This book comprehensively outlines what a holistic and effective Root Cause Analysis (RCA) system looks like. From the designing of the support infrastructure to the measuring of effectiveness on the bottom-line, this book provides the blueprint for making it happen. While traditionally RCA is viewed as a reactive tool, the authors will show how it can be applied proactively to prevent failures from occurring in the first place. RCA is a key element of any successful Reliability Engineering initiative. Such initiatives are comprised of equipment, process and human reliability foundations. Human reliability is critical to the success of a true RCA approach. This book explores the anatomy of a failure (undesirable outcome) as well as a potential failure (high risks). Virtually all failures are triggered by errors of omission or commission by human beings. The methodologies described in this book are applicable to any industry because the focus is on the human being's ability to think through why things go wrong, not on the industry or the nature of the failure. This book correlates reliability to safety as well as human performance improvement efforts. The author has provided a healthy balance between theory and practical application, wrapping up with case studies demonstrating bottom-line results. Features Outlines in detail every aspect of an effective RCA 'system' Displays appreciation for the role of understanding the physics of a failure as well as the human and system's contribution Demonstrates the role of RCA in a comprehensive Asset Performance Management (APM) system Explores the correlation between Reliability Engineering and Safety Integrates the concepts of Human Performance Improvement, Learning Teams, and Human Error Reduction approaches into RCA

Organizations around the world are rating their improvement efforts as not producing the desired long-term results. Dr. Harrington's research indicates that this occurs because organizations are using the latest improvement tools and approaches without first defining how they want to change their organization's culture, environment, and key performance drivers. Organizations must first define what controllable factors drive business results. They then must define how they want to change these key performance drivers and behavioral patterns. Only then can they select a customized set of tools and approaches that will bring about the desired transformation. The first book in the Little Big Book Series, Performance Acceleration Management (PAM): Rapid Improvement to Your Key Performance Drivers, explains how to accelerate the rate of change and improvement in your organization to exceed your customers' expectations. It introduces the PAM approach to accelerated performance improvement and explains how to use it to bring about significant change to your organization's long-term performance. Supplying answers to commonly asked questions, the book provides you with the understanding to: Conduct an improvement requirements assessment Define key drivers and develop vision statements for each Define desired behavioral patterns and performance goals Develop individual key performance driver (KPD) transformation plans Develop and implement a five-year combined PAM plan Obtain approval from the executive team Delving into more than 50 years of experience helping organizations implement improvement approaches, H. James Harrington highlights key opportunities to add value to your organization. With over 1,400 different improvement tools available today, this book provides a set of tools to define how you want to change your organization's key performance drivers and then develop a customized accelerated approach to achieve the desired transformation.

ISO 9000 is a comprehensive set of international standards for quality management and quality assurance. These standards ensure that companies effectively document all aspects of their quality management to show transparency and efficiency within all processes. They are not industry specific and pertain to organizations of any size. Continuous improvement is a key facet of the ISO 9001 standard (the particular standard that specifies requirements for a quality management system), but it does not explain how to implement or maintain this improvement. Lean production methodologies surely provide this crucial and tactical information. Adding Lean production methodologies to quality management systems effectively focuses these improvement activities. In the long run, it will save companies much time and money. This book, written in the novel format, discusses the symbiotic relationship between ISO 9001 and Lean as both can be seamlessly integrated. It shows how Lean provides the process improvements that are required by the ISO 9001 quality management system - Lean is crucial for identifying and removing waste from your processes, which ultimately creates greater customer value. In addition, the book shows the crucial financial benefits of this integration. This novel clearly illustrates that these two systems can function effectively is one understands the complex balance of standardization and change. ISO 9001 is clearly controlled and audited while Lean is often empowering, less meticulously audited, and rarely controlled. While presenting interesting characters and interactions, this fictional story embeds real-life manufacturing speak with a message of the importance of successful synergy between Lean practitioners, production leaders, and quality departments.

