As I contemplated writing my final column of 1995, I reflected on Quality Digest's evolution. Many people are unaware that Quality Digest has been published since 1981. It's interesting to note some of the changes we've undergone.
We began life back in 1981 as Quality Circle Digest, a publication devoted to covering the then-exploding quality circle phenomenon. We primarily covered the growth of the quality circle movement, team meeting techniques and quality circle case studies. In fact, many people are unaware that our publisher, Donald L. Dewar, co-founded the Association for Quality and Participation.
Unfortunately, U.S. business is fickle. Quality circles soon become passˇ, even though the problem-solving skills they introduce to the United States form the foundation of today's employee-involvement/problem-solving teams.
Around the same time, however, the term "total quality management" explodes onto the scene. U.S. business suddenly becomes frantic to apply the next miracle cure from the East. Quality gurus W. Edwards Deming and J.M. Juran quietly laugh all the way to the bank as they watch Tom Peters, Philip Crosby et al. jump on the bandwagon. The Baldrige is born. Quality Circle Digest becomes Quality Digest. The European Community decides to adopt the new ISO 9000 quality standard as the de facto standard for doing business with Europe.
Along came the 1990s. James Champy and Michael Hammer publish Reengineering the Corporation. TQM undergoes quadruple bypass surgery as TQM consultants begin scurrying around like rats deserting a sinking ship. Chrysler, Ford and GM launch QS-9000. ISO 9000 registrations hit the 100,000 mark worldwide, but only 7,000 U.S. companies register. Quality Digest becomes a full-sized publication.
What's next for the quality world and Quality Digest? A return to the basics, perhaps. The growth of ISO 9000 and QS-9000 have forced many organizations to take a hard look at traditional quality control. TQM advocates tended to look down on the quality control/assurance departments. Because so many of our readers are in quality control and because quality control is such an important part of the quality standards movement, Quality Digest will increase its coverage of this vital area.
We will feature a buyers guide in each issue in 1996. Many of these guides cover the inspection and testing market and are new to Quality Digest (most are new to any quality publication), but they certainly aren't new to our readers. You'll have the opportunity to see how well we do in January when our coordinate measuring machine buyers guide debuts.
We plan to continue to cover new developments in ISO 9000, QS-9000 and the new ISO 14000. In fact, we are launching a seven-part series on ISO 14000 in January. Our new contributing editor Caroline Hemenway will keep Quality Digest readers on the cutting edge of this fast-developing environmental management standard.
While we definitely won't be changing our name anytime soon, we will continue to change with the times.