Book Description

Presenting sufficient theory to ensure a sound understanding of basic concepts, this progressive book provides a fundamental, yet comprehensive exploration of total quality management (TQM) in an all-encompassing, single-volume review that covers not only the principles and practices, but also the tools and techniques.The volume covers principles and practices of quality management, and outlines tools and techniques such as benchmarking, information technology, quality management systems, environmental management systems, quality function deployment, quality by design, products liability, process control and Taguchi's quality engineering.For quality management professionals and trainers. ... Read more

Book Description

Total Quality Management presents the basic principles and tools associated with TQ and provides many illustrations and end-of-chapter cases that can be used as the basis for class discussion.Many cases focus on large and small companies in manufacturing and service industries in North and South America, Europe, and Asia?Pacific. Unlike most books on TQ, this one is organized according to traditional management topics. This organization helps students to see the parallels between TQ and management theories in areas such as organizational design and leadership. TQ is often presented as new or different, which it clearly is not. This book has three objectives: to show students how these principles and methods have been put into effect in a variety of organizations, to illustrate the relationship between TQ principles and the theories and models studied in management courses and to familiarize students with the basic principles and methods associated with total quality. ... Read more

Book Description

Phadke was trained in robust design techniques by GenichiTaguchi, the mastermind behind Japanese quality manufacturingtechnologies and the father of Japanese quality control.Taguchi's approach is currently under consideration to beadopted as a student protocol with the US govrnment. Theforeword is written by Taguchi. This book offers a completeblueprint for structuring projects to achieve rapidcompletion with high engineering productivity during theresearch and development phase to ensure that high qualityproducts can be made quickly and at the lowest possible cost.Some topics covered are: orthogonol arrays, how to constructorthogonal arrays, computer-aided robutst design techniques,dynamic systems design methods, and more.

Reviews (3)

Insightful and Easy to read
Dr. Phadke has written the most clear book on the Robust Design method. I was able to follow the book with medium statistical and engineering knowledge and gained valueable knowledge. This is a must read for all engineering managers!

How to do Robust Design
Phadke gives a versatily, easy to read introduction into the on-target philosophy and the Quality Loss Function.

Many examples are taken from real case studies (e.g. from Xerox and ITT), covering mechanics, electronics and computer systems. These are good to inspire your own improvement projects.

Unfortunately, the most verstile characteristic is not treated (dynamic characteristic).

A good starter for engineers getting into Robust Design.
This is one of the earliest books on the subject. It gives an attractive treatment of the concepts and techniques of Robust Design, but is by now dated in view of the ideas that have been advanced and discussed among the professionals in the past decade. I look forward to a new edition of the book. ... Read more

Book Description

Advance Praise for Managing Six Sigma "This book is a unique blend of practical knowledge and cultural change, revolution and evolution strategies. I recommend that serious managers buy the book, spend some serious time reading, and then go out and use its lessons to make a name for themselves."-William Baker, Benchmarking/Knowledge Transfer Office, Raytheon Corporation "I believe Managing Six Sigma will be the new reference standard for the quality movement in coming years."-Robert T. Hunter, Executive Vice President, Rehnborg Center for Nutrition and Wellness

"[The authors'] step-by-step process for integrating the tools of Six Sigma takes the mystery out of this methodology and, by itself, makes this book worth having."-Dennis Adsit, PhD, Vice President, Quality, Intuit

"Breyfogle's Six Sigma deployment methodology is explained in detail for four different business processes: manufacturing, service, transactional, and development. . . . His 21-step plan for each business process is explained in a way that allows any type of company to perform a successful implementation."-Mark Feller, Director of Quality, Baker Electronics

"Breyfogle teaches not only the wider application but also the deeper implications and in-depth implementation of Six Sigma deployment in organizations large and small."-Ram Josyula, President, gelrad.com

Managing Six Sigma is the only book that provides both detailed coverage of Six Sigma techniques and effective methods for managing those who implement Six Sigma. With real-world case studies recounting the triumphs and pitfalls encountered during successful implementations at Motorola and General Electric-plus plans, checklists, and metrics to speed up the implementation process-this rich resource helps managers solve problems effectively and ensure a fast, smooth, and successful Six Sigma implementation. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

An overview and outline to the ultimate 6 sigma reference
Yes, it is true as several others may notice, that Managing Six Sigma is a book that refers often to Breyfogle's much larger tome, Implementing 6 Sigma. This book touts itself as an executive guide to learning about 6 Sigma, compares itself to other quality initiatives like TQM and Demming, points out the differences and does so in executive speak. It does also make a statement that it will refer to the Implementing book so it makes no bones about that up front.

When you need more information, it points you to the section in the 1200+ page Implementing guide for the details. This book, however, gives you what you need to make an informed decision of whether 6 sigma may help you and your company out. I use it as a quick reference for the larger volume and quick hits. Besides, it fits in your briefcase and you can carry it on the plane instead of the Implementing book that is way too bulky to carry around with you. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has taken any 6 sigma courses as a refresher or for someone who wants to learn more.

Bringing together Quality and Strategic Management
I thought this book did an excellent job of putting the Quality Initiatives many companies are attempting to implement in perspective with the total Business Strategies of a company.
The authors continually point out that it is important to understand what quality initiatives are meant to bring about, and they focus the intent of the intiatives on bringing better quality to the customer, and an improved bottom line to the company.
Thought the book did a great job in pointing out implementing Six Sigma wisely is a "good thing", but attempting it for the wrong reasons, and with the wrong focus, simply isn't.