The Quality Improvement Field Guide: Achieving and Maintaining Value in Your Organization covers the key aspects that quality professionals must know to attain mastery in their field. After reading this book, readers will not only gain an understanding of the key quality improvement concepts, but will gain the practical insight required to implement them correctly. The book starts with a brief history of quality and quality management, including the necessary quality documents. It describes key quality standards, including ISO 9001:2008, the upcoming ISO 9001:2015, and ISO 9004:2008. Next, it explores quality deployment concepts such as capturing the voice of the customer, the Kano model, quality function deployment, and quality policy deployment. SMART goals, SWOT analysis, and key process indicators are also addressed. The book covers the seven classic quality tools: flowchart, Ishikawa diagram, Pareto diagram, scatter diagram, histogram, check sheet, and run chart. It also identifies the seven new management and planning tools: affinity diagram, tree diagram, process decision program chart, matrix diagram, prioritization matrix, interrelationship digraph, and activity network diagram. Presenting methods for failure prevention and detection, the text explores measurement system analysis, gage repeatability and reproducibility studies, and the basics of maintaining a calibration system. It examines the various aspects of continuous quality improvement, complaints management, and the use of 8D reports for reporting on failures. The book describes the four types of measurement scales and various measuring devices a quality professional may encounter and also contains a glossary that explains the basic quality-related terminology. Describing each quality method with sufficient detail so that readers can immediately apply them, this book is an ideal guide for anyone new to the field of quality as well as experienced quality professionals who need a quick overview.

The biggest competitive advantage an organization can achieve comes from the synergies created by employees skilled in enhancing organizational dynamics. The Seven Kata: Toyota Kata, TWI, and Lean Training supplies time-tested tools and advice to help readers adapt to changing conditions and outcompete their rivals. It explains why a mix of the skill sets that Training Within Industry (TWI) and the Toyota Kata (behavior patterns) teach is the ideal recipe to boost organizational synergies and enhance any Lean transformation. Winner of a 2013 Shingo Prize for Operational Excellence! Bridging the kata/TWI nexus, the book lays out a road map for Lean success. It devotes a chapter to each of the Seven Kata and suggests possible courses of action dependent on your organization's strengths and constraints. Bringing together valuable information on many of the disjointed Lean practices, it explains key Lean concepts, including gemba walks, genchi gembutsu, and PDCA. After introducing kata, it reveals the different kata inherent in the three major TWI courses and the TWI Job Safety course. It illustrates the value stream analysis relationship to the kata and the kata relationship to TWI. It also demonstrates how to use kata to solve the problems identified in your value stream analysis while simultaneously conditioning your employees' adaptive thinking patterns. Supplying a clear understanding of exactly where the seven kata apply in your Lean journey, the authors include helpful guidelines for coaching a kata. They also highlight mistakes they have experienced or witnessed so you can avoid the same pitfalls. As globalism continues to make management's organizational skills a competitive differentiator, this book provides you with the tools to use the seven kata to place your organization on a discernible path towards operational excellence. Listen to what Pat Boutier has to say about The Seven Kata. Part One - Part Two

This book introduces the reader to both neurolinguistics per se and the neuropsychological aspects of bilingualism. Neurolinguistics may roughly be defined as a subset of neuropsychology, namely the study of the representation and processing of language in the brain. To this effect, the first chapters of the book focus on the basic neuropsychology of language processing and acquisition. The second half of the book addresses the issues of cerebral representation and processing of language in bi-or multilingual subjects. All aspects are systematically dealt with, namely the definition of bilingualism; an analysis of all the issues related to bilingual aphasia, i.e. patterns of recovery of the patients' carious languages in diverse population; an investigation of the methodologies used in the study of the neuropsychological aspects of the various linguistic functions, such as comprehension, production and translation; and lastly, the issues of cerebral lateralization and neuroanatomical localization of the numerous cortical and subcortical structures subserving the various language system components in multilingual subjects. It is an excellent introduction to both the neuropsychology of language and the phenomena related to bilingualism. This book will be of particular interest to students of language therapy, aphasiology, applied psycholinguistics, neurolinguistics and, in general, to students of medicine who wish to become more knowledgeable about the specific needs of patients in a multilingual society.

