Reliability is designed into a product. Quality is built into a product. Poor reliability is long term, difficult and expensive to rectify because it is woven into the fabric of the product.
Quality is a relative short term problem because once the badly written procedure, non-compliant material or poor workmanship is identified, it usually can be fixed relatively quickly with minimal impact to the program. Continue reading
Barcodes—that little pattern of lines and spaces—first burst onto the American scene in 1974, on a pack of Wrigley Spearmint gum in a grocery store in Troy, Ohio. By 1990 barcodes had become so important, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) published a specification for printed barcode quality. Continue reading
In Part Two of this article on predicting the future with science, we look at the tool from Statistical Process Control that helps us understand behaviour patterns in our processes so we can make more informed decisions. Continue reading
Many initiatives within an organization are supported by steering committees, committees that decide on the priorities or order of the business. Audit, IT and EHS (Environment Health & Safety) are just a few common examples.
However, not all steering committees are created equal. They can take on many different shapes and forms based on need, initiative scope, subject-matter expertise and company culture, just to name a few. Continue reading
The late Dr. Seuss was a favorite of mine (and continues to be even my adulthood). He taught many lessons that were designed for both children and adults. His shorter pieces were always fun and among them I hold the highest regard for one titled Too Many Daves.
It’s a simple premise about a woman with twenty-three sons all, as you might guess, named “Dave”. The story briefly explains her exploits in calling the boys into the house, getting all twenty-three when she only wanted one. She muses about a different life where she had named them all something different, but in the end, Seuss finishes with, “But she didn’t do it and now it’s too late.” You can just smell the dank, musty aroma of regret hanging on that poor woman’s head. Continue reading