Mark Hembree

As senior editor at Quality Digest, Mark Hembree brings a technical writing/editing background to covering the quality control/quality assurance industry. A former professional musician and longtime journalist, he has been a staff writer for marketing companies and an editor for sports and hobby magazines. He’s also written a book about his music days, On the Bus With Bill Monroe: My Five-Year Ride With the Father of Blue Grass (University of Illinois Press, 2022). 

Wed, 01/12/2022 - 13:44
What’s With These Torpedo Bats?And do they actually make a difference?
Tue, 07/22/2025 - 12:03
The 2025 Major League Baseball season certainly started with a bang—at least for the New York Yankees. At Yankee Stadium against the Milwaukee Brewers, the Bronx Bombers blasted an MLB-record 15 home runs in the first three games, including nine…
Doing It Right the First TimeWhether you call it RFT, FTR, or DRIFT, it can streamline your operation
Mon, 03/31/2025 - 12:03
Some people don’t feel like they’re working unless their hair’s on fire. Somehow, they think it’s admirable to be feverish at a frenzied pace, breathless and full of urgency, turning tasks in record time and pushing the team to accelerate. Surely…
Improve Your Writing With Quality PrinciplesAnd a few things editors wish you would stop saying
Thu, 10/24/2024 - 12:03
If you’re reading this, you probably read a lot. You’ve made your way through all our industry news, keeping tabs on trends in our feature stories and gleaning a greater understanding of your own business—at least we hope so. And if you read this…
Dealing With Misalignment BurnoutTo stay engaged, workers need a sense of purpose
Mon, 09/09/2024 - 12:03
The world of remote work spawned by the pandemic posed several new and unprecedented challenges as employers and employees alike reconfigured relationships and adopted new expectations for each other. For most people who were able to do so,…
Whose Chatbot Is It, Anyway?And who’s responsible for what it says?
Thu, 04/04/2024 - 12:03
Everyone knows customer service is increasingly automated and impersonal—that’s a “dog bites man” story. It’s not news because it happens all the time. When a man bites a dog, that’s news. But what if you’re bitten by a chatbot or AI? Aside from…
Password Protocol Made EasyCybersecurity sealed with KISS
Tue, 01/09/2024 - 12:03
Without raising false alarms, it’s fair to say that password insecurity is a problem that lives near you and is worthy of your attention. In its article, “139 password statistics to help you stay safe in 2023,” digital security firm Norton cites a…
If Getting the Facts Means Having to AskSolving problems with journalism techniques and critical thinking
Wed, 07/12/2023 - 12:03
Pick a problem—any problem. As soon as you have one without an immediate answer, we can begin. Perhaps you’re a quality professional, an auditor, a systems analyst, or just the person your boss sent to find out what the heck is going on around here…
What Does ChatGPT Know About Quality? It’s lightning fast, but can it hit the same spot twice?
Wed, 05/17/2023 - 12:03
Now that AI is an acronym that doesn’t really need to be spelled out (artificial intelligence, just in case you’ve been off the planet the last couple of years), we are hearing and understanding more about its various applications and capabilities…
How Important Is Your Call?For many, not very
Thu, 04/13/2023 - 00:03
Does this sound familiar? “Welcome to [insert company name here], the [corporate slogan or superlative]. All of our agents are busy serving other customers. Your call is important to us. Please stay on the line for the next available agent. Your…
How Does Work From Home Measure Up?Is collaboration overrated?
Tue, 01/24/2023 - 12:03
When I started working from home in 1998, it wasn’t by choice. I was writing for a major record label that decided—in so many words—that I was like a painting that didn’t go with the furniture. (Fine. Know what you get when you play New Age music…