This book gives the reader an inside look at creating a new healthcare service using practical examples and scenarios one would face if doing it themselves. This book chronicles the journey of a fictitious healthcare delivery organization using the Simpler Design System principles based on Lean methodologies. While the characters and actual story is fictitious, it is based on the journey many healthcare systems and clients have taken, the issues they have faced, and the successes and failures they've had. Tools and approaches used are based on the actual work of Simpler. The story format engages readers and is intended to motivate and inspire executive teams to use the tenets of the book as a guide to launch their own successful implementation of an idea-to-launch methodology. Tools include those gleaned from actual application of Lean Product Development, Agile, Design for Six Sigma, and Design Thinking Principles. Through engaging storytelling and practical theory, this book is written from the perspective of a physician leader that agrees to be the executive sponsor for a service redesign. As the story progresses, the sponsor becomes fascinated with the process and becomes the first VP of Innovation within his organization.

This book presents an organized approach to quality management, control, and improvement. Because quality problems usually are the outcome of uncontrolled or excessive variability, statistical tools and other analytical methods play an important role in solving these problems. However, these techniques need to be implemented within a management structure that will ensure success. This text focuses on both the management structure and the statistical and analytical tools. It organizes and presents this material according to many years of teaching, research, and professional practice across a wide range of business and industrial settings.

In this book, we invited 146 authors with expertise in health policy, systems design, management, research, or practice, from each of the countries included, to consider health reforms or systems improvements in their country or region. The resulting case studies, of 52 individual countries and five regional groupings, cover 152 countries or territories, or three-quarters of the world's nations. Each chapter author was asked to think 5-15 years into the future and make a prediction on how their health system could be strengthened as a result of the successful unfolding of their case study. The types of projects our authors have chosen to explicate into the future are wide-ranging. They vary from e-consultation services in Estonia, achieving universal health coverage in Argentina and Mexico, reforming long-term care in the Netherlands, reassessing care for the aging population and the frail elderly in Australia, streamlining the health system through Lean Thinking in Nigeria, using regulation to improve care in South Africa, developing a new accreditation model in Turkey, through to a critique of physician specialization in Russia and applying IT initiatives to improve care in China, Lebanon, Taiwan, Papua New Guinea, the United Arab Emirates, Venezuela and Wales. Chapter writers recognized that the improvement work they were doing was part of a moving target. There was general agreement that the effective use of limited resources and overcoming hurdles and constraints were crucial to enhancing health systems in order to deliver better care over the medium term. While some initiatives required considerable funding, many were relatively inexpensive. These case studies demonstrate ways in which fruitful application of partnerships and creativity can make considerable gains in strengthening healthcare delivery systems. Features The third book in a series on international health reform Involves 146 contributing authors, five regional editors, a series editor and a highly skilled support team to explore sustainable improvement in health systems in the future Encompasses a time horizon of the next 5-15 years Covers 152 countries or territories, with 52 individual countries and an analysis of five regional groupings comprising 100 countries

Responding to a recent surge in interest and application, this book is the first to comprehensively address how Lean thinking and tools can be implemented in agriculture and agribusiness. This tactical guide breaks down barriers, clearly depicting how improvement techniques originally developed for factories can derive the same powerful results on farms. Expert Lean farming consultants, Susanne Pejstrup and Vibeke Fladkjaer Nielsen, present these methods in a clear, easy-to-read style, accessible to farmers all over the world. Case studies from multiple farm types - including crops, pigs and dairy cattle - demonstrate how respect for people, continuous improvement, and visual management techniques can improve resilience and profitability on the farm. Richly illustrated, Lean in Agriculture appeals not only to farmers, but to farm workers, food processing companies, veterinarians, consultants and other stakeholders in the agribusiness sector. Key Features: Translates Lean thinking into agricultural terms. Takes a people-centric approach to a Lean agricultural production system. Serves as an implementation guide , with clear writing and concise, easy-to-follow instructions tailored to the agricultural sector. Illustrates agriculture-specific Lean implementation with a wide range of case studies and memorable images.

You can t understand, manage, or improve what you don t measure

While every smart executive now knows the truth of those words, perhaps more so than anyone, it was Jerry Harbour who turned that adage into a science. Originally published in 1997, The Basics of Performance Measurement helped pioneer the science of performance measurement and continues to serve as an industry standard.

Yet, despite the book s continued relevancy, Harbour is once again stepping ahead of the curve to fully update his little yellow book. In addition to adding the wisdom of lessons learned over the past decade, he adds two new chapters to this second edition. One of these chapters discusses units of measurement. The other introduces ways to better interpret what has been measured and then translate those measurement-related interpretations into actionable knowledge.

