- Cost of Quality
- Customer Satisfaction and Value
- Data Quality
- Design of Experiments
- Engineering
- Environmental Manag. and Sustainability
- Global Quality
- Innovation
- ISO 14000
- ISO 9000
- Leadership
- Lean
- Metrics
- Problem Solving
- Process Management
- Product Development and Recall
- Project Management
- Quality Control
- Quality Management
- Quality Tools
- Safety
- Six Sigma
- Small Business
- Social Responsibility
- Standards
- Statistical Process Control (SPC)
- Statistics
- Supplier Quality
- Teams
- Theory of Constraints
- Total Quality Management
- ISO/TS 16949
- Compliance
- Risk Management
- Information Management
- Economic Case for Quality
- Change Management
Balancing Act
With common quality methods and standards in place, manufacturing organizations share a daunting challenge: an increased volume of electronic and paper-based data collected during process development and manufacturing....
In the Trenches
Deploying a quality change program is something every organization needs to do sooner or later, whether it involves lean, Six Sigma, the Baldrige criteria, kaizen or any other improvement effort. But managing a change program is a double-edged sword....
3.4 per Million: Inputs Into Action
A year ago, I wrote about the nine-step Integrated Enterprise Excellence (IEE) business management system and how it can be used to integrate voice of the customer (VOC) sources with other improvement efforts so an entire enterprise can benefit....
How Do You Compare?
Organizations often are unable to leverage benchmarking as a process to deliver excellence in business performance. This could be due to a lack of understanding of benchmarking as a process or lack of clarity on where it could add business value....
Expert Answers: October 2011
A QMS checklist ... Selecting a Six Sigma project ......
Getting on Track
ISO 26000 is here. Are you ready? Maybe the better question is: Do you care? You should. ISO 26000 Guidance on Social Responsibility has been touted as the new standard that can help manage social responsibility issues at your organization....
The Way to Engage
To be successful in today’s competitive global economy, more and more companies rely on suppliers and expect them to be on top in the areas of quality, cost and delivery....
Brace for Impact
There are two main problems with internal audits, but both have a solution that has produced good results in real-world situations. It’s called an “audit for impact.”...
Spring Into Action
Last year, I was presented the National Medal of Technology and Innovation. It was a great honor for all of us at General Systems Co.—and for all of us in the quality profession—to be recognized for our efforts related to total quality and innovation....
Managing Expectations
One condition is vital for initiating, implementing and sustaining a viable quality initiative: management support. Surprisingly, very few articles and books on quality even mention this need, let alone what to do if support isn’t there....
Critical Stage
Has Six Sigma been a good thing? While this is a straightforward question, there isn’t a simple answer....
Pyramid Power
The next evolutionary step for Six Sigma could be a method called 6TOC (pronounced “six-tock”) that combines principles of lean Six Sigma with the theory of constraints....
The Right Mix
Six Sigma offers a framework for process improvement based on objective data. W. Edwards Deming once said, “In God we trust: All others bring data.” For many Six Sigma practitioners, that’s become their undying motto....
Small Change, Big Impact
Little has changed in the fourth edition of ISO 9001, which was issued late last year by the International Organization for Standardization. ISO 9001:2008 contains no new requirements, so the transition should be painless for most organizations....
3.4 per Million: Smart Talk
When you examine the success of Six Sigma at Motorola, one characteristic that is frequently listed as a critical success factor is the common language it created. That attribute meanders its way into all types of Six Sigma conversations....
Back to Basics: Clearing SPC Hurdles
Statistical process control (SPC) has provided significant cost savings for companies that are fortunate enough to implement it fully. However, implementation challenges can overcome the best of intentions....
Standards Outlook: Automakers Shift Manual Into Another Gear
The Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG) published the second edition of the Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP) and Control Plan Reference Manual this summer....
Standards Outlook: Down With Silos
Businesses today have multiple management systems, including financial, quality and environmental. Unfortunately, these management systems usually do not talk to one another....
Starting From Scratch
Graduate students studying quality developed the Quality Systems Development Roadmap to help organizations do this, using application templates from the Lean Six Sigma Quality Transformation Toolkit. However, new companies, organizations without an enterp...
