All Features
Denise Robitaille
Some ISO 9001 requirements simply don’t get as much attention as others. One such example is found in clause 6.4, which relates to work environments. It states: “The organization shall determine and manage the work environment needed to achieve conformity to product requirements.” What…
Quality Digest
The International Organization for Standardization and the International Electrotechnical Commission recently published a new standard that addresses the quality of information service-management processes. ISO/IEC 20000:2005 Information Technology—Service Management has two parts: one that…
Bill Kalmar
You see and hear them everyday--signs and commercials heralding “Customer service is No.1,” “We treat you like family,” or “The customer is always right.” The other day I came across a particularly revealing motto: “We’re better than we used to be!” Whatever the slogan or motto is, people expect…
Quality Digest
The Society of Manufacturing Engineers and the Association for Manufacturing Excellence recently made a popular book a required reading for those seeking certification as lean manufacturing experts. Lean Transformation: How to Change Your Business into a Lean Enterprise, (Oaklea…
Quality Digest
After three years of small, steady improvement, customer satisfaction with the federal government’s services registered a slight decline in 2005, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index. Satisfaction with government services was measured at 71.3 on the ACSI’s 100-point…
Quality Digest
Starting this year, qualifying quality-minded nonprofit organizations will be eligible to participate in a pilot Baldrige Award program. The National Institute of Standards and Technology, which administers the Baldrige National Quality Program, will accept applications from nonprofit…
Quality Digest
Seven books on TQM will be published and translated into Arabic, according to e-TQM College, a Dubai-based provider of online courses in total quality management. The move is an attempt to address the lack of TQM resources in the Middle East and to increase awareness of TQM in the area, while…
Quality Digest
An upcoming conference will focus on the use of total information quality management (TIQM) to improve varied organizations’ quality and processes. The TIQM Mastery Series will be held March 6–10 at the Nashville Convention Center. It’ll feature three courses: IQ 101: IQ Principles &…
Quality Digest
A new book uses simple language and examples to introduce Six Sigma novices to the methodology.The Pocket Idiot’s Guide to Six Sigma (Alpha Books, 2005), explains everything rank-and-file employees need to know about Six Sigma, including an overview of the system and a history of the…
Quality Digest
Solectron Corp. recently opened a manufacturing facility in Singapore that will use Six Sigma and lean to produce medical products more efficiently. The plant, called the Singapore Medical Center of Excellence, is located in Chai Chee, Singapore’s “Techno Park.” It’ll use the Solectron…
Praveen Gupta
A major misunderstanding regarding Six Sigma is its fabricated definition, (e.g. “Six Sigma is a fact-based decision-making methodology…”). I’ve seen people willing to attack anyone utilizing common sense to make decisions without facts. One of the reasons for taking such a strong position…
Praveen Gupta
A major misunderstanding regarding Six Sigma is its fabricated definition, (e.g. “Six Sigma is a fact-based decision-making methodology…”). I’ve seen people willing to attack anyone utilizing common sense to make decisions without facts. One of the reasons for taking such a strong position…
Quality Digest
The Society of Manufacturing Engineers recently released The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Lean: Lessons from the Road, a book that explores actual lean applications. Authors Jamie Flinchbaugh and Andy Carlino, founders and partners in the Lean Learning Center, use the book to reveal the most…
Quality Digest
In its efforts to ramp up hybrid engine production, Ford Motor Co. will use design for Six Sigma for the first time in a major powertrain program. Ford’s new 250-horsepower, 3.5-liter V-6 engine, also known as the Duratec 35, will be built at the company’s Lima Engine Plant in Ohio. The new…
Quality Digest
An upcoming conference on global outsourcing will feature the use of Six Sigma in organizing a global workforce. Strategic Research Institute’s 3rd Annual Global Outsourcing Conference will include experts from such diverse industries as consumer goods, publishing, pharmaceutical research…
Craig Cochran
Customer focus doesn’t evolve on its own. It’s carefully cultivated over time through a variety of processes. At the forefront of this effort is leadership. The organization’s leadership has the primary responsibility of making every decision and every action based on customer focus.…
Quality Digest
What poor-quality cars lack in performance and reliability, they can make up for with style, according to a new study.In the short term, consumers will put up with performance deficiencies if they’re satisfied with the style and appearance of new vehicles, reports A.T. Kearney, a…
Quality Digest
A recently released, comprehensive study of patient care shows significantly improved care of patients with serious conditions. Premera Blue Cross, a Washington-based health insurer of upward of 1.3 million people, performed the study with several prominent medical groups across Washington…
Quality Digest
The 52nd annual Reliability and Maintainability Symposium (RAMS) will be held January 23–26 in California. Reliability and maintainability have been growing beyond their traditional role of prediction to include risk management, process verification and product validation. The growth has…
Quality Digest
Statit Software Inc. recently released Performance Indicator & Management Dashboard (piMD), a new approach to measurement and analysis for the health care industry. Statit reports that a review of current software options for health care executives revealed a need for a system that…
Quality Digest
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has begun formal evaluation of an application filed by TÜV Healthcare Specialists to become the first new accreditation service for U.S. hospitals in 40 years. If granted the accreditation, TÜV will not only accredit hospitals in…
Quality Digest
Sigma Dynamics recently released four new applications designed to connect the operational and analytical sides of customer-relationship management. The applications are part of its Sigma Intelligence Platform, which includes strategic routing analysis, predictive cross-sell, real-time customer…
Praveen Gupta
During the last couple of years, I’ve interacted with several United Auto Workers (UAW) associates. Irrespective of what the former Big Three do, they’re all trying to do a good job.I’ve had the chance to teach some classes to UAW members. It always amazes me how people make money in the auto…
Quality Digest
Event-planning company WCBF will host its annual Global Six Sigma Summit this summer in Las Vegas. The event, which is scheduled to have an unparalleled panel of expert speakers and many high-profile CEO attendees, will be held June 27–30 at The Venetian in Las Vegas. The keynote addresses will be…
Quality Digest
UltraCell, a producer of fuel-cell technology, will use the latest in lean manufacturing processes at its recently opened manufacturing and corporate facility..Located in Livermore, California, the facility will enable the company to convert from prototype manufacturing to volume production. It’ll…
