Putting Best Practices to Work www.qualityprogress.

com | February 2008

QUALITY PROGRESS Better Plan,

Better
Audit
p. 32

Tracking
Efficiency
RFID’s Influence
on Supply Chains
of the Future p. 20

Plus:
Guitar Making the
Deming Way
p. 25

Make the Most

of Section Meetings
p. 72
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 Putting Best Practices to Work | February 2008 | www.qualityprogress.com

Contents
FEATURES
20 SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT
Efficiency Gets a New Identity
RFID has joined barcodes to become the standard in inventory tracking.
How do they compare? And will one win out?
by Dennis Lin and Vijay Wadhwa

QUALITY MANAGEMENT
25 Good Vibrations
It wasn’t intentional—in fact, it was pure instinct—for one guitar company
to craft high quality acoustic guitars using Deming’s 14 points in its
manufacturing process.
by Luke T. Foo

AUDITING
32 Sharpen Your Auditing Skills
No one benefits from rushing into an audit unprepared and uninformed.
A checklist can help you plan, organize and document the audit process.
by Joe Kausek
20
ONLY @
www.qualityprogress.com
38 LEAN SIX SIGMA
Launch to Quality
After assessing the way it was doing • Quick Poll
business, this naval testing facility Cast your vote on the latest
implemented lean Six Sigma. The
quality related question.
payoff? Nearly $9 million in savings
over three years.
by Tracy Widner and Mitch Gallant • Back to Basics
Translated in Spanish.

STATISTICS
45 Educating Engineers
There are many who dread statistics
courses—even some engineers.
Two professors suggest using real
research cases to teach statistical
theories and concepts.
by Elisabeth Viles and
Cristina Martin
• Tools and Resources
Training and certification.
• Articles by Topic
Find additional information
on specific subjects.
• Talk Back
Comment on and rate the
articles in this issue.

25
 DEPARTMENTS

10
8 QP Inbox
• Dealing with dementia.
• Clearing “Disillusionment” question.

Expert Answers
• ISO standards outlined.
QP
Mail
QUALITY PROGRESS
Table of Contacts

Quality Progress/ASQ
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14 Keeping Current Telephone Fax
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• ISO certifications on the rise.
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• New ASQ fellows. name followed by @asq.org (for example,
vfunk@asq.org).

17 Mr. Pareto Head Article Submissions

Quality Progress is a peer-reviewed publica-
59 QP Toolbox tion with 85% of its feature articles written
by quality professionals. For information
about submitting an article, call Valerie Funk
62 QP Reviews at 800-248-1946 x7373, or e-mail
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66 QP Calendar 14 Free QP Live
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COLUMNS Photocopying Authorization

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Using the propensity scoring Alice Haley, PO Box 3005, Milwaukee, WI
method. 53201-3005, call 414-272-8575 x7406, fax
414-272-1734 or e-mail ahaley@asq.org.
72 One Good Idea
Rapid brainstorming pays off. Photocopies, Reprints
And Microform
Article photocopies are available from
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reprints (more than 100), contact Barbara
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form, contact ProQuest Information and
Learning, 300 N. Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, MI
48106, 800-521-0600 x2888, international
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54 Membership and Subscriptions

For more than 60 years, ASQ has been the
worldwide provider of information and learn-
ing opportunities related to quality. In addi-
NEXT MONTH tion, ASQ membership offers information,
networking, certification and educational
- CORPORATE SOCIAL - EVERYDAY QUALITY opportunities to help quality profession-
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to Quality Progress are one of the many
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ASQ’s Vision: By making quality a global priority, an organizational imperative and application on p. 65 of this issue.
a personal ethic, the American Society for Quality becomes the community for everyone
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Quality Progress (ISSN 0033-524X) is published monthly by the American Society for Quality, 600 N. Plankinton Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53203.
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4 QP • www.qualityprogress.com
What’s Your Quest?

Attend the 20th Annual

Quest for Excellence® Conference

April 22-25, 2008 • Hilton Washington • Washington DC

20th Anniversary Gala Celebration

Share best performance practices with recent recipients of the

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 UPFRONT

Made to
QP
PUBLISHER
William A. Tony
QUALITY PROGRESS

Measure EDITOR
Seiche Sanders

ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Mark Edmund
Tracking advances in RFID technology ASSISTANT EDITOR
Brett Krzykowski
FOLIO MAGAZINE is to the publishing world what QP is to quality professionals, and as
MANUSCRIPT COORDINATOR
a writer and editor I always look forward to FOLIO’s informative, industry focused articles. Valerie Funk
This month, my two chosen vocations—journalism and quality—converged in the EDITOR AT LARGE
coverage of one hot topic, RFID (radio frequency identification), which involves the use of Susan E. Daniels

tiny computer-chip enabled transmitters that serve a similar function to barcodes, but they CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
don’t need to be scanned. Nicole Adrian

FOLIO’s article, “Research Firm to Begin Testing Waiting Room Readership with COPY EDITORS
Susan Gronemus
RFID,” details a specific use of the technology: One company plans to begin using RFID Kelly Sullivan
tags embedded in magazine covers to track readership habits in office waiting rooms.
ART DIRECTOR
While the relative cost to do this is still high ($20 per unit), its use in this way portends Mary Uttech
what’s to come in reaching new levels of supply chain efficiency—and producing a GRAPHIC DESIGNER
wealth of reliable, accurate data. Read the full article at www.foliomag.com/2007/ Sandy Wyss

magazines-begin-testing-waiting-room-readership-rfid#. PRODUCTION
QP’s own article on the topic, “Tracking Efficiency,” p. 20, offers a high level look at Cathy Schnackenberg

how RFID is joining barcoding as the industry standard for inventory tracking. While the ADVERTISING PRODUCTION
Barbara Mitrovic
two are both used widely, it seems RFID’s benefits will soon outweigh its costs.
The potential uses of RFID are seemingly endless: from serving as “green cards” for DIGITAL PRODUCTION SPECIALISTS
Eric Berna, Laura Franceschi
immigrants to implants that alert emergency care professionals to a patient’s allergy. Fur-
MEDIA SALES MANAGER
ther, RFID technology promises to be a major boon to business efficiency by producing Erica Gumieny
reliable data via detailed records on how products move through the supply chain.
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES
Already, the U.S. Department of Defense, Wal-Mart and other big corporate players are Angela M. Mitchell
paving the way to its widespread use by requiring their vendors to adopt RFID technol- Mitchell Pezanoski

ogy. As momentum builds, its use will ensure greater reliability—and measurability—of CLASSIFIED/RECRUITMENT
ADVERTISING
key business processes. Ramona Garcia

MARKETING ADMINISTRATOR
What could be a bigger breath of fresh air than a story about a company that is using Matt Meinholz
basic quality principles to build better products? EDITORIAL AND ADVERTISING OFFICES
“Good Vibrations,” p. 25, is one such story. The article explains how California based Phone: 414-272-8575
Fax: 414-272-1734
Santa Cruz Guitar Co. uses Deming’s 14 points to build some of the finest quality guitars
while generating high levels of employee satisfaction. What’s noteworthy is that its staff ASQ ADMINISTRATION
Executive Director
members didn’t know they were doing it—it took an outsider’s view to recognize the use of Paul E. Borawski
Deming’s principles, and that observation inspired the author to pen his article on the topic. Managing Directors
What struck me is what would be possible if companies—even the very good ones— Christopher D. Bauman
Brian J. Lehouillier
knowingly embraced quality and its principles. There’s always room for improvement. Michelle Mason
Laurel Nelson-Rowe

To promote discussion of issues in the field of quality and

ensure coverage of all responsible points of view, Quality
Progress publishes articles representing conflicting and minor-
ity views. Opinions expressed are those of the authors and not
Seiche Sanders necessarily of ASQ or Quality Progress. Use of the ASQ logo in
advertisements does not necessarily constitute endorsement of
Editor that particular product or service by ASQ.

6 QP • www.qualityprogress.com
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 INBOX QP
CHAIR OF THE BOARD
QUALITY PROGRESS

Quality care Advancing Performance Excellence For one, what organization Ronald D. Atkinson, General Motors
I read with interest Robert Car- www.asq.org sponsored the study? Gyani
PRESIDENT
DECEMBER 2007

2007 SALARY SURVEY

rico’s insightful article “Qual-
ity Principles and Alzheimer’s,”
(December 2007, p. 59) which
applied quality concepts to
dealing with dementia.
Do Belts Help? is associated with the Quality
How Six Sigma Pros Stack Up
Council of India and India’s
national accreditation body. Is
it one of these? Also, there are
a number of tables and figures
Michael D. Nichols, Nichols Quality Associates
PRESIDENT-ELECT
Roberto M. Saco, Aporia Advisors
TREASURER
E. David Spong, Boeing (retired)

Carrico mentions Safe Re- with unclear numerical rank- PARLIAMENTARIAN

Survey Regular Consultant
Analysis Employee Trends Incomes James J. Rooney Jr., ABS Consulting
turn, which is an excellent pro- p. 21 p. 25 p. 47

E
ings. Is a score of 1 poor, and a
RIGRS

DIRECTORS
LD NE

gram made even stronger with BA IN . 12

its recent merger with Medic-Alert. Howev-
er, another resource for caregivers and law
enforcement is Project Lifesaver.
Project Lifesaver uses a wristband
with a radio frequency battery to locate
Alzheimer’s sufferers (or those with Down
syndrome, autism or other forms of de-
mentia) in a fraction of the time a normal
search effort would take. Here in Colo-
rado, the results show great success—50
rescues in an average time of less than 30
minutes.
This program works as a great comple-
ment to Safe Return. If a wanderer is suf-
fering paranoia with dementia, they might
be prone to hiding in enclosed areas. In that
situation, Project Lifesaver has proven to
be very effective. As a result, agencies that
use Project Lifesaver have experienced a
dramatic decrease in the costs they usually
incur for location efforts, which usually take
more than 17 hours.
Deb K. Wells
Centennial, CO
Certifiable accuracy
The article “QMS Certification: Down With
Disillusionment,” (December 2007, p. 52)
deals with a topic that generates discus-
sion whenever quality professionals gather.
While the information presented was very
interesting, there are omissions and ambi-
guities that reduce the article’s usefulness.
W p
5 excellent? They appear to be
averages, but we are not sure of what.
The terms “compliance” and “effective-
ness” seem to be used interchangeably when
referring to a quality management system
(QMS). Compliance is straightforward. But
when referring to the effectiveness of a QMS,
what is the definition and metric used?
I applaud the work that has been done,
and I am in full agreement that we must
demonstrate the links I believe exist be-
tween certification body competence, QMS
compliance and QMS effectiveness. To do
this with an audience that is either disillu-
sioned or can’t agree on much, our data and
analysis must be crystal clear.
Geoff Withnell
Montgomery Village, MD
Author’s response
Yes, the study was supported by Quality
Council of India. The score from 1 to 5 was
taken with 1 being the minimum and 5
representing the maximum or best.
The effectiveness is based on the statis-
tical average for a particular function, for
instance, the certification process and QMS
status. The compliance is for each element
of the checklist for these functions, and
where we assigned the score from 1 to 5
based on what was actually found.
Girdhar J. Gyani
Secretary General
Quality Council of India
Jochen Amelsberg, APC International
Belinda Chavez, United Space Alliance
Brenda M. Fisk, Software Quality Solutions
Richard A. Gould, RG Management Solutions
Kamla P. Gupta, Continuous Improvement
Technology
Stephen K. Hacker, Transformation Systems
International
Gary L. Johnson, U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency
Kay A. Kendall, Sun Microsystems
William H. LaFollette, Humana Inc.
Lou Ann Lathrop, General Motors
David B. Levy, Levy Quality Consulting
Richard A. Litts, Litts Quality Technologies
Richard F. McKeever, D2 Quality Associates
Aimee H. Siegler, Benchmark Electronics
Donald C. Singer, GlaxoSmithKline
Steven E. Wilson, U.S. Department of
Commerce Seafood Inspection Program
QP EDITORIAL REVIEW BOARD
Randy Brull, chair
Administrative Committee
Roger Berger, Brady Boggs, Randy Brull, Jane
Campanizzi, Larry Haugh, Jim Jaquess, Gary
MacLean, Christine Robinson, Richard Stump
Technical reviewers
I. Elaine Allen, Andy Barnett, David Bonyuet,
John Brown, Bernie Carpenter, Ken Cogan,
Linda Cubalchini-Travis, Ahmad Elshennawy,
Tim Folkerts, Eric Furness, Mark Gavoor,
Kunita Gear, Lynne Hare, Ron Kenett,
Ray Klotz, Tom Kubiak, William LaFollette,
Shin Ta Liu, Pradip Mehta, Gene Placzkowski,
Paul Plsek, Tony Polito, Peter Pylipow,
Philip Ramsey, R. Dan Reid, Wayne Reynolds,
John Richards, James Rooney, Anil Sengupta,
Sunil Thawani, Joe Tunner, John Vaks,
Manu Vora, Jack Westfall, James Zurn

8 QP • www.qualityprogress.com
2008 ASQ World Conference
on Quality and Improvement
MAY 5-7, 2008 • HOUSTON, TEXAS • GEORGE R. BROWN CONVENTION CENTER

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
Rear Adm. T.K. “Ken”
Mattingly (USN, Ret.)
Apollo 13 Astronaut

Gregory S. Babe
President and CEO,
Bayer MaterialScience LLC

SPECIAL SESSION
International Panel including Dr. Marius J.S. Buiting, president of the Glenn Walters
European Society for Quality in Healthcare; Shoji Shiba, visiting professor Owner,
at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and professor emeritus, GW Enterprises
University of Tsukuba, Japan; and Margaret Wheatley, president emerita,
The Berkana Institute

Quality Is In Everyone’s Job Description

Quality is no longer a term solely associated with manufacturing or the “quality control GENERATION
department.” Instead, it is a goal pursued by industries around the world—from the stockroom
to the boardroom. Join ASQ for the 62nd World Conference on Quality and Improvement for
QUALITY
information on business excellence, knowledge transfer, generational diversity, innovation and
application, teamwork, and the virtual universe.
When you have time between attending any of more than 75 sessions (including a variety
of sessions in Spanish), visiting the ASQ Career Fair, and networking with fellow quality
professionals, you can enjoy some of Houston’s many attractions. Take a tour of Space Center
Houston, see a Houston Astros baseball game, or visit one of the many shopping centers.
Come with an open mind, discover improvement methodologies that will lead your organization
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Early-bird rates end March 14, 2008.
Member $825 • Nonmember $925
 EXPERTANSWE
Which standard’s approach?
Q: I’m trying to determine what QMS is
right for my company. What is the differ-
ence between ISO 9000 and other ISOs?
A: When people say ISO 9000, they are
referring to the quality management sys-
tems (QMS) standards and requirements
specified in ISO 9001:2000. It is a standard
for providing assurance about the ability to
satisfy quality requirements and enhance
customer satisfaction in supplier-customer
relationships.
The standard evolved to its current,
more process-oriented form from the older
version, which emphasized compliance
with a list of requirements. The ISO 9000
standards are generic in terms of their
application, meaning the same standards
will apply to service, manufacturing or R&D
organizations. They are also generic in
terms of the industries they apply to, be it
automotive, telecommunications, medical
devices or pharmaceutical.
To address some special requirements
from certain business sectors and areas of
application, sector- and application-specific
standards were developed by the Inter-
national Organization for Standardization
(ISO). The most noteworthy standard is ISO
14001:2004, which is a hybrid of the ISO
Industry specific ISO standards / TABLE 1
Sector
Food safety
Information security
Supply chain security
Automotive
Petroleum and gas
Medical devices
10 QP • www.qualityprogress.com
9001:2000 generic model and the environ-
mental management systems standards.
There are several ISO standards that are
industry or application-specific, as listed in
Table 1.
For further information on ISO stan-
dards, visit www.iso.org/iso/iso_
catalogue/management_standards.htm
Shin Ta Liu, shin@lynxsys.net
Principal Consultant, Lynx Systems
Looking for immediate results
Q: I’ve heard the term a few times, but am
wondering: What is a kaizen blitz?
A: A kaizen blitz (also called a kaizen event)
is a team effort devoted to making a signifi-
cant improvement in a short period of time.
Targeted improvements can be manufac-
turing or administrative in nature, often
centered on reducing or eliminating waste
or nonvalue added activities. The time
involved for a blitz is usually three to five
days. The end goal is to formally standard-
ize and implement the new or improved
way of doing business.
One challenge is that improvement is
expected with “low” cost—significant capi-
tal expenditures are usually not in scope.
Blitz events are often employed by
organizations that have embraced lean
Standard
ISO 22000:2005
ISO/IEC 27001:2005
ISO 28000:2007
ISO/TS 16949:2002
ISO 29001:2003
ISO 13485:2003
manufacturing principles and have begun
widespread training of these concepts and
tools. However, a successful event can be
held without such a framework, so don’t
be scared off if you have identified an
improvement opportunity and your com-
pany doesn’t already have a “big program”
underway.
For a successful blitz:
1. Identify the opportunity with preliminary
data.
2. Identify the team of people needed to
fully define the opportunity and who
have the ability to make any needed
changes. Often, team members span
several departments.
3. Identify a leader for the team. The leader
must have some familiarity with the
tools to be employed during the event
and be able to direct the group’s activi-
ties.
4. Work with management to identify a
time period of several days when this
group can work together exclusively on
this opportunity. Gain approval for the
team to not only come up with ideas,
but also to be empowered to make
actual changes.
5. Begin with some basic training. In many
blitz events it is necessary to develop
a process map (or value stream map),
so participants should be trained to use
this tool.
6. Map the process. If possible, do this
where the work is actually done rather
than in a conference room. Have the
team walk through the map and identify
wasteful or nonvalue added activi-
ties. Gather specific data during the
walkthrough and, if necessary, dig for
additional data afterward.
7. Lead the team in a brainstorming
session to identify specific possible im-
RS
provements. In many cases, people have
had great ideas in their heads for years
and just need an opportunity to express
them in a receptive context.
8. Shorten the list by looking at impact
versus effort (or cost). Identify actions
the team would be willing to actually
try out.
9. Trial the selected actions and evaluate
their impact. The trial might be in the ac-
tual workplace or it might be simulated
using props made by the team.
10. Select the final recommended actions
and meet with management to gain ap-
proval for implementation.
11.Begin standardizing the new, improved
way of doing the work. Document any
necessary procedures and develop
training plans for other people in the
organization.
Steps 1-4 relate to planning and might
be spread out over time. Steps 5-11 are
the true blitz period in which the team is
engaged.
Often, the benefits of a blitz extend
beyond the specific process addressed
to foster improved morale from the team
effort and from the empowerment afforded
by management.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
“Lean Lessons,” Quality Progress, February 2007, p. 47.
www.strategosinc.com/kaizen.htm
www.kaizen-training.com/how/kaizen_blitz.html
Peter E. Pylipow, ppylipow@visus.jnj.com
Senior design excellence engineer
Vistakon—Johnson and
Johnson Vision Care Inc.
LOOK IT UP
For a complete list of quality terms, head to www.qualityprogress.com and
check out QP’s Quality Glossary under Tools & Resources.
Getting off to a healthy start
Q: I am part of a young healthcare organi-
zation, and my team has been charged with
getting a quality initiative off the ground.
I don’t know where to start. How should I
approach this?
A: Start with the end in mind: to create a
sustainable system of continuous improve-
ment that involves all employees and is
viewed as an essential part of the organiza-
tion’s success.
To do that, you will need to focus on
four things: leadership, engagement,
customer needs (in your case, patients and
families) and competence in improvement
methods.
• Ask your leaders why they want a qual-
ity initiative. Why is it important? What
is their vision for it? Where does it fit
relative to other aspects of organiza-
tional performance, such as finance?
What role do they see themselves play-
ing in leading the initiative? Get their
personal commitment to learn about
improvement methods by attending
conferences, visiting other successful
organizations, and reading.
• Ask employees and professional staff
what they think needs to be improved.
Seek to understand what they are pas-
sionate about and design initial efforts
around those topics for the purpose of
getting high levels of engagement right
from the beginning of the effort.
• Engage all parts of the organization (top
to bottom, all departments) in talking
directly with their customers (patients,
families and internal customers) about
what they want from their interaction
with the organization. Listen intently and
seek to understand the experience from
their point of view, rather than trying to
convince them how great you already
are. Compile and share the trends of
unmet needs that emerge from these
conversations. Match people’s passions
with these needs as you design initial
improvement projects.
• Learn about basic improvement meth-
ods, such as the Institute for Healthcare
Improvement’s Model for Improvement
and rapid-cycle Plan-Do-Study-Act
(PDSA). See Resources below. Use these
methods to address the issues that
come out of the discussions described
earlier. Keep it simple and be action-ori-
ented. Your goal early on is to maximize
engagement and foster people’s sense
of accomplishment.
You will eventually learn of many more
advanced methods for improvement.
But these are of no real value without a
foundation of leadership commitment and
a sense that improvement is a founda-
tional part of daily work for everyone in the
organization. Concentrate on building this
foundation first.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Institute for Healthcare Improvement. www.ihi.org. A wealth
of information, conferences, courses, short teaching videos,
methods and tools, and case studies for leaders and im-
provement practitioners.
American Society for Quality. www.asq.org. See especially
the Healthcare Area of Use.
M.J. Ryan and W.P. Thompson. CQI and the Renovation of an
American Health Care System: A Culture Under Construc-
tion. ASQ Quality Press, 1998.
Paul Plsek, paulplsek@directedcreativity.com
Consultant, Paul E. Plsek & Associates Inc.
February 2008 • QP 11
 KEEPINGCURRE
HEALTHCARE

