Paul Sheehy

Paul Sheehy, Technical Training Specialist

Paul Sheehy is someone who truly enjoys the learning environment, whether as an instructor or as a student. His affinity for learning is evident in the wealth of experience he has in both roles.

A self-proclaimed lifelong learner, Paul earned bachelor degrees in both Industrial Technology and Mechanical Engineering while employed at GE. He understands the needs and concerns of the professionals he trains because he too has sat in a classroom as an adult student, learning about statistics and quality improvement and taking that knowledge back to his job.

Paul places high value not only on learning, but teaching as well. "I frequently tell my students that their success is the only measure of my success," he says. In academia, Paul served as an adjunct professor and industrial advisor for Mechanical Engineering Technology at the University of Maine. Paul's early industrial training experience includes extensive instruction at GE in topics ranging from math to interpersonal skills. After becoming a Master Black Belt, he deployed the Six Sigma program at the GE Power Systems facility where he worked. He taught Six Sigma methodology at both user and "Train the Trainer" levels at various GE locations.

At the Six Sigma Academy, where he was a master consultant and trainer for five years before coming to Minitab, Paul worked extensively on developing training material for Black Belt and Green Belt programs and trained Six Sigma Black Belts at companies such as Ford, Visteon, Johnson Controls, Tyco, Kerr McGee, and Lear. "My extensive real-world experience coupled with seven years as a Master Black Belt has provided me with many examples on how to use statistics in the real world to solve problems, to make decisions with quantified risk, and perhaps most importantly, to mine data so as to understand exactly what the problem/status is," he says.

"I try to flavor my instruction with illustrations drawn from many industries and different businesses," Paul explains. "It is as important to me that the student knows why a tool is valuable and where it might be used as it is to know how to operate the tool." Many of these illustrations are Paul’s own, culled from nearly 30 years experience in manufacturing with companies such as GE, Saco Defense, and Irving Leather Group. This experience also includes extensive training and practical application of Minitab Statistical Software, a tool Paul calls "critical for Six Sigma practitioners."

"Minitab training is indispensable to all Green Belts, Black Belts, and Master Black Belts who wish to be successful and who want their knowledge to transfer with them if they change positions," Paul says.