Be VERY careful in buying this book.
If you plan to "do" with 6 sigma, this book is probably not for you. Until now, I bought any John Wiley & Son, Publishers book on the premise that they always published quality....this book will make me more wary of what they intend the book to achieve (sales of more books or education of the reader). The books title leads one to expect it to be about managing 6 sigma and it may come closest to that objective, to use it's term, from 30,000 feet. Otherwise, it is mainly a marketing piece for a prior book by Breyfogle (Implementing Six Sigma). Dozens of times and sometimes two or 3 times on the same page the reader is treated to this: "EWMA techniques can be combined with engineering process control(EPC)to give insight into when a process should be adjusted. The mechanics of conducting an EWMA and EPC are described in Chapter 36 of Breyfogle (1999) Implementing Six Sigma."

The glossary and list of symbols are inadequate. The problem with the glossary is murkey unclear definitions.

Finally, the book is redundant with regards to listing repeatedly the "21 steps" it suggests to implement Six Sigma projects. Based on the table of contents, this should have been an excellent book. Evaluated on content, what a disappointment!

Hot mama
I don't know much about the book, but the author is a super hottie tele skiing babe!

Not satisfied
This book is primarily a marketing book for the author's first book. In every chapter, critical items are refered back to the author's first work. If you've read that book, you'll find this one interesting in regard to deployment. If you haven't read the first book, you'll feel you have been cheated in this book. I know I do. ... Read more

Book Description

If product reliability is falling short of customer expectations and warranty costs are out of control then changes are needed to the reliability process. Practical and easy to understand, Improving Product Reliability offers invaluable advice to designers, engineers, managers and CEOs who wish to develop better products but are unsure of what to do and how to go about it. This book presents a time-tested reliability process which has been refined over the years and can be readily transferable to any organization.

Incorporating the whole product development and product life cycle process, this book:

• explains why product reliability is a requirement for competing in the 21st century

• covers reliability concepts and how to develop a practical reliability toolbox for your business

• addresses why businesses are unsuccessful at improving product reliability and a strategy for implementation based on company size

• describes a three step process for successful implementation of a reliability program

• provides guidance in selecting and hiring: consultants, reliability engineers and establishing a reliability lab

• presents tutorials to promote a deeper understanding of the more complex concepts

Reviews (3)

Reliability for Improvement
This new book is a refreshing reliability approach to improving the reliability of products. It doesn't follow the ususal statistical approaches to describing reliability after the fact. It is not filled with equations for calculation. Rather, the authors suggest ways for companies to change how they develop products and for people to become actively involved in this process. A wide variety of topics are covered, from establishing a MRB to setting up a HALT lab to staffing. All of these provide great help for those who wish to learn from the lessons of others. This is a people oriented book aimed at helping engineers overcome the common company hurdles to improvement. It6 should be on the book shelf of every reliability engineer.

Super Practical
This is not a book on Reliability Theory; there are no math equations or statistics -- but it refers you to the very best references and consultants for that. This is a book about making an impact on your company by improving the reliability of its products. It covers the product Life Cycle from concept to obsolescence with what to at every step. It touches every subject important to starting and sustaining a revolution on product reliability right down to the practical details like what kind of people to hire, what equipment to buy, how to budget for and ensure success installing and running a reliability lab, etc., etc. Written at a level so anyone can understand it -- within any size company -- written in a conversational tone like a fireside chat. A great reference for anyone involved in any aspect of improving product reliability.

You can¿t go wrong with this one!
This is an excellent book for reliability engineers and managers alike. The authors have done a great job of explaining how to implement a successful reliability program. The book teaches everything from how to avoid common obstacles encountered when developing a reliability program to what are the best and most effective reliability tools to use. You will find everything from basic to detailed reliability concepts (read the table of contents; it's very comprehensive). This is the type of book that you'll read once and continue to use as a reference for years to come. ... Read more

Book Description

This best-selling guide to the year 2000 revisions to ISO 9000 has been completely updated for the release of the final version of ISO 9000. It provides readers with all the information they need to make a successful transition from the 1994 version. If your organization is currently registered or plans to be registered in the next few years, this book is a must-read. Inside you'll find information on: How to plan the transition from the 1994 version to the 2000 version, ISO 9001:2000's new process management approach, the differences between ISO 9001:1994 and ISO 9001:2000, ISO 9001:2000's new requirements, answers to commonly asked questions, and much more. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Read before your revisions
As known by its users; ISO 9000 certificates must be revised and converted into ISO 9000:2000 certificates before December'2003. The book explains changes in the standard in detail, therefore provides a very good understanding of the new version in an easy way. It must be read by internal and external quality auditors besides quality management educators.

ISO 9000:2000 In a Nutshell
I believe this title is mis-leading, since it is written from the perspective of the 1994 standard. Comparing the old standard to the new is a excellent thought, but it should of been reversed. Infusing the old standard into the new, instead of the way it is layed out elements 1-20 interspersed with the new standard. If I were using this book as a resource in helping me capture the intent of the standard I would be sadly disappointed. This book misses the mark.

simple and concise
This is a handy guide for anyone who is already familiar with the 1994 version of the standard. For each of the 20 elements of the old standard, this book offers a summary of what's new (both clarifications and new requirements), what has stayed the same, and what's not included. The book also offers a brief discussion of process management (key to the structure of the new standard) and some tips for transition planning. This is a slender volume, 120 pages including the appendices and index, and it lives up to its title - it's simple and concise. As a transition aid, I find it helpful, brief and accessible.

A Great Reference Guide to the Revisions of the ISO Standard
"ISO 9000:2000 In a Nutshell" is a great reference guide and I recommend it to anyone facing the upcoming revisions to the ISO standard. The language in the book is very clearly written and easy to read. I particularly like the layout of the section comparing ISO 9001:1994 with ISO 9001:2000. It is easy to understand what requirements have changed and what requirements have remained the same between the revisions. This book will be well used within the next couple of years as we make the transition!

