Face of Quality

Still Seeking Better Quality

smith_jim_l@cat.com (Jimmy L. Smith) — Sat, 30 May 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Quality giants like Joseph M. Juran, W. Edwards Deming and Armand V. Feigenbaum ushered in the era of total quality management (TQM) movement about seven decades ago.

Expanding Lean Waste: The Case for Material Underutilization

faceofquality@qualitymag.com (Jim L. Smith) — Sun, 12 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Before I get into the focus of this column, I’d venture to guess that many quality professionals reading this column’s title did an about take thinking this guy has lost his mind. To discover the real intent, read on…

Sustaining a Quality Culture, Part 2

smith_jim_l@cat.com (Jimmy L. Smith) — Tue, 17 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0400

I felt it might be of interest to continue the discussion from my previous column on organizational culture. It is not easy for some organizations to convert to a culture that is truly focused on establishing a robust culture of quality.

Sustaining a Quality Culture

smith_jim_l@cat.com (Jimmy L. Smith) — Tue, 10 Feb 2026 00:00:00 -0500

What is culture? Culture is the shared beliefs, values, attitudes, and behavior patterns that characterize the members of a family, a community or an organization.

Refining Product Design

smith_jim_l@cat.com (Jimmy L. Smith) — Sun, 11 Jan 2026 00:00:00 -0500

While consulting with a hydraulic pump manufacturer, the executive officer related their company’s revolutionary journey.

Mastering the Upward Spiral of Improvement

faceofquality@qualitymag.com (Jim L. Smith) — Thu, 11 Dec 2025 00:00:00 -0500

During a career in which I devoted a large portion to developing and implementing improvement programs, one thing became crystal clear. Improvement programs with a focus on sustained improvement were more valuable than speed of implementation.

The Dynamic Duo: Why Quality and Safety Must Evolve Together

smith_jim_l@cat.com (Jimmy L. Smith) — Wed, 12 Nov 2025 00:00:00 -0500

During my management career at a Fortune 50 company, we were taught to treat quality and safety as top priority. They were considered essential and everything else was secondary.

The Improvement Trap: Why Many Improvement Efforts Fail

smith_jim_l@cat.com (Jimmy L. Smith) — Sun, 12 Oct 2025 01:00:00 -0400

Continual improvement is a challenging journey, often hindered by a misunderstanding of processes. With decades of experience, I’ve seen how reframing questions can unlock meaningful change. Remember, improvement is a marathon, not a sprint.

Shift Focus: Quality Professionals Need to Shift Focus to Short-term Results

faceofquality@qualitymag.com (Jim L. Smith) — Sat, 13 Sep 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Would you accept a project that paid very little for two years and required you to wait two years for the ultimate windfall? Since quality professionals serve at the behest of senior management, we must do what we can to help them succeed. Quality professionals need to shift to improvement methods that give short-term results.

Focus on Quality Service, Part 2

faceofquality@qualitymag.com (Jim L. Smith) — Tue, 19 Aug 2025 01:00:00 -0400

In my previous column, we discussed timeliness and reliability. This column will continue by discussing three more customer service mainstays.

Focus on Quality Service, Part 1

faceofquality@qualitymag.com (Jim L. Smith) — Sun, 13 Jul 2025 02:00:00 -0400

Discover what your customers expect and consistently deliver. This remains a guiding principle for any quality system and should apply to product- and service-based environments.

Link Quality and Lean, Part 2

faceofquality@qualitymag.com (Jim L. Smith) — Mon, 23 Jun 2025 00:00:00 -0400

In part 1, we explored the linkage of quality and lean. In this segment, we will discuss how quality and lean should be married together in product and process redesign and improvement.

Data Integrity: Use quality tools and principles for greater data accuracy.

faceofquality@qualitymag.com (Jim L. Smith) — Sat, 08 Mar 2025 23:00:00 -0500

When errors occur in manually entered data for project reports, it’s crucial to communicate with your supervisor and request more time to correct them. Acknowledging that mistakes happen, the priority should be on identifying and validating any unusual entries to ensure the report is reliable.

Employee Involvement Pays

faceofquality@qualitymag.com (Jim L. Smith) — Wed, 12 Feb 2025 00:00:00 -0500

My career in employee involvement initiatives has shown me that while top management commitment is essential for successful quality programs, gaining middle management buy-in is equally important for translating that commitment into action.

Product Design Affects Manufacturing and Customer Satisfaction

faceofquality@qualitymag.com (Jim L. Smith) — Tue, 28 Jan 2025 00:00:00 -0500

A component supplier sought to improve quality and reduce costs by studying principles from quality experts. Leaders embraced continuous improvement and formed a kaizen team to analyze their primary product.

