All Features
Thomas R. Cutler
Lean theory suggests that the possibilities for quality improvement exist everywhere. Rarely does that concept translate to a damaged corrugated box in a warehouse—but it should. The cost of damaged packaging, particularly cardboard containers, is very significant in bottom-line costs (damaged…
Brian Hughes
Jodi Ullman glanced at her watch: 10:25 a.m. She pushed back from her desk, stood up, and stretched—after first peeking out the door of her office toward the cubical maze to make sure no one was watching. She’d been staring at the screen of her laptop for two hours, poring over the latest…
(Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services: Washington, D.C.) -- As the beginning of the annual election period for the Medicare Prescription Drug Program nears, many seniors and their caregivers are in the dark about how the program works and how to make the most of it. This is something Esther…
(Press Ganey Associates Inc.: South Bend, Indiana) -- By analyzing patient satisfaction data representing 1.5 million patients and 1,158 hospitals across the nation from January 2007 through June 2008, Press Ganey Associates Inc. found a dramatic upturn in patient satisfaction, strengthening the…
Wini Hayes
A well-respected surgical group requests a new surgical device that they swear will revolutionize how surgery is performed in your hospital. The price tag is well into seven figures, with significant annual maintenance and training costs. A competing hospital is advertising to consumers that they…
(AHRQ: Rockville, Maryland) -- The Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act (Patient Safety Act) authorized the creation of patient safety organizations (PSOs) to improve safety through the collection and analysis of data on patient safety events. By providing privilege and confidentiality, PSOs…
(National Quality Forum: Washington, D.C.) -- To support consumer engagement and improved quality in health care, the National Quality Forum (NQF) endorsed guidelines for consumer-focused, internet-based public reporting. These guidelines will assist report sponsors to present information about…
(WCBF: Chicago) -- The winners for all categories and the special awards were announced at the Global Six Sigma & Business Improvement Awards Gala Dinner on Oct. 15, held at the Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center, in Orlando, Florida.
Mark Pigott, chairman and CEO of PACCAR received…
(Wal-Mart Stores Inc.: Beijing, China) -- Wal-Mart Stores Inc. took the next step in its sustainability journey by hosting an unprecedented gathering of more than 1,000 leading suppliers, Chinese officials, and nongovernmental organizations (NGO) in Beijing, China. Wal-Mart outlined a series of…
(EIU: New York) -- Is information governance important to a company’s success? Yes, according to “The Future of Enterprise Information Governance,” published by the Economist Intelligence Unit Ltd. and sponsored by EMC Corp., headquartered in Hopkinton, Massachusetts. Despite the seemingly…
Akhilesh Gulati
A physics exam question asked students to describe how they would use a barometer to measure the height of a skyscraper. One student who failed the test contested that his answer was correct. He was given a second chance to defend his position, verbally, to the professor. When the student didn’t…
George Rodrigues
Pharmaceutical processes typically take place on the scale of gallons or liters, even tens of thousands of liters. So why would anyone worry about one little microliter? Because in some situations, deviations as small as one microliter can mean the difference between success and failure.
Modern…
Bill Kalmar
For the past 35 years or so, I have been a runner. My daily routine consists of a five-mile run followed by a seven-mile bike ride. Over the years, I have competed in numerous 10K (6.2 mile) events, 5Ks (3.1 mile), a marathon (26.2 mile), several half marathons; and for the past 21 years, I have…
(FDA: Rockville, Maryland) -- In a bid to extensively modernize the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) data management, data warehousing, information technology (IT) infrastructure, and IT security, FDA has awarded 10 contractors a total of $2.5 billion to implement the FDA’s Information…
(FDA: Rockville, Maryland) -- Due to quality control problems at two Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd. manufacturing plants in India, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued two warning letters and an import alert for generic drugs produced by the company.
“With this action we are sending a…
(Bosch Rexroth Corp.: Buchanan, Michigan) -- Developed with lean manufacturing expert Jamie Flinchbaugh, as episode six of Bosch Rexroth's lean manufacturing podcast series, “Daily Problem Solving in a Lean Organization” explores principles and work practices that businesses, which have already…
(SSA & Co.: New York) -- Technology transformation is the issue. Through the use of lean Six Sigma and Technology Transformation Optimization Powered by Process, or TTOp as it is familiarly known, a new methodology to integrate process improvement approaches, benefits identified on the…
(Best Practices LLC: Chapel Hill, North Carolina) -- Within the hospital marketplace, pharmaceutical and biotechnology salespeople must negotiate increasingly complex organizational and decision-making structures to effectively represent their brands. Hospital formulary decisions are not only…
(ASQ: Milwaukee) -- Claire Anne and the Talking Hat (Quality Press, 2008), a new children’s book written by Barbara Cleary, takes a unique approach to reaching kids using quality concepts that can make school work easier and learning more fun.
The brightly illustrated book follows Claire Anne,…
(CPP Inc.: Mountain View, California) -- In western culture, we tend to think of the term “conflict” in the negative. When discussing conflict in the business world, we generally speak of it as a diminishing force on productivity, an ill that only compounds the difficulties of a job, and an…
Thomas Hinton
It was Kermit the Frog who said “It’s not easy being green.” With all due respect to my favorite Muppet, I beg to differ. In fact, it’s never been easier to be green. Kermit would be proud to know that companies around the world are finally discovering the gold in going green.
This decade,…
Steven Ouellette
Every once in a while, people ask about acceptance sampling plans and I get all riled up. We all know (especially in this political season) that humans are addicted to their indignation high, so here’s your fix for today.
Back when defective products and services were considered inevitable, the…
Europe leaped ahead of North America and Asia Pacific in achieving significant cost reductions, revenue gains, and sustainability improvements through supply chain advancements, according to the 2008 Global Survey of Supply Chain Progress from Computer Sciences Corp. (CSC), Supply Chain…
(ASQ: Milwaukee) -- For Christopher Parker, corporate director of quality systems development and lean manufacturing for Benchmark Electronics Inc., located in Winona, Minnesota, applying quality tools to a local volunteer activity was a concept that hit home—literally. When a massive flood…
(Emirates Authority for Standardization and Metrology: Dubai, UAE) -- International Organization of Standardization’s (ISO) 31st General Assembly in Dubai from October 12–17, at the Grand Hyatt, will address international standardization in energy efficiency, environmental performance, and the…
