Quality doesn’t come from inspection, pressure, or choosing between speed and accuracy. It comes from well-designed systems, capable processes, and leaders who focus on learning instead of blame. This archive brings together blog posts, podcasts, and reflections on quality through a Lean and Deming lens—covering psychological safety, metrics, variation, leadership behavior, healthcare quality, and why sustainable improvement depends on fixing systems rather than managing people harder.
102 seconds versus 300 seconds. That’s the comparison the 1992 booklet uses to make the case for one-piece flow. Three employees on an assembly line. Three processing steps. Same work, same number of people, same total processing time. The only…
Why do so many quality programs fall apart the moment the firefighter walks out the door? In this conversation, Chad Diggs talks about his new book, Below the Surface, and what it takes to build quality systems that outlast the people who…
A food company had a flowchart any auditor would love. Every step mapped. Every step mapped. Every critical control point identified. The HACCP plan (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points, the standard food safety framework that identifies where contamination can…
A Florida surgeon, Thomas Shaknovsky, was indicted on a second-degree manslaughter charge on April 13. The charge followed the death of William Bryan, a 70-year-old Alabama man, during what was supposed to be a laparoscopic splenectomy in August 2024. Instead…
Tesla builds cars in what used to be the NUMMI factory, a joint venture between Toyota and GM (which meant it was run as a Toyota plant with "Lean" practices). Before that, it was a dysfunctional GM plant. Now that it's a Tesla plant, did they learn from Toyota or does it seem more like "the old GM?"
TL;DR: A sound check, live song requests, and a naming regret — what watching Brandi Carlile perform taught me about specific problem-solving, vulnerability, and continuous improvement. My wife and I got to see the amazing Brandi Carlile perform near Chicago…
This week’s Operational Excellence Mixtape tackles the challenge of sustaining improvement amidst turbulence and change fatigue. We explore why values must act as your “North Star” when markets shift, methods for building quality systems that fight entropy (with examples from…
TL;DR: “Lean is for speed, Six Sigma is for quality” is a false trade-off. Lean improves flow by removing obstacles like waiting and rework–and when work flows better, quality improves too. High-performing teams don’t choose between speed and execution; they…
In this special bonus episode, Mark Graban and C.J. Kaufman preview the ASQ Cincinnati-Dayton 2025 conference and explore why quality, leadership, and psychological safety are inseparable foundations for sustainable improvement. Listen: In this special bonus episode of Lean Blog Interviews,…
TL;DR: Healthcare cost pressures are real, but the cost of patient harm in healthcare is far higher. Preventable events like wrong-site surgery drive massive financial losses through litigation, regulatory action, staff burnout, and reputational damage. Investing in patient safety, psychological…
TL;DR: A USPS clerk tapping the green smiley face on a customer feedback screen is a small but telling example of gaming the system. When performance metrics are vague, fear-based, or tied to rewards and punishment, people naturally optimize for…
This edition of Ryan McCormack’s Operational Excellence Mixtape explores why real improvement depends on disciplined thinking, leadership habits, and cultural integrity–not slogans or shortcuts. From reflections on problem solving, Leader Standard Work, and the limits of healthcare “systems,” to lessons…
