My first exposure to manufacturing was nearly 21 years ago. My on-the-job training was brief and mainly consisted of general safety, machine operating, and maintenance instructions with little focus on problematics or quality requirements. After all, I wasn’t forming sheet metal for an airplane; I was sewing a feed sack. Nearly a decade later I realized sewing feed sacks on a production line was the beginning of my career path and commitment to quality.

Quality isn’t subjective, and neither is its relevance measured by the product. Quality is the foundation of an organization.

Regardless of your industry, nonconformity is a reality, and we must all remain committed to managing the contributing factors.

When an organization neglects to properly analyze the root cause of nonconformity—becoming too accepting of responses indicating an uncontrollable factor—we have not only misused the process, but also potentially crippled our ability to effectively problem solve.

 …