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Editor’s note: This is part two of a two-part series on how technology is, in part, behind the sluggish employment growth of the last 10 to 15 years. To read part one, click here.
To get some insight into Harvard economist Lawrence Katz’s question, “Will the job disruptions caused by technology…
From my experience, you have to be cautious when somebody says either, “Lean says you should...” or “Toyota would tell you to...” because those statements, even if stated authoritatively, can be wrong.
At a recent speaking engagement (I won’t disclose where), a professor (one who teaches about…
Editor’s note: LNS president and principal analyst Matthew Littlefield will appear on Quality Digest Live this Friday, June 21, 2013. There will also be a free QD/LNS webinar on enterprise quality management software (EQMS) Tuesday, June 25, 2013, at 11 a.m. Pacific. Click here to register.
When…
Editor’s note: This is part one of a two-part series on how technology is, in part, behind the sluggish employment growth of the last 10 to 15 years. To read part two, click here.
Given his calm and reasoned academic demeanor, it is easy to miss just how provocative Erik Brynjolfsson’s contention…
In recognition of the early and ongoing success of the Daya Bay Reactor Neutrino Project, the U.S. leaders in the international project received one of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) top 2012 Project Management Awards—the Secretary’s Achievement Award. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory…
Iam an early-adopter tech geek at heart, and generally am among the first to embrace a new technology. I love my gizmos, although I focus on how they can be used to streamline and simplify life, not add unnecessary complexity. But there’s one area where I’m still decidedly old school.
I like to…
Researchers working to design new materials that are durable, lightweight, and environmentally sustainable are increasingly looking to natural composites, such as bone, for inspiration.
Bone is strong and tough because its two constituent materials, soft collagen protein and stiff hydroxyapatite…
(Dimensional Control Systems: Troy, MI) -- Dimensional Control Systems (DCS), developer of variation analysis and quality management system software and provider of engineering services, is presenting at RTT Excite 2013 June 20–21, 2013, at RTT’s (developer of unique solutions for product…
(Verse Solutions: Farmingdale, NY) -- VERSE Solutions has launch its cloud-based quality management solution targeted specifically for small to midsized businesses. VERSE is a web-based software as a service (SaaS) solution that has been developed to give companies flexible quality management…
One of my favorite educators was my high-school American history teacher because I remember really learning something. Rather than taking primarily written tests, we often reenacted notable moments in history, and our tests came from how well we understood the issues facing our characters.
In my…
Why should anyone thank you for just doing your job? And why should you ever thank your co-workers for doing what they’re paid to do? These are common questions in American workplaces, often posed rhetorically—and sometimes with hostility.
Elsewhere in American life, we say “thank you” to…
(Hexagon Metrology: North Kingstown, RI) -- Hexagon Metrology has announced the release of the Optiv Classic 443 tp coordinate measuring machine (CMM), the newest model in the Optiv Classic series. The unit comes touch-trigger probe ready and includes a high-resolution color CCD camera for…
Editor’s note: This continues Jack Dunigan’s series about unsung heroes in the workplace, and the 16 traits they all share.
This may seem like an unusual or even inappropriate trait, and I want to be clear from this first sentence that I am not suggesting sensitivity in the emotional or…
Recently a reader posed the following value-stream mapping, lead time-related question(s). My experience, after facilitating more value-stream mapping activities than I care to remember, is that it’s not an uncommon question. In fact, it’s a very good question.
I provided a quick answer,…
A recent comment from a business friend, call him Tom, who manages a small factory, reminded me of a scene from The Wizard of Oz. “Our president is an accountant by training,” Tom said. “But she’s a good accountant.”
“So, what is a good accountant?” I asked.
“Well, you know, she thinks that…
In an earlier article, I explained how the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Office of Criminal Investigation (OCI) works when a small portion of the industry fails to adequately respond to regulatory action. For Abbott Laboratories and Amgen, the price for regulatory malfeasance was high: $1.4…
(CMSC: Benbrook, TX) -- The Coordinate Metrology Society (CMS) has filled all 27 speaker slots at the 2013 Coordinate Metrology Systems Conference (CMSC) scheduled for July 22–26, 2013, at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel and Marina in San Diego, California. Each year, the event attracts hundreds of 3D…
A t-test is one of the most frequently used procedures in statistics. But even people who frequently use t-tests often don’t know exactly what happens when their data are wheeled away and operated on behind the curtain using statistical software like Minitab.
It’s worth taking a quick peek behind…
(Kay-Jay Products: Boylston, MA) -- Kay-Jay Products is on a mission to change the way you think about CMM inspection setups. Imagine an alternative line of CMM clamps and interchangeable CMM fixture plates designed to create a lean quality-control department, all with a very affordable price tag…
If you’re a hospital leader, the safety of your patients and your employees might be keeping you up at night. That’s because senior management is accountable for creating and maintaining a safe environment for hospital staff and patients. You’re right to be concerned. Research has shown that the…
Editor’s note: Distinguished statistician and essayist David Kerridge passed away last month in Aberdeen, Scotland, at the age of 81. The former head of statistics at Aberdeen University, Kerridge was a leader in the British Deming Association and lectured with W. Edwards Deming.
There is not one…
There is an ever-growing need to transform supply chain management. More companies are feeling the pressure to produce high-quality products at low costs. To produce these products efficiently and effectively, companies must clearly express their needs to their suppliers; they must work to improve…
Momentum is a very powerful thing. In physics, momentum = mass × velocity. The cool thing about momentum is that the faster an object is moving, the harder it is to stop. This is also true for any project that you are working on.
Accomplishing project tasks (gaining “mass”) in a quick and…
At the invitation of our friend and colleague, Margaret (Meg) Wheatley, my wife, Carole, and I just returned from a conference called “Resilience: Strength Through Compassion and Connection.” I want to share some thoughts about the conference theme and I want to add strength through celebration…
Earlier this month an ex-CIA employee and whistleblower, Edward Snowden, exposed the federal government’s 6-year old, clandestine initiative, referred to internally as PRISM, a covert data-gathering program that began in 2007 as a corollary to the Patriot Act of 2001.
This White House-directed,…