Panel Recommends
Interoperability Specs
To Support Records

T
The Healthcare Information Technology Standards Panel (HITSP) has
released recommendations to ensure the interoperability of elec-
tronic health records in the United States.
HITSP, working on this project with the U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services (HHS), says patients should be assured of confi-
dentiality while receiving the highest quality care.
“HITSP is identifying the standards and specifications that will
help patients become stewards of their own personal health infor-
mation,” says John Halamka, M.D., HITSP chair and CIO of Harvard
Medical School.
After review and approval of the standards by the federal advisory
body, the American Health Information Community, the following
specifications will be recommended to HHS:
• Consumer access to clinical information.
• Quality indicators.
• Emergency responder electronic health records.
A set of standards and specifications that will help keep patient
medical information secure in an electronic environment had already been approved by HITSP on Oct. 15, 2007.

ASQ

SPEAKERS ADDED TO WORLD CONFERENCE LINEUP

Three more featured speakers have been added to the lineup for
the 2008 World Conference on Quality and Improvement, May 5-7
in Houston. Those recently announced are:
• Patrick Townsend, a former Malcolm Baldridge Award exam-
iner and author of Commit to Quality and Quality in Action: 93
Lessons in Leadership, Participation and Management.
• Michael Stanleigh, director of project and quality manage-
ment at SheridanCorporate’s Centre for Innovation, an
adult learning and training organization, and president of
Business Improvement Architects, a consulting firm. He is
the author of the report “From Crisis to Control: A New Era
in Strategic Project Management.”
• Glenn Walters of G.W. Enterprises, a consultant on quality,
management and leadership issues for more than 30 years.
He is the chair of ASQ’s Team and Workplace Excellence
Leadership Council.
Other featured speakers announced earlier are: T.K. “Ken”
Mattingly, the astronaut who played a key role in the return of the
Apollo 13 crew from the near-disastrous lunar mission in 1970;
and Gregory S. Babe, president and CEO of Bayer Corp. Material
Science.
For conference updates, visit http://wcqi.asq.org.

14 QP • www.qualityprogress.com
NT
ASQ
AWARD WINNERS
ANNOUNCED
ASQ’s awards board has announced
the winners of its national awards for
2007. They are as follows:
Brumbaugh Award: George E.P.
Box and Carmen Paniagua-Quinones,
for their article “Two Charts: Not One,”
Quality Engineering, April-June 2007.
Crosby Medal: Peter Patton and Bi-
jay Jayaswal, for Design for Trustworthy
Software, Pearson Education, 2007.
Deming Medal: H. Thomas John-
son, who successfully combined the
application of statistical thinking and
management so each supports and
enhances the other, leading to quality
in products and services.
Feigenbaum Medal: Elizabeth
Cudney, for leadership by a quality pro-
fessional 35 years old or younger.
Freund-Marquardt Medal: Ofelia
U. Barretto, for being a leader for many
years in the development of standards
for quality assurance and management
systems.
Grant Medal: Thomas Pyzdek, for
leadership in education.
Juran Medal: Sister Mary Jean Ryan,
FSM, for organizational leadership.
Ishikawa Medal: John Timmerman,
for his positive impact on the human
aspects of quality.
Lancaster Medal: Madhav Sinha,
for contributions to the international
fraternity of quality professionals
Shewhart Medal: Jeffrey Wu, for
technical leadership.
For more information on ASQ
awards, go to www.asq.org/about-asq/
awards.
STANDARDS
ISO 9001, ISO 14001, SECTOR-SPECIFIC
CERTIFICATIONS ON THE RISE
The ISO Survey—2006 shows a 16% rise in certifications to ISO 9001, the quality management
standard, and ISO 14001, the environmental management standard, in 2006.
During the same period, certification to the more recently developed ISO/TS 16949 for the
automotive sector and ISO 13485 for medical devices
increased by more than 60%.
Nearly 900,000 certificates to ISO 9001 had been
issued in 170 countries and economies by the end
of 2006, up from the approximate 775,000 in 161
“ Nearly 900,000
certificates
to ISO 9001 had
been issued
countries and economies at the end of 2005. For
in 170 countries
ISO 14001, the 2006 total was nearly 130,000 in 140
and economies
countries and economies, up from the approximate
by the end of
111,000 in 138 countries and economies in 2005.
By the end of 2006, about 28,000 ISO/TS 16949
certificates had been issued in 78 countries and economies,
2006.
”
compared with about 17,000 in 80 countries and economies at the end of 2005. For ISO
13485, about 8,000 certificates had been issued in 82 countries and economies by the end
of 2006, compared with about 5,000 in 67 countries and economies at the end of 2005.
For the first time, the survey covers the new ISO/IEC 27001 requirements for informa-
tion security management systems. By the end of 2006, nearly 6,000 certificates had
been issued in 64 countries and economies. The complete survey is available at no cost
at www.iso.org.
BALDRIGE
2008 BALDRIGE
CRITERIA AVAILABLE
The 2008 Criteria for Performance Excellence are now
available from the National Institute of Standards and
Technology
The criteria provide a systems perspective for under-
standing performance management and are also the basis
for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award process.
There are three versions of the criteria: business/non-
profit, education and healthcare.
They can be acessed at www.quality.nist.gov. Paper
copies of the documents can be obtained from nqp@nist.
gov or by calling 301-975-2036.
February 2008 • QP 15
 KEEPINGCURRENT
EDUCATION

THREE TEAMS SPOTLIGHTED

AT EDUCATION FORUM
Three schools received Team Excellence Awards during competi-
tion at ASQ’s 15th National Quality Education Conference last year.
It was the first time the conference hosted the team competition.
Winners included:
• Gold: A team from the department of mathematics at Central
Michigan University in Mount Pleasant improved the way fresh-
man are placed in mathematics courses. The team applied various
Six Sigma strategies in the project. Results of the project included
$620,000 in savings and lower student failure rates.
• Silver: Lafayette High School of the Rockwood School District
in Wildwood, MO, designed ways to raise student scores on
college entrance exams. In particular, the team analyzed data to • Bronze: The continuing education (CE) department at Clayton
determine how the school’s faculty, parents and students could State University in Morrow, GA, used lean and Six Sigma meth-
work together to increase standardized test scores. Project ods to improve CE student test scores, increase enrollment and
results included higher test scores and more scholarship dollars provide the students’ employers a high return on investment.
for the high school’s students: From 1998 to 2006, the students’ Savings were estimated at $1.3 million.
average American College Test (ACT) scores increased from 23.1 More than 650 people attended the three-day conference in St.
to 24.9, and their combined scholarships more than tripled from Louis. Next year’s education conference will be Nov. 16-18 in Reno,
$300,000 to $920,000. NV. For more information, visit http://nqec.asq.org/index.html.

SHORTRUNS ensure that the required audit outcomes

A NEW U.S. DELEGATION LEADER to
ISO Technical Committee 176/subcom-
mittee (SC) 2 has been named. Lorri Hunt,
who has been involved with the U.S. tech-
nical advisory group (TAG) for more than
10 years, has succeeded Larry Wilson, who
retired last year. Wilson plans to remain
on the TAG as the Aviation/Space and
Defense Division representative.
THE FOOD SAFETY AUDITOR cer-
tification scheme offered by RABQSA
International has been expanded in
North America, thanks to the addition of
training providers that offer the exams
in the region. “RABQSA certification will
provide confidence to the food safety
industry that RABQSA certified auditors
have the appropriate competencies to
are achieved,” Michael K. Carmody,
RABQSA president and CEO, said in a
prepared statement. For more informa-
tion on food safety auditor training and
the certification scheme, visit www.
rabqsa.com.
MEASUREMENT PROFESSIONALS
are being asked to submit abstracts for
white papers for the 24th Coordinate
Metrology Systems Conference (CMSC), to
be held July 21-25 in Charlotte-Concord,
NC. Organizers are looking for papers
illustrating the successful application of
3-D coordinate measurement systems.
Deadline is March 3. For guidelines on
submitting abstracts, visit www.cmsc.org/
callforpapers2008.pdf. For other questions,
contact Talion Edwards at 314-477-6231 or
e-mail presentations@cmsc.org.
TEXAS BASED HEALTHCARE provider
Valley Baptist Health System received
three awards at the Global Six Sigma
Summit & Industry Awards ceremony
last year in Las Vegas. The organiza-
tion was awarded best achievement of
Six Sigma in healthcare, as well as the
Platinum Award for overall achievement
through Six Sigma using quality methods.
Thomas A. Gonzalez of Valley Baptist
received the Six Sigma vice president of
the year honor.
A NEW CERTIFICATION PROGRAM
has been unveiled for international ven-
dors who provide credentialing services
for U.S. healthcare companies. The pro-
gram is the first to focus on international
vendors that the Washington, DC based
Utilization Review Accreditation Commis-
sion (URAC) has deployed.

16 QP • www.qualityprogress.com
ASQNEWS
LATEST ORGANIZATIONAL MEMBER
Bell Aircraft Corp. has joined ASQ as an
organizational member. The Fort Worth,
TX, based aircraft manufacturer joins 10
other ASQ organizational members. For
more information about becoming an
organizational member, visit www.asq.org/
enterprise.
NEW ACADEMIC AWARD A new
statistics award for graduate students has
been established by Thomas J. and Eileen
C. Boardman and Colorado State Univer-
sity. The award will be given to a graduate
student pursuing a master’s degree or doc-
torate in statistics. Thomas J. Boardman is
an ASQ fellow and the past recipient of the
Ellis Ott Award and the W. Edwards Deming
Medal. For more information, visit www.
stat.colostate.edu.
SCHOLARSHIP DEADLINE Applica-
tions for the Richard A. Freund International
Scholarship are due April 1. The scholarship
is for students pursuing a master’s degree
or doctorate with a concentration in quality
control, quality assurance, quality improve-
ment or total quality management.
QUALITY DAY The ASQ-Universidad
de Monterrey student branch will host its
Mr. Pareto Head BY MIKE CROSSEN
seventh annual Quality Day April 9 at the
school’s community center in Monter-
rey, Mexico. The university’s engineering
division and ASQ student members have
scheduled seminars and group sessions on
topics related to quality, manufacturing and
management. For more information, visit
www.asqudem.com.
AWARD WINNER Rick Golek is the
recipient of the 2007 Rudolph G. Woodward
Award. The award recognizes Maine’s
outstanding quality professional of the
year. Golek was the unanimous choice of
his peers on the executive committee of
the ASQ Pine Tree State Section 0105. He is
vice chair of the section.
CHINA VISIT ASQ board chair Ron
Atkinson was a keynote speaker at the
recent International Congress for Qual-
ity Control Circles in Beijing, hosted by
the China Assn. for Quality. Atkinson also
visited the headquarters of telecommuni-
cations giant Huawei in Shenzhen during
his visit.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED ASQ is look-
ing for members to assist in developing
certification exams. To build valid, thorough
exams and create questions for the dif-
ferent certification tests, input from ASQ’s
certified members is needed in these item
writing workshops. Volunteers must be
certified in a specific exam program. Usu-
ally, 16 members participate in each of the
two-day workshops held at ASQ headquar-
ters in Milwaukee. For more information,
contact Mary Martin at (800) 248-1946 or
e-mail her at mmartin@asq.org.
LETTERS TO THE PRESIDENT ASQ has
started a letter
writing campaign
to convince
President Bush
to attend the
Malcolm Baldrige
National Quality
Award ceremony
this spring and
present the
awards. The upcoming ceremony marks
the 20th class of award recipients. Vice
President Cheney has attended four out of
the last five ceremonies. For more informa-
tion about the campaign, visit http://salsa.
democracyinaction.org/o/2452/t/1899/
campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=16479 (case
sensitive).
February 2008 • QP 17
 KEEPINGCURRENT
STANDARDS

ISO CD-ROM PACKAGES

ALL FOOD SAFETY
MANAGEMENT STANDARDS
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has released a CD-ROM
that contains the ISO 22000 series of food safety management systems.
Related standards for conformity assessment professionals involved in the
certification of these systems and the accreditation of bodies carrying out such
certification are also included in the CD-ROM.
The CD-ROM includes:
• ISO 22000, Food Safety Management Systems—Requirements for Any Orga-
nization in the Food Chain.
• ISO TS 22004, Food Safety Management Systems—Guidance on the Applica- ASQ
tion of ISO 22000.
• ISO 22005, Traceability in the Feed and Food Chain—General Principles and New ASQ
Basic Requirements for System Design and Implementation.
• ISO TS 22003, Food Safety Management Systems—Requirements for Bodies Fellows
Providing Audit and Certification of Food Safety Management Systems.
• ISO/IEC 17021, Conformity Assessment—Requirements for Bodies Providing Named
Audit and Certification of Management Systems.
The ISO Pack on Food Safety Management Systems is available from ISO ASQ’s board of directors has
national member institutes (www.ansi.org in the United States) or from ISO at awarded fellow status to 18
www.iso.org/iso/publications_and_e-products/iso_packs.htm#099009. members.
The 2007 fellows are: Peter L.
Andres, Donald Brecken, Mahlon
G. Cashman, Kwai Sang Chin,
Daksha J. Chokshi, Diane N.
Dixon, Ronald J. Does, Chandru
M. Idnani, Gary G. Jing, William
M. Kelly, Donald P. Lynch, John
P. Pianelli, Govindarajan Ramu,
Phillip J. Ross, Mustafa S. Shraim,
Olin G. Shuler, Ronald K. Tuznik
and Charles E. Volk.
Fellow membership can be
awarded to a member who has
15 years of quality related ex-
perience, meets minimum score
requirements across six profes-
sional categories, is sponsored
by peers and endorsed by his or
her ASQ section or division, and
has been a senior member for
five years or longer.