Reader from the real world
In a Nutshell is wonderful! So well written and organized for easy reference. ... Read more

Book Description

Building on the experiences of scores of companies and hundreds of managers, J.M. Juran, the world-renowned quality pioneer, presents a new, exhaustively comprehensive approach to planning, setting, and reaching quality goals. Employing three case examples which encompass the three major sectors of the economy -- service, manufacturing, and support, he offers a practical plan for companies to achieve strategic, market-driven goals by following a structural approach to planning quality.

Quality, according to Juran, has become a prerequisite for business success. He cites the loss of market share, failure of products, and waste as results of poor quality planning. Juran provides a set of universal steps which can be used in the basic managerial process to establish quality goals, identify customers, determine customer needs, provide measurement, and develop process features and controls to improve business tactics.

The author gives new emphasis to setting quality goals, planning in "multifunctional" processes, establishing data bases for quality planning, motivating managers and the work force, and introducing quality planning into organizations. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

This book is IN DEPTH and well thought out
This book cannot be read like a 'coffee table' book. It is very challenging and at I learned a LOT even in the first 50 pages. Lots of examples, analogies and graphs/charts. If you want an in depth view of the QA process, this is THE book for you!

MARS : Great Book On Quality
Yes its really a nice book Sheikh Asi ... Read more

Book Description

An ASQ best-seller, this volume covers a variety of the basic skills that contribute to ongoing quality at the technician level. It is now one of the primary reference books used by people taking the ASQ Certification Exams.The volume provides an introduction to quality, and examines total quality management, quality costs and audits, inspection systems and planning, reading engineering drawings, geometric dimensioning and tolerancing, graphical inspection analysis, common measuring tools and measurements, plate inspection methods, special measuring equipment and techniques, lot-by-lot acceptance sampling plans, statistical process control and shop mathematics.For Quality Engineers, Quality Technicians and Inspectors. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Excellent resource for ASQ certification
An excellent reference for Quality Engineers or Technicians.
In addtion to that, this book covers almost everthing you need for ASQ Quality Technician Certification, I think this book is even better than the CQT Primer.

The Quality Technician's Handbook (5th Edition)
Where can I purchase the answers to the questions?

Excellent information.Need answers to questions in book.
The book has excellent information.It would be more valuable with the answers to chapter questions.Are they available?

Where are the answers to questions in the book?
We would like a copy of the answers to questions in the quality tech handbook! Are they available if not please let us know! ... Read more

Book Description

Logistics management is increasingly being seen as a source of competitive strength.Its effective use provides potential for cost reduction and the opportunity for increasing market share.The second edition discusses the role of logistics in achieving corporate and financial goals.Updated and expanded with more checklists, more short cases and executive summaries, this is an invaluable guide for all logistics and distribution managers. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Information Packed
This book is an excellent overview of logistics and supply chain management. I own dozens of texts on these subjects and this is one of the best. If your looking for a college text with problems to work out; then this is not the book for you. But, if your looking for quick insight into these topics, this is an excellent choice. The book quickly teaches the reader strategy, industry trends and supplies some basic quantitative tools. The industry examples bring the topics to life. Two thumbs up from me.

Not my first choice....
If you like me need to get to SCM strategic or tactical decisions, I would rather consult other books I also own. "Strategic Logistics Management" from a school book perspective and the brand new "Designing and Managing the Supply Chain" are excellent and better resources, covering everything (and then some) this book can offer. I will probably resell my copy of this book.
For SAP "Jockeys" or those who are thinking about SAP, "Supply Chain Management based on SAP Systems" is Excellent.

Not The Book To Start With....Read This One Second
Generally...I have found that an individual needs to read three books on any one subject to capture a firm grasp upon the topic. With this title you may stop at two after a basic supply chain text is read.

The author covers all the key topics...with enough depth to interest the reader in additional topics/books on specific elements of the supply chain.

Good for beginning or intermediate reader
It is a good book for beginning or intermediate reader who like to know more about logistics and supply chain management. If the reader has financial background, it will be much better. The language is quite easy to understand as I am a foreigner. Full of realistic cases will make you more interest in reading this book.

Advanced SCM - Must Read Book
This is a wonderful book and introduces the practioner to some of the frontiers of strategically driven service response logistics. In other words how to design, deploy and organize integrated SCM for corporate strategic reasons, not just for functional cost control. Probably one of three key books for understanding the frontiers and highly recommended.

Key is the process, customer value and system integration perspectives threaded throughout but particularly in the last several chapters. The chaper on service response logistics is worth the price of the book.

As a practioner dealing with advanced SCM I found this very worthwhile and found myself wishing I'd written it. If you are relatively new to the field you need a decent baseline grounding and Stock & Lambert's book on 'Strateigc Logistics' is a perfect complement. To move slightly higher up the food chain get the recent compilation of HBR articles called 'Managing the Value Chain'. Together the three make a perfect bookshelf set for any practioner, student or corporate executive who needs to understand what integrated logistics, SCM or the future of e-business might be doing to your career or your firm's competitive prospects ! ... Read more

Book Description

Undesirable outcomes, chronic failure, incidents, and accidents… The cost of such events to corporations is high, generally adding up to tens and hundreds of millions of dollars in "accepted" losses. Why accept these losses? What if you could understand why these errors occur and eliminate chronic events from occurring altogether?Root Cause Analysis: Improving Performance for Bottom-Line Results, Second Edition shows how to identify, understand, and prevent chronic problems that hinder the attainment of organizational goals using Root Cause Analysis (RCA). The PROACT software, voted "Product of the Year" by Plant Engineering Magazine, and the steps outlined in this text teach you how to automate the RCA process. Used effectively, the information in Root Cause Analysis will improve the reliability of your plant assets and save your company precious time and money. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

A unique and efective approach
During the past ten years I have worked with a nunber of methodologies in the area of Root cause analysis. During this time I have seen none as effective and cost efficient as the PROACT methodologies showcased in this book.

