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.
Chrysler matches Toyota in efficiency – Detroit News I didn’t mean for this to become “beat up on the Detroit Three” week… this comes in waves. If you don’t like these posts, my short-term focus on the auto industry will…
GM preps for new hires after buyouts This is a particularly sad story. We often debate the proper role of layoffs and headcount reductions in the Lean community. It’s “conventional wisdom” perhaps in the Lean movement that we should not…
Dennis Quaid Recounts Twins’ Drug Ordeal, Actor Tells 60 Minutes’ Steve Kroft Medical Errors Kill Thousands – CBS News Did you see the actor Dennis Quaid on 60 Minutes last week? He talked about the sad case where his twin…
Chinese Refrigerator Maker Finds U.S. Chilly – WSJ.com: Here’s another case of where your bosses should NOT take manufacturing management practices from the WSJ. In an article about the Chinese refrigerator maker Haier and its founder, Zhang Ruimin: “He developed…
Time for a low-carb Lean Six Sigma?: Stuff like this irritates me to no end: “Lean Manufacturing has us analyzing process flow and delay times at each activity within a process. And while Lean Manufacturing principles help speed things up,…
Wachter’s World : The Checklist Saga: Victory! This is great news for patients and is probably great news for those of you who have been following the “checklists” saga. The federal government has reversed its earlier decision to shutdown the…
I was wondering the other day about hospital advertising that you might see in your community (TV ads, billboards, newspaper ads). With the focus on improving quality and patient safety, is there a hospital somewhere that is advertising itself as…
I saw this ad (click on the photo for a larger, readable view) in the Wall Street Journal Monday. It’s an ad run by a patient advocacy organization called “RID” (Reduce Infection Deaths). The headline is “15 Steps You Can…
Flightblogger: Temporary Fasteners Causing Major Problems for 787 Program Ok, so Boeing isn’t using duct tape in their efforts to cobble together the first Dreamliner plane. But, this blog report I’ve linked to says they were using: “… over-the-counter parts…
by Mike Lopez All these lead paint toy scandals are only the beginning. On July 12, 2007, Businessweek ran a story, “Made in China: Faulty Tires.” This story foreshadowed the bloodbath to come. For every scandal, we can expect several high…
LEAD SINKS SPONGEBOB CHINA GOODS Sung to the TV theme… parody words by Mark Graban “Who’s covered in lead and lives under the sea?Spongebob! Squarepants! Whose China-made goods may endanger your kids?Spongebob! Squarepants! If dangerous journals be something you wishSpongebob!…
by Mike Lopez Today and tomorrow, I have the pleasure of taking part in a Lean Six Sigma summit being hosted by our corporation. One of today’s presenters was Mike Micklewright. He posed many challenging and introspective questions to our…
