The Elephant in the RoomYou don’t have to be blind
Tue, 05/08/2007 - 22:00
Three blind men sat in the market place. One said to the others: ‘Would it not be a wondrous thing to know the nature of an elephant?’ His companion agreed, ‘Yes, it would indeed be wondrous.’A merchant standing nearby overheard the men’s… Pesky CustomersUsing preventive action
Tue, 04/10/2007 - 22:00
Many of you have probably had the occasional insane day when you thought: “This job would be so much easier if we didn’t have customers to deal with.” Apart from the demands for price concessions and the requests for unreasonable deliveries, there… Collecting Useful DataTrack and trend
Tue, 03/13/2007 - 22:00
How do we conclude that a nagging, recurring blip has become serious enough to justify taking action? How do we assess the significance of anomalies—isolated occurrences and scattered, seemingly unrelated events? Can we objectively… Designing RequirementsAuditing flux
Tue, 02/13/2007 - 22:00
Auditing clause 7.3 of the design and development section of ISO 9001 can be a challenge for the auditor and the auditee. Unlike purchasing, manufacturing, shipping or order processing, it’s rarely carried out on a regular or consistent… Selling the SolutionGetting your way
Tue, 01/09/2007 - 22:00
Years ago, when my kids were in middle school, I volunteered as a coach for the Future Problem Solvers, a competitive academic program designed to help young people develop the creative thinking skills they will need as tomorrow’s leaders.… Where There’s a Will . . .There’s a <i>maybe</i>.
Tue, 12/12/2006 - 22:00
The adage “The pen is mightier than the sword.” is hackneyed, accurate and profound. I’ve done several pieces on the influence of words. The simple fact is that how we say something often matters as much as what we’re saying. It’s a… The Emperor’s New ClothesYeah, right
Tue, 11/07/2006 - 22:00
Surely you remember the tale of the emperor’s new clothes, a wonderful story filled with multiple quality training opportunities.
There was an emperor who was pompous and vain. One day, two scoundrels came to the palace, presenting themselves as… Things ChangeThe blame game is over.
Tue, 10/10/2006 - 22:00
Blame is one of the most useless, albeit pervasive, reactions that surround problem solving. For many people, the initial reaction when something goes wrong is: “Who did this?” The less-than-subtle implication underlying this question is… Look, But Don’t TouchDocuments of external origin
Tue, 09/12/2006 - 22:00
I was recently asked to comment on the ISO 9001 requirements regarding external documents. My first reaction was to point out a distinctive subtlety in the actual text of the requirement. Many users have gotten into the habit of referring to this… Buy One, Get OneCheap thrills
Tue, 08/08/2006 - 22:00
Don’t you love it when you go to the store and they have a “BOGO” sale? BOGO, as in buy one, get one. Who can resist the attraction of being able to get two things for the price of one? I once had a client who was going through the company’s…
