learning, being open to new ideas, trying new things, and moving steadily forward.