Despite the efforts and misfortunes of Copernicus, Galileo, and other famous astronomers to convince us that the world is not the center of the universe, the quality “solar system” remains stubbornly geocentric—that is, top-management-centric.

I don’t mean this is necessarily bad, but it does contradict the more modern, and probably correct, view of a heliocentric—that is, customer-centric—quality system. Allow me to elaborate on this quality metaphor, which incorporates links between the sun, the planets, satellites, and Greek mythology.

But before going into that, please remind me of one thing: Does GMP stand for “good manufacturing practices” or for “good management practices?”

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