Harbour provides a six-step method for developing a performance measurement system. He shows how to design performance measurement families and how to build hierarchies tailored to different levels within an organization. He also covers collection and distribution, as well as the value of performance measure displays. When you finish this book, you will be able to undertake performance measurement with new confidence. You will also come away knowing how to present your findings with an authority that will convince stakeholders of the importance and accuracy of your results.

This hands-on book presents a complete understanding of Six Sigma and Lean Six Sigma through data analysis and statistical concepts

In today's business world, Six Sigma, or Lean Six Sigma, is a crucial tool utilized by companies to improve customer satisfaction, increase profitability, and enhance productivity. Practitioner's Guide to Statistics and Lean Six Sigma for Process Improvements provides a balanced approach to quantitative and qualitative statistics using Six Sigma and Lean Six Sigma methodologies.

Emphasizing applications and the implementation of data analyses as they relate to this strategy for business management, this book introduces readers to the concepts and techniques for solving problems and improving managerial processes using Six Sigma and Lean Six Sigma. Written by knowledgeable professionals working in the field today, the book offers thorough coverage of the statistical topics related to effective Six Sigma and Lean Six Sigma practices, including:

Discrete random variables and continuous random variables

Sampling distributions

Estimation and hypothesis tests

Chi-square tests

Analysis of variance

Linear and multiple regression

Measurement analysis

Survey methods and sampling techniques

The authors provide numerous opportunities for readers to test their understanding of the presented material, as the real data sets, which are incorporated into the treatment of each topic, can be easily worked with using Microsoft Office Excel(R), Minitab(R), MindPro(R), or Oracle's Crystal Ball(R) software packages. Examples of successful, complete Six Sigma and Lean Six Sigma projects are supplied in many chapters along with extensive exercises that range in level of complexity. The book is accompanied by an extensive FTP site that features manuals for working with the discussed software packages along with additional exercises and data sets. In addition, numerous screenshots and figures guide readers through the functional and visual methods of learning Six Sigma and Lean Six Sigma.

Practitioner's Guide to Statistics and Lean Six Sigma for Process Improvements is an excellent book for courses on Six Sigma and statistical quality control at the upper-undergraduate and graduate levels. It is also a valuable reference for professionals in the fields of engineering, business, physics, management, and finance.

This book collates the main research developments around Lean Construction over the past 25 years with contributions from many seminal authors in the field. It takes stock of developments since the publication of Koskela's (1992) Application of the New Production Philosophy to Construction and, in doing so, challenges current thinking and progress. It also crystallises theoretical conceptualisations and practically situated learning whilst identifying future research challenges, agendas and opportunities for global collaborative actions. The contributors present the development of Lean Construction as a fundamental part of improving construction productivity, quality and delivery of value to clients and users of built infrastructure. In doing so, the book introduces the reader to the foundational principles and theories that have influenced the way we now understand Lean Construction and has provided very useful insights to students, practitioners and researchers on key junctures over the last 25 years. Highlighting the key contemporary developments and using global case study material the chapters demonstrate good practice but also help introduce new thinking to both lay readers and experienced practitioners alike. This book is essential reading for undergraduate and postgraduate students, researchers and practitioners with an interest in Lean Construction and construction management, providing a general understanding of the area, current state of the art knowledge as well as providing an insight into areas for future research.

Completely revised to align with ISO 9001:2015, this handbook has been the bible for users of ISO 9001 since 1994, helping organizations get certified and increase the quality of their outputs. Whether you are an experienced professional, a novice, or a quality management student or researcher, this is a crucial addition to your bookshelf. The various ways in which requirements are interpreted and applied are discussed using published definitions, reasoned arguments and practical examples. Packed with insights into how the standard has been used, misused and misunderstood, ISO 9000 Quality Systems Handbook will help you to decide if ISO 9001 certification is right for your company and will gently guide you through the terminology, requirements and implementation of practices to enhance performance. Matched to the revised structure of the 2015 standard, with clause numbers included for ease of reference, the book also includes: Graphics and text boxes to illustrate concepts, and points of contention; Explanations between the differences of the 2008 and 2015 versions of ISO 9001; Examples of misconceptions, inconsistencies and other anomalies; Solutions provided for manufacturing and service sectors. This new edition includes substantially more guidance for students, instructors and managers in the service sector, as well as those working with small businesses. Don't waste time trying to achieve certification without this tried and trusted guide to improving your business - let David Hoyle lead you towards a better way of thinking about quality and its management and see the difference it can make to your processes and profits!

