It’s hard to balance all the demands that are placed upon you as a leader. Many of us default to dysfunctional ways of spending our time and energy.

In my Labor Day article, “Celebrating Our Frontline Scapegoats,” I observed that of the seven wastes, the one most people recognize is defects.

A vital concept from the chemical process industry, management of change (MOC) relates primarily to safety.

Organizations often face a familiar dilemma: It’s not a shortage of good ideas, but a struggle to decide which one to pursue first. During project prioritization meetings, leaders are likely to present a wide range of perspectives.

Everybody wants to have good measurements. To this end, many recommend a regular schedule of recalibration. While this sounds reasonable, it can actually degrade the quality of the measurements.

Cutting costs is nothing new in manufacturing. What’s new is having to do it while juggling labor shortages, supplier delays, and tighter customer demands.

After a couple of heart attacks, I’ve learned to eat much healthier. But finding snacks can be challenging once you remove Doritos and Cheetos from the equation.

Driving home from a customer last week, I caught a glimpse of a digital billboard—the kind that flashes eight different ads per minute. From a cost and aesthetic perspective, these backlit displays are a big step up from the old paperhanger versions.

Uncertainty often pushes manufacturers to slow down. Orders fluctuate, budgets tighten, and “wait and see” becomes the default strategy.

In several articles about challenges for tomorrow’s quality leaders, we’ve addressed how to plug the knowledge drain and effectively manage your company’s know-how. Your organizational structure and processes can be your worst enemy—or best asset.