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A listing in reverse chronological order of articles by:
In last month’s article we discussed the most common FMEA mistakes and how to convert them into quality objectives. This month we will focus on how to audit FMEAs, using the FMEA quality objectives as a guideline.
“Twice and thrice over, as they say, good is it to repeat and review what is good.” Plato
My limited formal training about America’s Industrial Revolution came in tenth grade history class. And my few remaining recollections of my studies from that era include characters like James Watt and Alfred Nobel, and their inventions, the steam engine and dynamite. Oh, and how could I forget Eli Whitney and his cotton gin?
Now 40 years later, my interest in manufacturing has grown far beyond these elementary school lessons, and the Industrial Revolution continues to intrigue me. Yes, this era was rife with its inventors and their inventions. But the enduring gains from this era were the philosophies of manufacturing that transcended the specific inventions. [Read more…]
As organizations engage virtual teams, they still need interactive training on certain topics. How can this be done with multiple locations? What about colleges, high schools and elementary schools? While details can vary depending on age, the tips provided come from years of academic and industrial training situations. Contact us to learn more to help for your specific situation. [Read more…]
Consider the following two targets:
Shooter #1 and Shooter #2 both fired 15 rounds into their respective targets. Who is the better marksman? [Read more…]
As working at home and virtual teams grow, so does the need for effective online meetings. Having done this in our corporate and consulting life, including with international organizations, we thought we should share some tips with you. [Read more…]
“Good judgment comes from experience and experience comes from poor judgment.” Will Rogers
Much is learned by observing the mistakes companies have made in doing FMEAs. Based on the experience of over 2,000 FMEAs and working with many companies in a wide variety of applications, certain common mistakes show up repeatedly. In this article, I’ll share ten common FMEA mistakes and how to convert them into quality objectives.
People like the idea of working from home but how can we be most effective? This video provides tips from over 14 years of experience working from home full time. [Read more…]
The “D” is 8D stands for “disciplines”, and the 8D process is a problem-solving methodology employing eight sequential disciplines or steps that can be applied to a wide range of industries, situations, and disciplines.
The 8D process was developed in the late 1980’s by the Ford Motor Company to give its engineers a standardized method for dealing with design and manufacturing problems. Ford’s predecessor to 8D was called “TOPS”, Team Oriented Problem Solving. This is a fitting name to the methodology since it strongly emphasizes a team-based approach. In fact, the first of the eight D’s is “Assemble the Team”. [Read more…]
Development challenges are rarely simple. Is your team rolling the dice in hopes it gets resolved quickly? Do you start with two dice in your hand, yet are hoping for a Yahtzee? Understand the risks and impacts and make sure the plan is appropriate. [Read more…]
Many problem solving processes include separate steps for determining root cause and generating potential solutions. In cases where a clear and single cause is identified, maybe there is some sense to this. However, for complex situations the causes tend to be tangled together through interactions, which cannot be determined with simple comparative tests. A well constructed Design of Experiments can uncover the causes and expose the solution at the same time. [Read more…]
No discussion of root cause analysis is complete without a review of 5 Why Analysis. This brainstorming technique was developed by Japanese industrialist and founder of the Toyota Motor Corporation, Sakichi Toyoda, and used throughout Toyota since the 1930’s. As the wave of continuous improvement moved through the aviation industry in the 1970’s, the auto industry in the 1980’s, and the healthcare industry in the 1990’s, 5 Why Analysis moved along with it. The tool’s simplicity is what makes it so adaptable in the safety, quality, engineering and production disciplines. [Read more…]
On the surface, it is easy to run a test. What is less easy is gathering the required and desired information. Set up and analysis do not matter if the data is of low quality. Consider these points to improve your effectiveness. [Read more…]
More than one operational mode may need to be considered to ensure that all important failure modes are identified and analyzed in the FMEA. This article focuses on what you need to know about modes of operation when performing FMEAs.
“My favorite mode of transport is hot-air ballooning. It’s so graceful to be blown by the wind, to go where the wind takes you.” Richard Branson
Collecting information about a problem is easy at first. Ideas just flow. At a certain point the question is, did we cover enough ground? Are we missing anything? The Cause and Effect Diagram is a tool to visually help ensure we are broad in our approach. [Read more…]
One excellent starting point of the investigation phase of a root cause analysis is the comparison of the product measurements to the available process data. With an effective traceability system, you can define a relatively short time range in which the defective parts were manufactured. Once these “fence posts” are identified, use them to examine the available process data such as the recorded pressures, temperatures, times, and speeds. [Read more…]