Mon, 11/30/2015 - 13:33
The Shewhart control chart is relatively insensitive to non-normal distributions, and the worst foreseeable consequences of a wrong decision involve searching for an assignable or special cause when none is present. The economic consequences depend…
Mon, 10/12/2015 - 13:12
We all know what happens when we assume. For example, traditional designed experiments assume that residuals, the differences between the actual and modeled data, follow the normal distribution (as seen in figure 1). These experiments include t…
Mon, 08/24/2015 - 11:26
The requirement for risk-based thinking is among the most significant changes in ISO 9001:2015. Army Techniques Publication (ATP) 5-19, Risk Management is a public domain reference that supports this requirement.
ATP 5-19 includes a risk…
Mon, 08/10/2015 - 12:34
Risk-based thinking, or “actions to address risks and opportunities,” is among the most significant additions to ISO 9001:2015. This provision encompasses what we currently call preventive action, or proactive actions that prevent poor quality…
Mon, 06/22/2015 - 15:53
Engagement, according to the Mercer report “Engaging Employees to Drive Global Business Success,” is a decisive competitive advantage, “a psychological state in which employees feel a vested interest in the company’s success and are both willing…
Wed, 05/20/2015 - 17:06
Management of change is a safety-related phrase from the chemical process industry that is adaptable to risk-based thinking. The basic premise is that anything new, different, or nonroutine (such as repairs or replacement of equipment, and process…
Tue, 04/07/2015 - 12:12
Two recent “Consumer Watchdog” articles in the Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, Times Leader, as well as reports of General Motors’ ignition switch problem, give the perception that GM’s position on ISO/TS 16949 is “Do as we say, not as we do.” If a…
Wed, 03/11/2015 - 17:25
‘I’m shoveling two feet of your partly cloudy off my sidewalk” is an old joke about what happens when meteorologists get the forecast wrong, and there is a similar running joke among quality practitioners. “Your centered Six Sigma process is…
Thu, 01/29/2015 - 00:00
Isaac Asimov’s mystery stories often begin with a guest of the Black Widowers being asked, “How do you justify your existence?” On a darker note, George Bernard Shaw said of the concept of eugenics, “If you can’t justify your existence, if you’re…
Wed, 11/19/2014 - 11:31
The decades-old stereotype about “visually challenged” referees was reinforced during the recent game between Ohio State and Penn State, when a referee awarded OSU an interception after the ball had clearly—as shown by a subsequent video—touched…