Monthly Archives: May 2006

Airlines Try Smarter Boarding

Posted on May 9, 2006 by John Hunter

Airlines Try Smarter Boarding [the broken link was removed] by Dave Demerjian An airplane that spends an hour on the ground between flights might fly five trips a day,” he explains. “Cut the turnaround time to 40 minutes, and maybe … Continue reading →

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Understanding Data

Posted on May 9, 2006 by John Hunter

Topic: Management Improvement Statistics Abuse and Me by Jay Mathews: the Simpson’s Paradox numbers. The national average for the SAT went up only 4 points between 1981 and 2005, but the average for whites went up 10 points, for blacks … Continue reading →

Posted in Data, Education, Management, Statistics | Tagged , , , | 9 Comments

Respect for People

Posted on May 8, 2006 by John Hunter

A very thoughtful post, Respect for People on the Kaikaku blog raises some interesting questions. What does respect for people really mean? Toyota empowers people: To stop the line – to stop every other worker from working – that is … Continue reading →

Posted in Lean thinking, Management, Popular, Respect, Toyota Production System (TPS) | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Six Sigma and Process Drift

Posted on May 8, 2006 by John Hunter

Quality Quandaries: Six Sigma, Process Drift, Capability Indices, and Feedback Adjustment by George Box and Alberto Luceno. This article is for the more statistically inclined. The Six Sigma specification makes an allowance of 1.5 standard deviations for process drift. Simple … Continue reading →

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Innovation at Google

Posted on May 7, 2006 by John Hunter

Turning Limitations into Innovation [the broken link was removed] by Marissa Ann Mayer: people working on it have spent so much time and are so personally invested that it’s too painful to walk away. They often know the project is … Continue reading →

Posted in Google, Innovation, Management Articles, Psychology | Tagged | 2 Comments

Energy Future

Posted on May 6, 2006 by John Hunter

Interesting chart from: The Oil Age Poster [the broken link was removed] . There are all sorts of opinions on the future price of oil. My view is based in the capitalist/market model – I believe that if it becomes … Continue reading →

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Lean Thinking Misconception

Posted on May 5, 2006 by John Hunter

Office Furniture Companies Now Leaner [the broken link was removed] Steelcase, the largest of the nation’s office furniture companies, cut thousands of jobs, consolidated manufacturing operations and started relying more on third-party suppliers and outsourcing as it shifted toward a … Continue reading →

Posted in Lean thinking, Management Articles, Manufacturing | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Find the Root Cause Instead of the Person to Blame

Posted on May 3, 2006 by John Hunter

When encountering a problem or defect the inclination of many is to find a person to blame. W. Edwards Deming believed that the system was responsible for 93% of the problems and over time he increased that number to at … Continue reading →

Posted in Management, Popular, Process improvement, Psychology, Quality tools, Systems thinking | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Production Preparation Process

Posted on May 3, 2006 by John Hunter

The Top 5 Reasons for Using Production Preparation Process (3P) [the broken link was removed] by Jon Miller: Production Preparation Process (3P) is one part of an overall Lean design approach that includes QFD, design reviews, and post-start up monitoring … Continue reading →

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