18 QP • www.qualityprogress.com
WEBWATCH
This month’s Web Watch focuses on supply chain
management. For more quality related websites, visit
www.qualityprogress.com.
www.ism.ws
The website for the Institute for Supply Manage-
ment (ISM) offers services and information focusing
on education and research related to purchasing
and supply management for members and nonmem-
bers. Nonmembers can access tools and guides,
information on certifications, and conference and
program schedules. Members of ISM have access to
an extensive database of articles and resources, a
career center, and ISM’s monthly magazine, Inside
Supply Management. Membership dues can be
waived for qualified applicants.
www.leanscm.net
This site is a place for supply chain professionals to
interact with subject matter experts. It is divided into
several topics, including supply management, Six
Sigma, team management, career management, lean
management, software management and customer
relationship management. Each topic is owned by a
subject matter expert, who provides information and
moderates discussion.
www.supply-chain.org
The Supply-Chain Council is a not-for-profit member-
ship organization that exists mainly to disseminate its
Supply Chain Operations Reference (SCOR) model. The
website provides nonmembers access to SCOR over-
view materials; IT vendors, consultants and research-
ers that support SCOR; a calendar of events; and links
to related organizations. Members have access to the
current version of SCOR, complete contact informa-
tion for all members, conference presentations, white
papers and research study results.
FOUND AN INTERESTING QUALITY
SITE? If you come across a noncommercial
site that could be useful to other quality profes-
sionals, e-mail it to medmund@asq.org.
Who’s Who in
NAME: Susan O. Schall
RESIDENCE: Front Royal, VA
EDUCATION: Doctorate in industrial engineering from
Pennslyvania State University.
Q
CURRENT JOB: President/owner of SOS Consulting LLC, a
strategic process improvement consulting
and training organization.
INTRODUCTION TO QUALITY: Schall took
an introduction to quality control course as
a senior in college, but she was initiated into
quality during her first job as a quality engineer
in paper manufacturing at Eastman Kodak.
That was before ISO 9000, Malcolm Baldrige,
Six Sigma and lean became well known and
popular, but she says the quality engineers
were doing many of the things now considered
best practices.
PREVIOUS JOBS: Two noteworthy jobs include Schall’s first
job at DuPont in the early 1990s, when she interfaced be-
tween quality and continuous flow manufacturing (which
today could be considered lean). She also worked for
R.R. Donnelley as methodology director. There, her team
integrated ISO 9000, process variability reduction, lean, Six
Sigma and maintenance into one managing system.
ASQ ACTIVITIES: Schall has served in numerous roles at
the local and national level. Currently, she is newsletter
editor and internet liaison for the Northern Shenandoah
Valley ASQ Section 1131. She is also a member of the
Shewhart Award and Hunter Award committees. She has
been chair of Northern Shenandoah Valley Section, chair-
elect of Northern Shenandoah Valley Subsection, chair of
the Delaware Section; vice chair of the Delaware Section,
co-chair of the Rochester Section’s scholarship committee,
and a founding member of the Penn State Student Section.
PERSONAL: Schall has been married to Gary Morrison for
eight years. They own a golden retriever named Sophie.
QUALITY QUOTE: Building on thoughts of Ron Snee, “We
(as individuals and organizations) often wait to do improve-
ment until we have the time to do it ‘perfect.’ If we made
small improvements every day, we would learn about our
processes, learn what works and what doesn’t so we can
continue to improve the next day and the next. Under this
mindset, improvement becomes how we work and not a
separate program or project.”
February 2008 • QP 19
 Efficiency
ciency
NEW
In 50 Words
Or Less
• A variety of auto-ID
Barcode
and RFID
systems are avail-
able to combat the
pains of supply chain
management.

in the
• Barcode currently
leads in terms of use,
but RFID is starting to
make up ground.
• The technologies
can be used in
tandem to counter
the challenges found
in retail, warehouse
supply
and manufacturing
environments.
chain
20 QP • www.qualityprogress.com
 SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT

by Dennis Lin and

Vijay Wadhwa

GETS A
IDENTITY
AUTOMATED DATA COLLECTION systems (auto-
ID) consist of many technologies, including barcode, voice systems,
radio frequency identification (RFID), pick to light and laser scan-
ners.1 These systems allow for noncontact reading and are effective in
a wide range of applications.
The most commonly used auto-ID technique is barcode, but RFID
is catching up, primarily because it has been adopted by many of the
world’s largest retailers, including Wal-Mart, Target and Tesco. This
article demonstrates the impact RFID will have on existing supply
chain processes and the improvements RFID implementation will
bring by comparing the benefits of RFID with those of barcode for
various supply chain entities.

February 2008 • QP 21
 RFID for automated data collection
RFID is a generic term for technologies that use ra-
dio waves to automatically identify people or objects
by tagging and tracking individual items, cases and
pallets as they move through the supply chain and
into the hands of the consumer.2
As the objects move through the supply chain,
RFID readers collect information about the object
and match the tag number in a central database to
access the complete record for that object. Because
of those abilities, RFID technology can provide un-
precedented speed and accuracy in a supply chain.
In a recent study, efficiency and productivity were
cited as the two main areas that would benefit most
when implementing RFID. The other main drivers of
RFID implementation include reducing out-of-stock
incidents and warehouse operating costs, increasing
supply chain visibility, reducing theft and improving
order fill rates.3
The structure of a typical supply chain consists
of a supplier, manufacturer, warehouse and retailer,
although the actual details can vary for different
supply chains. Each of these supply chain entities
encounter situations on a daily basis in which bar-
code and RFID could be used to solve any problems
that might arise. Some of the processes that will be
impacted by implementing an auto-ID system are
shown in Figure 1.
For organizations with a global supply chain and
a vast distribution and retail network, the benefits of
auto-ID are numerous. The increases in data capture
Processes affected by auto-ID
implementation / FIGURE 1
Manufacturing Warehouse Retailer
Receiving Receiving Product receiving
Storage Storage Stock visibility
Picking Picking Replenishment
Works in process Works in process Checkout
Shipping Shipping Theft reduction
PLM Cross-docking   Pricing
Quality control Shopping behavior
Labor productivity Labor productivity
Inventory management
22 QP • www.qualityprogress.com
capability, data integrity and supply chain visibility
will considerably reduce costs and increase the sup-
ply chain’s efficiency.
Although barcode and RFID are different tech-
nologies, they can work well in tandem to help drive
down supply chain costs.
Auto-ID in retail
The aim of every retail store is to satisfy a high percent-
age of customer demand from available stock while
reducing operating costs and inventory levels. There
are a number of pain points in a retail environment:
receiving and moving the product to the store from the
back room, out-of-stock incidents, check-out wait time
and product pricing.
Most of the problems in a retail store can be attrib-
uted to three main sources:
1. Product did not get to the store.
2. Product got to the store but not to the shelf.
3. Product got to the shelf but was not recognized as
being for sale.4
To avoid these pain points, many retailers have in-
vested in technology solutions like enterprise resource
planning or inventory management systems. But in-
vestment in these technology solutions alone is not
enough. These systems are data intensive and need
reliable and abundant data to function smoothly.
Auto-ID techniques can help many organizations
garner the required data effortlessly, which can be
used in several places in a retail setting. Table 1 sum-
marizes how barcode and RFID can solve the retail
pain points.
RFID can provide several other advantages that
cannot be achieved easily using a barcode system:
faster product check out, theft reduction, dynamic
pricing of products and tracking employees for la-
bor efficiency.5 In the same retail environment, bar-
code systems suffer since each barcode needs to be
scanned individually, and barcode requires line of
sight for scanning, which makes using barcode a la-
bor intensive process.
In addition, the speed of barcode systems is a hin-
ders the process of obtaining real time information.
On top of that, barcode systems are unsuitable for re-
ceiving product when there are multiple products on a
single crate.
RFID can help eliminate some of these issues that
accompany barcode. But those advantages come at a
 SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT

Benefits of barcode and RFID in retail / TABLE 1

Issue Problem Barcode solution RFID solution

Receiving the Trade-off between counting the Barcode placed on the product can be RFID readers placed at the door would
product. entire product and receiving the scanned to record the arrival. automatically scan the product and match
product as is. quantity against the purchase order. RFID
increases the speed of scanning and reduces
the labor usage.
Stock visibility of Perishables, if not sold by a Barcode can only alleviate the problem RFID can enable item-level identification,
perishables. due date, have to be scrapped. of what product is available since the providing complete visibility. RFID
The problem is maintaining the inventory count might not accurately tell implementation can enable product removal
product visibility. where the product is. from the back room to the sales floor in FIFO
(first in first out) manner.
Replenishment of Most retailers don’t realize when With barcode, it is virtually impossible to RFID readers located in the store can
product from the an item is close to being out of detect the available quantity of product. continuously monitor the shelf. When the
back room to the stock. available quantity reaches a threshold, a re-
sales floor. stocking order can be issued.

price. RFID tags cost more than barcodes and make a
more profound impact on the bottom line when putting
tags on low value items. Unless RFID is standardized
and the cost of tags falls to around 1 cent, barcodes
cannot be totally eliminated. As a result, barcode and
RFID will co-exist in retail for many years to come.
Auto-ID in the warehouse
The warehouse is an important supply chain entity
because it acts as a buffer to minimize the effects
of variability in the supply chain and serve custom-
ers in a timely fashion during peaks in demand. The
major warehouse functions that will benefit from im-
plementing an auto-ID system are receiving, storing,
picking and shipping, as shown in Table 2.
Cross-docking, another critical activity in the ware-
house, can be improved significantly using RFID’s abil-
ity to instantly identify individual items. By placing RFID
readers near dock doors, RFID tags on pallets and cartons
are automatically read and routed for cross-docking.
There are many other processes that would ben-
efit from RFID implementation, including inventory
management, theft control and labor efficiency. But,
like in a retail environment, the cost of implementing
RFID could be a hindrance.
It is estimated that an RFID-enabled warehouse
would cost in excess of $2 million. Every organiza-
tion has to weigh the increased cost against savings
before embarking on an RFID journey.
Auto-ID in manufacturing
In most supply chains, manufacturing is an important
function that is initiated either by customer demand or
in anticipation of customer demand. The pain points in
a manufacturing environment are: resource allocation,
operation scheduling, execution, data capture, quality

Benefits of barcode and RFID in the warehouse / TABLE 2

Issue Problem
Receiving the Receipt of all product into
product. warehouse, matching received
quantity against purchase order,
and distribution of product.
Storing the product. Storing is labor intensive and time
consuming, especially for mixed-
pallet shipments.
Order picking. About 50% of warehouse staff
and 50% of operating cost are
expended on order picking.
Shipping the Shipping the correct order at
product. the correct time to the correct
customer.
Barcode solution
The process of receipt can be sped
up using barcodes, but the process is
still labor intensive and has room for
improvement.
Using a portable barcode reader, the
operator first scans the item that is to be
stored and then scans the barcode fixed
to that location.
A barcode label on product and location
uniquely identifies product. A portable
reader is then used to retrieve the
order.
Preprinting the barcode labels on the
shipment improves the shipping process.
Barcodes used to establish a shipping log
are helpful for item-level coded items.
RFID solution
RFID can eliminate the verification step,
as all incoming shipments are checked
automatically. The speed and accuracy of RFID
is much higher than barcode.
RFID eliminates the need to scan the barcode
on the pallet and at the storage location, and
improves temporary storage at the warehouse.
Use of RFID reduces the efforts needed to
locate product, which reduces labor costs.
RFID product information can be gathered
effortlessly, and the exact product location is
known with certainty. Products shipped can be
matched against purchase orders.

February 2008 • QP 23
 management and product life cycle management.
Auto-ID techniques work in almost all areas of a
shop floor, from raw material to final product to pro-
duction control. The advantages of implementing
RFID for a manufacturer are similar to those of the
warehouse—for example, order picking, order sort-
ing and order shipping. But RFID can provide many
other distinct advantages on the shop floor:
• Product life cycle management. The RFID tag is at-
tached to an assembly or part. This tag contains all
relevant information about the product, including
date produced, manufacturer and customer. This
information remains imbedded as long as desired.
RFID readers can extract this information at any
time. Product life cycle management enables re-
turns and eases the processes of recall manage-
ment and warranty claims.
• Quality control. RFID tags on inbound and outbound
works in process ensure that the right product goes
to the right place, thus enabling strict process con-
trol. Such a system is also beneficial in process man-
ufacturing, which relies on weights and measures
instead of parts and components. To achieve quality
control, RFID tags are placed on the containers con-
taining the mixture, and RFID readers are placed on
the dumping mechanism. If an incorrect mixture is
about to be set into motion, a warning is generated
and the process is stopped.
• Inventory management. One of the biggest selling
points of RFID is efficient management of inven-
tory.6 If retailers, distribution centers and manu-
facturers could collaborate to collect and share
information, they could provide complete visibil-
ity for every item in the supply chain. Because
RFID tags can be read without line of sight in
challenging environments where barcodes would
fail (heat, dirt, contamination) and information
can be rewritten onto the tags, RFID is ideal for
managing inventory.
Raw materials, work in process and finished goods
can be tracked using the highly accurate, real time and
unattended monitoring capabilities of RFID. As a result,
manufacturers can improve visibility and lower the over-
all inventory levels, labor costs and safety stocks.
IDENTIFY YOURSELF
Barcode, RFID or both? Weigh in on the best method for keeping
everything in the supply chain linked on the discussion board at
www.qualityprogress.com or e-mail editor@asq.org.
24 QP • www.qualityprogress.com
Readers covering warehouse racks, shelves and
other storage locations could automatically record the
removal of items and update inventory records. Mis-
placed or lost items could be located easily. Workers
could scan the inventory for a specific electronic prod-
uct code (EPC) number, and the item will be found if it’s
available in the inventory.7
Still work to be done
Although RFID can provide most of the barcode func-
tions, in addition to a few of its own, it’s still far from be-
ing the dominant auto-ID technology. Cost and standard-
ization remain the biggest hindrances to implementing an
RFID system. As a result, RFID and barcode will continue
to be used side by side for many more years because the
two technologies can complement each other very well
and be used effectively in many applications.
RFID technologies, while generating an unprecedent-
ed amount of data, are only as valuable as the resulting
information, knowledge and wisdom that can be gleaned.
The data alone are of little to no value since most of the
IT systems in place are not prepared to handle a vast
amount of data. Our next step in the research on RFID
is to develop data mining techniques to extract useful in-
formation from the amount of data produced by RFID.8
REFERENCES
1. J.M. Hill, “Automated Data Collection Perspective,” white paper, ESYNC, 2003.
2. Olin Thompson, “Supply chain payoffs with RFID,” Food Engineering, Vol. 76,
No. 4, 2004, p. 119.
3. William Atkinson, “Tagged: The risks and rewards of RFID technology,” Risk
Management, Vol. 51, No. 7, 2004, pp. 12-18.
4. Keith Alexander, Garry Birkhofer, Kathryn Gramling, Herb Kleinberger, Stephen
Leng, Dhaval Moogimane and Maurice Woods, “Focus on Retail: Applying
Auto-ID to Improve Product Availability at the Retail Shelf,” white paper, Auto-ID
Center, MIT, 2003.
5. NCR Corporation, “50 Ideas for Revolutionizing the Store Through RFID,” white
paper, 2003.
6. Gavin Chappell, Lyle Ginsburg, Paul Schmidt, Jeff Smith and Joseph Tobolski,
“Auto-ID on the Line: The Value of Auto-ID Technology in Manufacturing,” white
paper, Auto-ID Center, MIT, 2003.
7. Ibid.
8. Dennis Lin, Russell Barton, et al, “Challenges in RFID Enabled Supply Chain
Management,” Quality Progress, Vol. 39, No. 11, 2006, pp. 23-28.
DENNIS LIN is a university distinguished professor of
supply chain and statistics at Pennsylvania State Uni-
versity. He earned a docotorate in statistics from the
University of Wisconsin and is an elected fellow of ASQ
and the American Statistical Association (ASA).
VIJAY WADHWA is a Ph.D. student in the Department
of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering at Penn-
sylvania State University. He has a B.S. in mechanical
engineering from India and an M.S. in industrial engi-
neering and operations research from Penn State.
GOOD
Vibrations
Ingrained quality practices mirror
Deming’s 14 points
by Luke T. Foo

In 50 Words MODERN QUALITY management principles define

Or Less quality as customer satisfaction with product and service.
• The Santa Cruz Guitar Co.
practiced quality manage- Quality also depends on the people, processes and environ-
ment and Deming’s 14 ment that create the product and service.1
points—before they were
aware of the principles. It seems that the Santa Cruz Guitar Co. (SCGC) has hit its
• The individual craftsmen
are empowered to make mark by instilling practices that address all these elements.
their own quality decisions.
With musical instruments, sound is the primary measure of
.• Timely responses to ques-
tions lead to customer quality. Another measure is the degree of customer satis-
satisfaction.
.• Workers are actively en- faction with the product and service provided by the manu-
couraged to enhance their
skills.
facturer. In the world of acoustic guitars, many well-known
brands stand for quality.

February 2008 • QP 1
February 2008 • QP 25

BENDING THE SIDES: Gradual hand pressure is applied to wet wood on a hot bending template to shape
the sides of guitars.
As both a quality professional for a biopharmaceuti-
cal company and a lover of acoustic guitars, I wanted
to write an article that would combine my work and
hobby—my two life passions. This article explores
how modern day quality principles were being applied
to a centuries old craft at one northern California com-
pany known for quality.2
When I first approached Richard Hoover, the found-
er and proprietor of the SCGC, about writing an article
for Quality Progress, my first question was, “Do you
have a quality department that monitors production
quality?” His reply was no.
I then asked, “You must be following the principles
of total quality management (TQM), correct?” Hoover
replied, “What is TQM?” He did not know what it was
and had no formal training on the subject.
As we talked further and I learned of his manage-
ment style, I informed him he was, in fact, intuitively
putting into practice TQM and many of W. Edwards
DEMING’S LEGACY
For more articles about W. Edwards Deming and his quality manage-
ment principles, go to www.qualityprogress.com.
26 QP • www.qualityprogress.com
Deming’s 14 points of manage-
ment3 (see the sidebar “Deming’s
14 Points,” p. 29) without even be-
ing aware of the principles.
Hoover granted me access to
his shop, offering me a glimpse
into the world of making guitars by
hand.
Employee empowerment
SCGC is considered a small-scale
manufacturing operation, produc-
ing fewer than 800 instruments a
year. Although modern computer
numerical controlled (CNC) equipment is used to man-
ufacture minor parts of the guitar, the secret of SCGC’s
success lies in the small staff of 14 craftsmen, known
as luthiers, who apply care and attention to detail while
hand-crafting the major components of each instru-
ment.
DEMING The shop floor is divided into six worksta-
POINTS tions at which the guitars are progressively
8,11 AND 12 assembled as they move from station to
station. Experienced luthiers, who are empowered to
make their own quality decisions, staff each station.
The guitar does not move to the next station until the
luthier and another more senior luthier are satisfied
with the quality of the work.
DEMING This is equivalent to the relationship be-
POINT tween production line workers and super-
3 visors at progressive manufacturing com-
panies, where everyone is involved in ensuring product
quality. The manufacturing department inspects what
it produces.
DEMING “The most important part of our phi-
POINT losophy is building every instrument as a
9 team,” Hoover says. The company recruits
only those who desire to work in a team environment
 QUALITY MANAGEMENT

and have a passion for guitar making.

DEMING Dan Roberts runs the pro-
POINTS duction, repair and service
7AND 8 departments. Roberts is a
master luthier and is intimately involved
in all phases of the operation. He is the
equivalent of the modern day plant man-
ager. During my shop tour with Roberts,
workers were constantly coming to him
for advice and mentoring. Watching him
in action, I could see that he understood
SHAVING THE BRACES: The thickness of the guitar’s top and braces influence a guitar’s sound, so the
modern leadership principles as they ap-
luthier listens to the tone that develops after a series of ribbons of wood are shaved off the braces.
ply to guitar making.