Bob has written a classic RCA manual for all people in all industries. I personally have used both the methodology and software to great effect and would recommend them to anyone.

If you are serious about a reliability growth program in your site, then you need this book!

A very readable book detailing an excellent system
I co-ordinate a root cause troubleshooting clinic at a major engine manufacturer. We have had moderate success with our investigations and have developed several powerful methodologies. This book has taken our procedures one large step further with a coherent, effective method to analyse and document a problem to root cause. The combination of system diagram, logic tree and verification log described in the book is exactly the kind of methodology we needed and is proving very useful. The book is well written and is filled with useful guidelines for such required activities as information gathering and selection of the most productive analyses to perform. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in root cause analysis.

Plant Engineering Magazine Senior Editor
Closing the gap between the goals companies set and their actual situations is the overall focus of this book. Written by two experienced executives from the Reliability Center, Inc., the book helps readers identify, resolve, and eliminate the chronic plant floor issues, such as repeated equipment or system failures, that hinder the attainment of organizational goals.

Specialists in root cause analysis methodology, the authors discuss the roles of management and a root cause analysis team in prioritizing the problems to analyze, automationg the process, and helping to uncover the physical, human, and latent causes of undesirable workplace events. They point out that the gap between goals and reality that exists in virtually every industry leads to undesirable outcomes, failures, and incidents that siphon profits from the corporate coffers. To close the gap, they explain, companies must reinvent the way they work, understanding why errors occur and how to prevent them.

The book explains root cause analysis, which is a structured process designed to uncover the cause of any undesirable workplace event. The PROACT steps outlined in the book teach companies how to preserve event data, order the analysis team, analyze the data using logic trees, communicate findings and recommendations, and track for bottom-line results.

Case studies are used to illustrate the potential of root cause analysis, showing its effectiveness in particular in steelmaking, customer service, and manufacturing. Software for automating root cause analysis is also discussed. Informative, well-illustrated and well-organized text is worthwhile reading for any plant engineer seeking to understand why errors occur and to eliminate them, and have a direct positive impact on his company's bottom line.

RCA the way to go
I have now been involved with RCA for several years and it's the way to go in the future. This book is a good example of what Root Cause Analysis is all about. The book focuses on the use of the PROACT system and I imagine would they would work very well together. I am looking at trying PROACT as well, not just yet! Good book easy to read and gives good definitions to those foggy terms. I enjoyed the book and I use it for my job which speaks for it's self, it doesn't hide in a cupboard or on a shelf. I get the feeling this book is one of the better ones in the bunch, not just someone who has jumped on the RCA bandwagon because it's a flavour of the month.

Excellent book for industry to survive in the 21st century.
This book gives you the tools to develop a strong reliability program. In my 35 years as a mechanical engineer (P.E.) in the chemical industry, I have seen several "programs" come and go. Reliability, when proactive as taught by RCI, is the one program that consistently documents very large savings to cost ratios. In order to survive in the 21st century, industry must have a strong reliability program. RCI is a pioneer (since the 1950's) in reliability and in particular teaching and training industry in using this valuable tool. ... Read more

Book Description

Dr. W. Edwards Deming, a household name in Japan, became the prime catalyst behind the incredible success of Japanese industry. In fact, since 1951, the Deming Prize has been the most coveted and prestigious award among Japanese corporations, similar to the Malcolm Baldrige Award for quality in business in the United States. Today, Deming is finally becoming a household name in his own country. The lessons he has to teach American business are more urgent than ever.

Just how different is the Deming Management Method? Compare just a few of the many differences in beliefs between conventional organizations and Deming organizations:

Standard Company

* Quality is expensive
* Defects are caused by workers
* Buy at lowest cost
* Fear and reward are proper ways to motivate
* Play one supplier off against another

Deming Company

* Quality leads to lower costs
* Most defects are caused by the system
* Buy from vendors committed to quality
* Fear leads to disaster
* Work with suppliers ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Know more than most MBA's! Discover Deming!
Quit running around to management seminars and reading the latest book to gather loose tidbits of Deming's work floating around often bound together with very bad advice, advice that can be the ruin of your company. Find out the origin of the most effective management practices out there. Discover the ideas in their entirety which are making our workplaces successful and productive and adding quality to our lives.

In recent years the Japanese utterly eclipsed our efforts in the personal electronics and automotive industries. How did they go from the butt of jokes about quality to their current reign? Aguayo explains in his straightforward, readable introduction to the work of W. Edwards Deming just what he taught the Japanese that allowed them to achieve such unimaginable success in these fields. He explains the principles of management and manufacturing that American companies have largely ignored to their peril.

Unlike hundreds of other management gurus, Deming wa! s not just spouting platitudes and basing his claims solely upon "case studies" (which amount to unsolicited testimonials). He was a physicist and statistician, a scientist who was able to put his testable and verifiable groundbreaking theories into practice with many companies, first in Japan and later in the U.S. His approach to management is unparalleled in its vision, scope and practicality. This approach finds its roots in continuous improvement with the ultimate goal of creating a product or sevice of quality, and doing so in an environment that allows workers to experience satisfaction in their work.

You will find watered down versions of Deming's teachings floating about the business management world, but these out of context tidbits won't be effective in the same way as implementing the "profound changes" Deming taught. Be an insider.

A lite version of "Out of the Crisis"
Mr. Aguano's book was one of the first ones I read when placed in a supervisory position 10 years ago. Through people "borrowing" my copy (never to return), I'm currently on my third, highlighter marker streaked copy. I enjoy it that much!

