All Features
Davis Balestracci
Referring back to June’s column, I hope you’ve found C. M. Hendrix’s “ways to mess up an experiment” helpful in putting your design of experiments training into a much better perspective. Today, I’m going to add two common mess-ups from my consulting experience. If you’re not careful, it’s all too…
NIST
After it’s all over, your lights will be just as bright, and your refrigerator just as cold. But very soon the ampere—the base unit in the International System of Units (SI) for electrical current—will take on an entirely new identity. In 2018, the SI base units are scheduled to be re-defined in…
Kevin Meyer
Nearly three decades ago, one of my first bosses pulled me aside. I forget the underlying incident except that I had somehow screwed up, and he bluntly told me to “sweat the details.” I clearly remember it to this day, and it became one of the defining pieces of advice I have ever received. It was…
Quality Digest
Three special shows were broadcast LIVE from booths of our marketing partners at IMTS in Chicago. Each episode covered events of the show and demonstrations of our partners' latest products.
• Tues., Sept. 13: 3D Systems' Geomagic 3D Inspection Software for first-article and production inspection…
Nir Kshetri
It’s looking increasingly likely that computer hackers have in fact successfully attacked what had been the pinnacle of cybersecurity—the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA). Reports have emerged of claims by a hacking group called the Shadow Brokers that it had breached the network of, and…
Timothy Lozier
Current management regulations and standards stress the importance of making quality management a higher priority throughout all areas of operation. At Verse Solutions, we wanted to find out how quality managers are adjusting to that new mindset, and how they are using quality-based technology to…
Jesse Lyn Stoner
It’s pretty common these days to hear complaints about lack of leadership, poor leadership, and disappointment with those who are in leadership roles. In a recent World Economic Forum survey, 86 percent of the respondents reported they believe there is a leadership crisis in the world today.
But…
William A. Levinson
Clause 6.1 of ISO 9001:2015 requires “Actions to address risks and opportunities” first with regard to section 4.1, “Understanding the organization and its context” and second in section 4.2, “Understanding the needs and expectations of interested parties.” As 4.2 goes on to say, the latter are…
Karan Girotra
Social media and e-commerce have converged on China’s smartphones, thanks to one groundbreaking app. Since its release in 2011, WeChat, the free cross-platform messaging app, has grown into a veritable one-stop shop for lifestyle management. Without exiting the app, WeChat’s loyal users—whose…
Daniel Desilets
Sponsored content
Y our product or service is only as good as the management system that supports it. Certification by an independent third-party certification body, such as Intertek, confirms that your management system complies with the respective international standards for quality,…
The rising price for the EpiPen, a drug delivery system that is crucial for persons experiencing potentially life-threatening allergic reactions, has resulted in outrage. The price increase, from about $94 for a two-pack of injectable epinephrine to more than $600 in just nine years, has members…
Scott Berkun
If you want to make progress happen, or be someone who brings good ideas into the world, the following is for you. It’s the simplest, easiest, most straightforward way to convert your ambition into action. When I’m asked to give The simple plan
1. Pick a project and start doing something. It…
In the comedy western Blazing Saddles during a seminal moment, the sheriff points a gun to his head and threatens to blow his own brains out if everyone doesn’t do as he says.
There have been echoes of this persuasive technique recently in the United Kingdom whose populace voted to exit the…
These days, every company either is or must become a digital organization if it wants to survive and grow in the age of platforms and networks. Getting there, however, is no cakewalk. The journey requires leaving behind old mental models of industry and value.
A decade ago, the five most valuable…
Bruce Hamilton
Last weekend in the Nantucket Ferry terminal, I passed a defunct phone booth: an ornate wooden kiosk used 20 years ago to frame a pay phone, provide a modicum of privacy, and hold a phone book. It appeared that this particular phone booth had been re-purposed to hold a suggestion box, or perhaps…
NIST
NIST scientists have devised and modeled a unique optical method of sorting microscopic and nanoscopic particles by size, with a resolution as fine as 1 nm for particles of similar composition.
A stream of particles of various sizes enters the system at a single point, but the particles exit the…
Greg Anderson
Government and commercial insurers are transforming payment systems from a fee-for-service reimbursement model to arrangements that include incentives for quality, outcomes, improved patient satisfaction, and reduced cost.
In the fee-for-service environment, hospitals, physicians, and other…
It’s no surprise to many consumers that some retailers and brands think that packaging—although necessary—isn’t really something to invest a lot of time, money, or effort in.
Consider the box. Many would look at it as an inconsequential container. It’s the thing you must rip, cut, tear, or…
Brooke Pierce
Think back to your last car, truck, or SUV purchase. What did you want to know before spending so much money?
More than likely, you first wanted to know the price range of the type of car you were considering. You might have also wanted to know what features were standard on the various makes and…
Swapnil Srivastav
Mandatory reporting requirements for regulations such as Europe’s REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction of Chemicals) and RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances) legislation have increased the focus on environmental compliance and ethical sourcing across the globe.…
Eston Martz
A recent post at Ben Orlin’s always amusing mathwithbaddrawings.com blog nicely encapsulates why so many people feel wary about anything related to statistics and data analysis. Take a moment to check it out; it’s a fast read.
In all the scenarios Orlin offers in his post, the statistical…
Jim Benson
Prioritization is stressful. We find ourselves prematurely making value decisions about what to pull and when (right now!).
Recently a client asked, “How can I prioritize my work when there is no clear priority? Everything seems equally important.”
This is a deeper issue than simply being…
I thought the job of a leader was to be directive, i.e., to tell your staff what to do. I loved my staff. I wanted the very best for them. I wanted to do everything I could to help them win. My strategy for their development as leaders was for them to hang around me. I frequently said, “A lot more…
Ironically, when managers think they have all the answers, strategy can turn into fantasy. Many organizations have an obsession with certainty, a must-know attitude to strategic initiatives. Senior managers often demand teams put forward plans that give the feeling everyone knows exactly how an…
Donald J. Wheeler
The question “Is this batch like the others?” is asked all over the world on a daily basis. It turns out that the process behavior chart provides a very effective answer for questions about the homogeneity of the product stream.
In World War II, Gen. Leslie Simon used the process behavior chart…
