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Customers want more value from you as a supplier. They want it with shorter lead times. They want your innovation in the product, and they don’t want to pay for any of it.
I often hear the declaration, “We can’t reduce costs anymore!” from manufacturers (similar statements come from other…
My last article took a look at the new Clause 7.1.6 in ISO 9001:2015, which concerns organizational knowledge and its management. The article also introduced the strategic knowledge management framework. A detailed explanation of each of the framework’s eight elements is given here.
Element 1:…
A newly released study comparing 34 U.S. healthcare organizations that received the Baldrige National Quality Award with their 153 geographically closest competitors found that the Baldrige Award recipients matched or exceeded their competitors’ measures of healthcare quality and outperformed them…
As both a participant and witness to the practice of lean management in higher education, I’d like to point out methodological errors in relation to how lean is practiced in industry.
People in industry who practice lean management correctly provide us with a standard to which we can compare the…
OK, so “cool” probably isn't the precise term—unless you happen to be a standards uber-geek. But there are definitely some enhancements to the 2015 revision of ISO 9001 that are worth getting a little excited about.
The final draft international standard (FDIS) is finally out for ballot, so most…
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With the ISO 9001:2015 revision currently dominating standards conversations, it's easy to pass over the humble energy standard from Geneva—ISO 50001. You might not even know what it is, let alone the benefits of implementing it. On the other hand, the rising price of energy and…
Suppliers, before you read any further, I need you to do some self-introspection by answering yes or no to this question: Are you paying attention?
Now let me clarify. Often, I present a topic called “Demand” at ASQ and APICS meetings. At one of those meetings, a member said to me that he is “…
The FDA just issued a Safety Communication on the cybersecurity vulnerabilities of the Hospira Symbiq Infusion System, which is a computerized pump designed for the continuous delivery of general infusion therapy for a broad patient population. The pump is mostly used in hospitals or other acute…
The requirement for risk-based thinking is among the most significant changes in ISO 9001:2015. Army Techniques Publication (ATP) 5-19, Risk Management is a public domain reference that supports this requirement.
ATP 5-19 includes a risk assessment approach that is similar to failure mode and…
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Risk is not a straightforward concept. Definitions of risk vary, even within documents published by the International Organizations for Standardization (ISO). One ISO definition indicates that risk is the “effect of uncertainty on an expected result.” Risk is now addressed by…
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Risk is not a straightforward concept. Definitions of risk vary, even within documents published by the International Organizations for Standardization (ISO). One ISO definition indicates that risk is the “effect of uncertainty on an expected result.” Risk is now addressed by…
(ISO: Geneva) -- Pounds or sterling, dollars or bucks? Our globalized world would feel a lot less global if it we didn't have agreed codes for money. ISO's newly revised standard for currency codes has just been published, ensuring it is fit for the challenges of a fast changing, ever diminishing…
(AICON: Plymouth, MI) -- AICON Americas will host its annual Technology Fair on Sept. 9, 2015, at its offices in Plymouth, Michigan. The event features educational technical sessions and product demonstrations that illustrate how manufacturers and engineering test centers are using optical…
Did the headline of this article grab your attention? Did you think I was going to assert that dumb people are better innovators? Nothing of the sort. However, I think I can positively assert that bringing all of your knowledge to bear on a problem that needs an innovative solution is often…
I’ve run into a couple of cases where a corporate continuous improvement team orders an initiative to “implement Toyota kata.”
Aside from trying to prescribe each and every step of the process (which runs counter to the entire point of discovering the solution—“you omitted step 7b”), they also…
In June 2015, it was initially reported that the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) experienced a massive data breach, potentially affecting as many as 4 million current and former federal employees. Updated reports indicate that the actual number of people compromised is more than five…
(CMSC: Weatherford, TX) -- This year’s Coordinate Metrology Systems Conference (CMSC), which was held July 20–24, 2015, in Hollywood, Florida, attracted metrologists from 13 countries, all of whom are involved in the field of 3D portable metrology. Sponsored by the Coordinate Metrology Society (…
Here at Cheetah Learning, excitement and energy abound because we’ve wrapped up the development efforts for our new program, The Happy Aging Project. With a 10-hour online class followed by a two-day yoga retreat, this program is unlike anything we’ve offered before.
Our next step is to channel…
There’s an interesting strategic play being made by Whole Foods Market. In the midst of the company’s nearly $2 billion one-day drop in market value a few weeks ago came the announcement of a shareholder lawsuit. Whole Foods had already come under legal pressure concerning claims of overcharging,…
A recent Business Insider article discussed Marie Kondo’s wildly popular book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up (Ten Speed Press, 2014). The book is intended for decluttering homes, but the same principles can be applied in the workplace.
For example, we’re told to place all of our books in…
I recently had a dream in which Adrian Bass, a colleague and friend for whom I have much admiration, asked me why I still care about quality management after all these years.
You can substitute Six Sigma for quality management because, in my mind, they are both part of a larger belief system that…
As a buyer of manufactured goods in China, how many suppliers do you use for production? Have you ever considered your supplier development strategy? Or, maybe you don’t really have a strategy for developing suppliers. If you’re accustomed to utilizing multiple suppliers, satisfied by the benefits…
(SAE: Warrendale, PA) -- Consumers continue to be concerned about the fuel consumption of their vehicles, yet many are unaware of the effect that accessories have on fuel consumption. Vehicle air conditioning (A/C) is one of the highest energy-consuming accessories and has become standard…
In the world of customer experience, what’s the difference between outside-in and inside-out?
Inside-out thinking means your focus is on processes, systems, tools, and products that are designed and implemented based on internal thinking and intuition. The customer’s needs, jobs, and perspectives…
Great leaders get the best out of their teams by providing 12 core leadership “services.” The best leaders provide these services in an efficient and effective way.
Every leader wants to give their team all the help they need—help that can come in many forms. How do leaders help their team…