Making a guitar
There are seven major steps in the process of making
a guitar:
1. Selecting and drying the wood: The guitar
making process starts with the selection of the highest
grades of tonewoods.
Each wood type is obtained from a few
DEMING
POINT trusted suppliers. The choice woods for
4
guitar tops are mainly spruce (Adirondack,
Engelmann or German) due to their high stiffness-to-
weight ratio.
For guitar backs and sides, rosewood (from India or
Brazil), mahogany, koa, maple and cocobolo are com-
mon choices. The neck of the guitar is usually sourced
from mahogany due to its strength.
The wood is treated in an evaporative dehumidify-
ing kiln that slowly and carefully removes bound cellu-
lar moisture from the wood. The target moisture level
is 3%, but when exposed to the temperature/humidity
conditions of the shop floor, the moisture content sta-
bilizes at 6%. The shop floor is kept at a constant 47%
humidity, which is optimum for maintaining the equi-
librium of moisture conditions.
2. Rough cutting the wood: Once dried, the wood
is worked down to rough usable forms using tradi-
tional woodworking tools. However, SCGC uses a CNC
machine for creating the necks.
DEMING The company thought this capital invest-
POINT ment was worthwhile because it relieves
12 the craftsmen from performing repetitive
tasks. This allows them to concentrate on more deli-
cate processes best suited for human hands and keeps
them highly motivated. It also helps to reduce repeti-
tive stress injuries.
3. Bending the sides: To create the desired shapes,
the guitar sides are first dipped into water for 10 min-
utes to condition the wood and then placed under
gradual hand pressure on a hot bending template.
At that point, the tension in the wood has been re-
laxed, and the wood eventually takes the shape of the
template. This process is best performed by human
hands because sides that are shaped by machines have
a tendency to spring back when they are being forced
into molds.
4. Cutting the top and back: The top and back
of the guitars then are cut to shape, and braces are ap-
plied to each surface. The thicknesses of the top and

February 2008 • QP 27
 SET TO STRUM: A finished, assembled, set-up and strung guitar is shown by luthier Brent Cooper.

28 QP • www.qualityprogress.com
 QUALITY MANAGEMENT

Senior management’s open and timely

communication with customers translates
to repeat business.

braces have the most influence on the final sound of
the guitar.
As the luthier shaves off ribbons of wood from the
top and braces, he will tap the top to hear the tone that
results from each series of shavings until the tone is
perfect. This is known as “voicing the top.” It is an art
no machine can reproduce.
Since the true sound of the instruments will not
be fully realized until they are assembled, the luthiers
write down what they did while building the top. After
final assembly, if a guitar produces a sound so special it
knocks the player’s socks off, the luthier who built the
top will immediately be notified and asked to check his
notes to see how this was accomplished so the sound
can be duplicated in the future.
DEMING Hoover said this form of communication
POINTS among his workers is one of SCGC’s pri-
12 AND 14 mary tools of quality. Being a natural
product, wood will vary in tone quality, not only be-
tween species but within a species, so inconsistency in
top and brace thicknesses is a desirable attribute.
This, Hoover explained, is one of the major differ-
ences between guitars built by small craft based shops,
such as SCGC, and those made by big manufacturers
that don’t take the time to voice the tops.
5. Cutting the neck: About 60% of the SCGC guitar
necks are cut on the CNC machine. It is the only major
part that is not hand-made. It is critical that the dimen-
sions of the neck be consistent, and the CNC machine
does that better than human hands. The 40% of necks
that are hand-made are done that way because of a
customer’s specifications.
Ebony fret boards, which are inlaid with mother-of-
pearl, are then glued to the necks.
6. Applying the finish: The guitar body is finished
with 12 protective layers of a specially formulated lac-
quer composed primarily of nitrocellulose and plasti-
cizers to preserve the wood surfaces. But the lacquer is

DEMING’S 14 POINTS
1. Create constancy of purpose toward improvement of product and service.
2. Adopt the new philosophy for economic stability.
3. Cease dependence on inspection to achieve quality.
4. End the practice of awarding business on price tag alone.
5. Improve constantly and forever the system of production and service.
6. Institute training on the job.
7. Institute leadership. The aim of supervision should be to help people and machines do a better job.
8. Drive out fear.
9. Break down barriers between departments and individuals.
10. Eliminate numerical goals, posters and slogans, asking for new levels of productivity without
providing methods.
11. Eliminate work standards that prescribe numerical quotas.
12. Remove barriers that rob hourly workers of pride of workmanship.
13. Institute a vigorous program of education and self-improvement.
14. Put everybody, including top management, in the company to work to accomplish the
transformation.

February 2008 • QP 29
 Craftsmen are empowered
to make quality decisions.
thin enough that the sound is not dampened. Nitrocel-
lulose has been shown to possess superior tonal char-
acteristics on musical instruments.
7. Completing final assembly and setup: The
neck is fitted to the body using a dovetail joint and
glued in place. Then the bridge is glued to the body.
In the next step, called the setup, the saddle and nut,
which suspend the strings over the instrument and
are made from bovine bones, are installed. Finally, the
strings are placed on the guitar, and it is played for the
first time.
A technician then adjusts the neck or string height
to optimize the feel and playability of the instrument.
Customer satisfaction
SCGC has a web page where guitar owners can have
questions about their guitars answered by Hoover or
Roberts.4 Hoover says the customers are delighted
when the person who responds turns out to be part of
the company’s senior management.
DEMING The company seems to have an innate un-
POINT derstanding that superior customer ser-
1 vice means really listening to and totally
committing to customers.
Contrast this style of open communica-
DEMING
POINT tion with the traditional customer service
2 Inc., 2000, p. 50.
website of a car or appliance manufac-
turer where customers provide feedback on products.
It might take days or weeks to get a response. Or, per-
haps a response never comes, leaving the customer
unfulfilled.
Open and timely communication with customers by
senior management translates into repeat customers.
Work environment
At SCGC, workers are encouraged to further enhance
their skills either by taking external courses or by a
CASE STUDIES
Are case studies your favorite type of QP article? There are many
more examples at www.qualityprogress.com.
30 QP • www.qualityprogress.com
practice that allows them to build two instruments a
year for personal use. These opportunities allow the
craftsmen to explore new techniques in guitar build-
ing and become familiar with the entire guitar building
process.
DEMING SCGC workers are even encouraged to go
POINTS out on their own to open a luthierie busi-
5-8 AND 13
ness someday. This, along with promot-
ing pride in workmanship, open communication with
supervision and employee empowerment, makes it
no wonder SCGC has a productive and inspired work-
force.
This atmosphere reminded me of my experience
working for a large pharmaceutical research organi-
zation as an R&D scientist. Creativity and innovation
were fostered without scientists having to worry about
the bottom line. Those who worked there got to en-
hance their careers by exploring new areas of research.
At the same time, the company benefited greatly from
the new inventions developed by the scientists.
With employee empowerment accompanying good
price and superior quality and service, the Santa Cruz
Guitar Co. is intuitively practicing Deming’s 14 points.
REFERENCES
1. David L. Goetsch and Stanley B. Davis, Quality Management—Introduction
to TQM for Production, Processing and Services, third edition, Prentice-Hall
2. Teja Gerken, “Your Favorite Gear,” Acoustic Guitar Magazine, February 2007,
pp. 68-82.
3. W. Edwards Deming, Out of the Crisis, MIT Press, August 2000, p. 23.
4. Santa Cruz Guitar Co., www.santacruzguitar.com/contact/index.html.
LUKE T. FOO is the quality assurance director for
Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, Irvine, CA. He earned a
master’s degree in management systems analysis
from Kean University, Union, NJ, and became an ASQ
certified quality auditor in 1994. Foo is also an amateur
musician and has taught music at the Boys and Girls
Club in Hempstead, NY.
Professional Networking
Through Each One Reach One
Jim Smith
Joined ASQ in 1979
Fellow Member
Active participant in the Each One Reach One referral program
Dianne Smith
“Over the years, I have recruited more than 400 people, from several areas Joined ASQ in 2006
around the United States, and continue to stay in touch with many of them. Recruited by Jim Smith
At the end of the day, quality needs to be personal.”

A very important aspect of growing as a professional is the chance to build relationships with your
peers. ASQ provides its members with a great opportunity with the Each One Reach One member
referral program. With this program, you have the chance to create your own network of professionals Just another
with other members in your local Sections, Forums and Divisions, and communities of practice, while
gaining rewards for recruiting new members. With more than 6,000 members referred through Each reason ASQ
One Reach One every year, you have the opportunity to make a difference in someone’s career. is your
For every Individual member you recruit you will earn 5 ASQ Bucks, and for every Sustaining member professional
you earn 120 ASQ Bucks (1 ASQ Buck = $1). You can use your ASQ Bucks toward: association
• Membership renewal* • Conference of your choice of choice.
• Quality Press purchases • Training and certification

Remember your name and member number must be entered in the “Member Referred By” line on the
application of the new member you recruited in order to qualify for rewards. Get started today by using
the application on page 65.
*To use your ASQ Bucks toward your membership renewal, you must accumulate a minimum of 25 ASQ Bucks.

LEARN MORE AT WWW.ASQ.ORG/EORO.

 Sha
Your

In 50 Words Or Less
• Effective audits must be properly
planned and executed.
• The process of developing an audit
checklist helps ensure that audit
planning is conducted and that
the auditor knows what questions
to ask.
• A well-designed audit checklist
can significantly improve process
awareness, audit structure and
documentation.

32
 AUDITING

rpen
AUDITING
SKILLS
Use checklists to guide planning,
by Joe Kausek

execution and documentation

EFFECTIVE AUDITS REQUIRE effective audit planning. One of the best
tools to help guide both the planning and execution of an audit is the audit checklist.
All too often, auditors rush through the development of an audit checklist or skip it altogether.
Then they wonder why their audit didn’t seem to go as well as they would have liked.
Here are three ways an audit checklist helps an auditor:
1. Process awareness: The first benefit of checklist preparation is that it exposes the
auditor to the procedures, instructions, practices and recent performance that will be re-
viewed during the audit.

February 2008 • QP 33
 Auditors can’t build checklists unless they know 2. Structure. One of the greatest benefits of a
what questions to ask. Those questions relate to the checklist is that it can help structure the audit. An au-
requirements, inputs, outputs and practices reflected dit plan provides a macrostructure by identifying the
in process documentation—not just documentation broad areas to be examined and allocating time for
required for conformance to the standard in question. each area.
Developing a checklist forces an auditor to review this A good audit checklist should provide a structure
documentation. for each individual area or process to be examined. It
does this by including questions related to
requirements that need to be verified in
Audit planning checklist page / FIGURE 1 the approximate order in which they will
be asked.
Process audited: Process owner: I say “approximate” because the auditor
Date of audit: Audit no. might need to jump ahead or back a little
Audit team leader: Auditor: Auditor: on the checklist to adjust the audit flow to
Applicable standard: ❏ ISO 9001 ❏ ISO 14001 ❏ 18001 ❏ Other: the auditee or the natural process. A good
Using process documentation, List the documents that provide instruction on the audit checklist can help auditors ensure
SIPOC diagrams and/or process processes to be audited and that will be included in they haven’t missed anything important if
flow diagrams, identify and list the audit:
the key inputs and key outputs they need to jump around a little during an
Name No. Revision
for each process included in audit.
the scope of the audit: 1.
3. Documentation. The best audit
Key inputs:
1. 2. checklists not only include the questions
2. to ask and space to document the findings,
3. but they also provide areas for comments
3.
4. and information about the samples select-
4.
5. ed and documents reviewed.
Key outputs: In fact, a well-constructed checklist will
5.
1.
also guide the auditor through how to verify
2.
6. the response by providing defined areas for
3.
the objective evidence to be examined. A
4.
good checklist will also allow a subsequent
Recent corrective action Consider the following information relating to the
requests and/or audit findings processes to be examined. Check those that were auditor to see what was not evaluated, as
to verify during this audit: examined: well as what was reviewed.
No. Item ❏ Previous audit results of this process. Managers and auditors should ask them-
1. ❏ Current process metrics relating to this process selves whether the checklists used in their
(list below).
audit programs provide the benefits cited.
❏ Any open or recent corrective actions relating to this
2. If not, they might want to consider chang-
process.
❏ History of returned product, returned product analysis ing the checklist format.
3. and customer feedback related to this process.
❏ Quality, or environment, health and safety objectives Audit checklist development
4. relating to this process.
Fortunately, developing an audit checklist
❏ Recent lessons learned.
is not difficult, assuming the auditor has
❏ Auditee management.
taken the time to review the procedures and
❏ Other (list):
understand the audit areas assigned. Keep
Other items to review: List the core process metrics relating to this process:
in mind that while developing a checklist
Metric Performance Trend
is not difficult, it takes some practice. I’ve
❏ Good ❏ Poor
never met anyone who felt entirely com-
❏ Good ❏ Poor
fortable on the first try.
Objectives and targets to review:
A checklist is a somewhat personal tool.

34 QP • www.qualityprogress.com

Auditors can’t build checklists unless
they know what questions to ask.
It should be seen as a guide and aid to the auditor, not
as instruction. An auditor who has gone through a few
audits will understand what information needs to be
on future checklists.
The first page of every audit checklist should be
used as a planning tool. An example is
shown in Figure 1. This page, which can
be standardized, is especially helpful to
new auditors and can be used by audit pro-
gram managers as a mechanism to ensure
consistent audit planning is conducted.
There are three steps in checklist prepa-
ration:
Step 1: Review the procedures, sup-
pliers, inputs, process, outputs and cus-
tomers (SIPOC) diagrams and other
information. Preparing the checklist be-
gins with reviewing the procedures, stan-
dards and other requirements that will
serve as the basis of the audit.
Print a copy of the procedure and mark
it up to show the items that need to be
examined. This is especially helpful for
new auditors. The auditor can annotate
the procedure to add comments and ques-
tions identified during initial research. The
markup becomes a rough initial draft for
the checklist. An example of a marked up
procedure is shown in Figure 2.
Remember, auditors must be selective.
They normally don’t have time to verify
everything. One of the reasons for looking
over the items listed on the planning page
is to provide a perspective on what is im-
portant in a process and how it is perform-
ing. Use this knowledge to focus on the
key attributes of the process.
Also note key inputs, resources and
controls essential to the proper operation
of the process, along with the primary out-
puts of the process and where the outputs
go next. If they are not identified in the pro-
AUDITING
cedure, create a simple SIPOC diagram. Remember,
most problems occur at the interface between process-
es and their related inputs. It is important that the audi-
tor verify these key inputs, resources and outputs.
At this point, some auditors stop. They simply use
Marked up procedure excerpt / FIGURE 2
3.0 Contract award, review and order entry
3.1 Orders and releases against a previously agreed-to contract are not required to
go through the business development steps (described in section 2.0 above). if
their core requirements have already been approved through an existing contract
or agreement. These requests enter the order generation process here, after the
award announcement.
Verify evidence of review.
3.2 After a contract has been awarded, a review must be conducted to ensure that the
award is the same as what was quoted. Any differences from the quotation must
be analyzed to ensure WeSupplyIt (WSI) can perform to the modified requirements
and that it still meets WSI business objectives. In addition, EDIs, releases or other
orders such as those described in section 3.1 above must be reviewed to ensure
the right part numbers, quantities and delivery dates or methods are specified in
accordance with contract agreements.
Ask salesperson about this role.
3.3 The WSI-Orlando sales department serves as the negotiator between the production
department and the customer for significant contract issues. Any additions or
modifications to the original request for quotation (RFQ) shall be documented
with the customer and the sales department. A revised or modified RFQ from the
customer shall be filed as an addendum or a replacement to the original RFQ.
Verify records of modifications maintained.
3.4 The sales department shall notify a customer in writing if the exceptions are not
properly documented in the contract. Acceptance of the contract/purchase order/
letter of intent without any exception letter will mean that differences are resolved.
Have sales walk you through how info entered. What
info is required? Can it be changed? Do all salespeople
have same understanding? Interview several.
* Key input! 3.5 Normal contract review consists of completing the blanket or
lump sum checklist in the contract tracking database. A partial
Spend some
contract will be acceptable if all checklist items are answered
time reviewing “yes.” Should an item not be checked (is “no”), the account
database! manager/sales engineer must complete corrective action for
the item. This must be done for each item not checked “yes.”
February 2008 • QP 35
 Developing an audit checklist is not difficult,
assuming the auditor has taken
the time to review the procedures and
understand the audit areas assigned.
their annotated copies of the procedures as their check-
list. While very experienced auditors might be able to
get away with this, I do not suggest it and would abso-
lutely not recommend it for new or part-time auditors.
The annotated procedure simply is not a good ve-
hicle for structuring the flow of questions during an
audit. In addition, it does not provide any space for the
documentation of such factors as objective evidence
and samples pulled during the audit. A well-construct-
ed checklist can structure the flow of questions and
provide space for documentation—and much more.
Step 2: Populate the checklist. Once initial re-
views are completed, the procedures are examined and
the areas that need to be evaluated during the audit are
identified, the auditor is ready to construct a checklist.
The process of developing the checklist is not difficult
if the guidelines presented so far have been followed.
Populating the audit checklist / FIGURE 3
Procedure excerpt
2.1 The salesperson has the responsibility to determine all customer requirements
necessary for an accurate quotation. Customer drawings, sketches, functional
specifications or the inquiry or request for quotation are all sources of primary
information. The salesperson shall contact the customer to obtain additional
information when needed to fully understand the customer’s expectations or as
needed to complete the quotation. Volumes, delivery dates and critical milestone
dates are important and must be clearly defined to quote a job.
Verify this info reflected in each quotation—where it came from.
Inquiry review, presentation and proposal generation Audit checklist
How are customer requirements determined? What are the
sources of information we use? ❏
Verify as minimum the following reflected:
❏ Volumes
❏ Delivery and/or critical milestone dates
36 QP • www.qualityprogress.com
Start with a blank checklist template. I favor the
two-column format, but other formats are acceptable.
The audit program manager should use whatever for-
mat his or her auditors find most comfortable. Auditors
should consider each requirement or topic they want to
verify and put the requirement on the checklist in the
form of a question—just as they would ask it.
Continue to add questions to the checklist based on
areas that need to be verified. Figure 3 shows a sample
of a checklist, along with how it was generated using
the marked up process procedure.
Step 3: Add space for objective evidence. Next,
auditors should consider what records, lists or other
objective evidence they will want to see to verify the
requirement is being met. Put fields in the right column
of the checklist to serve as reminders of what to look
for and as documentation of the audit. An example of a
completed checklist is shown in Figure 4.
The auditor’s process of listing the ob-
jective evidence he or she will need to see
on the audit checklist also helps ensure
some thought is given to how to verify the
auditee’s response. Many new auditors fo-
cus only on the questions they want to ask.
When they get into the audit, they some-
times panic and either skip verification
altogether or ask the auditee to provide
some examples.
Focusing only on the questions to ask
provides little assurance the process is be-
ing maintained, while skipping verification
or asking the auditee for examples violates
one of the most basic rules of auditing:
Never let the auditee pick the samples.
Putting the verification strategy on
the checklist helps avoid these situations
and can lead to significant improvements
in the effectiveness of the audit. If the
auditor can’t come up with a verification
 AUDITING

Completed checklist / FIGURE 4 CALL FOR

When would it be appropriate to Overall evaluation: ARTICLES
ask the manufacturing plant for cost ❏ Did not check.
information? ❏
❏ Did not apply. Write an article for the top
Increase sample set to include any
❏ Conforms. No deficiencies identified. publication in the quality field.
circumstances the auditee states
would necessitate getting cost info, if ❏ Opportunity for improvement. Detail below. Go to www.qualityprogress.
necessary. Verify information obtained. ❏ Area of strength. Detail below. Be specific.
com. Click on “Author Guide-
lines” at the bottom of the
Who reviews the final quotation? ❏ Nonconformity. Provide details below.
What do they look for? ❏ Reference the specific requirement violated. page and you’ll find QP’s 2008
editorial planner. There are
Verify evidence of review by
Projects/contract examined also submission guidelines
salesperson and next level manager.
Also, verify use of review checklist. Quotation Quotation and contact information. Here
reviewed? tracked? are some of the topics QP
How do we track our outstanding
quotations? Do we use this 1. ❏ Yes ❏ No ❏ Yes ❏ No plans to feature in the second
information for anything else? How 2. ❏ Yes ❏ No ❏ Yes ❏ No half of 2008:
effective is our quotation process? ❏
3. ❏ Yes ❏ No ❏ Yes ❏ No
Verify quotation log is being maintained
4. ❏ Yes ❏ No ❏ Yes ❏ No
June
and updated. Verify that information is
being analyzed/trended.
Customer Satisfaction
Quotation process effectiveness
How do we track proposal backlog?
and Loyalty
Have we set any criteria for the Period 1 2 3 4 5
backlog? How are we doing? ❏
Percentage won ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
July
Verify backlog is being tracked. Review Cost of Quality
backlog trend. If backlog is significant or Backlog (no.) ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
getting worse, ask what’s being done.
(Economic Case
for Quality)

August
method during his or her planning (and this never confined to only asking questions
sometimes happens), it’s probably time to from the checklist. The checklist is a tool,
Quality Around the
get some help from the audit program man- not procedure. Make it a tool that works. Globe
ager.
NOTE
The author adapted this article from chapter five of his book
September
Improve the entire process The Management System Auditor’s Handbook (ASQ Quality Innovation & Technology
An audit checklist can be used to improve Press, 2006).

the entire audit process, from planning to

execution and through post-audit docu-
JOE KAUSEK is president of Joe
Kausek & Associates, Mobile, AL. He
October
mentation. Be creative and develop an au-
earned a master’s degree from Point
Park College in Pittsburgh. Kausek Standards & Auditing
is a senior member of ASQ and a
dit checklist format that meets the needs of
both the auditor and the audit program.
certified Six Sigma Black Belt. His
most recent ASQ Quality Press book
is Environmental Management Quick
November
Finally, always remember an auditor is and Easy. Quality Culture/Change
Management

SHARE YOUR EXPERTISE

If you have any auditing best practices to share with colleagues, please post
them on the Quality Progress Discussion Board at www.qualityprogress.com, or
e-mail them to editor@asq.org.

