Decisions are required all the time, both small and large. How to run a business? What to do about customer complaints? What should you have for lunch?

Quality is based on a series of facts and statistics collected and analyzed. To produce a quality product—and continue producing a quality product—you need data.

Spend time on any manufacturing floor and you will realize that relationships between suppliers and partners are critical. Rather than considering them as an entity outside of your organization, suppliers should be treated as trusted partners.

The holiday season is over. You made it! You can take a breath. You are ready for the hustle and bustle of 2020. There will be new projects, challenges, and successes.

As a Master Black Belt I teach Lean Six Sigma courses and often provide definitions of common terms. One such term is “value” which I define as the ratio between quality and price (value = quality/price).

Good products don’t just happen. Quality depends on processes, and a process approach outlines the steps for success. Like so many elements of quality, it requires methodical attention to detail and planning. 

For several years we have been reading about the ominous skills gap. In some trades, we are teetering on the edge of the gap; in others, we have already picked up several bumps and bruises on the trip down to the bottom of the canyon.

Quality 4.0 is the latest initiative for companies looking to improve operational efficiency and product quality through digital technology. Transforming quality management is essential to address the major challenges posed by changing global markets and disruptive technologies, particularly in regulated industries.

“It may sound like an older version of the iPhone,” writes Dean Marsman in Quality, “but it’s actually a very simple and helpful system that can make the fundamentals of lean manufacturing even clearer to both business owners and employees.”

When we think of November we immediately think about Thanksgiving, deer hunting season, and Black Friday shopping. These observations are well-known and carry a rich tradition.