Success is a Marathon, Not a Sprint

faceofquality@qualitymag.com (Jim L. Smith) — Wed, 01 Jan 2025 00:00:00 -0500

Unlocking success requires a positive mindset, clear goals, and a willingness to embrace challenges. Discover the key principles that can elevate your journey and help you achieve your dreams.

Organizations Need to Assess Risk Level and Take Appropriate Actions

faceofquality@qualitymag.com (Jim L. Smith) — Tue, 11 Jun 2024 00:00:00 -0400

Today, organizations face various risks like cyber-attacks, data breaches, system failures, service disruptions, and natural disasters. Identifying and managing these risks at acceptable levels is crucial. Failing to acknowledge these risks can leave organizations unprepared to handle their potential impact.

Organizations Need to Include Quality as a Core Business Strategy

faceofquality@qualitymag.com (Jim L. Smith) — Mon, 03 Jun 2024 00:00:00 -0400

Management at a company didn't allow blaming employees for incidents. For instance, an employee got injured while not following safety rules. The root cause was identified as the lack of motivation to follow procedures, leading to more effective corrective action.

Measuring the Right Things Lead to Organizational Excellence

faceofquality@qualitymag.com (Jim L. Smith) — Wed, 01 May 2024 00:00:00 -0400

Most people have heard the phrase, “What gets measured gets done”; however, more than that, organizational excellence comes from having clear world-class performance measures that are consistently achieved.

Implement basic principles to improve organizational efficiency

faceofquality@qualitymag.com (Jim L. Smith) — Wed, 31 Jan 2024 00:00:00 -0500

Everyone Embracing Change is Key to Success

faceofquality@qualitymag.com (Jim L. Smith) — Wed, 03 Jan 2024 00:00:00 -0500

Change management is a process for ensuring that the people affected by change understand the nature of the change and the reasons for it. Successful change management is an all-hands-on-deck activity.

Marketplace Projection is a Minefield

faceofquality@qualitymag.com (Jim L. Smith) — Wed, 25 Oct 2023 00:00:00 -0400

As many manufacturers realize, a forecast is always a gamble. At best, it is an educated guess.

Part 2: Delivering the Best

faceofquality@qualitymag.com (Jim L. Smith) — Wed, 27 Sep 2023 00:00:00 -0400

This column continues the discussion on delivering the best effort to break through roadblocks as we journey through life. If you haven’t had the chance to read my previous column, I would encourage you to do so.

Part 1 of 2: Delivering the Best

faceofquality@qualitymag.com (Jim L. Smith) — Sun, 10 Sep 2023 00:00:00 -0400

Few things are as frustrating as knowing someone has more to give in their job, to their family, or to society, but he or she routinely withholds their best efforts. How do you contend with this condition?

Do the Right Thing at the Right Time for the Right Reason

faceofquality@qualitymag.com (Jim L. Smith) — Fri, 18 Aug 2023 00:00:00 -0400

Not long ago, I had a conversation with a senior quality manager at a large manufacturing operation about the future of the quality profession.

Motives Are Important in Everything We Do

faceofquality@qualitymag.com (Jim L. Smith) — Fri, 06 Jan 2023 00:00:00 -0500

For many successful men and women in all walks of life, the key to success was that they were motivated more, at least in the beginning, by what was needed, or by what they felt they had to do, than thought of financial gain.

Should Quality Professionals Focus on Soft Skills?

faceofquality@qualitymag.com (Jim L. Smith) — Fri, 16 Dec 2022 00:00:00 -0500

Recently I had a discussion with a quality manager concerning the focus of quality and what skills are important to success. It centered on the degree of focus which should be placed on the quality tools versus people and teams.

Workplace Culture Influences Employee Attitudes

faceofquality@qualitymag.com (Jim L. Smith) — Thu, 24 Nov 2022 00:00:00 -0500

Although personal attitudes are influenced by core values, it is greatly influenced by management. Employee attitude about the product, about their work, about their managers, and about the organization will ultimately determine the quality of their work.

Organizations Need Committed People to Succeed

faceofquality@qualitymag.com (Jim L. Smith) — Sat, 15 Oct 2022 00:00:00 -0400

Regardless of what you’ve been told, there is one truism for people who must earn a living. You can expect your employer to demand more from you.

Dissatisfied Customers: A Few Principles to Deal With Unhappy Customers

faceofquality@qualitymag.com (Jim L. Smith) — Thu, 15 Sep 2022 00:00:00 -0400

Regardless of the business you have customers and some of them are unhappy. Coping with these customers is an inevitable part of everyday business life and how you deal with them is a predictor of success.