Written by former Toyota associates, Toyota By Toyota: Reflections from the Inside Leaders on the Techniques That Revolutionized the Industry focuses on the purpose of Lean methodologies, techniques, and principles. It compiles more than a century of combined experience from management-level employees who supply little-known insights about the Toyota Production System (TPS)-featuring many who worked directly with Taiichi Ohno. The book illustrates experiences at Toyota locations around the world, including the United States, Brazil, Venezuela, Europe, and Japan. Associates from various divisions, including sales, training, logistics, manufacturing, and human resources, provide diverse points of view regarding the application of the Lean principles discussed. In each chapter, TPS experts: Share their story about when and how they learned the specific Lean technique, methodology, or concept Describe the Lean technique, along with its benefits and pitfalls Supply helpful implementation tips A common thread that weaves these stories together is that each contributor had to learn their lessons the hard way. Although there is no magical, painless way to learn Lean, the authors hope that by sharing their experiences and struggles, you can avoid having to struggle through the same lessons. Readers will benefit from seeing the various approaches used to teach, as well as the unique way these authors translate that learning to the reader.

Soft computing is used where a complex problem is not adequately specified for the use of conventional math and computer techniques. Soft computing has numerous real-world applications in domestic, commercial and industrial situations. This book elaborates on the most recent applications in various fields of engineering.

A STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE TO STRIVING FOR PERFECTION IN AN IMPERFECT WORLD

Six Sigma in many organizations simply means defining and measuring quality; a working system designed to identify that elusive goal, perfection. Companies such as GE, Microsoft, and 3M have used this approach to eliminate product defects, reduce cycle time, and improve customer satisfaction. Six Sigma may sound intimidating, but the fact is that you don't have to be a high-level executive at a giant corporation to use--or understand--this concept. It is simply a way of improving quality.

Getting Started in Six Sigma is designed to show you, step by step, how Six Sigma works and how it can be used most effectively. Whether you're a manager trying to change your approach to problem solving or an employee in a corporation with a Six Sigma program, this book will clearly lead you through each step of the process. Definitions within the margins--placed at points of discussion--will help you to quickly master Six Sigma terminology as you read along.

In a straightforward and accessible style, Getting Started in Six Sigma will familiarize you with: The real meaning of Six Sigma--technical and philosophical The importance of both internal and external customers DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control)--the tactical approach to Six Sigma projects Product and service defects and how to reduce them Effectively improving process systems Striving for consistency

Filled with numerous examples, checklists, and graphics, Getting Started in Six Sigma will help you gain a firm understanding of the topic and illustrate how this idea can make any organization function better.

Healthcare Quality Management: A Case Study Approach is the first comprehensive case-based text combining essential quality management knowledge with real-world scenarios. With in-depth healthcare quality management case studies, tools, activities, and discussion questions, the text will help build the competencies needed to succeed in quality management.Written in an easy-to-read style, Part One of the textbook introduces students to fundamentals of quality management, including history, culture, and different quality management philosophies, such as Lean and Six Sigma. Part One additionally explains the A3 problem-solving template, used to follow the Plan Do Study Act (PDSA) or Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control (DMAIC) cycles, that guide your completion of the problem-solving exercises found in Part Two. The bulk of the textbook includes realistic and engaging case studies featuring common quality management problems encountered in a variety of healthcare settings. The case studies feature engaging scenarios, descriptions, opinions, charts, and data, covering such contemporary topics as provider burnout, artificial intelligence, the opioid overdose epidemic, among many more. Serving as a powerful replacement to more theory-based quality management textbooks, Healthcare Quality Management provides context to challenging situations encountered by any healthcare manager, including the health administrator, nurse, physician, social worker, or allied health professional. KEY FEATURES: 25 Realistic Case Studies - Explore challenging Process Improvement, Patient Experience, Patient Safety, and Performance Improvement quality management scenarios set in various healthcare settings Diverse Author Team - Combines the expertise and knowledge of a health management educator, a Chief Nursing Officer at a large regional hospital, and a health system-based Certified Lean Expert Podcasts - Listen to quality management experts share stories and secrets on how to succeed, work in teams, and apply tools to solve problems Quality Management Tools - Grow your quality management skillset with 25 separate quality management tools and approaches tied to the realistic case studies Competency-based Education Support - Match case studies to professional competencies, such as analytical skills, community collaboration, and interpersonal relations, using case-to-competency crosswalks for health administration, nursing, medicine, and the interprofessional team eBook Access - Included with the print purchase so you can continue your studies on the go on mobile devices and computers Comprehensive Instructor's Packet - Includes PPTs, extensive Excel data sets, an Instructor's Manual with completed A3 problem-solving solutions for each Case Application Exercise, and more!

