You bet we can!! When we integrate 2 or more Standards, the time savings start immediately! It takes some work to combine some of the requirements, but the benefits last for the life of the system. Top Management Benefits Management can literally kill multiple birds with one stone. As we go down the list of […]
Can We Make Improvements Through Integration? Read More »
You may recognize Deming’s 8th ‘Point’ – Drive Out Fear. There’s no better way to get people ‘engaged’ (ISO 9001, 5.1.1 h) than creating a work environment where people feel listened to and respected for their expertise, no matter how ‘basic’ that expertise is! In this Point, he talks about 4 things to do to
Unleash Potential…Drive Out FEAR! Read More »
This is Deming’s 12th point – another great idea that can improve the work environment in any organization! Start with a few questions and see what emerges… Question: Is management REALLY listening? Or are people feeling like no one’s responding? Management Question: Can people improve their own processes? Question: Can people inspect their own work?
Promote Pride in People Read More »
John Seddon in Freedom From Command and Control identified three things that employees need to get the results you’re looking for:1. Clear Instructions and purpose – what does the ‘right result’ look like?2. Methods that work and make sense3. The willingness to do the work well I’ve added 2 more:4. Infrastructure – all the appropriate
Are People Your Problem? Read More »
John Seddon, Vanguard Consulting, released a great book called ‘Freedom From Command and Control’. There are plenty of great ideas in there, and I enjoy sharing them with you! Seddon started applying the ‘Toyota Production System’ to the service industry back in the 90s. You’ll find his insights very helpful. Systems Thinking is what he
A New Twist on PDCA Read More »
Three more keys to improve employee engagement… 1. Improve Communications All organizations can afford to improve communications. In fact, a video I used to show in College included the line, “Communication is a synonym for ‘Life’.” So true… Sending an e-mail is NOT communication! ‘Communication’ has two components – 1. Send the message…2. Ensure that
More Employee Engagement! WIIFM – Part 2 Read More »
If your process improvement project has stalled, perhaps Management could give it a boost…if they’re on board! The first key is to make sure they understand the context of the project and how it fits into current circumstances. If a project looks like it’s ‘out in left field’ it will be hard to get support
Five Tips to Get Management Buy-in Read More »
You’ll notice in ISO 9001:2015 that clause 6.2.2 requires action plans for Quality Objectives. Yikes! Here’s the good news: these plans will help. Design your Action Plans to help you reach your targets – hitting targets will help you improve your Management System. You’ll see that the requirements include: What are we going to do
Four Keys to Action Plans Read More »
Too many well-intentioned improvement projects end up in the weeds. How does this happen? Too much focus on the process and not enough focus on the goal. Unless that process is really causing people grief they won’t be all that interested in it. If you can relate improving the process to relieving some kind of
Two Keys to Process Improvement Read More »
Waiting until the end of your production cycle to do inspections is a recipe for disaster. By then, it’s too late. You have time and money invested by this point and it’s important to get a return on your investment. It makes more business sense to build checks in along the way. Better yet, design
Stop depending on final inspections! Read More »
