All Features
Kimber Evans
C
ontinuous quality improvement is something from which any company can benefit. Here at Quality Digest, we are just as much at risk of getting caught in the same-old, same-old as the next guy. However, in the past 18 months, we have taken great strides to bring new and innovative products and…
Steven Ouellette
We have recently covered a lot of ground on the topic of measurement system analysis (MSA). We talked about the basics of MSA, the potential study, the short-term study, and the long-term study. At this point you should have a pretty firm foundation in the importance and methods of good MSA…
Bill Kalmar
T
hose of us who are senior citizens (or as we are sometimes called, those in the autumn of our years) have seen a lot of changes in the world. If you took a snapshot right now of what is in your home, your automobile, or what you can purchase in various stores, it’s easy to quickly realize…
Oriel STAT A MATRIX
In recent years, there have been published reports of an increase in Food and Drug Administration (FDA) inspectional observations associated with training deficiencies. Specifically, these inspectional observations have focused on training related to the quality system requirement that…
Michelle LaBrosse
There’s a lot of talk about ROI, the infamous return on investment. But the question is, “How can you personally generate ROI in your own life?”
The first step is to expand your concept of what capital is. It is not just a financial term.
There are five kinds of capital:
Financial…
Donald J. Wheeler
Having an effective model for the nature of data will inevitably identify two different paths to process improvement. One path seeks to operate a process up to its full potential while the other path seeks to operate to meet requirements. This article explains how these two paths differ and how…
NIST
The following is a profile of one of the 2009 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award Winners. The Baldrige Award is the nation’s highest award for quality and is administered by the Department of Commerce through the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
AtlantiCare, a nonprofit…
William A. Levinson
The airline industry’s complete disregard for service quality and total contempt for its customers has changed little since Quality Digest columnist H. James Harrington called out American Airlines for diverting his luggage on an international flight. American Airlines’ CEO, Gerard Arpey,…
Donald J. Wheeler
Having an effective model for the nature of data will inevitably identify two different paths to process improvement. One path seeks to operate a process up to its full potential while the other path seeks to operate to meet requirements. This article explains how these two paths differ and how…
Denise Robitaille
ISO 9001 makes multiple references to the need to understand customer requirements and to monitor the extent to which those requirements have been fulfilled. In fact, the scope of the standard clearly indicates that its focus is primarily on ensuring that an organization has the processes that…
Jon Miller
After every major natural disaster that disrupts global supply chains, there are voices that cry out “A-ha! I told you just-in-time inventory doesn’t work!” Recently the Icelandic volcano turned European skies airplane-free for a few days and news programs reported shortages of critical raw…
R. Eric Reidenbach Ph.D.
I just read an article that appeared on Quality Digest Daily, “The Quality Crisis in America,” by David C. Crosby. The gist of the article is that the nation is in the midst of a quality crisis that has been with us for a very long time. The problem, according to Crosby, “is that the ‘big boss’—…
Tripp Babbitt
Like there isn’t enough politics in the workplace! Command and control managers love to rank employees; there needs to be forced ranking by assessment of performance to be considered a good manager and have a well-run company.
Some rank to give bonuses or incentives, and others rank to RIF…
Dirk Dusharme @ Quality Digest
Hexagon Metrology Inc. announced its latest product today at Quality Expo South in Charlotte, North Carolina—the Leica Absolute Tracker AT401, the industry’s first wireless, battery powered laser tracker.
See It Live
The Smallest,
Ultra-Long Range Laser…
Jeff Liker
The most stunning accomplishment of Toyota during the last 50 years is its turnaround from making “junk” to virtually redefining quality in the auto industry. Toyota was influenced to the core by W. Edwards Deming and quality is evident everywhere in the company. The objective of the Toyota…
Environmental Quality Corner with Ken Appel
Having exhibited at INTERPHEX for many years, Veriteq, a provider of environmental monitoring and validation solutions, has made many connections with leading pharmaceutical and biotech companies. The Veriteq team attending INTERPHEX 2010, on April 20–22, was struck by two trends in the…
Rick Johnson Ph.D.
Do you remember who your mentors were? Do you currently have a mentor? Is there anyone in your organization who you really respect, anyone you look up to, anyone whose actions and words have a real effect on how you live your life, perform your job, and think about your future? If you do, whether…
Bill Kalmar
Quality has many identities. There is quality in the manufacturing of automobiles, quality in food preparation, quality in education, quality in surgical procedures, quality in document preparation, and of course air quality, which is the underlying theme of my ranting this week.
On Saturday,…
NIST
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Cooperative Studies Program (VACSP) Clinical Research Pharmacy Coordinating Center (the Center) is a federal government organization that supports multicenter clinical trials targeting current health issues for America’s veterans. Located in Albuquerque, New…
Nikon Metrology Inc.
A
few years ago a Missouri-based casting company, O’Fallon Casting, realized that its touch probe-based inspection system was stretched to the limit for most of its rapid prototyping work. O’Fallon Casting took a new approach by installing a cross scanner from Nikon Metrology plus PolyWorks…
Under an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract with the U.S. General Services Administration’s (GSA) Great Lakes Region, Ghafari Associates LLC, a full-service architecture, engineering and consulting firm, was selected to design the restoration of the Chicago Federal Center (CFC…
Jon Miller
Facilitation is the art of guiding but not leading, bringing learning but not lecturing, engaging but not directing. Coming from the Latin facilitar, meaning, “to make easy,” the role of the facilitator is not to do for others, but to bring out the ability of a group to accomplish a goal. There are…
David Rizzo
With the dawn of the new decade, retailers throughout the world are realizing the profit potential of going beyond their main channel of distribution and making products available through additional channels outside of their core competency. Overcoming the challenge of merging these different…
David C. Crosby
I recently wrote an article for Quality Digest Daily titled, “Quality Crisis in America.” It produced quite a response. Most readers agreed that quality needed to improve, maybe even that there is a crisis, but it was a mixed bag about The Boss’ role and responsibility. Some thought I was bashing…
Keith Kokal
The collapse of the global economy has put a lot of manufacturing companies out of business. Even at this late stage of the recession, there are still auctions of recently closed plants conducted every day. There are many more manufacturers struggling to reduce their operating costs and improve…
