This book covers the strategic use of continuous improvement (CI) techniques for manufacturing performance improvement. It focuses primarily on strategies that can be adopted by small and middle-sized enterprises in manufacturing in order to meet the global challenges and competition. The book begins with an introduction to CI (or Kaizen), explaining different CI approaches and strategies. Chapter 2 offers a literature review of CI, examining conceptual frameworks, case studies, and surveys. Next, the book deals with the design of the study, detailing the work done in each phase along with the tools, techniques and models. Chapter 4 presents a detailed survey to determine the present status of continuous improvement strategies in the Indian manufacturing industry, to assess the important barriers that effect the implementation of CI strategies, and to also assess the role of key enablers leading to improve the performance of manufacturing operations. Chapter 5 is comprised of detailed case studies to further analyze the application of the discussed CI strategies. The purpose of Chapter 6 is to develop the relationship among the different identified most important barriers in implementing CI approach using interpretive structural modeling (ISM) and classify these barriers depending upon their driving and dependence power. Finally Chapter 7 provides conclusions, addresses potential limitations, and also looks to the future.

This book enables enterprise business leaders - from CEOs to supervisors - to understand what "Continuous Improvement" is, why it is probably the best answer to improved business performance in years, and how to put it to work in the unique environment of a specific organization. The book examines what is at the core of "Continuous Improvement" and delves deeper into the elements and constituents necessary to take an organization to the next level to ensure its continued, long-term existence. It provides guidance to enterprise management and to professionals engaged in the implementation of a "Continuous Improvement" initiative and enables them to structure and manage its implementation successfully. It also provides tools to quickly assess where an enterprise business stands in terms of strategic management and "Continuous Improvement".​

Annotation ISO 9001 is known throughout the world as the gold standard for quality process improvement, but lately quality assurances experts are discovering the power of CMMI (Capability Maturity Model Integration), the latest process improvement model to hit the scene. This book explores how these two models can be used together to improve process quality by quantum leaps.

Organizational changes/improvements and or Lean Six Sigma has become more popular in workplaces in recent years. It is crucial to understand the theories; however, it is fatal to the success of a project if we fail to get to the heart of how and what is required to implement sustainable changes within an organization. This book offers focused, practical examples on how to maximize the value that Lean Six Sigma could bring to an organization, and shows how to deal with the greatest challenges to implementing change successfully. This book provides insight into: Balancing short term results with achieving long term sustainable change; Incorporating critical thinking into Lean Six Sigma to spur innovation; New ways of implementing change management within Lean Six Sigma and organizational transformation; Using a Lean Six Sigma Scorecard to maximize strategy execution within organizational projects And much more!!!

The results of the quality revolution have been mixed. Global competition has elevated the most successful companies, in terms of providing goods and services, but even then initiatives such as total quality, business process re-engineering and Six Sigma have been heralded as the solution, only to have been replaced with the next 'big thing' when it came along. Hoshin Kanri is not the next big thing in quality, it is a strategic approach to continuous improvement that provides a context for all of the individual elements such as Six Sigma or Lean Manufacturing. David Hutchins' Hoshin Kanri shows you how to develop a dynamic vision for continuous improvement; to implement effective policies to support it; to link key performance indicators to Six Sigma, Lean Manufacturing and Kaizen and to sustain a strategy-led programme for improving business performance.

Good Strategy/Bad Strategy clarifies the muddled thinking underlying too many strategies and provides a clear way to create and implement a powerful action-oriented strategy for the real world. Developing and implementing a strategy is the central task of a leader. A good strategy is a specific and coherent response to—and approach for—overcoming the obstacles to progress. A good strategy works by harnessing and applying power where it will have the greatest effect. Yet, Rumelt shows that there has been a growing and unfortunate tendency to equate Mom-and-apple-pie values, fluffy packages of buzzwords, motivational slogans, and financial goals with “strategy.” In Good Strategy/Bad Strategy, he debunks these elements of “bad strategy” and awakens an understanding of the power of a “good strategy.” He introduces nine sources of power—ranging from using leverage to effectively focusing on growth—that are eye-opening yet pragmatic tools that can easily be put to work on Monday morning, and uses fascinating examples from business, nonprofit, and military affairs to bring its original and pragmatic ideas to life. The detailed examples range from Apple to General Motors, from the two Iraq wars to Afghanistan, from a small local market to Wal-Mart, from Nvidia to Silicon Graphics, from the Getty Trust to the Los Angeles Unified School District, from Cisco Systems to Paccar, and from Global Crossing to the 2007–08 financial crisis. Reflecting an astonishing grasp and integration of economics, finance, technology, history, and the brilliance and foibles of the human character, Good Strategy/Bad Strategy stems from Rumelt’s decades of digging beyond the superficial to address hard questions with honesty and integrity.

This textbook is intended for use by SPI (Software Process Improvement) managers and researchers, quality managers, and experienced project and research managers. The papers constitute the research proceedings of the 15th EuroSPI (European So- ware Process Improvement, www.eurospi.net) conference in Dublin, Ireland, 3–5 September 2008. Since the first conference, held in Dublin in 1994, EuroSPI conferences have been held in 1995 in Vienna (Austria), in 1997 in Budapest (Hungary), in 1998 in Goth- burg (Sweden), in 1999 in Pori (Finland), in 2000 in Copenhagen (Denmark), in 2001 in Limerick (Ireland), in 2002 in Nuremberg (Germany), in 2003 in Graz (Austria), in 2004 in Trondheim (Norway), in 2005 in Budapest (Hungary), in 2006 in Joensuu (Finland), and in 2007 in Potsdam (Germany). EuroSPI has established an experience library (library.eurospi.net), which will be c- tinuously extended over the next few years and was made available to all attendees. EuroSPI has also started an umbrella initiative for establishing a European Quali- cation Network in which different SPINs and national ventures can join mutually beneficial collaborations (EQN - EU Leonardo da Vinci network project). With a general assembly on 15.-16.10.2007 through EuroSPI partners and n- works, in collaboration with the European Union (supported by the EU Leonardo da Vinci Programme), a European certification association has been created (www.- certificates.org) for the IT and services sector to offer SPI knowledge and certificates to industry, establishing close knowledge transfer links between research and industry.