1. Explain why continual quality improvement is important.
Small businesses often have difficulty competing with larger competitors that are able to mass produce products at low costs. Continuous quality improvement is a business management system that companies of all sizes can employ. Continuous quality improvement focuses on identifying sub-optimal processes in a business and changing them to reduce defects and improve quality.
1. Error Reduction: Continuous quality improvement can reduce the number errors your business makes. Defective products and mistakes made when providing services are examples of errors that can be costly. Because small companies cannot produce goods and services in mass like larger companies, errors can be especially costly. Focusing on continuously identifying potential sources of errors and fixing them can avoid problems that might otherwise crop up over time.
2. Increased Adaptability : A philosophy of continuous quality improvement can make a business better equipped to adapt to changes in an industry, take advantage of opportunities and avoid threats. Processes in a company pursuing continuous quality improvement continually undergo incremental changes. Companies used to continually implementing changes are better equipped to adapt their businesses to changing markets than those that employ rigid processes, such companies engaged in mass production.
3. Increased Productivity : Continuous quality improvement can result in hiccups in productivity in the short term as businesses implement better processes, but it can lead to increased productivity in the long term. For example, a small business that revises its production processes might have to shut down production for a day to implement the improvements, resulting in a day of lost production. After the changes take effect, though, the company might have fewer production slowdowns and higher productivity
. 4. Improved Morale: Continuous quality improvement focuses on improving business processes as a means to improve a company rather than blaming workers for sources of inefficiency. According to the Louisiana Department of Children & Family Services, one of of the main benefits of continuous quality improvement is that it can improve staff morale. Workers with high morale tend to be more productive and less likely to quit their jobs than workers with low morale. Reducing turnover is especially important for small business because owners must often recruit and train new workers themselves.
2. What is management’s role in continual quality improvement ?
Management can play the necessary leadership role and that essentially is its role in continual improvement by doing the following: Establishing an organization-wide quality council and serving on it.
· Working with the quality council to establish specific quality improvement goals with timetables and target dates.
· Providing the necessary moral and physical support. Moral support manifests itself as commitment. Physical support comes in the form of the resources needed to accomplish the quality improvement objectives.
· . Scheduling periodic progress reviews and giving recognition where it is deserved.
· . Building continual quality improvement into the regular reward system, including promotions and pay increases.
Small businesses often have difficulty competing with larger competitors that are able to mass produce products at low costs. Continuous quality improvement is a business management system that companies of all sizes can employ. Continuous quality improvement focuses on identifying sub-optimal processes in a business and changing them to reduce defects and improve quality.
1. Error Reduction: Continuous quality improvement can reduce the number errors your business makes. Defective products and mistakes made when providing services are examples of errors that can be costly. Because small companies cannot produce goods and services in mass like larger companies, errors can be especially costly. Focusing on continuously identifying potential sources of errors and fixing them can avoid problems that might otherwise crop up over time.
2. Increased Adaptability : A philosophy of continuous quality improvement can make a business better equipped to adapt to changes in an industry, take advantage of opportunities and avoid threats. Processes in a company pursuing continuous quality improvement continually undergo incremental changes. Companies used to continually implementing changes are better equipped to adapt their businesses to changing markets than those that employ rigid processes, such companies engaged in mass production.
3. Increased Productivity : Continuous quality improvement can result in hiccups in productivity in the short term as businesses implement better processes, but it can lead to increased productivity in the long term. For example, a small business that revises its production processes might have to shut down production for a day to implement the improvements, resulting in a day of lost production. After the changes take effect, though, the company might have fewer production slowdowns and higher productivity
. 4. Improved Morale: Continuous quality improvement focuses on improving business processes as a means to improve a company rather than blaming workers for sources of inefficiency. According to the Louisiana Department of Children & Family Services, one of of the main benefits of continuous quality improvement is that it can improve staff morale. Workers with high morale tend to be more productive and less likely to quit their jobs than workers with low morale. Reducing turnover is especially important for small business because owners must often recruit and train new workers themselves.
2. What is management’s role in continual quality improvement ?
Management can play the necessary leadership role and that essentially is its role in continual improvement by doing the following: Establishing an organization-wide quality council and serving on it.
· Working with the quality council to establish specific quality improvement goals with timetables and target dates.
· Providing the necessary moral and physical support. Moral support manifests itself as commitment. Physical support comes in the form of the resources needed to accomplish the quality improvement objectives.
· . Scheduling periodic progress reviews and giving recognition where it is deserved.
· . Building continual quality improvement into the regular reward system, including promotions and pay increases.
3. Discuss the Kaizen approach.
Kaizen is the name given by the Japanese to the concept of continual incremental improvement. Kai means “change” and zen means “good.” Kaizen, therefore, means making changes for the better on a continual, never-ending basis. The improvement aspect of Kaizen refers to people, processes, and products
The Five-Step Plan is the Japanese approach to implementing:
Step 1: Straighten up. This step involves separating the necessary from the unnecessary and getting rid of the unnecessary in such areas as tools, work in process, machinery, products, papers, and documents.
