Recently I had a conversation with a senior quality engineer at a large manufacturing operation about the future of the quality profession. There is no definite answer because no one has a crystal ball but a transformation has been underway. There have been several studies published and many articles, including some by this author, written on this issue.

It’s been said that the human body is a marvel, the greatest machine ever designed. It’s not hard to find confirmation of that statement in the other machines man has designed and built.

There are a number of documents dealing with the calibration of thread gages purporting to be “standards” that are really more like training manuals. There is a need out there for this information but invariably, instead of sticking to the metrology involved, they delve into quality decisions and things start to come off the rails.