This Page has the abstracts and links to the slide decks for presentations I have made about Quality since 2021.
Putting Analysis Into FMEA (Presented February 16, 2023; ASQ1106 Northeast Tennessee Section Member Meeting)
Abstract
Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) should be the beating heart of every product and process design or improvement project. The sad reality in most organizations is FMEA is less a beating heart and more of a wart—ugly and useless. FMEA is treated as a burden, a bureaucratic imposition dealt with in the days and hours before the deadline to submit to the customer or regulator.
There is a simple truth that looms over us: All products and processes fail. The only question is whether or not failure arrives in a fashion and at a time that is tolerable. FMEA can and should be the instrument to ensure that failure is prevented during the design life of a product or process.
What I have observed is very few people understand how to perform an FMEA. Most FMEAs are superficial, revealing nothing new to the team that created them, a document just for the sake of checking off a box.
This presentation will discuss some common FMEA practices and offer an alternative framework and philosophy to create thorough and rigorous FMEAs quickly and efficiently. The resulting FMEAs effectively guide the allocation of budget, resources, and people to maximize the probability of success for the team.
Link to the slides: Putting Analysis Into FMEA_annotated slide deck
Problem Solving Bankruptcy—Gradually And Then Suddenly (Presented July 19, 2022; ASQ1401 Greater El Paso Section Member Meeting)
Abstract
Most professionals consider themselves problem solvers. Many make a point to put it in their resumes and on their LinkedIn profiles. Yet, it remains common that problems occur and re-occur and the methods and strategies, such as they are, result in no improvement. Both inside and outside of the organization, people are unhappy. That is problem solving bankruptcy.
This presentation will discuss the types of problems that exist, how the perception of what a problem is affects the "solution," and methods and strategies for avoiding problem solving bankruptcy.
Link to the slides: Problem Solving Bankruptcy annotated slide deck
Becoming Sherlock Holmes: Process of Elimination in Root Cause Analysis (Presented June 8, 2022; ASQ708 Member Meeting)
Abstract
Everyday, we are faced with problems. Many problems are not solved so much as treated so the pain goes away. To truly solve a problem, that is to eliminate its recurrence, requires identifying the root cause.
In the search for the root cause of a problem, the process of Sherlock Holmes, the process of elimination, has enormous power. While most people understand the idea of the process of elimination, there are frequent misapplications and misunderstandings. We’ll consider some of Sherlock Holmes’s practices in the context of business problem solving.
Correctly applied, the process of elimination strategy coupled with appropriate tools and reliable data, many confounding problems become ordinary.
Link to the slides: Becoming Sherlock Holmes annotated slide deck
Waste Is Not The Quality Warrior's Enemy (Presented September 21, 2021; ASQ1401 Greater El Paso Section)
Abstract
For organizations implementing and attempting to maintain continuous improvement initiatives, a common focus is the reduction of waste. Waves of training are rolled out and many projects and activities are launched resulting in quick and, often, substantial wins. However, the gains are frequently lost in just a few months. For the Quality Warrior, waste is the signal of a problem, but not the problem itself. Likewise, the reduction of waste is not a reliable signal that the root cause of a problem has been addressed. This presentation will explore waste as a signal and how that can lead the Quality Warrior to the root cause.
Link to slides: Waste Is Not The Quality Warrior's Enemy annotated slide deck
The Way of the Quality Warrior (Presented February 16, 2021; ASQ1401 Greater El Paso Section)
Abstract
Vast, unrelenting forces are arrayed against those of us seeking to improve quality in the world. What are those forces? What is our mission? What mindset do we have to develop? What preparations do we need to make? How should we act?
Link to slides: Way of the Quality Warrior annotated slide deck