To discover the root cause of defects—and eliminate them—you need to ask targeted questions as you analyze your SPC data.

I learned a long time ago that quality standards, issues and performance are goals people can rally around, unlike other goals like cost reduction or productivity improvement.

A focus on customers should help any organization improve. Satisfy the customer and success will follow, or so the thinking goes. And it makes sense. Without customers, the best product or service is irrelevant.

Most people would agree that quality is essential to have but difficult to execute. Among the many tools available, a quality management system (QMS) can provide a roadmap toward better quality. 

Greg Mann doesn’t want to brag. Although he’s proud of the company’s work, he isn’t satisfied. “We’re just getting started,” says Mann, the operations manager at Accurate Gauge & Manufacturing (Rochester Hills, MI).