Tag: Quality

Quality: Leadership, Systems Thinking, and Continuous Improvement

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.

Krazy Kwality Posters

3
I really dislike motivational posters, particularly those meant to inspire quality. I guess it comes from the early Deming training/indoctrination and having been around...

Certification and Quality

3
Modern Healthcare Online (article available to subscribers only, March 12, 2007 Issue)I think it's been true in the manufacturing world that quality certifications, such...

Ford: Quality equal to Toyota

2
Detroit News ArticleIn terms of initial vehicle quality, Ford Motor Co. is in a statistical dead-heat for second place with Japan's Toyota Motor Corp....

"That’s What We’re Here For"

2
My main point here I think is "Tech Support should NOT be part of the normal process."I needed to register for an internal company...

Say "No" to Bad Drug Stores

15
The Blotter: ABC Report on Pharmacy ErrorsI first stumbled across this 20/20 report when I saw a preview on the ABC investigative reports video...

Multitasking is NOT Part of Standard Work

5
The New York Times ran an article this weekend exposing the myth of multitasking. Despite the common belief that we have to multi-task to...

In Inspectors We Trust?

1
U.S. Mint goof creates 'Godless dollars' - Boston.comThis isn't a political blog, so the intent isn't to debate if our U.S. currency *should* say...

2,000 vs. 2: What Andon Cord Pulls Reveal About Toyota and...

4
tl;dr: The andon cord isn't a tool--it's a trust signal. Toyota's thousands of line stops reflect psychological safety and leadership support. Ford's rare pulls...

Defining Defects

1
Flawless products no one wantsThis was sent by my old colleague Darren, a lean guy from Phoenix. He didn't add any commentary, but...

Hiding Defects in the Ceiling

0
USA's only breast implant factory adjusts to silicone approval (USA Today)First off, shame on the journalist for using the "everything is bigger in Texas"...

Incentives for On-Time, But What About Quality?

0
Rotorhub: The Information Hub of the Helicopter IndustryHere's an article about some military helicopter part production and a "lean" system.This jumped out at me:At...
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