Why should anyone thank you for just doing your job? And why should you ever thank your co-workers for doing what they’re paid to do? These are common questions in American workplaces, often posed rhetorically—and sometimes with hostility.

Editor’s note: This continues Jack Dunigan’s series about unsung heroes in the workplace, and the 16 traits they all share.

Recently a reader posed the following value-stream mapping, lead time-related question(s). My experience, after facilitating more value-stream mapping activities than I care to remember, is that it’s not an uncommon question. In fact, it’s a very good question.

A recent comment from a business friend, call him Tom, who manages a small factory, reminded me of a scene from The Wizard of Oz.

In an earlier article, I explained how the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA)

A t-test is one of the most frequently used procedures in statistics.

Editor’s note: Distinguished statistician and essayist David Kerridge passed away last month in Aberdeen, Scotland, at the age of 81. The former head of statistics at Aberdeen University, Kerridge was a leader in the British Deming Association and lectured with W. Edwards Deming.

Momentum is a very powerful thing. In physics, momentum = mass × velocity. The cool thing about momentum is that the faster an object is moving, the harder it is to stop. This is also true for any project that you are working on.