There are many standards, methods and perhaps most confusing, but most importantly of all acronyms in use in the field of quality management, and especially so in the field of technology-based products. From the seemingly simple concepts of ISO 9000 (and the military MIL standards from which that grew) to statistical and analytical methods like Statistical Process Control (SPC) the range of complexity and compliance is staggering. What the average quality engineer or manager needs is a simple guide to what these are, how they relate to one another and most critically how to take advantage of and implement the benefits of each. This book provides that guidance.

Written by a quality consultant with over 20 years experience in precisely these fields, including work with the US Defense Department, Boeing, Lockheed-Martin, Raytheon, and many other leading companies, this book provides an easily digestible toolbox of solutions to quality and management problems for every engineer, manager and even student looking for those answers for the medium to high-technology sector manufacturing company. This is a highly practical book which includes all the major topics in quality as well as case studies from relevant real-world situations yet without the need to wade through reams of reference materials and international standards verbiage. If you need to get to the bottom of problems like these, you need this book.

Targetted at the Technology company engineer and quality manager
Highly illustrated, comprehensive subject coverage
Practical examples and case studies used throughout

In his latest book, author and educator Joseph Berk explores the best techniques for stimulating creative thinking, creating new products, improving existing products, and solving design challenges. Surprisingly, even those of us who are paid to be creative often need help. Most of us lose much of our natural creativity by the time we finish high school, but we can regain it through the techniques included in Unleashing Engineering Creativity. This is exciting and fun material, and Unleashing Engineering Creativity presents it in an interesting and engaging manner. Many organizations and engineers rely on brainstorming as their primary creative and inventive tool, but this simplistic approach often fails to stimulate creativity in a meaningful way. Unleashing Engineering Creativity goes far beyond brainstorming. This book explores powerful new creativity stimulation approaches and provides recommendations for overcoming self-imposed obstacles. The title says it all. If you want to unleash your engineering creativity, this book will help you and your organization attain significant creativity improvements.

Are you a behind-schedule manufacturer? Are you tired of the empty (and expensive) promises from the software and consulting companies? Manufacturing Delivery Performance Improvement cuts through all the three-letter acronyms and phony fads to get to the heart of what it takes to deliver manufactured products on schedule. Written by a manufacturing manager with hands-on, real-world experience in turning around delinquent manufacturing organizations, this book focuses on seven critical factors for recovering and staying on schedule. There's no baloney here. It's the real deal written by someone who has been there. If you want to get and stay on schedule, Manufacturing Delivery Performance Improvement is a "must read" book

'This is the seventh volume in the therapeutic communities series and a highly informative and reassuring read for anyone interested in psychodynamic applications, or working with individuals with a mental illness.' - Therapeutic Communities Journal 'Having no first hand experience of working with mental illness from a psychodynamic perspective, I hoped that this book would provide me with an insight in to the therapeutics of mental illness within a community. The book certainly accomplished this and more. In keeping with the "community spirit" I also feel this book would be of interest to those already in the field, both nationally and internationally, as a means of sharing other therapy experiences.' - Therapeutic Communities Journal 'The book is basically an account of the Arbours Crisis Centre in London in the words of therapists who have lived and worked there. Part of the therapeutic community movement and the antipsychiatry tradition of RD Laing, the centre has long provided an alternative approach to mental health care. Of course the book goes beyond simply documenting the development of the centre to offer a an implicit critique of mainstream psychiatric treatment and an argument "for a humane, useful and cost-effective alternative to traditional, physical, psychiatric treatments".' - Mental Health Today A major question facing therapists today is how to treat psychosis effectively while maintaining patients' dignity, self-respect and, as far as possible, their psychological and social functioning. The authors of Beyond Madness have all been associated with the Arbours Crisis Centre in London, a unique facility established in 1973 where therapists and patients, or guests, live together in order to establish a space where extremes of distress can be tolerated, understood and ameliorated. This book provides important and engaging accounts of the special personal and interpersonal care offered by the Arbours Crisis Centre and kindred facilities. The authors demonstrate different ways of working with psychotic persons within individual, group and community settings. They describe the extraordinary experience of living and working at the Centre including the five stages of stay that guests invariably pass through. In addition, they discuss different strategies for intervening, especially with people who self-harm, and provide a theoretical framework for their interventions. They explore issues of power, authority and money, and show that the work of the Centre is cost-effective in comparison to other treatment modes. At a time when biological treatments predominate, Beyond Madness illustrates and argues for a humane, useful and cost-effective alternative to traditional, physical, psychiatric interventions.