Some people don’t feel like they’re working unless their hair’s on fire. Somehow, they think it’s admirable to be feverish at a frenzied pace, breathless and full of urgency, turning tasks in record time and pushing the team to accelerate. Surely others will take notice and marvel at such hard work.

But it’s not necessary. In fact, it’s not even the best way. Taking extra time to do it right the first time is a solid tenet of total quality management. The concept even has its own acronym (an essential badge in QA, QC, and TQM, where acronyms abound). Whether it’s called RFT (right first time), FTR (first-time right), or DRIFT (do it right the first time), eliminating defects at the start of the process improves overall quality and increases customer satisfaction.

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