February 2008 • QP 37
 A Launch
To Quality
Lean Six Sigma guides naval station
toward efficiencies, big cost savings
In 50 Words
by Tracy Widner and Or Less
Mitch Gallant • After using different quality
methods with limited success,
the Naval Surface Warfare
Center, Indian Head Division,
implemented lean Six Sigma
in 2004.
• Some personnel at the station
were initially skeptical but
were eventually won over.
• As a result of the quality
activities, the station saved
$8.9 million during the next
three fiscal years.
TAKEOFF: A marine watches the firing of a Smokey sur-
face to air missile at the Indian Head, MD, naval station.
 LEAN SIX SIGMA

NEARLY 120 YEARS AGO, the U.S. Navy established a station at

Indian Head, MD, to test guns, armor, shells and mounts for the country’s rapidly
expanding fleet of war vessels.
Today, the station is known as the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Indian Head
Division (NSWC/IHDIV). Naval personnel at the center manufacture energetic
materials for warfighters, including propellant mixtures, rockets, mines, under-
sea weapons and ship mounted guns.

A large part of the center still NSWC/IHDIV has become a

revolves around testing the ma-
terials, too, to ensure their ef-
fectiveness. In recent years, you
could say the center has turned
the testing on itself—analyzing
how it conducts business and
manages operations at this ever-
expanding, complex center of
naval activity.
The naval station looked in-
ward because it knew its business
practices at all levels needed to
be transformed to keep pace and
maintain the delivery of technol-
ogy and materials to warfighters,
QUALITY TOOL: One NSWC/IHDIV team used this
despite constraints on budgets circle diagram during one value stream analysis
and personnel. at the station.
The station has used quality
tools and methods—most recently, lean Six Sigma—to
streamline processes, eliminate rework and, of course,
save dollars.
In fiscal year 2005, the naval station saved an esti-
mated $4.3 million as a result of its quality initiatives.
The following fiscal year, it saved $3.6 million. Last fis-
cal year, it saved $1 million.
Naturally, as part of any operation’s purpose, stan-
dard methods of doing business develop over time.
center that comprises a full
spectrum of technology devel-
opment—from the early stages
when a mixture is formulated in
a test tube, through the testing
and evaluation of the materi-
als and eventual evolution into
complicated weapons systems.
Sure, there are some aspects
of propulsion technology that
have not changed significantly
since World War I. But the Navy
is far from doing business in the
same way it did when it estab-
lished operations at Indian Head
more than a century ago—or even
10 years ago, for that matter.
Initial quality efforts
The partnership between quality and the U.S. Navy ex-
tends beyond NSWC/IHDIV. The former chief of naval
operations, Adm. M.G. Mullen, emphasized the connec-
tion between quality, operations and Sea Enterprise,
the initiative launched in 2002 to improve the way the
Navy runs its operations, implements process change,
creates efficiencies and ultimately frees resources for
investment in recapitalization and transformation.1

February 2008 • QP 39
 “At its core, Sea Enterprise is about improving com-
bat readiness,” Mullen wrote.
“It’s about coming to work willing to change, willing
to adopt and adapt new concepts in process improve-
ment and resource allocation—all of which produce ef-
2
ficiencies.”
Indian Head’s senior management understood this
change in the upper echelon’s mindset and commitment
years ago when it began examining process improvement
techniques that could provide solutions to its problems.
After deploying quality techniques and approaches
like zero defects, total quality management and rapid
rate reengineering—each with limited successes—there
was a groundswell of activity and momentum for anoth-
er quality method: lean Six Sigma.
From the perspective of a military organization with
an industrial mindset, lean Six Sigma and its set of tools
and practices seemed to have greater relevance than pre-
vious quality approaches.
Another reason to pursue lean Six Sigma? Orders from
then NSWC Vice Adm. Phillip Balisle, who had been intro-
duced to lean Six Sigma during a tour of a shipyard that had
been using this quality approach for years.
Impressed by this continuous improvement method that
seemed to bring all the pieces together, Balisle mandated
implementation of lean Six Sigma at each of the eight war-
fare centers under his command in fall 2004. Balisle’s man-
SHORING UP ACTIVITIES
Naval operations in Indian Head, MD, began nearly 120 years ago. But
it wasn’t until recently that NSWC/IHDIV incorporated lean Six Sigma
into its manufacturing and testing energetic materi-
als for warfighters.
1970s-1990s
Various quality techniques to improve
processes were deployed at the sta-
tion. Activities like zero defects, total
quality management and rapid rate
reengineering generated some suc-
cesses, but nothing far-reaching.
2002
The Navy launched Sea Enterprise, a
quality initiative aimed at improving the
way the Navy runs its operations, implements
process change, creates efficiencies and frees resources.
40 QP • www.qualityprogress.com
date also established a headquarters level organization to
standardize implementation of lean Six Sigma.
Lean Six Sigma was the vessel to transport the Navy
into the next century, Balisle believed. To build the fu-
ture Navy, “We have to dramatically change how we do
business,” Balisle said.3
Implementing lean Six Sigma
NSWC/IHDIV’s lean Six Sigma efforts began in Septem-
ber 2004 when Capt. Joseph Giaquinto established the
naval station’s lean quality department. Overall, there
were four expectations for implementing the lean Six
Sigma effort at NSWC/IHDIV:
1. Yield more efficient processes.
2. Support the warfighter—always consider it the cus-
tomer and center of focus.
3. Address increased volume of activity and budget cuts
imposed on the activity.
4. Improve safety of energetic operations by developing
less complicated and personnel intensive processes.
The department was staffed with 10 full-time Black
Belts (BB). Two BBs would be used for each lean Six
Sigma event.
In addition, quarterly classes of Green Belt (GB)
training were scheduled. The expectation was to have 20
personnel become trained and certified GBs during each
session.
The thinking behind Sea Enterprise was to improve combat readi-
ness.
Fall 2004
NSWC Vice Admiral Phillip Balisle mandated the implementation
of lean Six Sigma at each of the eight warfare centers under his
command. Balisle also mandated a headquarters level organiza-
tion to standardize implementation of lean Six Sigma.
NSWC/IHDIV’s Capt. Joseph Giaquinto established the naval sta-
tion’s lean quality department. The department was staffed with
10 full-time Black Belts (BBs).
February 2005
The first class of 10 BBs at NSWC/IHDIV completed training.
October 2004 - September 2005
The naval station carried out projects that saved $4.3 million in
fiscal year 2005.

Silencing skeptics
Early in the lean Six Sigma journey, there was plenty of
skepticism, cultural inertia and wariness toward what
some viewed as the latest initiative of the month. There
was a perception that lean Six Sigma equated to prun-
ing the size of the workforce as waste was identified and
reduced.
Members of the workforce didn’t know what a BB
was and showed practically no interest in volunteering
to leave their current job for training and a two-year stint
as a BB. In fact, there was a sickout in response to one of
the early rapid improvement events.
Through all of this, leadership demonstrated a stead-
fast commitment to fully implementing lean Six Sigma
and communicating to the workforce that lean Six Sigma
was—and remains—an opportunity to fix and improve
processes.
In the few short years since implementation, there
has been a shift in the subject areas of lean Six Sigma
activity. It’s no longer intended for just budget driven,
high level projects. Now it can be geared toward more
employee-driven local processes. This shift reflects the
percolation of ideas and momentum from early lean Six
Sigma successes.
One of the things done right during implementation
was the careful selection of BB candidates. Indian Head
had observed that other organizations chose BB can-
November 2005
NSWC/IHDIV completed its 25th lean Six Sigma event on the
Common Very Lightweight Torpedo program, which involved
reductions in flow time and safe and arm subsystem rework.
About 2,300 hours were saved by these efforts.
September 2006
NSWC/IHDIV completed its 50th lean Six Sigma event, the
critical data BB project. The project involved resolving issues
concerning production and process data collection and man-
agement. A labor reduction of 1,025 hours was realized due
to these improvements.
CRUISE CON-
TROL: A tactical
tomahawk
cruise missile
undergoes test-
ing at NSWC/
IHDIV.
LEAN SIX SIGMA
FIRE AWAY: The RQ-8A Fire Scout helicopter test fires an un-
guided rocket at military proving grounds in Arizona.
didates who were simply being underused in their cur-
rent positions. That approach had resulted in prolonged
heavy reliance on contract sensei, the Japanese word for
expert or teacher.
Instead, Indian Head chose workers performing well
in their current roles, effective managers and talented en-
gineers—all with diverse experience and expertise. This
group—coming together as BBs to create a solid cross
section of the workforce—would be chosen to drive proj-
ects and coordinate lean Six Sigma activities.
At Indian Head, the reliance on sensei led or sensei
supported events eventually dropped to zero. Last year,
the station started using sensei for short bursts of inten-
sive training for all belts in areas of interest, such as vi-
sual controls and sustaining change.
October 2005 - September 2006
The naval station carried out projects that netted $3.6 million in cost
reductions during fiscal year 2006.
February 2007
The first class of Green Belts (26) completed in-house training, using
NSWC/IHDIV BBs as class teachers.
October 2006 - September 2007
The naval station carried out projects that netted $1 million in cost
reductions during fiscal year 2007.
December 2007
The 200th GB was trained.
February 2008
The station was scheduled to complete its 100th lean Six Sigma
event.
February 2008 • QP 41
 GETTING THINGS IN SHIPSHAPE ORDER
The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Indian Head Division (NSWC/
INDIV) carried out a number of projects and netted nearly $9 mil-
lion in savings over the last three fiscal years. The following are
just some examples of the naval station’s cost savings activities:
Administrative
Vendor certification and payment: After an extensive visit to
Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) Columbus, OH, and
DFAS, Charleston, NC, the vendor certification and payment team
used lean Six Sigma data collection and analysis methods to identify
a function at Indian Head that was redundant with one performed
at the DFAS sites. A process to eliminate this activity was developed
and implemented in April 2005, reducing labor hours by 1,000.
Travel order process: Lean Six Sigma data collection and analy-
sis methods also helped improve the travel order process. Under the
old method of processing travel orders, customer service represen-
tatives used a logbook to assign transmittal numbers by indicating
who was preparing the transmittal and the number of travel orders
being submitted to the scheduled airlines ticket office (SATO).
There was no central location for the transmittal letters. The
log could not help determine if and when a set of travel orders
had been sent to SATO. Updating the log and searching for trans-
mittals were also labor intensive. Under the new method, use of
the log was discontinued, and a centralized folder containing all
transmittal letters was created. With these changes, total cycle
time was reduced by 183 labor hours.
Utilities algorithm: The allocation of utility charges to various
tenants at the Indian Head naval station was performed using an
algorithm, which was based on factors such as the square foot-
age of buildings. This project involved validating the algorithm.
Errors were discovered in the database containing the building
volume information. The subsequent overcharges were identified
and removed, reducing NSWC/IHDIV’s net utility expenditure by
$584,000.
Standard operating procedure (SOP) change process:
Many SOPs at the command needed to be updated frequently
to support changing operational requirements. Each year, 400
to 450 SOP changes are processed through the system. Each
SOP circulated through a 20-mile circuit of reviews and OKs,
which took 120 days before it could be released into use.
In 2004, this system produced 150,000 approved SOP pages
that traveled 6,200 miles across the command. Under the im-
proved process, nonvalue added steps in the SOP change process
were identified and eliminated, yielding a 23.3% reduction in
paper use, a 31.5% reduction in labor for SOP editing/typing, and
a 32.7% reduction in document travel. About 1,110 hours were
saved per year across the station.
42 QP • www.qualityprogress.com
Manufacturing/production
X-raying Zuni rocket motors: After applying define, measure,
analyze, improve and control (DMAIC) principles to the effort, it was
determined that real-time and digital x-raying could provide substan-
tial benefits. Real-time x-ray (RTR) could replace plate x-ray for the
Zuni grain, and digital x-raying could replace the use of plate x-ray
for the Zuni motor. The grain is a single piece of powder charge.
Plate x-ray involves x-rays coming from a plate and embed-
ding on x-ray film. RTR involves an x-ray unit converting the
image to videotape. Digital involves an x-ray unit capturing the
image digitally.
RTR’s advantages over plate x-ray include improved clarity and
an increased angle view to 360 degrees. Plate x-ray’s angle views
are 0 and 90 degrees.
Digital’s advantages over plate x-ray include a much clearer
picture that can be manipulated. Digital doesn’t allow 360-degree
visibility, but this extensive capability wasn’t needed because
only parts were being examined for inclusion in the motor.
Both improvements allowed all functions to be located in one
facility, rather than various buildings across the naval station. Costs
were reduced by avoiding hiring temporary employees to supple-
ment the workforce, and through maintenance, procurement and
other factors associated with mechanical x-ray processes. These
improvements reduced labor hours by 5,000 and saved about
$300,000 in material requirements.
Rolling airframe missile quality evaluation rocket motor
sample dissection and testing cost reduction: Through lean
Six Sigma data collection and analysis methods, personnel in the
engineering, dissection, machining and testing areas explored
sample cut plans and adjusted them to increase sample yield.
This involved rethinking how to perform the original diamond
wire cut to reduce the amount of final machining.
As a result of the improvements that were implemented, 510
hours were saved in 2005. The process wasn’t implemented
until two months into 2005; a full year savings of 590 hours is
expected in the coming years.
Research and development
Underwater warhead research modeling rapid improvement
event (RIE)—This RIE proved there was a lack of effective, user
friendly knowledge management that caused much rework due
to rerunning models. The RIE team defined four major areas in
which the team’s unique knowledge, using simple web based
repositories, could be shared and captured. The RIE participants’
efforts helped reduce hours by 2,200.
—T.W. and M.G.

