Modular kaizen is a development of necessity in our rapidly changing world where improvement has to happen “on the fly”. Modular kaizen is the counter point to kaizen blitz, where team members are locked in a room to hammer out a solution to some problem or opportunity. In the hectic, interrupt driven environment of many organizations, it is simply not possible to remove critical players from normal operations for any length of time. Modular kaizen is an improvement approach that integrates quality techniques into the busy schedule of everyday activities. All of the components of an effective kaizen event are planned; however, the activities are scheduled in small segments, or “modules” that fit the rapidly changing time demands of team members and subject matter experts. This approach is complementary to the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) and Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control (DMAIC) models of quality improvement. The author of this book calls upon a 40 year career to incorporate techniques, innovations and lessons learned in the pursuit of effective continuous and breakthrough improvement and use the resources, people, and schedules already in place to get things done. If you are looking for proven approaches to integrating quality improvement into daily work, this is your book.

Modular Kaizen is a development of necessity. Improvement has to happen on the fly in our rapidly changing world. This book is about using the resources, people, and schedules already in place to get things done. Modular Kaizen is the counterpoint to a kaizen blitz, in which team members are confined in a room to hammer out an opportunity or a solution to some problem. In the hectic, interrupt-driven environment of many organizations, it is simply not possible to remove critical players from normal operations for any length of time. Grace Duffy draws on 40 years of experience to incorporate techniques, innovations, and lessons learned in pursuit of effective continuous and breakthrough improvement. Part I provides the conceptual model along with steps and tools for process and system improvement in an extremely busy and interrupt-driven workplace. Part II offers three case studies—from manufacturing, healthcare, and aerospace—to show how the techniques work in real time. If you are looking for proven approaches to integrating quality improvement into daily work, this is your book. It is written for those of us who have to “get it done,” not just talk about it. So roll up your sleeves and dig in.

A guide to creating prioritized project pipelines and setting up improvement boards to maximize business success through the execution of continuous improvement projects.

The urgent need to keep pace with the accelerating globalization of manufacturing in the 21st century has produced rapid advancements in technology, research and innovation. This book presents the proceedings of the 16th International Conference on Manufacturing Research incorporating the 33nd National Conference on Manufacturing Research (ICMR 2018), held in Skövde, Sweden, in September 2018. The aim of the conference is to create a friendly and inclusive environment, bringing together researchers, academics and industrialists with practical and theoretical knowledge to share and discuss emerging trends and new challenges. The book is divided into 12 parts, covering areas such as the manufacturing process; robots; product design and development; smart manufacturing; and lean, among others. Covering both cutting-edge research and recent industrial applications, the book will appeal to all those with an interest in recent advances in manufacturing technology.

This book focuses on the human side of organizational culture. The authors approach organizational culture from the perspective of alignment to mission, vision, and values. Using a Lean Six Sigma structure, the sequence of chapters begins with the organization and its structure, then drills through strategic, operational, and tactical levels of process and behavior which establish and grow the overall culture of the organization over time. The book begins with foundational principles of organization, through the necessity of aligning processes and systems to mission and vision, assessment, gap analysis for improvement, prioritization, and chapters on qualitative and quantitative approaches for reducing variation and improving systems and behavior. Through this book, readers will: Learn the foundation and core concepts of the organization Discover the "right" focus of shifting the culture of the organization Recognize the building blocks of organizational culture and how to integrate them into a successful, customer-focused system of interconnected processes Focus on people as drivers of technology, rather than the reverse Explore techniques to address the challenges and concerns of today’s training and deployment for organizational performance excellence Use the chapters as short discussions or training workshops for either internal education or public/private technical education.

Sharing Best Practices across industries and functions is an accepted approach to continuous improvement. The Benchmarking trend of the 1990s has evolved with the help of competitive analysis, performance excellence awards, and other corporate recognition programs into an ongoing documentation of what works. Bob Camp introduced benchmarking against a Best Practice based on his work at Xerox in the 1980s. Case studies abound documenting Best Practice functions and processes. Some case studies use the words “Best Practice” without evidence that the process, results, or methods are, indeed, superior. What is missing is a comprehensive model for assessing and writing a Best Practice that provides sufficient information to use as an effective benchmark. This book provides that comprehensive model. Today’s consumers expect products and services to be of high quality, reliable, and user-friendly. This is the result of years of continuous improvement and innovation by producers. Although many organizations strive for excellent results, there is still room for improvement. Unfortunately, leaders don’t always have methods and tools to measure or assess that degree of excellence. If leaders could use a tool to discover how good their approaches and methods are, and how excellent their achieved results are, they could plan further improvements. The goal is to achieve excellent results. The tool described in this book guides leaders to achieve that excellence.

ASQ’s Certified Quality Improvement Associate (CQIA) certification is designed to introduce the basics of quality to organizations and individuals not currently working within the field of quality. This book and the Body of Knowledge (BOK) it supports are intended to form a foundation for further study and application of proven quality principles and practices worldwide. The book follows the CQIA BoK in both content and sequence. The intent is that this book will serve as a guide to be used in preparation to take the CQIA examination given by ASQ. Each chapter stands alone, and the chapters may be read in any order. Some material reaching beyond the content of the BoK has been added. Supplemental reading suggestions are provided. An online, interactive sample exam and a paper-and-pencil sample can be found on the ASQ website (http://asq.org/cert/quality-improvement-associate/prepare).