Once upon a time I asked, “What does it mean to operate in a state of control?” at an off-site “strategy” meeting of a senior management group.

(AHRQ: Rockville, MD) -- States are seeing improvements in health care quality, but disparities for their minority and low-income residents persist, according to 2010 State Snapshots, a web-based resource recently released by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).

A lab, though it may seem quiet and insulated, can be as full of background noise as a crowded train station when you’re trying to catch announcements.

I greatly believe in training. I have been fortunate to work in businesses that also believed in having trained and qualified professionals in their organization.

We ran a contest recently asking readers to reshape some of the words they use every day, and the results were both surprising and funny.

Many appliance, big box, and other stores recommend the purchase of extended warranties to go with consumer electronics. They are available for automobiles as well, but they are rarely if ever cost effective.

Often a firm is confronted with the key question of whether the quality of its products and services should be improved.

Have you ever had one of those days where confusion reigns and as each hour ensues, you find something new to dwell on that absolutely drives you nuts? Well, I just had one of those days. It started this morning as I was out for my daily five-mile run.

Whenever we present capability indexes the almost inevitable follow-up question is, “What is the fraction nonconforming?” What this question usually means is, “Tell me what these capability indexes mean in terms that I can understand.” These questions have resulted i