Step 2: Put things in order. This step involves putting such things as tools and material in their proper place and keeping things in order so that employees can always find what they need to do the job without wasting time looking.
Step 3: Clean up. This step involves keeping the workplace clean so that work can proceed in an efficient manner, free of the problems that can result when the work site is messy.
Step 4: Standardize. This step was originally aimed at standardizing how the first three of the Five-S’s were implemented and maintained, but since then expanded to include standardizing on best practices. Visual management is also a major component of standardization.
Step 5: Discipline. This step involves careful adherence to standardized work procedures. This requires discipline
4. How would you describe a lean system?
Lean was originally developed as a manufacturing concept and, as such, is often referred to as lean manufacturing .However, as has happened with so many quality management–related concepts, the service sector—impressed with the results enjoyed by practitioners of lean manufacturing began to adopt and adapt the concept to this sector. Consequently, we use the term Lean in this book to convey the message that the concept can be applied with good results in the manufacturing and service sectors. The purpose of adopting Lean as a business improvement method is to produce better products or deliver better services using fewer resources. If the concept had a motto, it would be this doing more with less and doing it better.
5. What is lean six-sigma and how would you apply it to a quality management system?
The name Lean Six Sigma has to be understood before we go any further. Failure to do so will lead to a misunderstanding of the concept itself and its purpose. Clarification is best begun by stating what Lean Six Sigma is not. It most definitely is not some kind of a Lite Six Sigma, like an improvement system designed for those who only want a little improvement or who don’t want to be bothered by the details of Six Sigma. The objective of Lean Six Sigma is to make the organization superior in its day-to-day work and processes, its products and services, and its business results. This has also been the objective of many organizations that have found that Lean alone, or Six Sigma by itself, did not quite provide all the results needed in their quest for a better competitive posture. A lot of those organizations have found that by combining Lean with Six Sigma, significant performance gains relative to processes, products, services, employees, customer satisfaction, and the business bottom line have been realized.
Advantages of Lean Six Sigma include:
Elimination of the Eight Wastes—waiting, overproduction, rework, motion, transportation, processing, inventory, and intellect
Means of improving process flow whether on the manufacturing floor, in an office, or any other setting
A structured means for identifying the key factors that determine the performance of all kinds of processes
Ordered methods for establishing key factors at the best possible level
Disciplined means of sustaining key factors at the best level
Synergistic advantage of linking the Lean tools with the Six Sigma tools in a systematic way and in a specified sequence
Tying all of these to the financial health of the organization
6. Define benchmarking
Benchmarking is the process of comparing and measuring an organization’s operations or its internal processes against those of a best-in-class performer from inside or outside its industry. Benchmarking is finding the secrets of success of any given function or process so that a company can learn from the information—and improve on it. It is a process to help a company close the gap with the best-in-class performer without having to “reinvent the wheel.” Benchmarking involves two organizations that have agreed to share information about processes or operations. The two organizations both anticipate some gain from the exchange of information.
Key points to remember about benchmarking are as follows:
· Benchmarking is an increasingly popular improvement tool.
· Benchmarking concerns processes and practices.
· Benchmarking is a respected means of identifying processes that require major change.
· Benchmarking is done between consenting companies that may or may not be competitors.
Kaizen is the name given by the Japanese to the concept of continual incremental improvement. Kai means “change” and zen means “good.” Kaizen, therefore, means making changes for the better on a continual, never-ending basis. The improvement aspect of Kaizen refers to people, processes, and products
The Five-Step Plan is the Japanese approach to implementing:
Step 1: Straighten up. This step involves separating the necessary from the unnecessary and getting rid of the unnecessary in such areas as tools, work in process, machinery, products, papers, and documents.
Step 2: Put things in order. This step involves putting such things as tools and material in their proper place and keeping things in order so that employees can always find what they need to do the job without wasting time looking.
Step 3: Clean up. This step involves keeping the workplace clean so that work can proceed in an efficient manner, free of the problems that can result when the work site is messy.
Step 4: Standardize. This step was originally aimed at standardizing how the first three of the Five-S’s were implemented and maintained, but since then expanded to include standardizing on best practices. Visual management is also a major component of standardization.
Step 5: Discipline. This step involves careful adherence to standardized work procedures. This requires discipline
4. How would you describe a lean system?
Lean was originally developed as a manufacturing concept and, as such, is often referred to as lean manufacturing .However, as has happened with so many quality management–related concepts, the service sector—impressed with the results enjoyed by practitioners of lean manufacturing began to adopt and adapt the concept to this sector. Consequently, we use the term Lean in this book to convey the message that the concept can be applied with good results in the manufacturing and service sectors. The purpose of adopting Lean as a business improvement method is to produce better products or deliver better services using fewer resources. If the concept had a motto, it would be this doing more with less and doing it better.
