For years there's been something hidden in Deming's closet. Well, not hidden exactly, it's actually one of his published "Seven Deadly Diseases of Western Management". Problem is, it takes us a little way outside our comfort zone where all things can be measured, and hence predicted, controlled and managed. So we don't like talking about it too much. It can indeed be seen, to pinch someone else's catchphrase, as Deming's inconvenient truth. But what is it?   more »

With the 2008 update nearing the date of issue, here's a summary of the LIKELY changes to the ISO 9001 standard   more »

Here's a post aimed at providing some guiding principles and food for thought for anyone ready to tackle this knotty issue head-on   more »

Quality management gurus come and go and everyone has their own personal favourite. But there is one guru that has stood out head and shoulders above all others. A quality professional whose acute understanding of business dynamics, human motivation, customer behaviour, economics and, most crucially, how this all fits together, has resulted in a body of work that remains undiminished by half a century of the most incredible change. So whenever we find ourselves drawn into an “ISO 9001 Section 5” debate, we could do worse than to pause and to think “what would Deming say?”   more »

The requirement that processes are identified, defined, understood and measured is (supposedly) a fundamental requirement of ISO 9001. But is it ever really examined?   more »

At last, you may say, continual improvement explained in simple terms. Well we've done our best   more »

The attempt Starbucks is making to arrest a decline in business performance is unfolding into an interesting case study. In this special guest post, Maria Palma offers her up-to-the-minute views on what's they're up to, most crucially, if it's likely to work   more »

There's a very good contribution today on John Hunter's blog Curious Cat on this topic. Details inside   more »

London Heathrow Terminal 5. A not unexpected lesson in bad project management (Updated 15th April from an earlier post)   more »

There is no point ignoring the basic weaknesses and flaws of human behaviour when designing a system. If you need compliant behaviour, you'll have more success if you make that path easy to follow   more »

Here's a short article that many people will find useful. It summarises the key requirements of ISO 9001 and offers a number of pointers that, hopefully, will help a lot of you with your implementation   more »

Whenever you browse business related blogs, forums, company web sites and the like you notice that there is a very wide interpretation of what exactly ISO 9000 is, and what it can achieve. In most cases its primary benefit is overlooked, whilst some potential benefits are often overstated. In this post we try to put some things in context. Hope it helps   more »

In this special guest article, Kelly Erickson from VisionPoints, explains the concept and principles behind this new 21st Century battleground   more »

Not all "quality people" understand human motivation, or human dynamics at all if we're honest. Deming had strong views on the role that people and their motivation play on the efficiency of working systems   more »

Following on from our first post in the series "Deming on the 8 Quality Management Principles" where we looked at leadership, in this post we take on the system   more »

In this post we attempt to add some context and depth to our favourite quality management principle, leadership, using the words of the master. What better way?   more »

With the 2008 standard published later this year, we highlight the two greatest opportunities that are about to be missed   more »

We all know what they are, but how many of us can apply them in the right context? Hopefully this post will help   more »

In this article we recall a chance encounter with a professional gambler who gave a candid insight into the realities of his profession. We always knew that there was a profound management lesson in there somewhere and, today, the penny has dropped. The story actually helps us make sense of one of Deming's most fundamental lessons   more »

Here's a short guide to the potential exclusions to ISO 9001 section 7 and circumstances under which they can and cannot apply. Hope you find it useful   more »

Here's a great current case study that describes the processes of success, growth and complacency as executed by one of our most famous household names. A classic lesson on the importance of a proactive continual improvement strategy   more »

Browsing through a business related discussion board the other day we were suddenly struck by the fact that people have very different ideas of what "quality" is, or should be. Consequently there are quite different attitudes to managing it. This piece explores a couple of these different view points and asks the question "where does business come into it?"...   more »

In an F.U.R.B (sort of) to our posting of November1st, we make a serious point about why you shouldn't take things so seriously.   more »

ISO 9001? OHSAS 18001? Integrated Management Systems? EFQM? Lean? Six Sigma? Auditing? Here's your chance to get the answers. FREE   more »

Enter for a round up of the best of the best from recent quality improvement posts   more »

At the risk of upsetting a load of engineers who think that they actually are innovators, here's a post that suggests it goes against the grain   more »

Using management system standards, ISO 9001 and OHSAS 18001, is often described as a means of managing risk, but what does that actually mean?   more »

Enter for a round up of quality improvement posts from around the web. Some great contributions in this, our first, edition   more »

Scott Hassler offers this excellent summary of key principles culled from the book "Four Days with Dr Deming". It's a great summary, so if you're not a "cover to cover" type, read on   more »

Get your head round this one. A product that is proven not to work. PROVEN mind you, a household item too, but it exists only to pander to the uninformed perception of the general public. Read on for an insight into the power of perception   more »