Lean Six Sigma results
One key reason for success is the pace and breadth of
lean activity. In the three years since lean Six Sigma im-
plementation, 60 kaizens and 35 BB projects have been
executed. The kaizens and projects are split between
various manufacturing and administrative activities at
the center, with some also addressing R&D activities.
More than 50% of the workforce has participated in
at least one event; the goal is to reach 100% of the work-
force. In addition, a total of 223 GBs have been trained.
More than 10% of those have achieved Navy Green Belt
certification based on a combination of event partici-
pation, training goals and project completion.
Specific examples of cost savings activities are de-
tailed in “Getting Things in Shipshape Order.”
Last year, the lean quality department experienced
several changes. First, the number of full-time BBs was
reduced to eight, with one BB used per event. This re-
flected the increased experience of the personnel.
Second, senior management decided to leverage
GBs in a more active fashion. For instance, GBs were
allowed to facilitate lean Six Sigma events and increase
the number of GB projects.
Reflecting their maturity and expertise, NSWC/
IHDIV BBs have conducted events at other Department
of Defense facilities, as well as at an outside institu-
tion. Last October, all seven of the eligible BBs became
ASQ certified ASQ/Department of Navy Lean Six Sigma
BBs. The exam was developed jointly by ASQ and the
Navy and draws on a body of knowledge consisting of
lean, Six Sigma and theory of constraints concepts.
BB training and experience are highly valued at
NSWC/IHDIV. One of the strategies of sustaining
change is favoring BB experience in the selection pro-
cess for senior leadership positions.
Indian Head’s future
Clearly, lean Six Sigma has become a large part of the way
leadership manages the organization. And the lean quality
department will continue leading the executive planning
sessions and deploying a unique brand of hoshin kanri,
the Japanese term for strategy management.
Fiscal year 2008 is Indian Head’s second year using ho-
shin kanri methods to develop and deploy breakthrough
objectives during annual executive planning exercises.
The catchball process was used to communicate
and develop the breakthrough objectives and simulta-
neously identify opportunities for continuous improve-
LEAN SIX SIGMA
ment initiatives throughout all departments. This has
been especially effective in communicating the mes-
sage that lean Six Sigma activity is directly linked with
moving the organization forward to achieve the vision
through shared goals.
Personnel also regularly capture and use metrics, in-
cluding percentage complete on time and the cost perfor-
mance index/schedule performance index, which is more
commonly associated with earned value management.
A key breakthrough objective is increased innova-
tion as measured by efforts to better communicate and
document technical achievements and by the acquisi-
tion of new funding sources.
NSWC/IHDIV’s progress in deploying lean Six Sigma
has been guided by a deployment model endorsed by
NSWC headquarters, which suggests levels of lean activ-
ity and personnel participation. The command level lean
champions assess cultural change and depth of integra-
tion each year for each of the eight warfare centers.
Since its beginnings more than a century ago, NSWC/
IHDIV has come a long way. And, during the last three
years since lean Six Sigma has been implemented,
NSW/IHDIV has reached new heights of efficiency.
While it is tempting to revel in the victories, it’s im-
portant not to focus on the short-term achievements.
As Balisle, the commander who first steered Indian
Head and the other warfare centers toward lean Six
Sigma, said, “Lean Six Sigma is not a fad. It is a process
and a way of thinking that is pure common sense.”4
REFERENCES AND NOTES
1. Christine Lawson, “Sea Enterprise Initiatives Take Off,” www.navy.mil/
search/display.asp?story_id=18316, May 20, 2005.
2. Navy Performance Excellence Guidebook, U.S. Navy, 2006. An instruction
manual on how to conduct and score a self-assessment on Navy organiza-
tions, based on Baldrige criteria.
3. Phillip Balisle, continuous improvement workshop, NSWC/IHDIV, Indian
Head, MD, Aug. 26, 2004.
4. Ibid.
TRACY WIDNER is an industrial engineer at NSWC/
IHDIV. He earned his master’s degree in industrial
engineering from the University of Iowa.
F. MITCH GALLANT is the director of quality
processes at NSWC/IHDIV. He holds a doctorate
in mechanical engineering from the University of
Maryland. Gallant is a member of ASQ.
February 2008 • QP 43
ASQ’s 2008 Lean Six Sigma Conference
February 11-12, 2008 • Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort • Phoenix, AZ

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS:

Mike Adams
Vice President, Quality,
Allegheny Energy, Inc.
Julie Rushin Leslie A. Behnke
Director, Strategy and Finance, Vice President, Six Sigma, Scott A. Gray
Wage and Investment Division, Business Excellence, Vice President, Corporate
Internal Revenue Service CIGNA Healthcare Quality, Eaton Corporation

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Educating
ENGINEERS
Teach statistics using by Elisabeth Viles
and Cristina Martin
real-world cases
In 50 Words STATISTICS IS AN indispensible tool for
Or Less solving engineering problems. But many engineers
• Engineers frequently
avoid statistics courses are not exposed to problems that require the use of
because of the theoretical
way they are taught. statistical methods until they start their professional
• Two professors propose careers.
using real-world cases to
provide basic knowledge Perhaps they are discouraged from studying
while allowing the students
to make a positive contri- statistics by the traditional style of lecturing in high
bution to society. school and university statistics classes. Perhaps the
• The case used by two
professors involves optimal teaching material is plagued with complex mathemat-
management of wastewater
treatment plants. ical theorems and artificial exercises.

February 2008 • QP 45
 Wastewater plant layout Operational Variables
(DN configuration) / FIGURE 1 Values / TABLE 1
Qin Qout QW (m3/d) 5,000 8,500 12,000
D N Settler KLa (d1) 100 150 200 250

Re Qw

We propose that statistics teachers use cases based
on real projects as practical activities for the students.
In the example in this article, we used a problem related
to wastewater treatment plant management (WWTP),
where the lack of expertise in the plant operation can
lead to injurious environmental impacts.
In addition to understanding that making a decision
is not easy, what is more important is that the students
understand that their future decisions as engineers
could determine the failure or success of different on-
going systems.
Using statistical methods, they will be able to cope
with data variability to evaluate the risks of failure
of the system investigated. The analysis of the data
also provides an opportunity to discuss the results,
not only in terms of statistics and what is statistically
significant, but also in terms of engineering process
management.
Background
Since the end of the 1980s, many writers have been
urging educational institutions to update their teach-
ing of statistics to make it more appealing, practical
and useful.
Professors usually have to fulfill two complemen-
tary areas in their professional careers. They work on
research projects in which they have to respond to sci-
entific interests while they also provide students with
basic knowledge. A positive contribution to both areas
can be made by designing course material and prepar-
ing relevant exercises based on data from research
projects.
As quality professionals know, in the management
of industrial processes, it is useful to analyze historical
data to learn about the process behavior and identify
its optimum point. When data records are not available,
it is advisable to reproduce similar situations, trying to
get a rough description of the process behavior.
In the case that follows, statistics were used to study
performance at a WWTP. The operational and environ-
mental conditions affected the quality of the effluent,
or treated, water, which was examined in detail.
Statistical methods were used not only to assess the
operational conditions of WWTPs, but also to estimate
the probability that the system would fail.
We based this case study on several research proj-
ects so we could use it in teaching a basic statistics
course to engineers.
Case study
WWTPs are large, nonlinear systems subjected to great
deviations in both flow and load, as well as with uncer-

Suspended solids concentration

and Ntot gamma probability test / TABLE 2

Goodness of fit test Estimates of distribution parameters

Anderson-Darling test p-value Shape Scale
SST 0.445 > 0.250 203.7 0.067
NTOT 0.408 > 0.250 7.98 21.97

46 QP • www.qualityprogress.com
 STATISTICS

Ntot and suspended solids concentration

summarized simulation results / FIGURE 2
Histogram of SST; Ntot
Normal
0 6 12 18 24 30 36 42
SST Ntot SST
120 Mean 16.09
250 Standard
100 deviation 5.054
200 N 2,196
Ntot
Frequency

80 Mean 20.74
150 Standard
60 deviation 9.629
N 2,196
100
40

50 20

0 0
6 12 18 24 30 36 42

tainties concerning the composition of the incoming effluent water quality.

wastewater.
This situation gives rise to a continuous change
of the reference point of the system’s operation and,
therefore, an unavoidable variability of the effluent
water quality, which needs to meet a legislated re-
quirement.
Consequently, a statistical analysis of the
WWTP performance under different operating
conditions enables us to assess which parameters
would be the most useful in the management of
This case represents a typical WWTP configura-
tion for a European city capable of processing sewage
from 300,000 inhabitants. The effluent quality data are
generated by a simulation program based on typical
yearly profiles.
Figure 1 shows a schematic layout of the WWTP. The
receiving flow (Qin), denotes the wastewater of the city
and the effluent flow, and Qout represents the processed
water. The efficiency of the plant is measured by total
nitrogen concentration (Ntot) and by total suspended

ENGINEERS WEEK
Engineers Week is slated for Feb. 17-23. The week is the culmination of many events designed to increase interest in
engineering and technology among young students and to promote precollege literacy in math and science. Engineers
Week activities include:

• DiscoverE, in which engineers work with students and teachers through classroom visits and extracurricular activities.
• Engineers Without Borders, which delivers sustainable engineering solutions to communities in need.
• New Faces of Engineering, which recognizes achievements of young engineers who have been in the workforce for
five years or less.
For information on these programs and other projects during Engineers Week, go to www.eweek.org.

February 2008 • QP 47
 Ntot and SST multi-vari chart / FIGURE 3

Multi-vari chart for Ntot by Qw – KLa Multi-vari chart for SST by Qw – KLa
35 Qw 22 Qw
5,000 20 5,000
30 8,500 8,500
12,000 18 12,000
Ntot

SST
25 16
20 14
12
15
10
100 150 200 250 100 150 200 250
KL a KLa

solids concentration (SST) in Qout. Thus, the lower Ntot
and SST concentrations, the better the performance of
the plant.
The studied WWTP comprises two tanks (tank D
and tank N), which allow the anoxic and aerobic ac-
tivity to be independent, and one settler for clarifying
the effluent and thickening the sludge. The main pro-
cesses in the WWTP are the anoxic removal of carbon
(denitrification) and the aerobic removal of ammonia
(nitrification).
In the anoxic tank, the heterotrophic bacteria are
responsible for denitrification; in the aerobic tank, the
nitrifying bacteria are responsible for nitrification. The
combination of these two processes removes nitrogen
from the wastewater to create treated water with a
minimum Ntot concentration.
In the secondary settler, the activated sludge (inert
solids and biomass concentration) is thickened so the
clarified supernatant overflows to the effluent with a
minimum SST concentration.
Most of the activated sludge consists of biomass
that is recycled to the anaerobic tank (Re). Finally, the
wastage flow (Qw) regulates the biomass concentration
in the plant. See Figure 1 for the wastewater plant lay-
out (DN configuration).
The aim of this study is to determine the influences
that the oxygen mass transfer coefficient (KLa) and the
sludge wasting flow (Qw) have on the performance of
the WWTP. For that, we simulated the WWTP opera-
tion using the West modeling and simulation platform
from Hemmis NV of Belgium.
A typical influent concentration profile, which was
taken from a European Union sponsored project, pro-
vided the input data (see sidebar “EU Research Pro-
gram”).
We ran 12 yearly simulations with all possible com-
binations of three Qw values and four KLa values, shown
in Table 1 (p. 46). Finally, we recorded simulated SST
and Ntot results every two days, resulting in 2,190 pairs
of values (see Table 2, p. 46).

NH4 and NO3 multi-vari chart / FIGURE 4

Multi-vari chart for NH4 by Qw – KLa Multi-vari chart for NO3 by Qw – KLa
11 Qw 13 Qw
10 8,500 12 8,500
9 11
10
8 9
NO3
NH4

7 8
6 7
5 6
5
4 4
150 200 250 150 200 250
KLa KLa

48 QP • www.qualityprogress.com
 STATISTICS

Analysis of the data provides an

opportunity to discuss the results
in terms of engineering process
management.

Statistical analysis of the data
Statistical analysis of the data is the main activity for
the students. We ask them to analyze the simulated
plant performance data using statistical methods.
First, they need to identify the values of the oper-
ating parameters (KLa and Qw) that would minimize
the effluent concentration of pollutants, measured in
terms of SST and Ntot.
After they have set the optimal operating condi-
tions, students evaluate the probability of failure of the
system—the percentage of time that the plant does not
satisfy the legislated effluent requirements. The stu-
dents use Minitab for the statistical analysis.
The statistical tools are useful when trying to de-
scribe a set of numerical data. However, to identify
the data variability and identify possible data errors,
graphical representation of some output variables is
useful. In this sense, we consider it important to ac-
custom the students to analyzing data graphically be-
fore obtaining summarized information about them.
For example, Figure 2 (p. 47) shows histograms
and main statistics for Ntot and SST simulation results
under all possible operational conditions. The histo-
grams show multiple peaks for both variables, prob-
ably because we simulated several operating condi-
tions of the plant. Therefore, although we know the
mean and standard deviation of the data, these values
are not informative because they do not represent a
single population.
The aim of this statistical analysis is to find the

EU RESEARCH PROGRAM
To a large extent, environmental problems are global issues that cannot be solved on a national
level. International cooperation and joint efforts are necessary to set up common goals and
strategies and to determine how the environmental work should proceed to be most efficient.
Spreading information between different research groups, universities and companies is of
vital importance to this effort. For this reason, a European Union research program named Cost
Action 624 was initiated in 1998.
Cost Action 624 is dedicated to optimizing the performance and cost effectiveness of
wastewater management systems by increasing the knowledge of microbial systems and by
implementing integrated plantwide control based on a description of the entire wastewater
system. This is expected to provide new ideas for dealing with wastewater in a future sustain-
able society.
Cost Action 624 covers all aspects of a wastewater management system (collection, treat-
ment and disposal) with regard to optimizing the performance of the complete system. It also
focuses on the development of new sustainable wastewater management strategies.
Cost Action 624 officially ended in July 2004. The website (www.ensic.inpl-nancy.fr/COSTW-
WTP/Intro.htm) is still active for past information retrieval. —E.V. and C.M.

February 2008 • QP 49
 Ntot and suspended solids
concentration under optimum
operating conditions / FIGURE 5
Histogram of SST; Ntot
Normal
4 8 12 16 20 24 28
SST Ntot
30
20
SST
25 Mean 13.64
Standard
15
Frequency

deviation 0.9656
20
N 82
Ntot
10 15 Mean 15.73
Standard
10 deviation 5.538
5 N 183
5

0 0
12 13 14 15 16

operating conditions that are optimal for pollution
removal or are expected to produce the lowest concen-
tration of Ntot and SST in the effluent of the wastewater
treatment plant. Figure 3 illustrates a multi-vari chart
in which the mean values of the simulated response
variables (Ntot and SST) are represented against each
operational variable (see “Multi-Vari Charts.”)
In the case of Ntot, it can be said that its biodegrada-
tion is more influenced by KLa than by Qw. For any KLa
value higher than 100 days, most of the Ntot is removed.
Regarding the Qw value, the best Ntot results correspond
to 5000 m3/d. This is because there is a higher biomass
concentration in the tanks for lower values of the Qw.
Consequently, there is better nitrogen removal.
In the case of SST, the effects of KLa and Qw are just
the opposite. Eliminating the lowest KLa value (dis-
carded by Ntot results), SST does not depend on KLa
but only on Qw.
The best biodegradation capacity appears for a Qw
of 12,000 m3/d. In this case, the solids concentration in
the tanks is reduced, and the effluent clarification is
thus improved. As a compromise solution, and taking
into account Ntot and SST results, we decided to select
any KLa value higher than 100 days with a Qw value of
8,500 m3/d.
To select the most appropriate value for the KLa pa-

MULTI-VARI CHARTS
Multi-vari charts are a way of presenting analysis of variance data in a graphical form, provid-
ing a visual alternative. These charts can also be used in the preliminary stages of data analysis
to examine the data.

The chart displays the means at each factor level for every factor. Minitab draws multi-vari
charts for up to four factors.

To locate In Minitab software, follow Stat > Quality Tools > Multi-Vari Chart. —E.V. and C.M.

50 QP • www.qualityprogress.com

We proposed that statistics teachers use
cases based on real projects.
rameter, NH4 and NO3 effluent concentration data are
analyzed. The sum of these two parameters yields the
Ntot concentration.
However, it should be known that while NH4 is toxic
to fish, NO3 is a nutrient in the river ecosystem. Figure 4
shows a new multi-vari chart, in which we analyzed
variations of NH4 and NO3 concentration against KLa
values.
As shown in Figure 4, for high KLa values the con-
centration of NH4 decreases and the concentration of
NO3 increases. However, as the NH4 concentration re-
moval is prioritized, any value in the range of 200 to 250
for the KLa parameter would be satisfactory.
Finally, the comparison of NH4 improvement to NO3
detriment for these KLa values indicates that a value of
200 for the KLa parameter is the most appropriate for
Ntot removal.
Once the most appropriate values of KLa and Qw
are selected, again we summarized Ntot and SST main
statistics. We were aware that low temperatures dis-
rupt SST results (probably due to nonexistence of bio-
mass in the tanks), so we considered only SST values
obtained from temperatures higher than 20º C for this
task. Figure 5 shows the histograms of Ntot and SST.
Now, the distributions of both variables are symmetri-
cal and peak at their mean value.
Considering the plant is operating on its optimum
operational variables, evaluation of the percentage of
time the plant satisfies the legislation is required. This
considers two parameters: the Ntot effluent concentra-
tion with an upper bound of 20 mg/l, and the SST con-
centration with an upper bound of 16 mg/l.
To find these upper bounds, we must identify the
probability distributions from which the simulated Ntot
and SST could have come. Minitab offers the Ander-
son-Darling test for the goodness of fit of a data set to a
chosen distribution.
We applied this test to our data sets for several dis-
ENGINEERS AND STATISTICS
If you have ideas on how to teach statistics to engineers, post them on Quality
Progress’ Discussion Board at www.asq.org, or e-mail them to editor@asq.org.
STATISTICS
tributions, including lognormal, logistic, Weibull and
gamma. We found Ntot and SST are both well represent-
ed by gamma distributions.
The Anderson-Darling statistics confirm the good-
ness of the gamma distribution fit, as we can see in
Table 2 (p. 46). Using the fitted distributions, we can
calculate the probability of fulfilling the legislated re-
quirement.
Using the total probability theorem and assuming
that no SST concentration result falls below 16 mg/l if
temperature is below 20º C, the probability of fulfilling
the legislation requirements is 0.44. The result is not at
all promising, and a future update of the plant capacity
would therefore be justified.
After the statistical analysis of the WWTP simula-
tion data, we determine the optimal operational con-
ditions of the plant. The next goal would be to train
the WWTP operators to maintain these values. More-
over, a management decision, such as reinvesting in
the plant, is suggested based on statistical analysis of
the results.
Results of the experience
Taking into account the success of this experience
from the point of view of students, we encourage other
professors to carry out similar activities. We believe the
use of data from real research projects can positively
impact statistics curricula.
Elisabeth Viles is a professor at TECNUN Engineering School at the University
of Navarra, Spain. She also participates in post-graduate courses and informal
lectures. Viles earned a doctorate in physics from the University of Navarra.
She is a member of the European Network for Business and Industrial
Statistics.
Cristina Martin is an industrial engineering doctoral student at TECNUN Engi-
neering School and collaborates with the scientific activity of the environmen-
tal engineering department of the University of Navarra’s Center of Technical
Investigation and Study Research Centre.
February 2008 • QP 51
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QUALITY IN THE FIRST PERSON
Lucky Break
An accidental career in quality
WHEN I WAS in college, attending class-
es day after day, I knew exactly where I
wanted to be when I graduated: working
in a lab somewhere doing groundbreaking
research.
Two months after receiving my bache-
lor’s degree, I was anxious to get a job—any
job. When an offer came from an employer
who didn’t hold my lack of professional ex-
perience against me, I was thrilled.
I packed up my belongings and moved
from Halifax, Nova Scotia, to a rural fishing
community to start my career as a quality
assurance technician with Acadian Sea-
plants Ltd., in Charlesville, Nova Scotia.
There was a problem, though. I knew
next to nothing about what a quality assur-
ance technician did or about the company’s
product—cultivated seaweed for the Japa-
nese food market.
Starting from scratch
In the beginning, it was a bit of an infor-
mation overload. I was on a steep learning
curve and was inundated with new faces,
concepts and procedures on a seemingly
daily basis. My youth and inexperience
seemed woefully obvious; I either asked
endless questions or sat back and quietly
tried to take it all in.
Now, a year and a half later, I contin-
ue to be grateful to my boss for taking a
chance on a young applicant with no work-
ing experience in the field. In my time with
Acadian, I have not only learned about the
business, but also about the roles a quality
assurance technician plays.
SHARE YOUR STORY
If you would like your Quality in the First Person article to be considered for
publication in QP, e-mail it to editor@asq.org.
I have become an ASQ member, and,
through the organization, I have completed
my quality technician certification. This ex-
perience was invaluable for learning about
the concepts and tools used on a daily basis
by a quality professional. As time goes on,
and as I gain more on-the-job experience, I
look forward to completing additional ASQ
certifications.
Getting comfortable
When I started with Acadian, the company
was taking part in the National Quality
Institute of Canada’s Progressive Excel-
I’m thankful the quality field didn’t
remain an unexplored path.
lence Program. I quickly became involved
in activities to help us move through this
program. The achievements made to date
make me proud of the company for which
I work.
What I originally thought would be a job
for only a limited time has quickly grown
on me, and my confidence has grown with
it. I am now comfortable giving my opinion
on issues that arise, and, better yet, I find
that people have started to ask for it.
The amount of responsibility given to
me has greatly increased over time, indi-
cating that my co-workers and superiors
have gained confidence in my abilities,
BY WENDY VISSERS
which also makes me proud. All of these
things have made me realize I truly enjoy
working in the quality field, and I now see
this as a great career option.
Considering quality
A career in quality was something I had
never considered during my time as a stu-
dent. I had never met someone involved
in the field, and it is not a career option
that is widely promoted, like medicine
or teaching. Because of the opportunity I
was given, I discovered the unexpected. It
turned out to be an area I quickly discov-
ered I enjoy immensely.
The problem solving and detail oriented
nature of a job in quality assurance suits
my personality. As such, I am thankful the
quality field did not remain an unexplored
path for me.
In the future, I hope more and more
young people are exposed to everything
the quality field has to offer, to ensure a
continuous interest and flow of new ideas
into the area. And who knows? Maybe they,
too, will find their dream career where they
least expect it.
WENDY VISSERS is a quality assurance
technician at Acadian Seaplants Ltd.,
Charlesville, Nova Scotia. She earned
her bachelor’s degree in biology
from Dalhousie University, Halifax,
Nova Scotia. Vissers is a member of
ASQ and holds a quality technician
certification.
February 2008 • QP 53
 CAREER CORNER
Corporations Tout
Social Responsibility
An emerging opportunity for quality professionals
ACCOUNTING SCANDALS, the enact-
ment of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act in 2002
and criminal cases against formerly re-
spected CEOs all enhanced our awareness
of corporate governance and enterprise
risk management.
The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality
Award has added “governance and social
responsibilities” to its leadership criteria,
codes of conduct are more prevalent, and
ethics has taken on new importance in
corporate training and business school
curricula.
At the same time, degradation of the
QUALITY CAREERS
Both job seekers and employeers can benefit from going to
www.asq.org/careers. Seekers can post resumes, get career
advice and explore career development opportunities. Employers
can post jobs and search resumes.
54 QP • www.qualityprogress.com
BY HANK LINDBORG
natural environment, exploitation of
workers domestically and globally, and
the risks associated with extended supply
chains in a “flat” world have taken on
greater urgency and further tarnished cor-
porations’ reputations. This gives us a new
appreciation of the value of stakeholder
management and social responsibility.
It is now difficult to visit the website of
any major corporation or read its annual
report without encountering the theme
of social responsibility. For example, in
a recent reflection on annual reports,
writer William P. Dunk notes Wal-Mart’s
emphasis on ethical conduct: “Indeed, its
reports are so laden with its social gospel
that one could come to believe that it is
a foundation or church, not the world’s
most important business.”1
ASQ’s contribution
Of course, without assurance that rhetoric
reflects practice, it’s easy to be cynical
about companies’ assertions. For two
years, ASQ has been involved in an initia-
tive aimed at providing such assurance,
one that promises new career opportuni-
ties for quality professionals.
In February 2006, ASQ invited par-
ticipation in a technical advisory group
(TAG) to develop the U.S. position on the
International Organization for Standard-
ization’s (ISO) draft of the ISO 26000
standard on social responsibility, to be
published early in 2009.2
While ISO 26000 is not a management
system standard and is not intended for
certification, it is nonetheless important
globally. In November 2006, ISO and the
United Nation’s Global Compact Office
agreed to make the standard congruent
with the global compact’s 10 principles on
human rights, labor standards, environ-
ment and anti-corruption.3
ASQ defines social responsibility as
people and organizations behaving and
conducting business ethically and with
sensitivity toward social, cultural, eco-
nomic and environmental issues.4 Though
this statement sounds soft, there are
strong economic arguments for sustain-
able, responsible business development.
These have not been lost on the invest-
ment community. For example, the Dow
Jones Sustainability Index, which has
been employed for a decade, analyzes
corporations on economic, environmental
and social criteria that include gover-
nance, risk and transparency.5
Because failure to manage risk can be
catastrophic in a global economy, we can
expect more and more organizations to
conduct audits that provide assurance to
stockholders and other stakeholders.
Role of quality professionals
How can quality professionals prepare
themselves for opportunities presented by
ISO 26000?
There might be some guidance in the
Wal-Mart’s annual report makes it
sound like a church or foundation.

