All Features
Laurel Thoennes @ Quality Digest
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…
Steven Brand
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…
Lolly Daskal
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,…
Kelly Graves
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…
Patrick Horine
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 $…
Jorge A. Correa
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…
William A. Levinson
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…
Tim Lozier
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…
Mike Richman
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…
Kevin Meyer
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…
Donald J. Wheeler
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…
Ian Woodward
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…
Mike Richman
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…
Mike Richman
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’…
Genevieve Shaker, Robert Christensen
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…
Jay Desai
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…
Gwendolyn Galsworth
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…
James Rawstron
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…
Bonnie Stone
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…
Knowledge at Wharton
The mere mention of keeping up with overflowing email, constant meetings, and time-sucking conference calls makes many of us groan and roll our eyes. How did we all get so busy? A major culprit is the sharp rise in cross-functional collaboration over the past several years.
Today, it’s often not…
Tonianne DeMaria
Lean says: Manage flow. Your brain says: My work isn’t linear. My day is filled with interruptions, and so I don’t have the “luxury” of flow. What’s at play here: functional fixedness.
If there is one area where there’s not an obvious transfer of lean principles from manufacturing to knowledge…
ISO
A new version of ISO 31000:2009—“Risk management” is due to be unveiled early next year. As the threat of risks grows for governments, organizations, and the public alike, how can the new, streamlined standard help to make our future more secure?
Ten years ago, the boardrooms of banks and…
Barbara A. Cleary
When W. Edwards Deming urged managers to “institute training on the job” in his Fourteen Points for Managers, he undoubtedly meant far more than simply teaching workers how to use specific equipment or procedures involved in their work. Indeed, developing an organization’s culture demands a…
Jon Speer
What exactly is a risk-based quality management system (QMS)? This is a timely topic to get into. In 2016, ISO 13485—“Medical devices”—“Quality management systems” was updated, and one of the key concepts presented is the idea of a risk-based QMS.
Historically, regulations have almost exclusively…
Minter Dial, Caleb Storkey
The onslaught of disruptive technologies has resulted in business and operating models being turned upside-down. This requires a shift in mindset. Invariably, change is difficult. We are all creatures of habit and subject to long-standing attitudes. Those of you who have been in business a long…
