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The presidential symposium at this year’s annual meeting of the Child Neurology Society of America in early October in Kansas City raised many eyebrows: The first presentation focused on burnout rates among neurologists around the country.
Many of my colleagues felt that this was an inappropriate…
We are fast approaching the time when companies realize and are ready to accept the astonishing power of empowering people, and the remarkable changes that can result. Yes, people as a resource for ideas is at the core of a transformed work culture and incalculable financial benefits—as long as…
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Wichita, Kansas, is known as the “Air Capital of the World.” This is due in part to the National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) at Wichita State University, an advanced aircraft manufacturing laboratory. The area is home to notable aerospace and defense OEMs, including…
Lean, also known as “lean manufacturing” or “lean production,” focuses on maximizing customer value by removing waste and eliminating defects. Lean tools are about understanding the process, looking for waste, preventing mistakes, and documenting what you did.
Let’s look at five lean tools used…
(NIST: Gaithersburg, MD) -- This is an exciting time of the year for the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program, as we welcome our newest Baldrige Award recipients to the Baldrige family of role model organizations. We celebrate our award recipients and look forward to recognizing them at the…
The mere mention of keeping up with overflowing email, constant meetings, and time-sucking conference calls makes many of us groan and roll our eyes. How did we all get so busy? A major culprit is the sharp rise in cross-functional collaboration over the past several years.
Today, it’s often not…
Lean says: Manage flow. Your brain says: My work isn’t linear. My day is filled with interruptions, and so I don’t have the “luxury” of flow. What’s at play here: functional fixedness.
If there is one area where there’s not an obvious transfer of lean principles from manufacturing to knowledge…
A new version of ISO 31000:2009—“Risk management” is due to be unveiled early next year. As the threat of risks grows for governments, organizations, and the public alike, how can the new, streamlined standard help to make our future more secure?
Ten years ago, the boardrooms of banks and…
(CSRwire: Northampton, MA) -- As part of the global commitment to develop a robust workforce in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), Cricket Media Inc. and IEEE, a technical professional organization that advancing technology for humanity, has announced a partnership to create…
When W. Edwards Deming urged managers to “institute training on the job” in his Fourteen Points for Managers, he undoubtedly meant far more than simply teaching workers how to use specific equipment or procedures involved in their work. Indeed, developing an organization’s culture demands a…
What exactly is a risk-based quality management system (QMS)? This is a timely topic to get into. In 2016, ISO 13485—“Medical devices”—“Quality management systems” was updated, and one of the key concepts presented is the idea of a risk-based QMS.
Historically, regulations have almost exclusively…
The onslaught of disruptive technologies has resulted in business and operating models being turned upside-down. This requires a shift in mindset. Invariably, change is difficult. We are all creatures of habit and subject to long-standing attitudes. Those of you who have been in business a long…
The onslaught of disruptive technologies has resulted in business and operating models being turned upside-down. This requires a shift in mindset. Invariably, change is difficult. We are all creatures of habit and subject to long-standing attitudes. Those of you who have been in business a long…
I have written previously about the Medical Device Single Audit Program (MDSAP) created by the International Medical Device Regulators Forum (IMDRF). MDSAP is viewed as a single audit covering the United States, Canada, Brazil, Australia, and Japan. The intent was to establish one medical-device…
When you think of the phrase “inside-out” relative to the customer experience, you probably cringe. This is not a phrase that customer experience professionals take lightly.
“Inside-out” means companies focus on processes that are designed and implemented based on internal thinking and intuition…
Color is our perception of reflected light across the visible spectrum. When light hits an object, it absorbs some rays and reflects others. The color of light that reflects back into our eyes is the color we perceive. The more light an object absorbs, the darker it appears.
With black, very…
According to Harvard Business Review, less than half of employees say their organization exhibits a culture of quality. And while the benefits of a quality culture are huge—think hundreds of millions in savings—getting there doesn’t happen overnight.
Instead, it requires sustainable habits that…
It’s quite frustrating to be not heard when you speak up, and unfortunately, it’s more common than you might think.
Speaking up in a group setting is one of the biggest challenges many people face. You have some valuable information and opinions to share, but no one listens to you. It can be hard…
(Wiley: Hoboken, NJ) -- It All Matters (Wiley, 2017) presents a framework for the rest of your life. What are those dreams you would only dare to dream if there was no possibility of failure? How can you live a life of real intention and purpose instead of duty and obligation? This book answers…
Our Nov. 17, 2017, episode of QDL looked at factories controlled by large-volume 3D metrology, the value (or not) of four-year degrees, and creepy Christmas.
“Developing the Light-Controlled Factory”
A UK development project directed by the University of Bath and supported by University College…
During the early 1990s, I was president of the Twin Cities Deming Forum. I had a wonderful board to work with, one of whom was Doug Augustine, our self-appointed provocateur. Doug was a 71-year-old retired Lutheran minister, and we all loved him because he always pulled us right back to earth with…
Author and business-innovation expert Melissa Kennedy recently completed a feat that would make many shudder: She gave 29 business presentations in a period of 30 days. Whew! That’s a monumental challenge, but as you might guess, one that yielded phenomenal results.
Business leaders are often…
Hackers around the world are attacking targets as diverse as North Dakota’s state government, the Ukrainian postal service, and a hospital in Jakarta, Indonesia. Unfortunately, many governments—in the developing world, and even cash-strapped states and local communities in the United States—lack…
(Chemcoaters: Gary, IN) -- Chemcoaters Inc., a coil coater and manufacturer of proprietary coating chemistries, has recently introduced InterCoat ChemGuard, corrosion protection for galvanized steel.
InterCoat ChemGuard uses a new type of coating technology that utilizes covalent bonds and…
If I said I can’t stand Christmas, would you stop reading? If I said I love Jesus—who taught unity and forgiveness—would you stop reading? If I said I can’t stand Christmas, but I do love Jesus at the same time, would you think I’m crazy?
I wouldn’t normally bring up the subject of Christmas, but…