'Oakland on the New Quality Management' shows managers how to implement a Total Quality Management strategy throughout all activities and thereby achieve top quality performance overall, not just focusing on product or service quality. The text addresses the issues of implementing TQM, teamwork, and changes in culture, and emphasizes the integration of TQM into the strategy of the organization with specific advice on how to implement TQM. Topics covered include quality function deployment (QFD), communications and quality strategy, measurement and benchmarking, and teamwork for culture change, including the 'Drive' model. Ten points are presented to aid senior management in their thinking on commitment, culture and communication issues.

"Every global leader will find this book not just important, but a necessity."
--Warren Bennis, Distinguished Professor of Management, University of Southern California and author of On Becoming a Leader

"Competitiveness is top of our agenda at Nestle. Stephane Garelli's research, writings and teaching have had a major impact on the way we approach this fundamental challenge."
--Peter Brabeck-Letmathe, Chairman and CEO, Nestle S.A.

"Moving into highly consumer-driven markets, we at HP learned that inventing and building the best products no longer guaranteed competitiveness. Stephane Garelli's work helped us to better understand the new criteria of success."
--Franz Nawratil, former Chairman and CEO, Hewlett Packard Europe.

"Global competition has significantly changed most industries. Stephane Garelli brings interesting, eye-opening insights to this key topic."
--Matti Alahuhta, President, KONE Corporation

"The world has never been as competitive as today. Stephane Garelli reminds us all that, unless one can make it and stay in the Top Class, the years ahead may become quite painful."
--Daniel Borel, Co-founder and Chairman, Logitech S.A.

"As China becomes a new member of WTO, competitiveness becomes the key issue for Chinese companies' existence and development. "Top Class Competitors" will be a key concern and a shining example."
--Pan Chengliegh, Deputy Director-General, China Enterprise Confederation

"Dubai is constantly reinventing itself in order to sustain its competitive advantage over other cities. Stephane Garelli's work has had a strong influence on our strategies."
--Ahmad bin Byat, Director General, Dubai Technology, Electronic & Media Free Zone

"A typically insightful exposition of the what, the why and the how of competitiveness - surely the key to success for companies and societies!"
--Jonathan Leslie, CEO, Sappi Limited

Competitiveness is the most used and abused term in modern economics. Three decades ago it was unheard-of; today a Google search produces more than 35 million matches. Competitiveness has taken the world by storm with frequent name-checks from politicians, business leaders, journalists and academics alike. But is competitiveness a fad or for real? And, incidentally, what is it exactly?

Competitiveness, as defined in this book, is the ability of a nation, company or individual to manage a totality of competences to attain prosperity. Success today depends on more than managing a few well-established core competencies. Along with traditional policies, a nation must also tackle education and security to sustain economic development. A company must manage 'soft' issues such as brands and perceptions to beat the competition. And individuals must reinvent themselves and expand their skills to survive. These fields of economic research did not exist a few decades ago. Today, competitiveness makes the link.

"Top Class Competitors" is a journey through the brave new world of competitiveness. What are its historical origins? How does it impact the management of a nation? How do companies thrive on it in an international environment? What is the impact on work structures and value systems? Above all, is there a competitiveness mindset? Exploring how the concept works and how its issues are intertwined, Stephane Garelli shows why competitiveness is the most powerful toolavailable to unleash new levels of prosperity for nations, profit for companies and success for people.

