Yearly Archives: 2006

Management Excellence

Posted on January 23, 2006 by John Hunter

My comments on, Take off the Blinders [the broken link was removed]: I think the question of what other companies have management practices worth studying is interesting. The answer could be very helpful as others could learn from what those … Continue reading →

Posted in Data, Deming, Lean thinking, Management, quote | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Lean Software Development

Posted on January 22, 2006 by John Hunter

Lean Software Development: A Field Guide [the broken link was removed] – the first 3 chapters of this new book are available online. Excellent, recommended for anyone interested in lean thinking ideas. Lean Software Development: An Agile Toolkit for Software … Continue reading →

Posted in Management Articles | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Toyota’s Early History

Posted on January 22, 2006 by John Hunter

via Got Boondogle: A book that I recently finished is “Quest for the Dawn” by Shoji Kimoto. “Quest for the Dawn” is a fascinating true story set from about 1930 to the mid 1950s of a bold business quest to … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Management, Toyota Production System (TPS) | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Zero Defects

Posted on January 22, 2006 by John Hunter

Zero Defects by Norman Bodek: Do you believe it is possible to have Zero Defects? I am not talking about six sigma at all. I believe it is possible to have zero defects (in a sense). But I do not … Continue reading →

Posted in Deming, Management, Quality tools, quote, Systems thinking | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Great Charts

Posted on January 22, 2006 by John Hunter

Karl Hartig displays some excellent charts that he created (for the Wall Street Journal) on his web site. The charts seem very similar to what would result from applying Edward Tufte’s ideas. Rarely do I see charts that do such … Continue reading →

Posted in Data, Management | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Engines of Democracy

Posted on January 21, 2006 by John Hunter

Engines of Democracy [the broken link was removed] by Charles Fishman, Fast Company: The 170-plus people who work at this plant try to make perfect jet engines. And they come close. On average, one-quarter of the engines that GE/Durham sends … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Management Articles | Tagged , | Comments Off on Engines of Democracy

Ackoff Podcast

Posted on January 19, 2006 by John Hunter

I found this great podcast via the post – School Architecture: Doing the Wrong Thing Right. As usually Ackoff provides great ideas, in an interesting and entertaining manner. This talk focuses on learning (and education and teaching) and doing the … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, webcast | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Ackoff Podcast

Improving Communication

Posted on January 18, 2006 by John Hunter

How to Communicate with Me [the broken link was removed] by David Anderson. A nice post, with practical advice on improving communication. He understood that service goes downward in management and he encouraged us to communicate to him, how he … Continue reading →

Posted in Management Articles | Tagged | 1 Comment

Effective Innovation

Posted on January 17, 2006 by John Hunter

Overcoming the barriers to effective innovation [the broken link was removed] by Pierre Loewe and Jennifer Dominiquini The top six obstacles to innovation identified by respondents were consistent across industries: Short-term focus. Lack of time, resources or staff. Leadership expects … Continue reading →

Posted in Management Articles | Tagged | Comments Off on Effective Innovation

Management Improvement Leaders

Posted on January 17, 2006 by John Hunter

Who’s Driving Quality Today by Laura Smith, Quality Digest. Ten years ago, in our March 1995 issue, we profiled 45 “New Quality Gurus.” Although it was one of our more popular articles, some of the “gurus” and their causes have … Continue reading →

Posted in Management, Popular, quote | Tagged , | 7 Comments