In a recent gathering of quality professionals, the subject of unsuccessful change implementation surfaced. Most people understand change is necessary for survival, but in this era it is happening at an unprecedented, almost vertical rate. The bottom line though is that change is uncomfortable for most and it is common for people to resist change.

With great uncertainty comes great reward. If you’ve planned for the unknown, when something unexpected happens you’ll be that much more prepared. 

Kelly Allan has seen many examples of continual improvement gone awry. He offers this cautionary tale from a client.

We need to carefully consider each commitment before making it. After deciding to make the commitment, create a plan and move toward the goal.  

The state of the quality profession may have changed in 2020, but some issues remain evergreen.

I think we can all agree that the world is changing. We have all heard about disruption in the economy, technology, and even in the way we work and interact with others.

Manufacturers are dealing with unprecedented pressures, and many face more challenges as the pandemic crisis continues. Technology solutions can help with some of the most immediate issues.

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?

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.

Surely, it’s a bad thing when a business receives customer complaints. If the customer isn’t happy, then there must have been a poor interaction and we need to do everything we can to make the customer happy as quickly as possible, right?