The principles of mistake proofing, long used to eliminate errors and defects across a range of industries, are now being applied in healthcare organizations around the world to help ensure patient safety, improve services, and eliminate waste. Mistake Proofing for Lean Healthcare is based on the definitive mistake-proofing philosophy and system developed by Shigeo Shingo. This reader-friendly book introduces the main concepts and benefits of mistake proofing in healthcare and highlights common reasons that errors and defects occur. It also explains how to catch errors before they become defects, using the concept of "source inspection," so you can ensure quality before a process is performed instead of afterward. When systematically used, the mistake-proofing approach explained in this book will help you: Create safer, more reliable, and more effective healthcare services for both patients and staff Establish a culture in which mistakes and the conditions that cause them are readily surfaced so they can be corrected Lay the foundation for processes that flow smoothly, without disruption Eliminate rework, waste, and the need for extra resources and supplies Presenting real-world healthcare examples, the book shows different types of mistake-proofing devices and methods (poka-yoke) that provide feedback quickly and automatically to prevent errors and defects. The book is part of the Lean Healthcare Series and is designed for individual or group learning. Each chapter includes reflection questions to facilitate understanding and stimulate discussion and action.

An in-depth introduction, Lean Six Sigma for Engineers and Managers: With Applied Case Studies presents a detailed road map and industry examples to help you understand and implement the LSS system. It discusses the LSS process to define improvement needs, measure current business performance, analyze performance results using statistical tools, improve business and financial results, and control peak business performance. It shows you how to realize the customer satisfaction benefits of Six Sigma and the cost reduction benefits of Lean manufacturing. A practical and technical guide to fully understanding and implementing LSS for any organization, from manufacturing to service facilities, this book is based on concepts related to total quality management, data analysis, and statistical process control. It details an LSS process that has been applied and refined during the past 10 years on more than 20 LSS projects around the globe. The book includes a framework for implementing LSS, discusses LSS strategies, and includes case studies from service and manufacturing organizations. The need for LSS has been brought on by increased global competition, sustained financial crises, and increased consumer expectations for higher quality and lower costs. Technologically complex products and processes combined with global supply chains have intensified the need for LSS. The benefits of focusing on LSS by individual organizations can lead to enhanced economic performance, strong levels of customer satisfaction, and higher market shares. With discussions of statistical analysis, training, implementation, common pitfalls, and best practices, this book gives you the edge in increasing your organization's competitiveness in the rapidly evolving global market.

The Strategic Planning and Deployment Excellence System (SPADES) provides a path to long-term success in the environment of rapidly changing technology and business systems. It combines the best of Hoshin Kanri, Quality Function Deployment (QFD), and other proven management and leadership tools and techniques. This book presents a set of tools and techniques for developing and deploying a long-term plan for achieving sustained success. These concepts ensure graphically tracing the strategic planning process from the foundation of organizational principles to the enterprise vision and to the organization's long-term goals. The Scientific Method is the foundation upon which the tools and techniques of SPADES are applied. The Scientific Method begins with an observation of a phenomenon which leads to development of a hypothesis to explain the phenomenon. The hypothesis is then tested and, based on the analysis of the results, then accepted or adjusted as necessary. The testing may then be repeated to verify conclusions. The Deming-Shewhart Cycle of plan-do-check-act (PDCA) is the application of the Scientific Method for control and continual improvement of processes and products. SPADES is the integrated evolution of the PDCA Cycle and QFD to answer the challenges of how to stay competitive, year after year, in a dynamic environment of rapidly changing customer requirements and technology.

More than ever, organisations are facing a data avalanche from various sources, be they in electronic or hard copy format. How an organisation manages this ever-increasingly important resource - data - can benefit or hinder its ability to achieve its objectives. Creating and Managing a CRM Platform for Your Organisation not only covers how the principles of data management, including data quality and data security, can be applied to an organisation's customer relationship management (CRM) platform, but also highlights how aspects of data management, marketing and technology are needed to operate, develop and manage a CRM platform in order to carry out tasks such as reporting and analysis, developing data plans, undertaking data audits, data migrations and campaign mailings which will result in an organisation using data effectively in order to achieve its goals and objectives. The issues and topics covered apply to all organisations that use a CRM platform and the data it contains as part of their business activities, regardless of the industry sector or size of the organisation. A comprehensive overview of the practices that can be effectively implemented when managing a CRM platform, this book is essential reading for professionals involved in the administration of the CRM platform within their organisation and data management.