Content by Akhilesh Gulati
Mon, 10/26/2026 - 12:02
Before something important leaves the ground, someone has to be willing to ask an uncomfortable question: What could make this fail?
That question takes on a different meaning when the “something” is a spacecraft.
During the development of NASA’s X…
Mon, 09/14/2026 - 12:02
The real test of a quality system isn’t what happens when everything works. It’s what happens when something doesn’t.
Recently, two of my cameras failed. They were newer versions of models whose older predecessors still worked, so I contacted the…
Wed, 07/15/2026 - 12:02
During a recent visit to a brewery in Dublin, I was stopped by one statement displayed on the tour: “The quality of our advertising must be equal to the quality of our beer.”
It was intended as branding. But it pointed to something most…
Mon, 06/08/2026 - 12:03
The hardest problems are often not the ones we fail to understand. They’re the ones that resist every reasonable attempt to solve them.
We improve quality, but slow production. We add control, but lose flexibility. We simplify one part of a process…
Mon, 05/04/2026 - 12:03
On a recent gemba walk, everything looked right. Large digital dashboards lined the production floor, displaying real-time updates on throughput, quality, downtime, and schedule adherence. Metrics were green, trends were stable, and performance was…
Thu, 04/16/2026 - 12:03
On an assembly line for household appliances, 10 operators assembled motors for downstream production. Demand was high, but output consistently fell short—and many motors failed final inspection, requiring weekend overtime to catch up.
Managers…
Mon, 03/02/2026 - 12:03
A few months ago, during separate visits to an emergency department and an urgent care center, I experienced what many patients and clinicians now consider routine: long waits, crowded spaces, and visible strain on staff. It raised a familiar…
Mon, 02/23/2026 - 12:03
In the world of quality and lean, waste is the enemy. We hunt for it in cycle times, inventory buffers, and defects. But occasionally we encounter a form of waste so massive and literal that we fail to see it as a resource.
A recent redevelopment…
Thu, 12/11/2025 - 12:03
I’ve had this conversation countless times—sometimes with a frustrated client, often with a colleague, and occasionally with my own reflection.
We hear familiar calls for help:• “We need better communication.”• “People need to collaborate more.”• “…
Thu, 11/13/2025 - 12:03
Meritocracy—the idea that individuals should advance based on their talent and hard work—appeals to our sense of fairness. However, despite its noble intentions, meritocracy often fails in practice.
Emilio J. Castilla’s The Meritocracy Paradox (…