Jeffery Varney

As a director and part of APQC's management team, Jeff Varney implements business process management and performance improvement, knowledge management, custom benchmarking, quality management, and performance measurement initiatives for APQC clients, often employing Lean and Six Sigma techniques and always with a strong focus on effective change management. Depending on the client’s need, he works with organizations to assess capabilities and performance, develop strategies and action plans, drive improvement projects, and conduct trainings and workshops.

Jeff has extensive experience with enterprise projects across multiple industries, including software development, banking, insurance, military, and space. He coordinates research, education and hands-on support with clients for process and performance management and improvement. He is also tapped to support APQC’s research in the areas of process management, especially as it relates to the Project Management Office (PMO); some of the more recent reports where he provided guidance include Transformational Change: Making it Last and Effective Project Management Offices.  He served as the subject matter expert and a webinar speaker on topics including the role of the PMO, driving organizational change, and integrating knowledge management and process management.

Jeff is an instructor for all of APQC’s training courses, including a comprehensive set of process management, design and improvement courses, knowledge management, project management, and applying benchmarking skills in an organization. A frequent speaker at industry conferences including the Building Business Capabilities Conference and Project Management Institute, he co-authored a paper on the status of green supply chain maturity within the United States and led research on best practices in new product development and total lifecycle configuration management. Since 2013, he has performed as a judge for the annual Association of Management Consulting Firms Awards in both their Operational Performance and Supply Chain categories.

Jeff served as APQC’s program director for energy and utility initiatives, coordinating all Smart Grid efforts. He was instrumental in the development of the Smart Grid Maturity Model and worked with the Department of Energy to gather data on the state of Smart Grid in the United States as part of its 2008 report to Congress.

Before joining APQC in 2006, he was the PMO director for CSC’s Banking Solutions Group, establishing a project management office that merged three disparate cultures into a single, cohesive project management and reporting practice. Jeff has been a catalyst for process improvement and innovation by leading PMI certification efforts, driving SEI CMM and ISO 9001 adoption, driving Six Sigma initiatives, establishing balanced scorecard reporting, and nurturing strong, effective teams. He has participated in and led technology projects with CSC, Raytheon, and McDonnell Douglas, including custom call center solutions, military command and control applications, and the International Space Station.