Preparing Quality Improvement for the FutureWhen paradigms shift
Thu, 06/09/2016 - 16:54
Quality alone will not ensure a successful future, as the classic story of the buggy-whip manufacturer demonstrates. His products were outstanding—better than any others—but when the market changed to automobiles, he found himself out of business… The Shrinking PackageLess product for more money is a quality issue
Thu, 05/26/2016 - 16:48
Trivia question of the day: What do toilet paper, sugar, coffee, cheese, ice cream, and sugar have in common? Two things, actually. Their prices are up, and their packaging units are down.
A can of coffee is now likely to be only 11 ounces,… Five Contributing Factors of a Failed ReputationLong-term quality demands eternal vigilance
Mon, 03/28/2016 - 12:12
When giant companies known for the quality of their products and services find themselves suddenly in the news due to massive recalls—think Volkswagen, Toyota, John Deere, Craftsman, or Chipotle—the first question to emerge often is: What went… Deming’s Chain Reaction Gives Meaning to WorkThe critical link is an understanding of quality improvement
Mon, 09/28/2015 - 11:14
Last year’s Gallup poll of worker satisfaction revealed that almost 90 percent of workers were either “not engaged” with or “actively disengaged” from the work at their jobs—a shocking revelation that has apparently been repeated in many polls.… DIY Software: Does It Really Save You Money?‘We can do this ourselves’ goes only so far in software development and maintenance
Mon, 02/02/2015 - 08:21
When my mother looked at the prices of new hats, studied their features, and then went home and tried to remodel her old hat with feathers or lace to look like those fancier models, I saw the value of doing things yourself—for my mother, an… Support the Internship ExperienceAnd pay for the pleasure
Mon, 05/20/2013 - 10:59
Bill Kalmar’s column (Working for Free) about internships and the tendency to exploit students’ availability by providing no compensation caused some reflection within my company, PQ Systems, about its own internship program. The company has offered… Exploring MarsNASA supplier and GAGEpack support rover’s historic mission
Tue, 11/13/2012 - 13:35
When NASA engineers asked, “Could Mars have once harbored life?” and set out to investigate by launching the Mars Science Laboratory rover, Curiosity, PQ Systems was in the background, not only cheering on their efforts, but also contributing… Ensuring Medical Data Safety Demands Quality ControlData breaches cost health care nearly $6 billion annually
Tue, 01/25/2011 - 05:00
A young man in PQ Systems' hometown survived a dramatic auto accident last summer in which police-captured video footage of his spectacular, airborne vehicle was broadcast throughout the nation. That was just the beginning of his problems, for… Charting Rare Events EffectivelyMind your g’s and t’s
Mon, 11/29/2010 - 05:00
Signs in factories or on the back of long-range trucking rigs sometimes proclaim “X days since our last accident” or “No on-the-job injuries since 1964.” Extending the stretch between such accidents may be motivated by this announcement alone, but… FMEA: An Investment You Hope You’ll Never NeedAnalyzing what might go wrong can prevent costly errors
Wed, 08/18/2010 - 06:00
A spate of cartoons and commentary throughout the summer has lampooned BP, Halliburton, Transocean, and Cameron International for their apparent inability to plan timely control measures that might have constrained the destruction after the blowout…