This book is a great introduction to TQM. It is extremely easy to read, well organized, and moves quickly. It basically is a "lite" version of Deming's "Out of the Crisis." (Deming's book is a definite recommended read).

The plus side of this book is that it explains how management needs to understand the nature of variation. It explains through Deming's (now famous) "red bead experiment," how variation is inherent in all systems, and it is up to management to reduce that variation. It also shows how some of the tools of quality management, such as control charts, explain stable/unstable systems.

The minus side of this book is that it is simplistic. If you are looking for how to calculate a control chart, do not look here. If you want to understand the difference between X & R control charts and P control charts, it is not in this book. On the other side, it's not really in Deming's either. But at least Deming shows some of the calculations necessary to make a P control chart. I recommend reading Leonard Doty's "Statistical Process Control" for the hard-core SPC methodology.

Also, the author gushes a bit about Deming. I don't know how to articulate it, but the fawning over Deming oozes out of the writing. That gets annoying (to me) after a while. Fortunately, it's a short book!

In summary, if you have read Deming's "Out of the Crisis," skip this book. It more or less rehashes much of that book, without any of the statistical calculations.

If you haven't read Deming's book, by all means read this. I still feel that it should be a TQM required read for all new managers. It explains in simple terms the role of management in TQM.

P.S. If you are trying to decide between this book and Mary Walton's "The Deming Management Method," pick this one. Mary Walton's book does not deal as much as this book with the theory and application of TQM. Her book is more TQM "case history" based.

READ, READ, READ!!!! - easy redability and useful...
Although I agree the book is dated in its examples, etc...

This book captures the essence of the way at looking at quality, no matter what field you may be in. The examples are dated, but the simple premise of what the book discusses is as important as ever today. The companies I have worked for since graduation from college (1992) still haven't come close to thinking of quality as described, and it was a hot topic in my production management classes during that time. The readability of the book is excellent; real-world (not classroom) analysis that keeps you interested in the subject without confusion.

The one dis-heartening (sp.) thing in this book is that for low- and mid-level managers, it's difficult to be an agent of change when nobody else believes or is comitted to this practice. Everywhere I've been so far still put too much emphasis on things that Deming calls crazy. I'll leave that for a management effectiveness book to discuss, but it's a read that anybody would find useful.

Dr. Demming: The American Who Taught the Japanese about...
WOW!!! This book is almost 10 years old. Perhaps useful in it's published timeframe.... very questionalble now... expecpt , perhaps, as an historical perspective. I hope that all readers keep the1991 issue date in mind as an objective reference tool and not as astutely quotable at this time... to avoid appearing as unread the past decade.

A very thorough job of explaining Deming's theories.
Of all the books on Deming that I have so far read this book is probably the most concise and easy to understand. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Review of Basic Metrology for ISO 9000 registration
This is an excellent book for those who want to learn about basic principles of metrology and calibration.The book also gives a nice introduction to ISO 9001 requirements for calibration of test and measuring instruments. It describes in simple terms how to calibrate instruments belonging to a number of measurement fields. Calibration of temperature sensors,pressure gauges, force measuring machines,load cells, multimeters are well described.The book is well illustrated and a comprehensive list of references is given at the end of each chapter. ... Read more

Book Description

Taguchi Techniques Made Easier Than Ever! Regardless of your experience with statistics, the Second Edition of Taguchi Techniques for Quality Engineering, by Saturn quality engineer Phillip J. Ross, shows you step-by-step how to design effective experiments to reduce variation, improve the quality of products and processes, and slash development time and costs. Now organized in the chronological order of the DOE process, this revised and updated edition give you the tools to exploit: the loss function concept--to quantify the cost of product and process variations; orthogonal experiment design--to pinpoint areas where variation may be reduced; parameter and tolerance design--to reduce variations in products and processes at little or no cost. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A complete course for Taguchi Engineering Techniques
Maybe the most known and recurrently used Taguchi techniques are the Orthogonal Arrays for DOE; but they're not the only ones that Taguchi developed in order to achieve a quality product design. The Loss Function, the S/N ratio and the Tolerance Design are part of the "Robust Engineering" that consolidated Taguchi as the quality guru he is.

Many general DOE concepts are so well explained in this book that it represents a great introductory text to this subject. Nevertheless this is a Taguchi techniques book, not a complete DOE text, so it's possible that you'd like to look for "Design and Analysis of Experiments" by Douglas C. Montgomery.

This book is highly valuable if you want to understand the Taguchi philosophy for developing quality products and a must have for DOE beginners.

Great book for anyone with no practical experience in DOE
Seems to be written for people with no background in designing experiments. Gives you a good start and gives you the basic information on Taguchi methods. A favorite of Engineering students since it is extremely easy to follow. Great first book for someone starting out with Design of Experiments. Covers the full problem solving process with DOE being a part of the process.

Minimal information is given regarding Classical DOE. If you have an academic or Engineering background and are interested in learning experimental designs other than Taguchi methods, then buy the "Statistics for Experimenters: An Introduction to Design, Data Analysis, and Model Building" By: George E. P. Box, et al. -- the Classical DOE reference handbook for Engineers. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Valuable information, difficult read
I'm working toward becoming certified as a software quality engineer (ASQ's CSQE). While researching learning materials, I found that this book is considered to be a solid overview of the CSQE body of knowledge.

Achieving CSQE requires a certain level of experience. You should be similarly experienced before you read this book. To understand it, you need to have solid experience as a software quality practitioner and exposure to effective software quality processes. This book unabashedly favors defect prevention through effective process, process measurement, and continuous process improvement - all widely considered Good Things - with a thick Capability Maturity Model accent.