10 Auditing Rules
All auditors receive training in the basics of planning, conducting and reporting audits. Unfortunately, this is the only training many ever receive....
Expert Answers: May 2008
Government and cost of quality ... Understanding the slack factor....
The Great Debate
Two auditors meet over breakfast. One is a quality management system (QMS) auditor and the other an environmental management system (EMS) auditor....
Expert Answers: March 2008
Outlook on outsourcing ... When does Six Sigma suffice?...
The International Growth of Quality
Human, economic, and technological changes in the international arena require that businesses deliver high quality value to customers. Fundamental to any business's competitive strength is its ability to understand and implement the language of quality....
Lean Lessons: Keeping Lean Alive
We know we cannot stand still in the face of global competition. Our rivals are not standing pat--they are improving their processes and systems to catch up or overtake us. If we do not improve, sooner or later our customers will prefer our rivals....
3.4 Per Million: The Hard Part: Holding Improvement Gains
You've overcome the obstacles to launch your latest improvement initiative: scarce resources, time pressure, unforeseen glitches at every turn. Now comes the hard part--sustaining the gains....
Standards Outlook: Do Environmental Management Systems Improve Performance?
The debate regarding the value of environmental management systems arises from a lack of comparable, quantifiable data demonstrating companies with a formal EMS produce less environmental emissions, discharges and waste than companies without one....
Selling Quality Ideas to Management
Many great ideas fall by the wayside because management does not accept them. This may be because the idea must compete with other priorities or the owner doesn't do enough to sell the idea to management. Three effective ways to enhance an idea are to...
The Human Side of Change Leadership
Even carefully planned efforts to introduce change can be short lived if the human element is neglected or left to chance. When planning a change it is important to identify potential resistance to the changes and then design motivation into the...
Compliance and Ethics Group Formed
Recently I learned about a new organization, the Open Compliance and Ethics Group (OCEG). I immediately found its website (www.oceg.org) and was impressed....
Minimize Your Waste Line
Many companies see the enthusiasm surrounding new quality initiatives wane once the immediate benefits decrease and realities of day-to-day operational procedures override long term goals. While no plan can provide instant, lasting improvement, the...
Learn To Talk Money
Upper management speaks a different language from that of quality professionals. Management is driven by financial performance. Understanding and accepting management’s financial vocabulary will increase the likelihood that the quality...
Management System Integration: Can It Be Done?
In October 1996, the International Organization for Standardization, known as ISO, issued the final version of ISO 14001, an international standard for environmental management systems (EMS)....
Quality's Six Life Cycle Stages
A tool referred to as “quality life cycle” provides a strategic mechanism to chart and sustain quality while proactively countering shortcomings of its implementation, such as stagnation and limited application, which can ultimately result in failure....
Eastman Chemical's Success Story
The costs associated with customer complaints can be significant. These costs manifest themselves in a number of ways: lost business, investigative costs, time spent responding to complaints, and claims or credits paid. The Eastman Chemical Co. realized...
13 Steps to Certification in Less Than a Year
Ultratech Stepper (UTS), a manufacturer of photolithography equipment, became both ISO 9001:2000 and ISO 14000 certified in less than a year at a cost under $200,000, using only two employees to manage the effort part-time. UTS's quality steering...
How To Scope DMAIC Projects
Training materials supporting Six Sigma provide excellent background material and address some of the tools and steps needed for successful implementation of the Six Sigma define, measure, analyze, improve, and control (DMAIC) process. However, many...
10 Process Improvement Lessons for Leaders
Many of the process improvement programs launched by companies with great enthusiasm fail to live up to expectations because leaders fail to understand the dynamics that influence the success of the program. While not intended to replace an existing...
Column: Emerging Sectors: Using ISO 9001 To Make Our Skies Safer
Transportation Security lab certifies explosive detection systems' test process
The Transportation Security Research, Engineering and Development Division (known as AAR-500), an organization within the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) of the U.S. Department of Transportation, recently achieved...
