Cost Reduction ≠ Cost Advantage
An excellent article by Donald Wheeler on the economic cost of quality, “What Is the Zone of Economic Production?” gave me pause to consider the strategic implications of
<em>Let’s Make a Deal</em> Meets <em>Deal or No Deal</em>
During the late 1990s, Marilyn vos Savant, holder of the Guinness Book of Records’ highest recorded IQ of 228, received an avalanche of hostile responses, many from Ph.D.s in math and statistics, when she correctly solved the controversial “Monty Hall Proble
<em>Let’s Make a Deal</em> Meets <em>Deal or No Deal</em>
During the late 1990s, Marilyn vos Savant, holder of the Guinness Book of Records’ highest recorded IQ of 228, received an avalanche of hostile responses, many from Ph.D.s in math and statistics, when she correctly solved the controversial “Monty Hall Proble
A Statistician’s Favorite Answer: ‘It Depends,’ Part 2
When teaching the I-chart, I’m barely done describing the technique (never mind teaching it) when, as if on cue, someone will ask, “When and how often should I recalculate my limits?” I’m at the point where this triggers an internal “fingernails on the blackboard”
Corrective Action Is the Only Acceptable Excuse
Last May I wrote in “Airline Companies Are Driving Customers Away” that the U.S.
Continuous Innovation Using Design for Six Sigma
Designing for customer needs always leads to higher quality products and services, as well as innovative outcomes, because an effective design process uncovers hidden customer needs.
One Hour of Root Cause Analysis or Eight Hours of Firefighting?
There’s no more vicious cycle than problems that constantly reoccur because there’s no time to stop and solve them correctly.
Innovation Unlimited: What ‘The Toyota Way’ Really Means
The business world seems fascinated with the story of how Toyota “invented” lean manufacturing.
The Texas Sharpshooter Fallacy
“Come and listen to a story ‘bout a man named Ned / a poor Texas Sharpshooter barely kept his family fed. Then one day he was shootin’ at his barn / and he came up with a plan to spin a silly yarn.
