What’s the secret Quality connection between Italy and Japan? The Pareto Chart! Signore Pareto provided his 80/20 rule and Dr. Ishikawa created the Pareto Chart and included it in his 7 Basic Quality Tools. Voila! (that’s French) An international pairing was born to help pave the problem solving path. Vilfredo…
Fishbone + Ishikawa = Fishikawa! We know him best for this essential root cause tool, but did you know Dr. Ishikawa developed the first Kaizens, aka Rapid Improvement Events? And where would we be without his 7 Basic Quality Tools? Check out this Fishbone Webinar created in his honor and…
He was a cigar-chomping, salty-tongued educator who wrote a manufacturing love story. Eli Goldratt left us way too soon but will always be appreciated as the man who constantly provoked people to truly think. This year would have marked Eliyahu Goldratt’s 73rd birthday. Born in Israel, Mr. Goldratt was a…
Who is the Grand Poobah of Toyota Production System? The Wizard of Lean? His Royal Eminence of Efficiency? Sure, he had some help, but Taiichi Ohno was the behind-the-scenes master of what is now known as Lean Manufacturing. Time to appreciate a significant quality forbear! This year would have marked…
What do you know about Sakichi Toyoda? Did you know he was born on Valentine’s Day? That he started out in the textile business? That he came up with the 5 Whys root cause guessing game? Oh, and that he founded Toyota Industries Company!? This year would have marked Sakichi…
Did Taguchi design Kimonos? He could have, if he’d spent his life working in the family Kimono business (and I’m sure they would have been stunning), but lucky for us, this quality rebel devoted a lifetime to the idea that customers deserved better. This year would have marked Genichi Taguchi’s…
Dr. Juran was a Quality Man with a Quality Life, and, after celebrating 81 years, clearly a Quality marriage! Time to tip our hats to the man who pointed out that sometimes inspection costs more than the defects themselves. Huzzah! December 24th would have marked Mr. Juran’s 115th birthday -…
Did you know Dr. Kano was a student of Dr. Ishikawa? Did you know Dr. Kano was still with us? Does he know everyone still uses the Kano Model? Would that be a delighter for Dr. Kano? Inquiring minds want to know! This November marks Noriaki Kano’s 79th birthday (we’re…
“Don’t rule by fear,” “Stop inspection,” “Remove silos” and "Clarify your purpose.” Dr. Deming’s principles are as applicable today as they were when he was alive. He challenged managers to rule without fear, without targets or quotas and focus instead on setting the stage for pride of workmanship. What workplace…
The Lean Enterprise Institute is coming up on it’s 22nd Anniversary which means founder James Womack must be proud! We know he’s proud of his of meeting his daily goal of 10,000 steps. Time to celebrate the nonprofit LEI and its generous founder. Happy Birthday to both of you! Like…