Lean

Freedom is generally defined as the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint. The license to act as one pleases offers a host of benefits but can also produce consequences that limit your freedom. The same can be said of your manufacturing. The choices…

Capability maturity model integration (CMMI) is a process improvement framework required by many U.S. government contracts. If you’ve been through a CMMI appraisal in aerospace or federal contracting, you know there’s a typical pattern. Things look great on paper. Then the appraisal date gets…

This article is inspired by the ideas of cybernetics, Martin Heidegger, and Nassim Taleb. I’m looking at what I think is the largest danger of large language models (LLMs).

LLMs are extraordinarily proficient in the domain of language, and that proficiency has quietly created a…

ISO 9001:2015 Clause 6.1 requires attention to actions to address risks and opportunities. There really is little practical difference between the two, as failure to exploit an opportunity constitutes a risk.

To put this in perspective, recall that poor quality is only the tip of…

Let’s be honest. Conformity assessment has become dangerously comfortable. It’s familiar, structured, and predictable. It gives organizations a reassuring feeling of control because it produces clean documentation, tidy checklists, and audit reports that look professional. It also creates an…

Integrating environmental, health, and safety (EHS) with quality management is no longer optional for manufacturers; it’s essential for achieving operational excellence, ensuring ISO compliance, and driving sustainable growth. Traditionally, EHS management and quality management systems (QMS)…