The book's perspective comes from its authors' experience producing large, complex software for very large corporations, frequently on government or military contracts. They've worked on these kinds of projects for 20 years or more. Because of government requirements and the nature of these projects, they've watched the need for process turn into process implementation, expansion, and continuous improvement. As a result, they write as though the audience contains people facing similar situations, seldom creating a bridge to quality practitioners in less stringent environments. I'm a 13-year veteran of small software companies, most of which had comparatively featherweight software development processes. Even with my exposure to effective software processes and CMM, I found it difficult to relate to the authors' perspective.

Making this book even more challenging to understand is the authors' cumbersome, awkward text. I strongly encourage the authors to consider investing in a rigorous developmental edit to get rid of stilted structure and acres of passive voice, and to help them express their thoughts in a more expository manner. You'll find yourself reading sentences and even whole paragraphs twice as you try to decode the meaning. I read the whole chapter on Pareto analysis twice, but still didn't understand much of it because the text was so hard to penetrate.

Despite these difficulties, I've benefited from this book. It has helped me build my knowledge and has shown me possibilities I'd never considered. I'm sure it will be an important reference book while I take my CSQE exam. And then I'll be glad to put it on my shelf and let it sit there, because I'm never in the mood for a good text-wrestling match.

Good material for beginners
Everybody knows that people usually stumble into SQA. So, once you get started, you will want to have some reference material.

This book is easy to read & understand, and I'd recommend it to people eager to know a little more about Software Quality Assurance...

A true classic and the best SQA book for serious SQA pros
This book is one of the most comprehensive treatments of SQA on the market. It is a collection of essays that cover every imaginable aspect of SQA with an overall focus to prepare candidates for the American Society of Quality's software quality engineer certification (CSQE). Each author is an acknowledged expert in the field, and each essay is well developed and gets to the essence of the topic.

Although the primary intent of this book is to prepare readers for the CSQE exam, this book contains the building blocks to develop a world-class software engineering process group and/or to move up the capability maturity model (CMM)ladder or achieve a higher level of capability within the context of SPICE (Software Process Improvement Capability dEtermination). In particular CMM and SPICE are 'assessed' levels of capability maturity with no prescribed techniques. This book provides a collection of techniques that will fit nicely into goals for increasing the maturity level of an organization regardless of the framework (CMM or SPICE) that is selected. What I like about this book is that it also addresses in detail how SQA aligns to ISO 9000-3, and the coverage of ISO/IEC 12207 and IEEE-STD-1074 (both of which are important international standards that should be considered as a part of an organization's strategy with respect to CMM or SPICE).

Chapters that provide excellent material supporting CMM and SPICE initiatives are: 1 & 2, SQA-Coming to Terms and How Does SQA Fit In? (a complete picture of the many components and considerations of an effective SQA function); 5, Software Quality Program Organization (great advice on organizing SQA within your company and aligning it to development and project management); 9, Inspections as an Up-Front Quality Technique (how to integrate inspections into a comprehensive, proactive quality posture); 10, Software Configuration Management (essential to any quality initiative regardless of whether the end goal is CMM, SPICE, ISO 9000 or compliance with international standards); 15, SQA Metrics (the foundation of SPICE and higher CMM levels); 19 & 20, Statistical Methods and Software Reliability Management (another set of foundation areas that are essential to SPICE and higher CMM levels).

Other chapters provide material that is specific to preparing for the CSQE examination or implementing any quality program that is focused on software quality assurance. I particularly liked the chapter on personnel requirements, which covered the people and process elements of SQA, and the cost of software quality. The latter gives you ample information for justifying SQA from a business perspective. This material is further augmented by a chapter on effective methods of IS quality assurance, which bridges the applications delivery (development) and service delivery (support and operations) domains.

SQA is not easy to organize and implement. Moreover, it is a highly technical discipline that is more engineering focused than most disciplines in development and operations. As such this book is definitely not for the faint-of-heart. It is intended for CSQE candidates and organizations that have attained some level of maturity and are striving to move higher up the capabilities ladder. If you are looking for a more basic book on SQA I recommend Customer Oriented Software Quality Assurance by Frank P. Ginac. However, if you are an experienced SQA practitioner, heading a software engineering process group, devising a plan for improving capability maturity for CMM or SPICE, or are preparing for the CSQE examination the Handbook of Software Quality Assurance is the best book you can have. It is a classic and earns a solid 5 stars.

Yet another pedantic, theoretical, inaccessable tome
An awkward compilation of essays heavily weighted towards CMM-based process improvement as it has been practiced within the aerospace industry. The book devotes hundreds of pages to esoteric discussions of standards and models without managing to say much of anything about how to actually *do* quality assurance. Heavily biased towards SEI and the CMM, in 700+ pages the book doesn't even mention alternatives such as ISO SPICE. An overpriced paperweight.

To understand and comment the content
Excellent book for beginners and practioner ... Read more

Book Description

The complete resource for understanding and deploying IP quality of service for Cisco networks

Learn to deliver and deploy IP QoS and MPLS-based traffic engineering by understanding:

• QoS fundamentals and the need for IP QoS
• The Differentiated Services QoS architecture and its enabling QoS functionality
• The Integrated Services QoS model and its enabling QoS functions
• ATM, Frame Relay, and IEEE 802.1p/802.1Q QoS technologies and how they work with IP QoS
• MPLS and MPLS VPN QoS and how they work with IP QoS
• MPLS traffic engineering
• Routing policies, general IP QoS functions, and other miscellaneous QoS information

Quality-of-service (QoS) technologies provide networks with greater reliability in delivering applications, as well as control over access, delay, loss, content quality, and bandwidth. IP QoS functions are crucial in today's scalable IP networks. These networks are designed to deliver reliable and differentiated Internet services by enabling network operators to control network resources and use. Network planners, designers, and engineers need a thorough understanding of QoS concepts and features to enable their networks to run at maximum efficiency and to deliver the new generation of time-critical multimedia and voice applications.

