All News
At Modus we now have a posted, dominant project at all times. We post it as a large sticky note on the wall. This is the banner saying, “If you pull something and have any choice whatsoever, pull it from this backlog.”
This giant kanban token conveys our current organizational focus and promotes…
Over the years, I’ve observed a number of efforts at various companies to implement A3 problem solving, an approach based on the plan-do-check-act (PDCA) cycle that summarizes the problem and solution on a folded form, usually 11 in. × 17 in. I worked for some of those companies; I’ve observed…
Analytics, business intelligence, and key performance indicators (KPIs) are common phrases we hear just about everywhere in the workplace. The top focus for chief information officers has been on business intelligence and analytics and will likely continue through 2017 according to Gartner Inc.…
This article estimates the uncertainty for measuring a tool tip using dual Leica T-Mac sensors set up on opposite sides of an NC machine head and measured with tracking interferometers at opposite ends of a machine bed. Performance testing compares the estimated and measured uncertainties and…
President Obama’s State of the Union address called for an increase in the federally mandated minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10 an hour. $7.25 an hour, or even $10.10 an hour, is an appallingly low wage for anybody in a modern industrialized country, but we can’t get a higher minimum wage through…
You shouldn’t need Barney the giant purple dinosaur to remind you of the playground mantra “sharing is caring,” but maybe the medical device industry needs to do some quick Netflix streaming of back episodes.
The Institute of Medicine (IOM), already working with more than a dozen drug makers, the…
In part one, we looked at the importance of understanding findings in order to make better decisions. To do this we and our decision-making leaders must become adept at data investigation and analysis so we can ask critical questions.
In part two I want to emphasize another truth that will prevent…
The Boy Scouts of America have a timeless motto: “Be prepared.” These are words to live by. In the wilderness, if an individual has a pocket knife, a length of string, and some matches, he can deal with most emergencies that may arise. In business, however, a Swiss Army knife is going to do little…
Customer satisfaction improves for a third consecutive year for retail, according to a report released today by the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). The retail sector overall gains 1.7 percent to an ACSI benchmark of 77.9, boosted by higher customer satisfaction with specialty retail…
They spanned 140 degrees of latitude—from Canada to Chile—and varied widely in age and experience. But their goal was the same: To improve their metrological capabilities for the benefit of their home countries and the Western Hemisphere.
For five extremely full days during the last week of…
The constant rapid changes in today’s business climate demands on-the-fly gear shifting for teams and business units. Few can afford to wait until next year’s three-day strategic off-site meeting, a model fast becoming a relic of more halcyon days.
So how do you quickly and nimbly get everyone on…
Metrologists are often faced with measurement processes that are repetitive and time-consuming. It’s not uncommon for a set of measurements to be taken repeatedly under different conditions and with different materials to maintain quality control. Afterward, the measurements must be formatted and…
Welcome to the winter edition of CMSC World. I want to touch on one of our biggest accomplishments of 2013—the Level-One Certification Program for Portable 3D Metrology. This program was requested and supported by many CMSC members. With your help and the tireless work of the Coordinate Metrology…
Innovative technologies, mobility, and flexibility in measurement technology are playing a major role for more and more companies. In addition to fixed coordinate measuring machines (CMMs) or traditional measurement arms, optical systems are increasingly becoming established in measurement…
Recently, I’ve run into posts, articles, and discussions concerning findings that employee morale doesn’t equate to productivity. They are an excellent example of how easily we can mislead ourselves with data.
By way of background, apparently some of the research groups and “better management”…
An engineering manager who I worked with 25 years ago challenged me one day. “You know, Bruce, if all employees were engineers, you wouldn’t need mistake-proofing,” he said. At the time, I was too stunned by his comment to even respond. But happily, the memory provides good fodder for another…
In part one, I shared a case study of how a small bicycle-chain manufacturing company in India used Six Sigma’s DMAIC approach to reverse declining productivity. After completing the define, measure, and analysis phases, the team had identified the important factors in the bushing creation process…
PowerPoint is the devil’s instrument, and when you use it, you risk becoming a musician in his demonic orchestra. All of us are required to give presentations in some form or fashion at various points in our careers. If you’d like to succeed in those efforts, there are three things you should never…
O
ne can just imagine the frustration that Greece’s vice president and foreign minister, Evangelos Venizelos, must feel every time he notifies European Central Bank (ECB) officials about Greece’s economic progress or lack thereof.
At a recent ECB review meeting, Venizelos, a burly looking…
Every once in a while we hear of a company that claims to have a self-certification to ISO 9001—or some other management system standard. The company “certifies” that its organization conforms to the requirements of ISO 9001. It sounds pretty good until you start to ask what this self-…
Using data analysis and statistics to improve business quality has a long history. But it often seems like most of that history involves huge operations. After all, Six Sigma originated with Motorola, and was embraced by thousands of other businesses after it was adopted by a little-known outfit…
Does your right hand know what your left hand is doing and why it is doing it? When assisting businesses and CEOs in improvement efforts, one of my first questions is, “What is your vision for this company?” After hearing their definition, I will ask department heads, associates, and assistants the…
Leaders need near-perfect communication skills, and knowing a person’s communication style can make the difference between getting your message out and getting it heard.
Here are four communication styles and tips to effectively communicate with people who’ve made these styles their own.
The…
Searching for a job is tough, and the hiring process in the United States makes matters far tougher and more emotionally fraught than it needs to be. That is the central assertion of MIT’s Ofer Sharone in a new book based on his in-depth study of U.S. and Israeli white-collar labor markets, which…
Editor’s note: This article continues the series exploring structured innovation using the TRIZ methodology, a problem solving, analysis, and forecasting tool derived from studying patterns of invention found in global patent data.
Belinda started the My Executive Council (MEC) meeting on an upbeat…