development of an existing standard in the
United Kingdom. The AA1000 Assurance
Standard was written in the late 1990s by
the Institute for Social and Ethical Ac-
countability to provide transparency for
stakeholders and responsiveness to their
concerns, as well as for compliance with
voluntary standards and legal require-
ments.6
The 1999 design of the AA1000
framework described qualifications for
those who would conduct audits of social
and structures in a global environment?
Leadership and governance? Account-
ing? Labor? Legislative and environ-
mental issues? Human values and cul-
tures? Best practices in organizational
diagnosis?
• Can I talk the language of top man-
agement and the boardroom? This is
perhaps the most challenging question.
The issues raised by social responsi-
bility audits—addressing reputation,
risk and sustainability—are those that
and make a case for their contributions to
sustainability, values, ethics and opera-
tions.
REFERENCES AND NOTES
1. William P. Dunk, “Forecast: Not So Good,” Conference
Board Review, November/December 2007, p. 18.
2. Corporate Social Responsibility—Doing the Right Thing,
www.asq.org/social-responsibility.
3. United Nations Global Compact, www.unglobalcompact.
org.
4. What Does ASQ Mean by “Social Responsibility,” www.asq.
org/social-responsibility/about/what-is-it.html.
5. Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes, www.sustainability-
index.com.
6. AccountAbility, www.accountability21.net.

responsibility. These might be helpful
in assessing the orientations and skills
required to employ ISO 26000 in your own
organization or as an outside consultant/
auditor.
touch the highest levels of organiza-
tions. They are no longer about feeling
good, or public relations.
Here is an opportunity for quality
professionals to assume leadership roles
HENRY J. LINDBORG is executive director and CEO of the
National Institute for Quality Improvement, which provides
consulting in strategic planning, organizational development
and assessment. He holds a doctorate from the University of
Wisconsin-Madison and teaches in a leadership and quality
graduate program. Lindborg is past chair of ASQ’s Education
Division and of the Education and Training Board.

The framework suggests a challenging

curriculum, including the following:
• A grounding in environmental stan-
dards, such as ISO 14000.
• Communication skills and auditing Advertisers Index
practice.
ADVERTISER PAGE PHONE WEB
• About 100 to 120 training hours that
AssurX Inc. 73 408-778-1376 www.assurx.com
would encompass social and ethical
Baldrige National Quality Program, NIST 5 301-975-3199 www.quality.nist.gov
dimensions of organizations, finance
BSI Management Systems 58 703-437-9000 www.bsiamericas.com
and economics, environment, legisla-
EtQ Inc. 1 516-293-0949 www.etq.com
tive and ethical issues, leadership
EuroQuest 57 770-395-0124 www.euroquest.net
and governance. How to conduct an
InfinityQS International, Inc. 63 703-961-0200 www.infinityqs.com
audit, including appropriate tools and Membership, ASQ 65 414-272-8575 www.asq.org
techniques, would also be covered. PQ Systems, Inc. 64 800-777-3020 www.pqsystems.com
If you’re interested in ISO 26000 or QMI 7 216-901-1191 www.qmi.com
related standards, ask yourself: Quality Council of Indiana 12, 13 812-533-4215 www.qualitycouncil.com
• Do I know about corporate ethics? Statistical Process Controls 2 865-584-5005 www.spcpress.com
Stakeholder approaches to organiza- StatPoint Technologies, Inc. IFC 540-364-0420 www.statgraphics.com
tions? StatSoft Inc. 74 918-749-1119 www.statsoft.com
• Do I have a grasp—theoretical and Upper Iowa University 60 515-369-7777 www.uiu.edu
practical—of organizational strategies World Conference, ASQ 9 414-272-8575 www.asq.org

February 2008 • QP 55
 STATISTICS ROUNDTABLE
Match Game
Propensity scoring can help infer patient response in the real world
THE GOLD STANDARD for evaluating
new medical treatments, devices or services
is the randomized controlled trial. We ran-
domize to ensure the subjects or patients
who receive different treatments (or a
placebo) in the trial are comparable.
However, more researchers are
interested in the effect of a treatment or
service in situations in which randomiza-
tion is difficult or impossible. In addition,
researchers are interested in examining
how the control (or alternate therapy)
group would have responded to the treat-
ment or service.
One useful method involves propen-
sity score methods—matching members
of different groups based on a range of
characteristics and forming a probability
Propensity score
alignment / FIGURE 1
Increasing propensity scores
A B
56 QP • www.qualityprogress.com
BY I. ELAINE ALLEN AND
CHRISTOPHER A. SEAMAN
score. Under certain assumptions, com-
parison of the matched groups can reveal
the impact of the treatment or service in
each group. Why estimate the probability
that a subject received a certain treatment
when it is already known what treatment
they received?
By using the probability that one
subject would have been treated (the
“ Propensity score matching
propensity score) to adjust the estimate of
the treatment effect, we create a quasi-
experiment.
When we find two subjects with the
same propensity score—one treated and
one a control—we can think of these two
subjects as being randomly assigned to
each group because they have the same
probability of being in either group, given
their covariates.
In 1983, P.R. Rosenbaum and Donald
B. Rubin published a paper proposing
1
this approach. They followed this study
with additional papers expanding their
methods. Recently, Onur Baser reviewed
multiple matching procedures and appro-
2
priate uses for propensity scores.
While primarily developed for health-
related clinical trials, these methods have
been extended to economic3 and agricul-
4
tural settings and can be used for any
experiment in which different changes are
being applied to a large sampling pool.
Propensity scoring
The basic idea behind propensity score
methods is to:
• Use standard logistic regression to es-
timate the probability of exposure for
each subject in the data.
• Construct sets of subjects with similar
propensity score estimates in hopes
that these groups are interchangeable in
every way but the exposure itself.
• Estimate the causal effects of exposure
by a conditional logistic regression, for
is not a panacea to correct
deficiencies in experimental
”
design.
example contrasting people actually ex-
posed and those not actually exposed.
The propensity score is defined as
the conditional probability of a certain
treatment given background variables and
covariates:
p(x) = Pr (Y = 1|X = x),
in which p(x) represents the predicted
propensity score and the probability
of being in treatment group one, given
covariate and characteristic effects X = x.
Calculate this value by running a logistic
regression with a binary dependent vari-
able: Y = 1 if treated; Y = 0 otherwise.
The model includes all important sub-
ject and treatment characteristics and co-
variates. The propensity score is obtained
by examining the predicted probability (p)
or the log (p / (1 – p)).
Then each treated subject is matched
to the nearest subject in the untreated
or control group by the closest matching
propensity score.
Different measures of distance be-
tween subjects can be used—for example,
Euclidean distance, Mahalanobis distance,
Lorentzian distance or stratification.5
Following this matching procedure, the
new sample of matched subjects can be
Propensity scoring provides a unique
method for comparing groups when
randomization is not possible.
used to examine treatment effects with
multivariate techniques.
Two approaches might be used for the
resulting analyses:
• A subgroup of well-matched subjects
and controls can be analyzed as a sepa-
rate cohort to create a quasi-experiment.
• Weights can be created from propensity
scores to adjust the subject and control
groups and compensate for differences.
Steps in propensity scoring
Essentially, there are four steps in using
the propensity scoring method:
• Step one: Estimate propensity score
using key covariates/characteristics in a
logistic model.
• Step two: Choose matching algorithm
that provides “best” matching—in other
words, a matching algorithm that re-
tains most cases or provides the best
likelihood of good matches.
• Step three: Check overlap of matched
groups with original experimental data.
• Step four: Discard unmatched data and
keep matched pairs.
• Step five: Analyze resulting dataset to
estimate matching effect vs. nonmatch-
ing effect.
Figure 1 gives an example of aligning
both treatment groups by propensity score
showing those subjects that are matched
and those not matched.
Not always the answer
Propensity score matching is not a pana-
cea to correct deficiencies in experimental
design. The benefits lie not only with the
potentially improved effect estimation, but
February 2008 • QP 57
 STATISTICS ROUNDTABLE

Matching Methods for Nonexperimental Causal Studies,”

also in evaluating serious biases between
treatment groups.
Creating matched samples and pre-
dicting exposure is a far better technique
than directly modeling outcomes without
matching. These methods also permit
the use of diagnostics to examine the
will not know it, and the results might be
biased. Finally, if there is limited overlap
in the characteristics of the treatment
groups based on the covariate analyses,
significant portions of the dataset will be
eliminated.
Overall, propensity score matching
The Review of Economics and Statistics, Vol. 84, No. 1, 2002,
pp. 151-161.
4. Lori Lynch, Wayne Gray and Jacqueline Geoghegan, “Are
Farmland Preservation Program Easement Restrictions
Capitalized Into Farmland Prices? What Can a Propensity
Score Matching Analysis Tell Us?” Review of Agricultural
Economics, Vol. 29, No. 3, 2007, pp. 502-509.
5. Baser, “Too Much Ado About Propensity Score Models?
Comparing Methods of Propensity Score Matching,” see
reference 2.

sensitivity of estimates as well as results provides a unique method for compar-

for unmatched and matched groups.
There are some limitations to propen-
sity score matching. Unlike randomiza-
tion, propensity scores might not balance
unobserved covariates, so bias might
remain in the treatment estimation.
Also, if the propensity score estima-
tion omits an important covariate, you
I. ELAINE ALLEN is research director
ing groups when randomization is not of the Arthur M. Blank Center for
Entrepreneurship and professor of
possible.
statistics and entrepreneurship at
Babson College in Wellesley, MA.
REFERENCES She earned a doctorate in statistics
1. P.R. Rosenbaum and Donald B. Rubin, “The Central Role from Cornell University in Ithaca,
of Propensity Score in Observational Studies for Causal NY. Allen is a member of ASQ.
Effects,” Biometrika, Vol. 70, 1983, pp. 41-55.
2. Onur Baser, “Too Much Ado about Propensity Score Mod- CHRISTOPHER A. SEAMAN is a doc-
els? Comparing Methods of Propensity Score Matching,” toral student in mathematics at the
Value in Health, Vol. 6, No. 9, 2006, pp. 377-385. Graduate Center of City University
3. Rajeev H. Dehejia and Sadek Wahba, “Propensity Score- of New York.

REAL LIFE EXPERIENCE

Have you found propensity score matching to be an effective tool? Share your
own experience by posting comments on www.qualityprogress.com, or e-mail
editor@asq.org.

Business Continuity Management

Continued operations in the event of a disruption, whether due
to a major disaster or a minor incident, are fundamental
requirements for any organization.
Over the last few years, our country has experienced a number
of natural disasters and deliberate events that have interrupted
many companies’ abilities to sustain daily operations. Business
Continuity Management is an evolving discipline that allows
you to manage and measure this critical subject.
BSI, a world leader in publishing business standards, has
published a best practice framework - BS 25999, which
comprehensively specifies how an organization should plan
for any set of circumstances that might interrupt its normal
business operations.
Find out how BS 25999 and BSI Management Systems
can help your organization prepare. Visit us at
IS YOUR www.bsiamericas.com/25999QP

ORGANIZATION raising standards worldwide™

PREPARED? 1 800 862 4977 (USA) 1 800 862 6752 (Canada)
inquiry.msamericas@bsi-global.com

58 QP • www.qualityprogress.com
QPTOOLBOX
▼
Video inspection system
Titan Tool Supply has released a portable
remote video inspection system to its
Envision line. The SnakeEye III system is
capable of recording images to a flash
memory card for later transfer to a PC for
archival and e-mail purposes.
The SnakeEye III can be configured to
inspect behind walls, inside ceilings, around
pipes and machinery, under vehicles and
aircraft, inside engine compartments, behind
computer equipment and underneath auto-
mobile dashboards. Two models are avail-
able: the Base Kit W and the Base Kit CW.
Call: 716-873-9907; e-mail: menza@
titantoolsupply.com.

Inventory tags ▼
Badger Tag and Label has designed three
custom tags for companies performing
their annual inventory. Single tags can be
printed in many sizes and feature a stan-
dard cut corner.
Manifold tags include up to four parts
and are designed for companies requiring
multiple people or facilities to have infor-
mation about items in inventory.
Companies who use thermal print labels
choose one design and then print specific
information for each inventory item on the
label. The thermal stock allows for printing
using laser, thermal, inkjet and dot-matrix
methods. Numbers and barcodes can also
be printed on inventory tags.
Call: 920-994-4348; e-mail: dj@
badgertag. com.
Imaging sensor
Headwall Photonics’ Hyperspec is an imag-
ing sensor designed for spectral imaging,
chemical sensing solutions and hyperspec-
tral remote sensing projects. The sensor
is primarily used in airborne applications,
particularly in harsh environments.
The Hyperspec sensor provides distor-
tion free chemical imaging, high optical
throughput, high signal-to-noise and
dynamic range. The sensor is available in
several spectral ranges, including visible,
near infrared and short wavelength infra-
red. Expanded spectral ranges and custom
wavelength ranges are also available.
Call: 978-353-4100; visit: www.
headwallphotonics.com.
Coordinate measuring machine
The X-Checker from Xspect Solutions is a
coordinate measuring machine (CMM) de-
signed for shop floor production applica-
tions in which environmental conditions
are inconsistent.
The X-Checker combines granite
components with frictionless bearings,
pneumatic counterbalance, gage perfor-
mance, and repeatability and reproduc-
ibility. It can be used as a touch probe or
scanning CMM.