IP Quality of Service serves as an essential resource and design guide for anyone planning to deploy QoS services in Cisco networks. Author Srinivas Vegesna provides complete coverage of Cisco IP QoS features and functions, including case studies and configuration examples. The emphasis is on real-world application-going beyond conceptual explanations to teach actual deployment.

IP Quality of Service is written for internetworking professionals who are responsible for designing and maintaining IP services for corporate intranets and for service provider network infrastructures. If you are a network engineer, architect, manager, planner, or operator who has a rudimentary knowledge of QoS technologies, this book will provide you with practical insights on what you need to consider when designing and implementing various degrees of QoS in the network. Because incorporating some measure of QoS is an integral part of any network design process, IP Quality of Service applies to all IP networks-corporate intranets, service provider networks, and the Internet.

Reviews (6)

Where's the Beef?
My first bad review for a Cisco Press book. They have to agree that this book should never have been printed with Cisco's name on it.
This book lacks information in so many ways. Read the section on CBWFQ and you get 1/3 of what you're looking for. I have to use Cisco's website for the rest. The FRTS section is lacking. These are just 2 examples in a book that is 1/3 the size it should be.
Don't buy this book. It's simply not worth the money. No hard feelings toward the author, but I did waste my money and I have to tell others not to. I'll look forward to the next release of this book which I'm sure will include much, much more.

A good start
For those who need a general overview of how QoS is implemented in Cisco devices and software, this book would serve as a pretty good introduction. Some of the discussion is generic enough to be useful to those who are interested in QoS, but not necessarily implemented in a Cisco environment. Naturally then the reader is assumed to have a good background in Cisco network architectures. The author implements case studies in the book, with it being assumed that the reader is also comfortable with the actual administration of Cisco network devices. Therefore the book is really useful for those readers who are involved in the practical implementation of QoS schemes. Those interested in developing new approaches to QoS may still find the book helpful as an introduction to what is known. There are more specialized treatments that can be found online if one is willing to spend the time finding and downloading the documents (from the Cisco website). I only read the first six chapters of the book, which deal with IP QoS, and so my review will be restricted to these.

Remembering that the Internet is a best-effort service only, the author introduces the IP QoS functions in chapter 1. The advent of voice and video traffic over IP for example, requires the need for QoS in modern networks. QoS services are divided into levels: best-effort, which does not guarantee traffic delivery; differentiated service, which groups traffic into classes but does not guarantee its delivery; and guaranteed service, which allocates network resources to ensure specific service requirements. Bandwidth, packet latency, and packet loss are measures used to characterize connection performance.

Chapter 2 gives a more detailed overview of the differentiated services architecture for delivering QoS on the Internet. Called 'diffserv' by the IETF, the author discusses the historical origins of it, and how it provides traffic differentiation by breaking traffic up into a small number of classes, with relative service priority existing among these classes. The presentation is straightforward to follow, once one gets used to remembering all of the many acronyms that are employed, such as PHB (per-hop behavior), DSCP (Differentiated Services Code Point), etc. The traffic conditioners, which are QoS functions that set the DSCP field and monitor traffic for profile compliance, and discussed in detail. Network provisioning, signaled QoS, and QoS policy manager are all discussed as resource provisioning policies.

In chapter 3, the author overviews the use of traffic conditioning functions at the network boundary as a tool for providing differentiated services. In one, called 'packet classification', the packets are identified using one or more fields in a packet. This could be the MAC address, URL, IP Precedence, etc. Then 'packet marking' is used to mark classified packets according to their traffic class. Traffic rate management, another conditioning function, is discussed via the token bucket scheme, along with the CAR traffic policing function. The strategy of borrowing of tokens for token buckets with extended burst capability is very interesting and is a good candidate for improvement using techniques and concepts from financial engineering and artificial intelligence. The token bucket scheme is also discussed in the context of traffic shaping.

In the next chapter on resource allocation, the author discusses how weighted fair queuing can be employed as a scheduling discipline in which flow differentiation occurs. The author makes some interesting and somewhat controversial remarks in this chapter, one being that after stating that some flows are delayed to offer a particular bandwidth to other flows, he concludes to the effect that a preferential treatment will result in another suffering. This is not really true as one can show using techniques from game theory. In fact, the max-min fair-share allocation scheme that he discusses next is a step in this direction. This is true also for the weighted max-min fair share allocation, in which each user is assigned a weight, with the fair-share being proportional to this weight. Generalized processing sharing (GPS) is discussed as an ideal scheduling mechanism that services an infinitesimally small amount of data from each nonempty queue via round-robin. This unrealistic requirement is then ameliorated by using fair queuing, a strategy that takes all flows to have the same weight, and simulates GPS by computing a sequence number for each arriving packet. Flow-based weighted fair queuing is also discussed in detail in this chapter. For those readers worrying about QoS for interactive voice traffic, the author is careful to point out that WFQ maybe unable to achieve the low-jitter requirements. Therefore, he includes a discussion of WFQ with priority queue in this chapter. A short overview of flow-based distributed WFQ is also included. The latter does not make use of the CPU, unlike ordinary WFQ. The author then outlines the class-based WFQ, which can be implemented in both distributed and nondistributed modes. Priority queuing, which divides queues into subqueues of decreasing order of priority, is also treated. The author also gives an overview of custom queuing, which is a strategy for guaranteeing a minimum bandwidth for each traffic classification.

Chapter 5 is an overview of the scheduling algorithms on routers that employ a switching architecture that is not bus-based. In this regard, the author gives a very detailed discussion of the use of Modified Weighted Round Robin and Modified Deficit Round Robin algorithms.

