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.
A blog reader, Tom, sent me a PDF of a column from the ASQ “Quality Progress” magazine, the April 2007 issue. The article is “Using Lean to Meet Quality Objectives,” by Dale K. Gordon. The ASQ website has a link…
globeandmail.com: Private sector health care: Think quality, regulation I don’t think healthcare and quality is a “Private vs. Public” debate. As we’ll inevitably have debate during the 2008 U.S. Presidential election, I think it’s important to keep quality in mind…
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 too many environments where Quality meant a poster that said “Quality is YOUR Responsibility.” Posters are…
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 as ISO-9001, aren’t necessarily predictors of world-class quality. I’ve seen it be far too easy…
Detroit News Article In terms of initial vehicle quality, Ford Motor Co. is in a statistical dead-heat for second place with Japan’s Toyota Motor Corp. and Nissan Motor Co., according to a new study the Dearborn automaker plans to release…
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 tech support website (for teleconference support) and was trying to log in to the website.…
The Blotter: ABC Report on Pharmacy Errors I first stumbled across this 20/20 report when I saw a preview on the ABC investigative reports video podcast. Pharmacy errors are a major problem (see this story): There are as many as…
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 get our work done, and despite the presence of technology that encourages us to do more…
U.S. Mint goof creates ‘Godless dollars’ – Boston.com This isn’t a political blog, so the intent isn’t to debate if our U.S. currency *should* say “In God We Trust.” We’re here to debate the best way to make sure that,…
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 reflected fear and mistrust. Lean succeeds or fails on culture, not mechanics. In 2007, a BBC…
Flawless products no one wants This was sent by my old colleague Darren, a lean guy from Phoenix. He didn’t add any commentary, but here’s mine. The linked article is another one (from syndicated columnist Dale Dauten) that tries to…
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” cliche in her story. About my headline… yes, that’s not referenced in the USA Today,…