The best technology. The best employees. The biggest budget. The strongest research and development (R&D) department. Check, check, check, and check! If you think these are all the elements you need to build a consistently successful company, you’re wrong.

Substantial improvements in energy efficiency with positive financial consequences have been experienced both by a major company and by a small business taking part in a pilot program to test the new ISO 50001 energy management standard from the International Organ

(FDA: Washington) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) unveiled a new strategy to meet the challenges posed by rapidly rising imports of FDA-regulated products and a complex global supply chain in a report called the “Pathway to Global Product Safety and Quality.”

(QI Macros: Denver) -- Jay Arthur, author of Lean Six Sigma Demystified (McGraw-Hill Business, 2010) and QI Macros

As a quality professional, I am a huge admirer of what the Japanese, and in particular Toyota, have given the business world, and how they have influenced quality improvements like no other in history.

Cars scream around the track at speeds approaching 200 mph, yet a 500-mile NASCAR race can be decided by a few tenths of a second. To be a winner, NASCAR teams seek any advantage they can create.

Most businesses, government, or even nonprofit organizations have business processes. Generally, processes are documented. Most organizations also have performance measurements.

Any way you slice it, the Orlando World Center Marriott Resort is one big place. Total number of rooms? More than 2,000. Massive swimming pool? How about two of the biggest ones you’ve ever seen? Fine dining and refreshments?

A team of researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), George Mason University, and the University of Maryland has made nano-sized sensors that detect volatile organic compounds—harmful pollutants released from paints, cleaners, pestici

(NIST: Gaithersburg, MD) -- Interested in improving your organization’s excellence? Then sign up for one of the two 2011 Baldrige Regional Conferences. This year, they’re being held in Missouri and Alabama.