The TCP congestion control mechanism and how it deals with packet drops is the topic of chapter 6. Those who are familiar with TCP/IP will find the reading very straightforward, but the author also introduces Weighted Random Early Detection (WRED) and Flow WRED, which permit different RED parameters based on packet precedence, and a scheme for penalizing flows that attempt to utilize more than their allocated queue lengths. The author also discusses Selective Packet Discard (SPD), which assists in the differentiation of 'priority' traffic from 'normal' traffic. An interesting case study in how to prevent 'smurf attacks' by using SPD is included in this chapter.

Material on Cisco's website is better
This book disappoints in so many ways. I agree with an earlier review that this is not much better than the IOS manuals. Actually, I'd say that Cisco's website contains better general knowledge material as well. The book seems to be a "here's how you do this" rather than trying to explain the concepts behind QoS and why you need to implement it. That's fine for experienced network professionals, but not so good for someone trying to learn these concepts and certainly not good for a book listed as a "fundamentals" book.

Given the brevity of the book, I cannot understand why the topics were simply not expanded to provide more explanation and description. The scenarios with configurations were nice and well done, but again lacking the detailed explanation. This has a "rushed to market" feel to it. Save the money and hit Cisco's website.

Good, but not much more than IOS Manuals
I found the text in this book to be well presented, however, it seemed like a repeat of the excellent IOS 12.1 "Cisco IOS QOS Config Guide".

I was hoping that the book would provide either more detail about how these functions work, or would provide some best practicies for how to apply these commands.

If this is your only reference for QOS, this might be a good start. But if you already have the IOS manuals (printed or electronic) I wouldn't count on this book to be a resource for additional information.

The first good book to explain IP QoS
IP QoS is here to stay and grow, so is Internet. But there has not been a fine book that explains and teaches various aspects of it such as CAR, WFQ, RSVP, etc...until this one. The author did a good job to help us understand these concepts and provides plenty of examples in Cisco IOS language. Remember these are NOT easy concepts to master unless you read this book. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Not as Good as the Original
This book is an obvious copy of the REAL Kaizen booh "Kaizen Event Implementation Manual" by Sensei Mika.
Don't waste your money, get the real thing, not a substitute! ... Read more

Book Description

A comprehensive book on implementing visual systems - a highly successful approach that uses visual indicators, signals, controls, and guarantees to direct and support activities on the shop floor. DLC: Factory management. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

It hurt my eyes...
In the quest to reduce waste, you would do well to eliminate this book from your reading list. If you are looking for a guide to visual management (tools, techniques), this book comes up (way) short. Although the author acknowledges that visual management is part of a lean workplace, it is obvious she has little knowledge or experience with either. Her utter lack of understanding of accepted terminology, redefining of basic definitions, bad examples, and other glaring errors make this book a 'must miss'. Do yourself a favor and steer clear of this one (put the money in your retirement fund!)

Well worth the money
Provides an excellent, practical approach to implementing 5S and visual systems written with a real understanding of implementation issues. I used this book as the basis for training a 4,000-person site; our customers now ask if they can send their staffs to see how 5S "should be done."

Visual Systems : Harnessing the Power of the Visual
This book provides the best overall coverage of the principles and practices of visual systems for the workplace available today. It includes very wise and practical guidelines for real world implementation.

We were so impressed with the book, that we arranged for the author to be the keynote speaker at our quality forum. The live presentation was a great reinforcement of the book. I have read this book 3 times, and plan to read it again soon. I gain new insights every time I read it. ... Read more

Book Description

It's been shown again and again that business components from R & D to systems, engineering to manufacturing can benefit from aproject-centered management approach. Now, organizations that have had success at the departmental or divisional level are taking the projectmanagement approach to new levels, adopting PM standards into across-the-board management philosophies and business strategies.

This new model is known as the Project Management Center of Excellence. PMCoEs need every group within the organization to work under the PMmodel, but more important, they need the proper tools to implement PM standards in new areas. A crucial tool in developing project managementobjectives across the company, this book covers:

* Positioning project management as a business strategy * Creating and managing an organizational PM portfolio * Education, training, and internal PM certification programs * Classifying projects, benchmarking, and mapping a methodology.

Includes templates, figures, definitions, and a free CD-ROM featuring a complete methodology and guidelines for establishing a department of projectmanagement. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Great forms
Our company was able to use the forms in the back of the book immediately to improve processes. The author did an excellent job of explaining the concepts an organization must follow to be successful. I was happy to learn the author was affiliated with the Project Management Body of Knowledge and the PMI organization which are standards our company strives to follow. Nice job Mr. Bolles.

This book literally has something for everyone
Over the last few years, the strategic management of corporate projects has been widely written about as a crucial requirement for current and future business success. Limited resources, lack of integration and sub-optimization must be abandoned for a more pragmatic, structured approach to leveraging a multitude of corporate, divisional and departmental projects which often cover research & development, capital expansion, new products/product lines and extensive process improvements. An executive or manager considering any "enterprise-level" project management effort within their company should carefully review Section One of Building PMCOE before undertaking or progressing. Dennis Bolles provides insight on why the strategic PM efforts (via a Center of Excellence) need to be established as a "unique business function" within an organization, rather than being an add-on to an existing function or department. Dennis Bolles provides a consultative approach with appropriate tools to support enterprise-wide project management efforts. This is not, however, a "one-size fits all" solution. The author "describes" key elements and processes needed for success, rather than prescribes them. Although the descriptions are fairly detailed, using the information provided in the book presumes a working knowledge/experience of project management to fully appreciate the important, but loosely integrated points.This book literally has something for everyone in the arena of project management offices:
·Strategic perspective and insight for top managers and executives to