Column: Standards Outlook: Purchaser and Supplier Quality
Going beyond ISO 9001, QS-9000 and TS 16949
For quality to happen, quality control from the supplier's perspective is necessary. But evidence indicates suppliers do not always pursue the actions needed for quality improvement. Quality practitioners...
A Chip Maker's Unique Improvement Approach
CANDOS, the continuous improvement process at Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD), is an acronym derived from a series of steps: Clearing, Arrangement, Neatness, Discipline, Ongoing improvement, and Safety. Its principles of maintaining a safe and...
What Should Be Changed?
Tools from two change management systems are compared to show which give managers the best results when implementing changes. The theory of constraints (TOC) features a set of five tools to examine the entire system for continuous improvement. One of...
Column: Emerging Sectors: Johnson Space Center Reaches for the Stars
.]In the late 1990s, the Johnson Space Center (JSC) and NASA's other centers began experiencing flattened and decreasing funding from Congress without an equivalent decline in workload. Management recognized a shift in emphasis from correction to...
Johnson Space Center Reaches for the Stars
ISO 9001 certification leads shift from problem correction to prevention and information sharing
In the late 1990s, the Johnson Space Center (JSC) and NASA's other centers began experiencing flattened and decreasing funding from Congress without an equivalent decline in workload. To ensure JSC's QMS had been thoroughly tested, the center initiated a ...
Column: Frontiers of Quality: Make the View Worth the Climb
Focus training on delivering better business results
When upper managment sees training as a cost rather than an investment, it is easy to justify cutting that cost. However, using a Six Sigma paradigm to look at training as a means to improving performance in a specific project allows a...
A Road Map to Six Sigma Quality
Many business executives interested in trying Six Sigma Breakthrough Strategies fail to realize that to be successful Six Sigma programs must become cultural revolutions that involve every member of the organization. What is needed is a road map that...
Quality Approach Supports Engineering Education Reform
Working under a 10-year directive to create and sustain systemic reform of engineering education, the Southeastern Universities and Colleges Coalition for Engineering Education (SUCCEED) has developed a comprehensive model for assessing and improving...
Lessons Learned
Despite the difficulty of transferring technology and methodology from one culture to another, a team from Raytheon has successfully conducted Six Sigma based tactical transformation workshops for Raytheon Business units, their customers, and suppliers...
Concurrent Engineering - A Powerful Enabler of Supply Chain Management
In transforming from traditional manufacturing operations to complete customer order fulfillment enterprises, many companies are implementing supply chain management strategies (SCM) to improve client satisfaction and reduce costs. Integrating product...
Resolving The Process Paradox: A strategy for launching meaningful process improvement
Continuous Process Improvement (CPI) is critical to business strategy. To improve its value creating abilities, organizations must continuously improve their value creating processes. Before implementing process improvement, organizations should...
Making Teams Work
At the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics, a one-year pilot project for introducing a team environment generated seven major observations. The pilot project covered both leader-directed teams and self-directed work teams (SDWTs). The...
Quality in Banking Starts with Four Assessments
Assessments help banks learn how to improve customer and employee satisfaction, internal quality, company culture, and operating cost systems. One large assessment area covers the four components of the cost of poor quality. Internal failure costs...
Internal Auditing: The Big Lies
Dysfunctional audit programs are beset by unconsciously held, inaccurate axioms. These are the lies that prevent internal audits from gathering useful information that managers need. The lies have left auditors with a reputation for nitpicking,...
Reliability Improvement Issues and Tools
Weibull distributions can also represent products with either a decreasing hazard rate ( less than 1) or increasing hazard rate ( greater than 1). When equals 1 the Q U A L I T Y P R O G R E S S I M A Y 1 9 9 9 I 135 Selling Reliability to Upper Manageme...
Putting Quality in Knowledge Management
Rapid access to expertise within an organization is a purpose of knowledge management. Quality professionals have critical leadership and educational roles in the harvesting of that knowledge and in the management of corporate memory. Knowledge is...
Team Empowerment: A Simple and Easy Solution
QUEST (Quality Empowerment Survey for Teams) is a tool that helps teams make the most of their strengths while remediating their weaknesses. Team members use the QUEST survey to rate team factors such as respect, recognition, communications, problem...
