The cause-and-effect diagram is one of the seven basic quality improvement tools, and this article will illustrate its synergy with the affinity diagram.

In the article, “Four Control Chart Myths from Foolish Experts,” by Davis Balestracci (Quality Digest Daily, March 30, 2011) the following comments were made r

As we continue our sabbatical journey, more opportunities for the improvement of management practices continue to appear. This month, the overriding theme that I have observed is the lack of front-line performance that seems to be a result of the system.

It seems the most popular way to improve a process these days is by applying the glorious "Lean Toolkit." Many companies focus on learning and implementing process improvement practices introduced by Toyota without realizing the same success that Toyota achieved.

Every once in awhile people will ask me to (discretely) evaluate a kaizen event team’s effectiveness. I don’t necessarily relish doing that when it is intended for the purpose of team comparisons, but it’s not an unfair request from senior leaders.

There are two ways to slide easily through life: to believe everything or to doubt everything. Both ways save us from thinking.  —Alfred Korzybski

Ford Motor Co. is one of the largest automakers in the United States, producing millions of automobiles each year at 70 plants worldwide. According to J. D.

The first part of this article illustrated the kinds of problems that can happen when data from non-normal processes are plotted on traditional control charts, and wh

My March 30, 2011 article ended with wisdom from Yogi Berra as a warning to the quality profession.

Gary was a talented, creative welder with an idea that made perfect sense to him but was not supported by conventional measures.