February 2008 • QP 59
 QPTOOLBOX
The X-Checker’s guideways are
covered with machine tool bellows that
protect the ballscrews from dirt and
contamination, exposed sunlight and
short-term temperature variations. The
X-Checker also features computer-aided
design software.
Call: 248-295-4300; e-mail: kmills@
xspectsolutions.com.
Thermal insert
▼
insert is optimized for 35 mm cell culture
dishes and the Warner RC-40 Quick Change
imaging chambers.
An integrated water jacket removes
excess heat from the internal peltier device
and allows for temperature control of me-
dia. Magnetic stainless steel along
the perimeter of the TB-3 CCD
platform allows for the
use of magnetic suc-
tion and perfusion
by CMC-Kuhnke measures food and bever-
age cans externally. The cans are emptied
of their contents, cross-sectioned and
measured.
The double seam inspection results
and double seam image files are sent
directly into the customer’s data collec-
tion system or statistical process control
software.
If out-of-spec conditions or statistical
anomalies are discovered, several optional

tube holders. automatic responses are available to notify

Warner Instruments Call: 203-776-0664; operators that corrective action is needed.
has released the TB-3 visit: www. The notifications range from warning lights
CCD thermal insert, a warnerinstruments.com. and alarms to a signal sent to the line to
versatile platform for cell stop production.
culture and tissue work. It can Call: 518-828-9345; visit: www.
be used in the electrophysiologi- Inspection system cmc-kuhnke.com.
cal, cellular and neurological sciences. The The online double seam inspection system

ASQ CERTIFICATION + Upper Iowa University MBA =

Access to the World of Opportunity
Combine your ASQ Certification with an accredited MBA in
Quality Management from Upper Iowa University and maximize
your opportunities for career advancement.
Whether you have a technical degree or one in business, the Upper Iowa
University MBA in Quality Management is designed to integrate contemporary
quality management concepts with the knowledge needed to manage people
and resources. Graduates of this program are expected to be able to assume
leadership roles advancing quality in their organizations.
• Online courses that fit your schedule.
• No residency requirement
• Start in any of 6 terms each year
• Highly qualified and supportive faculty
Contact us now for more information:
www.uiuonline.info | online@uiu.edu | 1-800-603-3756

Contact American Society for Quality: http://www.asq.org.

or telephone: 1-800-248-1946 for certification information.
Upper Iowa University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the
North Central Association. The MBA Program and business degrees offered are further accredited
by the International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education.
Accredited, Accessible, Affordable

60 QP • www.qualityprogress.com
Capacitance accelerometer ▼ in very small thermally induced changes in
Endevco has released the model 7290D frequency response.
variable capacitance accelerometer with Call: 949-493-8181 x242; e-mail:
onboard, microprocessor based temperature yeni.hoo@endevco.com.
compensation.
Production cell

It is designed to provide thermal stability
and global accuracy required for the measure-
ment of relatively low level accelerations in
laboratory tests and measurement, automo-
tive and aerospace applications, including
military and commercial flight testing.
Gas damping and internal over-range stops
enable its silicon sens-
ing element to with-
stand high shock and
acceleration loads.
The use of gas damp-
ing in the sensing
element also results
▼
The JobShop Cell from Methods Machine
Tools is for job shops with small to medium
lot sizes. It is an integrated production cell
that combines the RoboDrill Vertical Machin-
ing Center with an interfaced 6-axis robot for
automated loading and unloading.
The JobShop Cell can be configured to
handle any part that will fit in its 6 in. vise or
chuck. The standardized work-handling inter-
face accommodates hydraulic and pneumatic
workholding options.
Call: 978-443-5388; visit: www.
methodsmachine.com.

ASQ Six Sigma Forum Magazine

From the Basics to the Boardroom
join us online www.asq.org

SIX
VOLUME 7, NUMBER 1 • NOVEMBER 2007
ASQ

SI MA
• What is ‘Normal’
Distribution? p. 10

• Project Termination:
A New Beginning p. 20

MAG
A AZINE
FROM THE BASICS TO THE BOARDROOM
• Measuring Healthcare
Satisfaction p. 27

When
Less
Is More
DuPont Trims
Its Product
Portfolio p. 13

Take Your Organization To The Top With Six Sigma Forum Magazine! ASQ Six Sigma Forum
www.sixsigmaforum.com
TM

ASQ brings you Six Sigma Forum Magazine, dedicated to addressing the specific needs of Six Sigma
professionals, from Green Belts to executives. This magazine is the flagship publication of the ASQ’s Six Sigma
Forum, published in conjunction with the American Society for Quality. Take your organization to the top with
the premier Six Sigma magazine. Receive the most up-to-date information on Six Sigma methodology today!

FOR INFORMATION ON BECOMING A SIX SIGMA FORUM MAGAZINE SUBSCRIBER, VISIT OUR WEB SITE AT
http://www.asq.org/pub/sixsigma OR CALL 800-248-1946 TO RECEIVE YOUR FREE ISSUE OF SIX SIGMA
FORUM MAGAZINE.

February 2008 • QP 61
 QPREVIEWS
The Executive Guide to Under-
standing and Implementing
Employee Engagement Programs
Patrick L. Townsend and Joan E. Gebhardt,
ASQ Quality Press, 2007, 88 pp., $29.40 list,
$16.80 member (book).
Although the title is almost as long as
the book, authors Townsend and Gebhardt
have written something (albeit small) that
connects the initiative
implementation dots for
senior executives. Yes,
the book is written at
the 50,000-foot level, but
that is where this book’s
target audience lives.
The book does not provide a simple
one-size-fits-all, step-by-step process,
but it does provide the perspectives and
how-to experiences of those who have
successfully launched enterprisewide
improvement programs.
As advocates of organizationwide par-
ticipation driven by leadership, the authors
make a persuasive case for getting all
employees involved in and initiative and
outlining how to make the case for the key
elements of the initiative—strong leader-
ship and the expenditure of significant
resources.
The book also covers what should hap-
pen up front and in the eight months that
follow to get a fully functional program up
and running.
This book is not for those who aren’t
in a position to implement enterprisewide
change initiatives. If you are, then by all
means spend a couple of hours learning
how to drive a continuous improvement
program powered by 100% employee
participation.
Reviewed by James Kotterman,
APL Logistics, Woodridge, IL
62 QP • www.qualityprogress.com
101 Ways to Improve
Customer Service
Lorraine Ukens, John Wiley & Sons Inc.,
2007, 366 pp., $50 (book).
The title is by no means a misnomer, as
the authors outline 101 ways to provide
excellent service to internal and external
customers. The 50 training activities, 14 tools,
23 tips and 14 techniques cover awareness,
communication, planning, problem solv-
ing, quality and teamwork in an effort to
improve service. This book is intended to be a
resource to help customer service personnel
meet that goal, but it is applicable to nearly
everyone in an organization.
The well-constructed, practical sugges-
tions contain everything needed to achieve
improvement. Many of the activities are
suited for meeting icebreakers or team
builders, and most take less than an hour to
complete.
The clear instructions show how to pro-
voke thought and discussion from partici-
pants, and the book includes a CD-ROM that
contains the handouts for each activity.
One of my objections
was the application of
the term “intervention.”
While the author’s use
and definition are correct,
current common usage
implies a seriously unfa-
vorable state that requires drastic or extreme
steps to remedy. These activities are neither
drastic nor extreme. They will help improve
or increase awareness in any situation, not
just the worst.
This is a wonderful book that fills many
needs. The mere acts of reading and thinking
about these activities will improve the ser-
vice you and your team give your customers.
Reviewed by Marc A. Feldman,
Solvay Chemicals Inc., Houston
Enabling Excellence: The Seven
Elements Essential To Achieving
Competitive Advantage
Timothy A. Pine, ASQ Quality Press, 2007,
102 pp., $36.75 list, $22.05 member (book).
Pine has distilled his observations of the
characteristics and causes of success in
world-class organizations, and the resulting
list of seven essential elements is present-
ed in this short, easy-to-read book.
Pine keeps the pace of the book moving
quickly by not elaborating on any of the
subtopics. The target
audience for this book is
management person-
nel with the power to
implement change. It
wouldn’t take them long
to digest it, either, as
a busy manager could
read through the entire book quickly.
The target audience, however, is unlikely
to learn anything new from this book.
The list of elements should be familiar to
anyone who has a background in quality or
management because the elements have
been addressed in innumerable seminars
and books.
Although the author has held quality
and technical management positions with
several toy and sporting goods manufactur-
ers, he does not draw from those experi-
ences to add any unique insights to amplify
or illuminate these elements of success.
The readability and introductory nature of
this book make it suited for the entry level
manager or engineer looking for an overview
prior to conducting an in-depth study.
However, readers with more than an entry
level background would be better served by
selecting a text with more substance.
Reviewed by Rich Anderson
Tucson, AZ
Accelerating Process Improvement One of the most important statisti- frequently encountered in the fields of
Using Agile Techniques cal applications analyzes the means and quality and reliability, where practitioners
Deb Jacobs, Auerbach Publications, 2006, variances of two or more segments. This is compare quality characterisitics or the
365 pp., $79.95 (book).
Just because a methodology contains
the word “accelerating” doesn’t mean it’s
wise for a newcomer to the strategy to
sprint through his or her introudction to it.
Readers of Accelerating Process Im-
provement Using Agile Techniques have
nothing to worry about, as Jacobs methodi-
cally walks the reader through a step-by-
step explanation of the technique, beginning
with a general introduction of process
improvement and capability maturity model
integration. She follows
with a discussion of the
accelerating process im-
provement methodology
(APIM) and its implemen-
tation, then closes with ProFicient Plants are:
an APIM toolkit.
APIM is an application of agile de- Proactive. They prevent defects before they result in
velopment methodology meant to push
scrap, rework, or even recalls.
organizations higher on the capability Process-Oriented. They understand process behavior across all
maturity ladder. The APIM concept is in- parts for true process control.
novative and presents practitioners with
new possibilities to improve software in Productive. They have insight into planning and
an organizational environment that tradi- maintenance to increase productivity and
tionally is complex.
reduce costs.
The book is a reflection of the vast prac-
Only ProFicient™ SPC software from InfinityQS can provide the real-
tical experience of the author. Practitioners
time statistical tools you need to ensure optimal product quality and
and researchers of empirical software reduce the costs of scrap and rework. ProFicient is uniquely able to
engineering will find plenty of ideas and quickly and easily analyze multiple parts across various processes
practical tools, making it a highly recom- on a single chart for a 360-degree view of process behavior.
mended text for such an audience. Call 1-877-772-7978 or visit www.in!nityqs.com to learn more about making
your plant ProFicient.
Reviewed by Ron S. Kenett
KPA Ltd., Raanana, Israel Pro!cient manufacturing needs ProFicient software.

Stochastic Orders
Moshe Shaked and J. George Shanthimukar,
Springer Series in Statistics, 2007, 473 pp., www.in!nityqs.com 1.800.772.7978
$89.95 (book).

February 2008 • QP 63
 QPREVIEWS
reliability of several products. This book
presents a unified approach and explores
the application of a variety of methods to
64 QP • www.qualityprogress.com
provide order to random variables.
According to the authors, the compari-
son of univariate or multivariate quality
characteristics, including reliability, is one
of statistical order. Included in the book
are discussions regarding the stochastic,
hazard rate, mean residual life, convex
and transform orders. Following those are
discussions of convexity and concavity, as
well as a discussion of positive depen-
dence orders.
To properly understand
the content of the book,
the reader must be very
comfortable with the
writing style of mathemati-
cians. It can be an elegant
approach to those who
understand it, but nonmathematically
inclined readers might require some tutor-
ing to grasp the materials.
The book provides a wealth of informa-
tion regarding how to study statistical
order and is suitable for readers with
advanced training in probability and
statistics. It is long on theoretical treat-
ment but short on real-life examples, thus
it is not for novice students of quality and
reliability.
Reviewed by Shin Ta Liu
Lynx Systems, San Diego
RECENT RELEASES
Introduction to Design of
Experiments with JMP Examples
Jacques Goupy and Lee Creighton, SAS
Press, 2007, 448 pp., $69.95 (book).
The Desk Reference of Statistical
Quality Methods, second edition
Mark L. Crossley, ASQ Quality Press, 2007,
450 pp. $94.50 list, $56.70 member (book).
Integrated Enterprise Excellence,
Volume 1—The Basics
Forrest W. Breyfogle III, Bridgeway Books,
2008, 140 pp., $27.95 (book).
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 QPCALENDAR
To receive information or to register for
ASQ Education Courses and Conferences,
contact Learning Offerings, ASQ, 600 N.
Plankinton Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53203,
call 800-248-1946 or 414-272-8575, fax
414-272-1734 or visit www.asq.org.
MARCH
1-7 Pittsburgh Conference for
Laboratory Science. New Orleans.
412-825-3220 or visit www.pittcon.org.
3-4 ASQ Conference. International
Conference on ISO 9000. Orlando.
3-4 ASQ Conference. Quality in the
Space and Defense Industries. Cape
Canaveral, FL.
3-5 AICE Quality Conference. Davenport,
IA. Call Drew Martson at 815-729-5208 or visit
www.aiceconference.com.
6-7 Product Safety & Product Liability
Prevention. Milwaukee. E-mail Randy
Goodden at rgoodden@go.com or visit www.
randallgoodden.com.
10-12 Measurement Science Con-
ference. Anaheim, CA. Call Dilip Shah at
330-336-3974 or e-mail dashah@aol.com.
11-12 Demonstrating Reliability
With Accelerated Testing. San Diego. Call
Hobbs Engineering at 303-465-5988 or visit
www.hobbsengr.com.
SAVE THE DATE
If you’d like your event included in QP Calendar, submit information at least three
months in advance to vfunk@asq.org. Non-ASQ organizations may list one event
per issue.
66 QP • www.qualityprogress.com
17-19 Supply-Chain World North
America. Minneapolis. Call the Supply-
Chain Council at 202-962-0440 or visit
www.supply-chain.org.
19-21 Introduction to Minitab &
Basic Data Analysis. San Francisco. Call
Kevin Proctor at 800-930-8528 or visit
www.exsilondata.com.
20 ASQ Conference. Symposium on
Problem Solving and Problem Prevention.
Dayton, OH.
27 Governance, Risk, Compliance, Sus-
tainability and the Capital Markets. New
York. Call the Corporate Responsibility Officer
at 973-439-0060 or visit www.thecro.com.
27-28 ASQ Conference. Collaborative
Conference on Quality, Government, Regu-
lations and ASQ. Alexandria, VA.
31-APRIL 3 Shingo Prize
Conference. Dallas. Call the Shingo Prize
for Operational Excellence at 435-797-2279
or visit www.shingoprize.org.
APRIL
1-4 Lean Six Sigma & Process
Improvement in Healthcare. Las Vegas.
Call WCBF at 800-959-6549 or e-mail
louise.gosling@wcbf.com.
3 New Jersey Spring Quality Confer-
ence. Parsippany, NJ. Call Sid Markowitz at
973-663-0518 or e-mail K2GG@ieee.org.
8 ASQ Conference. Quality Cafe. Tulsa, OK.
Call Kristin Case at 918-280-2616 or e-mail
kcase@apscopower.com.
9 ASQ Conference. ASQ-UDEM Quality
Day. Monterrey, Mexico. E-mail Pamela Vera
Islas at pamela_vera@hotmail.com or visit
www.asqudem.com.
13-17 ESS Expo.08. Chandler, AZ.
Call Essential Software and Services at
800-289-6116 or visit www.ess-expo.com.
14-17 SAE World Conference. Detroit.
Call SAE International at 877-606-7323 or visit
www.sae.org.
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February 2008 • QP 67
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February 2008 • QP 71
 ONE GOOD IDEA
Rapid Brainstorming
Brings a Deluge of Ideas
Method helps ASQ section provide value to members
WHAT’S THE easiest way to gather a lot of
great ideas in a short period of time? That
is the challenge the Charlotte Section of
ASQ deals with each May when we hold our
members’ recognition meeting.
Following a free dinner for members, rec-
ognition of key office holders and those who
did something exceptional during the year,
and the awarding of our highest honor—the
“Garland Blackwell”—comes the challenge.
That’s when members in attendance are
asked to help plan future programs.
In the past, we used a standard brain-
storming session to solicit program ideas for
the upcoming ASQ dinner meeting season.
With about 40 members attending, it was
sometimes difficult to maintain their full at-
tention. Feedback from many of the recent
programs indicated we had secured expert
speakers who explained the topic well. What
they lacked was creativity—for instance, at-
tendees wanted examples of how the quality
tools had been successfully used.
The Charlotte Section board recognized
a need to upgrade the presentations. We
wanted to make the dinner meeting expe-
rience better and to attract 80, 90 or even
100 attendees, because the topics were that
good, because they had heard about the
improvements in the presentations and be-
cause they had seen dramatic improvement
in the day-to-day performance of those who
had attended.
GO ONLINE
To share your ideas regarding which brainstorming method reigns supreme,
post your remarks on the QP Discussion Board at www.qualityprogress.com,
or e-mail them to editor@asq.org.
72 QP • www.qualityprogress.com
BY JOHN LYNCH
To start the process, it was important to
get input from the membership in a way that
helped us improve the programs. As a result,
we developed the following goals:
1. Keep everyone fully engaged.
2. Generate a lot of exciting topic ideas.
3. Fully use the members’ input.
4. Find new topics and stay ahead of the
curve when it comes to member needs.
5. Begin building enthusiasm for the up-
coming season.
6. Do all of this in less than 30 minutes.
It took some organization, but here is
how rapid brainstorming was used during
the recognition meeting to accomplish those
goals.
The dinner meeting attendees assem-
bled at four large tables. These became the
rapid brainstorm groups. Each group had
a flip chart and markers, and selected a
scribe. Before beginning, the method was
described. For two minutes, the scribes
recorded the ideas generated by the small
groups. Each scribe then moved clockwise
to the next group with the page they had
generated.
To help the new group build on the ideas
generated, the scribe had about one minute
to answer questions and explain any ideas
that were on the flip chart page. Once all four
groups indicated they were ready with a new
scribe selected, a clean flip chart page was
readied, and the same two-minute brainstorm
commenced, followed by the scribe rotation
and one-minute explanation. This occurred
two more times.
“ We wanted to make the
dinner meeting experience
better and to attract 80,
90 or even 100 attendees,
because the topics were
that good.
The process allowed for a variety of par-
ticipants and supported building off other
”
ideas. What typically would be considered
the largest negative—the severe time lim-
its—actually became the biggest benefit.
The members didn’t have time to tune out.
The 16 pages generated were posted on
the walls of the meeting room. Each attendee
had five votes and marked the topics he or she
preferred. This became the input for a board
meeting held later that month. Prior to the
meeting, the program chair organized the list
to eliminate the topics with no (or low) votes.
The board provided contacts to the program
chair to support the topics selected.
With the topics and contacts provided, all
of the speakers were set for the ASQ Char-
lotte Section dinner meetings by the end of
June. The rapid brainstorm method played a
key role in ensuring the speakers addressed
the topics of interest to our members.
JOHN LYNCH has been a member of the Charlotte Section of
ASQ since 1993 and holds a bachelor of science in industrial
engineering and an MBA from Lehigh University in Bethlehem,
PA. A past chair, Lynch is an ASQ certified quality engineer,
Six Sigma Black Belt and manager of quality/organizational
excellence, as well as a certified ISO/TS 16949, ISO 9001 and
ISO 14001 auditor.
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