5. What is lean six-sigma and how would you apply it to a quality management system?
The name Lean Six Sigma has to be understood before we go any further. Failure to do so will lead to a misunderstanding of the concept itself and its purpose. Clarification is best begun by stating what Lean Six Sigma is not. It most definitely is not some kind of a Lite Six Sigma, like an improvement system designed for those who only want a little improvement or who don’t want to be bothered by the details of Six Sigma. The objective of Lean Six Sigma is to make the organization superior in its day-to-day work and processes, its products and services, and its business results. This has also been the objective of many organizations that have found that Lean alone, or Six Sigma by itself, did not quite provide all the results needed in their quest for a better competitive posture. A lot of those organizations have found that by combining Lean with Six Sigma, significant performance gains relative to processes, products, services, employees, customer satisfaction, and the business bottom line have been realized.
Advantages of Lean Six Sigma include:
Elimination of the Eight Wastes—waiting, overproduction, rework, motion, transportation, processing, inventory, and intellect
Means of improving process flow whether on the manufacturing floor, in an office, or any other setting
A structured means for identifying the key factors that determine the performance of all kinds of processes
Ordered methods for establishing key factors at the best possible level
Disciplined means of sustaining key factors at the best level
Synergistic advantage of linking the Lean tools with the Six Sigma tools in a systematic way and in a specified sequence
Tying all of these to the financial health of the organization
6. Define benchmarking
Benchmarking is the process of comparing and measuring an organization’s operations or its internal processes against those of a best-in-class performer from inside or outside its industry. Benchmarking is finding the secrets of success of any given function or process so that a company can learn from the information—and improve on it. It is a process to help a company close the gap with the best-in-class performer without having to “reinvent the wheel.” Benchmarking involves two organizations that have agreed to share information about processes or operations. The two organizations both anticipate some gain from the exchange of information.
Key points to remember about benchmarking are as follows:
· Benchmarking is an increasingly popular improvement tool.
· Benchmarking concerns processes and practices.
· Benchmarking is a respected means of identifying processes that require major change.
· Benchmarking is done between consenting companies that may or may not be competitors.
7. How can you apply benchmarking data?
Benchmarking data analysis produces both quantitative and qualitative information. The quantitative information is effectively the “stake driven into the ground” as the point from which future progress is measured. It is also used as the basis for improvement objectives. Qualitative information covers such matters as personnel policies, training, management styles and hierarchy, total quality maturity, and so on. This information provides insights on how the benchmarking partner got to be best in-class. The quantitative data are clearly the information sought and are always used. However, there may be more value in the qualitative information. It describes the atmosphere and environment in which best-in-class can be developed and sustained. Do not ignore it. Take it very seriously. Study it, discuss it in staff meetings, and explore the possibilities of introducing these changes into your culture.
8. What is a JIT system?
JIT is a management philosophy that seeks to eliminate all forms of waste. As a production system, JIT produces only what is needed, when it is needed, in the quantity needed. Just-in time/Lean approaches the manufacturing process from the opposite end of the line. Rather than pushing materials into the processes and storing them whenever they cannot be accommodated, JIT/Lean controls the line from the output end.
9. What are the benefits of JIT/Lean?
There are many benefits of JIT/Lean. There are four main benefits that are covered under JIT/Lean. The first is the benefit to inventory and WIP. Having a goal of zero inventory, while impractical, drives the process to have significantly less inventory, thus reducing work in process. Having a streamlined process using JIT/Lean materials should come in, be manufactured and sent to the consumer, not sitting in receiving, semi finished, or shipping inventories. There should also be a significant benefit to cycle time. By reducing work in process this will reduce cycle time. It is often seen that longest hold up of processes is actually the space between the processes, which is usually filled with inventory or WIP. This greatly and negatively affects cycle time. JIT should benefit a company's goals to continual improvement, by being a visual process it should be easier to notice errors, or lacking areas, and improve them. Lastly JIT/Lean should benefit in organization by eliminating waste from overproduction, waiting time, transport, process, unnecessary stock, unnecessary motion, and producing defective goods.
Benchmarking data analysis produces both quantitative and qualitative information. The quantitative information is effectively the “stake driven into the ground” as the point from which future progress is measured. It is also used as the basis for improvement objectives. Qualitative information covers such matters as personnel policies, training, management styles and hierarchy, total quality maturity, and so on. This information provides insights on how the benchmarking partner got to be best in-class. The quantitative data are clearly the information sought and are always used. However, there may be more value in the qualitative information. It describes the atmosphere and environment in which best-in-class can be developed and sustained. Do not ignore it. Take it very seriously. Study it, discuss it in staff meetings, and explore the possibilities of introducing these changes into your culture.
