What Does Your Work Taste Like?Holding people accountable is the best way to drive a culture of quality performance
Tue, 09/15/2015 - 13:18
A good friend and mentor of mine said, “We should eat the bread that we make.” He is James Wardlaw, now of Summit Engineering Solutions, and he reminded me of this piece of wisdom during a recent conversation.
It means that we should live with the… What’s Your Problem?Three common problem-solving mistakes, and two questions to avoid them
Thu, 07/30/2015 - 15:34
In my younger years, I might have asked that question to tell off someone who was getting in my face. Now I find it’s one of the most critical questions to ask when beginning a process improvement because often we either don’t really know the… Continual Improvement Events Don’t WorkBreak the cycle
Thu, 07/02/2015 - 11:09
Almost every conversation I’ve had with colleagues lately on the topic of process improvement or business performance improvement has centered on organizing working meetings or events to address and solve problems. “Events” seem to be growing in… The Ninth Waste and the Goose That Lays Golden EggsPeople are more than just ‘resources’
Tue, 05/19/2015 - 16:23
Perhaps the biggest mistake business leaders make is to assume that people are resources like any other. The truth is that people are resources unlike any other. At the heart of many business disasters is the misunderstanding that people and man-… Wishful Thinking and Risk Management in Real TimeWhen your reactions oust common sense, ask these questions
Thu, 04/09/2015 - 16:21
There are a great many risk management tools available, in a variety of forms. Most of us are familiar with failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) for design risk management, or some other form of risk matrix for project risk planning.
But what… Resourcing Continuous ImprovementPlan in advance to minimize disruption
Thu, 03/19/2015 - 13:00
We all know there’s no free lunch. Continuous improvement (CI) takes time and energy. There’s a significant learning curve, skilled people need time away from “normal” work to analyze and plan improvements, and there is the disruption change causes… Who’s Minding the Minders?Maintaining collaborative relationships
Thu, 02/05/2015 - 00:00
What relationship do the various functions and personnel in your organization have with your quality group? Is it collaborative, adversarial, or one of total domination? It can be a slippery slope that runs from successful to disastrous. Is your… RAIL Derailed? Part 2Best practices to increase efficiency
Thu, 01/08/2015 - 10:35
In part one of this two-part column, we discussed the uses and occasional misapplications of the rolling action item list (RAIL). Now, let’s discuss some good practices and optional features that can help us make better use of this tool and become… RAIL Derailed? Part 1This tool should be reserved for tracking tasks and smaller assignments
Wed, 01/07/2015 - 16:11
Let’s talk about the rolling action item list (RAIL). It’s an essential tool for many organizations and project leaders. Unfortunately, it is a highly dysfunctional tool for many.
Let’s look at some mistakes that undermine the RAIL’s utility and… Connecting Customer Decisions to Design DecisionsStop trying to design a better do-everything product for a cheaper price
Wed, 09/24/2014 - 10:38
Connecting our information about customer desires with our designs is difficult. If it seems simple, we probably missed something. In the realm of product development, the most challenging and often the riskiest part of the design process is…
