In today's increasingly competitive manufacturing environment, the need to investigate and track quality related events is a crucial factor in the day-to-day manufacturing operations.

My first job after college was as product assurance engineer but quality did not become my career until I began associating with ASQ six years after graduation. Though I was able to adequately fulfill my job responsibilities, I lacked the overarching understanding of the quality professionals’ importance within an organization. 

We’ve all heard about or experienced the blame game. The customer is upset because a product doesn’t meet expectations. Once notified, the manufacturer apologizes, makes restoration, but blames a supplier for poor workmanship. Soon the blame game between manufacturer and supplier restricts the flow of meaningful information.

Although he seems like the consummate quality professional, James Bossert ended up in the quality profession by chance. Today he’s spent more than 35 years in industries from automotive to cell phones to healthcare and consulting. His career has brought him around the country, and around the world. He’s worked in Texas, Michigan, Arizona, North Carolina and New York. Along the way, he’s written two books and edited four. 

Whether your business has a 50-year history or just opened last year, you need to make sure you have a system of sustained success. ISO Q9004: Quality Management Systems–Managing for the Sustained Success of an Organization “provides guidance to management for achieving sustained success of any organization in a complex, demanding, and ever-changing environment.” 

Multi-vari charts are a useful tool for presenting analysis of variance data in graphical form. They can identify patterns of variation, on a single chart, from many causes. 

Greg Mann doesn’t want to brag. Although he’s proud of the company’s work, he isn’t satisfied. “We’re just getting started,” says Mann, the operations manager at Accurate Gauge & Manufacturing (Rochester Hills, MI). 

Real-life quality problems are conundrums. Dorian Shainin realized that recognizing the distinctive characteristics of a problem was critical. He also knew that applying the right tactics was the key to the solution; however, many of the analysis tools of his time were not effective.

Some companies make high quality look easy. One of our top companies has never been late for a customer delivery in 11 years of business. Another has a quality manager with 40 years of experience. Others always seem to be preparing for their next certification audit. 

Whether in our work or personal lives, whether for an individual endeavor or to benefit an entire organization or whether collectively or subconsciously, we’ve all asked the question: What is the best approach to getting the best result?