All News
Strategy execution is still a relatively new topic in business, and leaders struggle with how to do it. They face many execution challenges, and the top one is communicating the strategy. If you understand the most common pitfalls in communication, you can avoid them.
What are your preferences…
Sponsored Content
There are so many processes that make up quality management. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the choices or put focus on processes that aren’t essential. However, there are some processes that are crucial to having efficient operations and maintaining compliance.
We’ve put…
(Visual Workplace: Byron Center, MI) -- Visual Workplace offers a complete line of customizable key performance indicator (KPI) Boards to support 5S and lean activities. KPI Boards are excellent tools to help track and reach objectives. KPI Boards display metrics at the point of use, keeping team…
Who hasn’t been subjected to fear, manipulation, hypocrisy, and greed? The majority of the human race is continuously under the thumb of individuals who have succumbed to these unconscious states of existence. If you want change but don’t know what to do, here are points in a hopeful direction.
It…
Smart manufacturing trends in 2017 indicate that a radical transformation in the manufacturing sector is taking place. In a report by global market research firm BCC Research, the global market for smart manufacturing is expected to grow from $159 billion in 2015 to $392 billion by 2020 at a…
Have you ever worked with a boss who made everything so urgent that you never knew what was truly important? If so, you probably haven’t forgotten how frustrating it is to be unable to prioritize.
Or you may have worked for someone who required an immediate response for every little request,…
In my career as a business consultant, I’ve helped dozens of companies surface quality issues, develop managers as well as employees, build better trust and communication, transition ownership from one generation to the next, and unleash new levels of financial performance.
I’ve worked with…
Readmission of patients within 30 days of discharge is one of the most serious issues plaguing healthcare delivery in the United States. No one wants to go to the hospital, let alone return shortly after being discharged; readmissions also hurt hospital bottom lines.
Readmissions cost hospitals $…
Sponsored Content
To be competitive on both a national and a global level, organizations must adopt a forward-thinking approach in developing their management strategies. One of the foundations of a successful strategy is the management system, which may be well-defined and documented, or consist…
The recent revelation that a major steel maker falsified test data,1 and similar scandals at other companies,2 underscores the menace of counterfeit parts, or what a 1987 Senate hearing called COME UPS: COunterfeit MatErials and Unauthorized Product Substitutions. The history of COME UPS shows the…
Enterprise software solutions have become commonplace, and in many organizations, quality management systems (QMS) are a strategic priority.
This article will cover five things that you can build into your QMS that will enhance your ability to extend quality to the rest of the organization. It…
During last Friday’s episode of QDL, we examined the potential of quality thinking to improve outcomes for people’s health, manufacturing, and workplace efficiency. Let’s take a look:
“World Toilet Day” ISO truly has a standard (or at least a standard in development) for everything. World Toilet…
A mindful leader has awakened to his true meaning, purpose, and values. Hopefully, those values align with a strong sense of integrity, character, passion, and people-centered leadership. The authentic leader takes these values and overtly leads with them.
The people surrounding and working for an…
Capability ratios are widely used and sometimes misunderstood. The computer will gladly offer up values of each of the commonly used capability and performance indexes. Yet there is little appreciation of the inherent uncertainty contained in each of these numbers. Here we shall look at how to…
High altitudes hold a special place in the history of human achievement. We remember Sir Edmund Hillary and Nepalese sherpa Tenzing Norgay as the first climbers to reach the summit of Mount Everest. Other altitude pioneers include Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, the first human to fly in outer…
Sustainable performance improvement is simply impossible without a firm handle on the precepts and tools of statistical process control (SPC). It is for this reason that we cover industrial statistics so frequently here at Quality Digest. After all, as the great Scottish physicist and engineer…
(Leading2Lean: Salt Lake City) -- Leading2Lean has released two new enhancements to their cutting-edge Lean Execution System. Based on respected lean production methods of kaizen (aka continuous improvement) and yokoten ( aka horizontal, best-practice sharing), these enhancements will allow…
Look around, and you’ll find several great quotes about the act of organizing and preparation. Five-star general and U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower said, “Plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.” Some nameless wag (likely an insurance salesperson) noted the wisdom that “A man doesn’…
Has your boss ever asked you to donate to the United Way? Has a co-worker approached you about giving to the Red Cross? Does your employer encourage giving to nonprofits, or does it match your charitable donations?
Whether they’re responding to emergency requests for disaster relief or making…
Has your boss ever asked you to donate to the United Way? Has a co-worker approached you about giving to the Red Cross? Does your employer encourage giving to nonprofits, or does it match your charitable donations?
Whether they’re responding to emergency requests for disaster relief or making…
The presidential symposium at this year’s annual meeting of the Child Neurology Society of America in early October in Kansas City raised many eyebrows: The first presentation focused on burnout rates among neurologists around the country.
Many of my colleagues felt that this was an inappropriate…
We are fast approaching the time when companies realize and are ready to accept the astonishing power of empowering people, and the remarkable changes that can result. Yes, people as a resource for ideas is at the core of a transformed work culture and incalculable financial benefits—as long as…
Sponsored Content
Wichita, Kansas, is known as the “Air Capital of the World.” This is due in part to the National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) at Wichita State University, an advanced aircraft manufacturing laboratory. The area is home to notable aerospace and defense OEMs, including…
Lean, also known as “lean manufacturing” or “lean production,” focuses on maximizing customer value by removing waste and eliminating defects. Lean tools are about understanding the process, looking for waste, preventing mistakes, and documenting what you did.
Let’s look at five lean tools used…
(NIST: Gaithersburg, MD) -- This is an exciting time of the year for the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program, as we welcome our newest Baldrige Award recipients to the Baldrige family of role model organizations. We celebrate our award recipients and look forward to recognizing them at the…
