Yearly Archives: 2016

Most Popular Links on Management Sub-Reddit in 2016

I created the management sub-reddit many years ago. The management sub-reddit provides links to worthwhile management improvement content and the members indicate those links they liked. Here is a list of the most popular links added in the last year. … Continue reading

Posted in Management | Comments Off on Most Popular Links on Management Sub-Reddit in 2016

Unpacking the Components of Hard Work to Design Better Work Conditions

Effort is grossly underrated by Jamie Flinchbaugh: There is a common phrase of “work smarter, not harder.” I get the appeal of that. Effort without clarity, efficiency, and effectiveness, has severe limits. Working smart is essential. But does that mean … Continue reading

Posted in Career, Respect, Systems thinking | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Podcast: Building Organizational Capability

The Software Process and Measurement Cast 420 features an interview with me, by Thomas Cagley, on Building Organizational Capability (download podcast). John Hunter in the podcast: Changing how organizations are managed makes a huge difference in people’s lives, not all … Continue reading

Posted in Management, Systems thinking | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Continually Improving Using a Focus on Delighting Customers

ASQ asked the ASQ influential voices to respond to this question: What is the best way to ensure quality and customer integration grow together? When I first got involved in the quality field that name (quality) seemed to vague for … Continue reading

Posted in Customer focus, Management, Process improvement, Systems thinking | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Add Constraints to Processes Carefully

Take great care in adding constraints to processes to avoid doing so needlessly. Online you will frequently find forms that have required fields that needn’t be. Certainly if you were designing with focus on what is best for customers those … Continue reading

Posted in Customer focus, IT, Software Development | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Add Constraints to Processes Carefully

Bell Labs Designing a New Phone System Using Idealized Design

I remember hearing this same story when Russ Ackoff spoke at the Hunter Conference on Quality (which was named in honor of my father) in Madison, Wisconsin. If you haven’t heard this story you are in for a treat. And … Continue reading

Posted in Innovation, Management, Process improvement, Systems thinking | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Burning Toast: American Health System Style

Democrats and Republicans have created a health care system in the USA over the last 40 years that “burns toast” at an alarming rate. As the symptoms of their health care system are displayed they call in people to blame … Continue reading

Posted in Economics, Health care, Management, Public Sector | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Burning Toast: American Health System Style

Lead by Building Organizational Capability

The result of a recent interview with me has been posted: How to Lead From Any Level In the Organization 2. Help people solve their problems. Similar to helping other people grow their careers is the idea of helping other … Continue reading

Posted in Deming, Management | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Applying Toyota Kata to Agile Retrospectives

HÃ¥kan Forss, King (interactive entertainment games), presentation at the GOTO Copenhagen 2015 conference. I strongly recommend Mike Rother’s book: Toyota Kata. Description from Workshop description “The Toyota Kata Experience” Kata means pattern, routine, habits or way of doing things. Kata … Continue reading

Posted in Lean thinking, Process improvement, Software Development | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Understanding Design of Experiments (DoE) in Protein Purification

This webcast, from GE Life Sciences, seeks to provide an understanding Design of Experiments (DoE) using an example of protein purification. It begins with a good overview of the reason why multi-factorial experiments must be used while changing multiple factors … Continue reading

Posted in Design of Experiments | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Understanding Design of Experiments (DoE) in Protein Purification