8. What is a JIT system?
JIT is a management philosophy that seeks to eliminate all forms of waste. As a production system, JIT produces only what is needed, when it is needed, in the quantity needed. Just-in time/Lean approaches the manufacturing process from the opposite end of the line. Rather than pushing materials into the processes and storing them whenever they cannot be accommodated, JIT/Lean controls the line from the output end.
9. What are the benefits of JIT/Lean?
There are many benefits of JIT/Lean. There are four main benefits that are covered under JIT/Lean. The first is the benefit to inventory and WIP. Having a goal of zero inventory, while impractical, drives the process to have significantly less inventory, thus reducing work in process. Having a streamlined process using JIT/Lean materials should come in, be manufactured and sent to the consumer, not sitting in receiving, semi finished, or shipping inventories. There should also be a significant benefit to cycle time. By reducing work in process this will reduce cycle time. It is often seen that longest hold up of processes is actually the space between the processes, which is usually filled with inventory or WIP. This greatly and negatively affects cycle time. JIT should benefit a company's goals to continual improvement, by being a visual process it should be easier to notice errors, or lacking areas, and improve them. Lastly JIT/Lean should benefit in organization by eliminating waste from overproduction, waiting time, transport, process, unnecessary stock, unnecessary motion, and producing defective goods.
10. Discuss automation system ideas for JIT/lean.
JIT/Lean and automation are compatible, but one should look long and hard at the need, and the company’s readiness for it, before automating processes. Having said that, automation clearly has its place in harmony with JIT/Lean. There are many examples of very successful automated plants, especially for high-volume manufacturing. Automation and JIT/Lean are completely compatible. Probably the best example of that is in today’s auto industry. JIT/Lean was originally designed for an auto producer, and as automation has been integrated, and as automation capabilities have evolved, JIT/Lean has been there doing its job. In these plants, JIT/Lean is at least as valuable as it is in plants with less automation. Its pull system prevents overproduction of any manufacturing element, and supplies materials at the front end of the process when needed, and does it without the massive inventories of the pre-JIT/Lean era. Whether the processes are operated by humans or robots makes no difference in this regard.
10. Discuss automation system ideas for JIT/lean.
JIT/Lean and automation are compatible, but one should look long and hard at the need, and the company’s readiness for it, before automating processes. Having said that, automation clearly has its place in harmony with JIT/Lean. There are many examples of very successful automated plants, especially for high-volume manufacturing. Automation and JIT/Lean are completely compatible. Probably the best example of that is in today’s auto industry. JIT/Lean was originally designed for an auto producer, and as automation has been integrated, and as automation capabilities have evolved, JIT/Lean has been there doing its job. In these plants, JIT/Lean is at least as valuable as it is in plants with less automation. Its pull system prevents overproduction of any manufacturing element, and supplies materials at the front end of the process when needed, and does it without the massive inventories of the pre-JIT/Lean era. Whether the processes are operated by humans or robots makes no difference in this regard.
Social Networking Article:
Boeing to Manufacture Apache Helicopters in India:
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Department Of Energy Launches Smart Manufacturing Grants:
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climate changes business can fix:
Article begins with "Most likely one of the strangest proclamations you hear in legislative issues these days is "I'm not a researcher." The thought, obviously, is that in light of the fact that lawmakers aren't atmosphere researchers, they're not qualified to say that environmental change is genuine". This is reality they don't think about those logical stuffs yet they are in the position of choice making. In any case this is not going to change until they give chances for qualified individuals in the field of environment science.
Boeing to Manufacture Apache Helicopters in India:
This decision was made by Boeing in light of the extended current limits that India has finished over the late years. This association will help India's mechanical limits and Boeing will get force and position for future improvement in the overall business focus. It is to a great degree horrifying that now days we are revolved around contributing more money on weapons on the most ideal approach to kill more adequately. We should center and contribute money taking drugs, renewable essentialness and space examination in light of the fact that that is what's to come.
Department Of Energy Launches Smart Manufacturing Grants:
This article is about the Department of Energy. They are going to contribute tremendous sum up to $70 million in shrewd assembling with its next clean vitality fabricating development establishment award.
Their point is to modernize things by executing sensor systems continuously world with the goal that they may devour less vitality and they will be utilized for elite errands also.
This goes under persistent change in quality administration that is enhancing advances for better execution .
climate changes business can fix:
Article begins with "Most likely one of the strangest proclamations you hear in legislative issues these days is "I'm not a researcher." The thought, obviously, is that in light of the fact that lawmakers aren't atmosphere researchers, they're not qualified to say that environmental change is genuine". This is reality they don't think about those logical stuffs yet they are in the position of choice making. In any case this is not going to change until they give chances for qualified individuals in the field of environment science.