Six Sigma and the Future of the Quality Profession
A lean quality organization that performs supporting roles is a trend in the quality profession. It already has appeared in businesses like General Electric and the now defunct Scott Paper Company. The supporting roles are management of the quality...
The Impact of Contracting on Quality Transformation in R&D
Outsourcing has an impact on the implementation of quality. R&D (research and development) managers often contract out some work, creating a dual work force. Studies being done in the Transformations to Quality Organizations project suggest that...
Improving Team Effectiveness
Successful teams are supported by assessment programs; management and individual commitment; and access to the skills, knowledge, and techniques that they need. More than a decade of experience has taught organizations that effective teamwork requires...
Preventive Action vs. Corrective Action: The Horse, the Barn Door, and the Apple
Preventive action is more valuable than corrective action. The best approaches to preventive action are ongoing, systematic, deliberate, proactive, analytical, investigative, and predictive. A story about missed opportunities for prevention tells of...
Advanced Quality Planning: A Guide for Any Organization
Implementation of advanced product quality planning (APQP) has long-term business advantages for any organization, while supporting the QS-9000 activities of firms in the automotive industry. This planning process, including a control plan (CP)...
Developing a TQM Implementation Model
A 3-D model of quality improvement with individual, team, and organizational dimensions was implemented at a manufacturing firm. The model for this TQM (total quality management) program was built on assumptions that covered: continuous change in all...
The Criteria: A Looking Glass to Americans' Understanding of Quality
Process Management is Category 6 in the 1997 criteria of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA). As the sixth of seven installments on the Baldrige criteria, this article notes that the MBNQA is driven by values for which the criteria are...
Health Care Organizations Can Learn From the Experiences of Others
A survey of midwestern U.S. hospitals examined implementation of quality programs. To 400 mailed questionnaires, there were 92 usable responses, 73.9% being from urban areas. Median bed size of the respondents was 530. All respondents had quality...
Using Quality to Create a Viable Disaster Plan
The Deming Prize provides a framework for disaster planning. Such planning is vital because it helps the organization remain effective, while reducing risk and increasing the likelihood of meeting customer expectations. Disaster planning is a business...
Baldrige Award Celebrates Its 10th Birthday With a New Look
The latest biennial review of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA) has produced changes in framework, wording, application process, and title. The title change for the 10th anniversary in 1997 replaces the Award Criteria booklet with the...
Self-Directed Work Teams: A Guide to Implementation
Highly trained members, more resources and cross-functional skills, greater decision-making power, and improved information access can raise the level of teamwork. Self-directed work teams (SDWTs) have these characteristics. Implementations of SDWTs...
Teamwork Brings Breakthrough Improvements in Quality and Climate
Scrap reduction at one U.K. company depended on cultural change, a problem-solving approach to process improvement, and teamwork. Prior to this initiative, the company's culture was traditionally hierarchical and based on fear. As a first step in...
Small Companies Learn How to Design in Quality
The Design of Experiments (DOX) program at the University of New Hampshire is a partnership between industry and academia. Since 1992 DOX has helped 29 teams from small companies use designed experiments to improve their processes and products. Every...
Use Technology to Unleash the Potential of Your Quality Improvement Teams
Group decision support systems (GDSS) can increase the effectiveness of problem-solving teams. Teamwork is important because groups create better decisions than do individuals, especially if the groups are cross functional. However, power, status, and...
What Do Managers Really Think of the ISO 9000 Registration Process?
Forty Colorado companies were surveyed about the ISO 9000 registration process. Each company was ISO-9000 registered, and the key ISO 9000 person at each firm answered the 22 open-ended survey questions. Results indicate that 85% of the firms sought...
Factoring Ethics into the TQM Equation
A technician was summoned to company to repair a major piece of manufacturing equipment. The plant manager anxiously looked on, since the entire production line was stopped....
It's 10 p.m.: Do You Know Where Your Quality Program Is?
Shift operations require a 24-hours-a-day management system. Continuous quality improvement across all shifts relies on communication, participation, supervision, and training. Problems to overcome during evening and night shifts include: low...
