-
Tags
ASQ Influential Voices blogs Books Career Carnival commentary continual improvement Creativity curiouscat Customer focus customer service Data Deming Economics engineering Google Health care Innovation internet Investing IT John Hunter leadership lean manufacturing Lean thinking management Management managing people Manufacturing organization as a system Popular Process improvement Psychology Public Sector Quality tools quote respect for people Six sigma Software Development Statistics Systems thinking tips Toyota Toyota Production System (TPS) webcast
-
Categories
- Books
- Career
- Carnival
- China
- Competition
- Creativity
- curiouscat.com
- Customer focus
- Data
- Deming
- Design of Experiments
- Economics
- Education
- Fun
- Health care
- India
- Innovation
- Investing
- IT
- Lean thinking
- Management
- Management Articles
- Manufacturing
- Performance Appraisal
- Popular
- Process improvement
- Psychology
- Public Sector
- Quality tools
- quote
- Respect
- Science
- Six sigma
- Software Development
- Statistics
- Systems thinking
- Tags
- Theory of Constraints
- Toyota Production System (TPS)
- Travel photos
- UK
- webcast
Category Archives: Systems thinking
Eliminate the Waste of Waiting in Line with Queuing Theory
One thing that frustrates me is how managers fail to adopt proven strategies for decades. One very obvious example is using queuing theory to setup lines. Yes it may be even better to adopt strategies to eliminate as much waiting … Continue reading
Dr. Deming in 1980 on Product Quality in Japan and the USA
I posted an interesting document to the Curious Cat Management Library: it includes Dr. Deming’s comments as part of a discussion organized by the Government Accounting Office in 1980 on Quality in Japan and the United States. The document provides … Continue reading
Posted in Deming, Management, Psychology, Public Sector, Quality tools, quote, Respect, Statistics, Systems thinking
Tagged continual improvement, curiouscat, Deming, government, Japan, Lean thinking, management, management history, managing people, Process improvement, Psychology, Public Sector, quality, Quality tools, quote, respect for people, SPC, Statistics, Systems thinking, variation
Comments Off on Dr. Deming in 1980 on Product Quality in Japan and the USA
Psychology of Improvement
Even if ideas are good and have significant importance (high value to customers, reduce waste dramatically, improve safety…) implementing the ideas can be difficult. Getting people to make an effort to improve a situation by simply laying out the dry … Continue reading
Manufacturing Skills Gap or Management Skills Gap?
I stumble across articles discussing the problem of manufacturers having difficulty finding workers with the skills they need (in the USA largely, but elsewhere too) somewhat regularly. While it is true that companies have this problem, I think looking at … Continue reading
Posted in Lean thinking, Management, Manufacturing, quote, Respect, Systems thinking
Tagged Career, Deming, hiring, jobs, lean manufacturing, long term thinking, management, managing people, Manufacturing, problem solving, quote, respect for people, Systems thinking, workplace improvement
3 Comments
Practical Ways to Respect People
What matters is not your stated respect for people but your revealed respect for people. Here are some ideas that I collected on how to practice respect for people. Don’t waste people’s time: have meetings only when necessary and provide … Continue reading
Networking is Valuable But Difficult to Quantify
Networking works incredibly well. Unfortunately it isn’t as simple as peddling your bike where you want to go. The benefits of networking are unpredictable and not easy to control (to specifically target – you can do this, it just has … Continue reading
Interviewing: I and We
In response to: say “I” — not “we” — in your interviews If you are a manager you need to lead teams, lead projects and improve work systems. In an interview I believe you need to say specifically what you … Continue reading
Posted in Career, Management, Process improvement, Psychology, Systems thinking
Tagged build capacity, Career, jobs, managing people, Process improvement, Psychology, Systems thinking
2 Comments
The Theory of Knowledge in Deming’s Management System: How Do We Know What We Know?
I contributed an article to the Process Excellence Network’s Deming Files that was published yesterday: How Do We Know What We Know?. I took on the task of explaining the theory of knowledge, as one article in a four part … Continue reading
When Companies Can Treat You Like an ATM, Many Will Do So
The End of Refrigeration One small custom chip, some relays, a transformer, a couple of heat sinks, and a bunch of passive parts. Maybe a build cost of $20-30 or so? But GE’s price to me was $250, plus $150 … Continue reading
Avoiding Tragedy of the Commons for Software Development
Kanban and Tragedy of the Commons The “Tragedy of the Commons” archetype often manifests itself through “Shared Services”, when a small number of people with specific skills, work across different teams. Each team in isolation gets benefit from the Shared … Continue reading
