The rising cost of healthcare in the United States coupled with the absence of return on investment for Americans’ health is an important concern for many leaders across the country.

Years of experience working with businesses—especially in areas related to quality, customers, and continuous improvement—have taught me some lessons. One of the most valuable is knowing the right question to ask.

I attended a very nice presentation recently by a person who has been leading the lean charge for several years at a major medical center. As he reflected on key elements of his organization’s success, however, he made a statement that set off my hooey detector.

One focus of the regulations implemented by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) during the past several years has been on quality in batch-to-batch production in the pharmaceutical industry.

Editor’s note: This is part two of a two-part series. To read part one, “Making the Leap from Manufacturing Manager to Consultant,” click here.

The theme of the recent 2012 Wharton Management Conference, “Changing the Game: Leadership in Crisis,” is an apt one for the auto industry.

Compounding pharmacies, where the creation of a particular pharmaceutical product to fit the unique needs of a patient is done, have enjoyed the protection of their

While an XmR chart is commonly used as a process behavior chart, it may also be used as a test of homogeneity for a finite number of values.

With China’s electronics manufacturing industry developing in leaps and bounds each year, the country has become a hub for this industry. Yet with this ascent comes a multitude of new challenges.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, each year one in six people becomes sick, more than 127,000 are hospitalized, and about 3,000 die of foodborne illness. The annual economic cost in the United States alone is about $77 billion.