Reviews (3)

A wonderful resource
Mark Graham Brown has produced another useful, direct, and informative business book. I found the checklists and interview questions especially helpful in my executive coaching and consulting practice.

A couple of clients dampened my enthusiasm with concerns over terminology and level of sophistication for implementation, but the material actually helped me to pinpoint their concerns and address their questions. If you're doing Scorecards, get this book.

First Ask: Are You Competing in the Right Game?
Zarate has written an first-rate review of this excellent book but may unintentionally suggest that the value of the book will be greatest for "mature" organizations when, in fact, small-to-midsize organizations also have an urgent need to "design and implement scorecards" by which to obtain accurate measurements of various kinds. My own opinion is that their need is indeed greater because they have fewer resources available and narrower margins for error. Therefore, organizational waste and incompetence can have much greater impact. Aphorisms which endure express an essential truth. For example, "You can't manage what you can't measure." There may be some exceptions but not many. What Brown accomplishes in this book is to provide and then explain a cohesive, comprehensive, and cost-effective system which accommodates most organizations' needs for operational metrics and plans, for strategic metrics and plans, and then for implementation of the "scoreboard" after it has been devised. He identifies ten "Mistakes" which create barriers to addressing these separate but related needs:

1. Tracking output/outcome metrics that cannot be influenced or controlled

2. Gathering data that tells you what you already know

3. Gathering data for its own sake

NOTE: Brown and I apparently disagree about "data" which I consider a plural.

4. Relying heavily [too heavily] on customer satisfaction surveys

5. Executives focusing on detailed metrics

6. Measures that are not linked to the strategic plan

NOTE: Kaplan and Norton have much of great value to said about this in their most recent book, The Strategy-Focused Organization: How Balanced Scorecard Companies Thrive in the New Business Environment

7. Failing to define Practical Correlations between [and among] key metrics

8. Reporting data that is difficult to read and analyze

9. "Superstitious" process metrics

10. Measures that drive the wrong performance

Brown explains how and why such "Mistakes" are made, how to correct them, and also how to avoid repeating them. For purposes of illustration, let's say your organization needs to improve performance in these three areas: Cycle Time, First Pass Yield, and On-Time Delivery. Although separate, they are also interdependent. Obviously there are problems which need to be solved. More often than not, a corrective action responds to symptoms rather than to root causes. We all know that many (most?) of those involved in any organizational process (regardless of nature and extent) fear change, resent what they perceive to be criticism of their performance, and will therefore resist (perhaps sabotage) efforts to transform the status quo. Hence the importance of formulating the correct metrics, applying them where they will generate the data needed, and -- meanwhile -- ensuring that the "score" kept is appropriate to whatever "game" is being played.

Essential for mature organizations
This book goes a long way towards helping organizations actually implement balanced scorecards instead of giving them lip service. It also shows what to measure and why, and gives a list of measurement mistakes that render many company's balanced scorecard efforts meaningless.

Unlike Kaplan's and Norton's seminal (and decade old) book, "The Balanced Scorecard", this book is short on theory and heavy on practical applications. This is not a criticism of "The Balanced Scorecard" - just recognition of the fact that in the ensuing decade since that book was first published there have been lesson's learned about what does and does not work. The author distills these lesson's learned into this slim, content-filled book.

What I like most is the author clearly links metrics to vision, mission and strategy. This is what a balanced scorecard is supposed to be about, but this is not always so in practice. He also sorts out the difference between basic business indicators and critical success factors, which is augmented by an outstanding discussion (throughout the book) on top measurement mistakes, and a liberal sprinkling of tips throughout the book.

Probably the most valuable parts of the book are Part 3, where step-by-step procedures are given to implement an *effective* scorecard, and the appendices which contain case studies drawn from real organizations and actual scorecards. The examples given are worth their weight in gold and elevate this book from the theoretical to realistic and practical. My highest recommendation and 5 solid stars. ... Read more

Book Description

The goal of this book is to guide improvement activities throughout the organization: to use creative ideas from all employees to serve both internal and external customers, to unlock the hidden potential of every single employee, and to bring new excitement and joy into the workplace.Dana Corporation gets over 2,000,000 ideas a year from all of their employees. This book tells you how to do it.

"WHAT SETS US APART? The Toyota Production System is at the heart of everything we do. Based on the concept of continuous improvement, or kaizen, every Toyota team member is empowered with the ability to improve their work environment. This includes everything from quality and safety to the environment and productivity. Improvements and suggestions by team members are the cornerstone of Toyota's success." ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Fundamentals for improvements in operating effectiveness
For quite a long time, I try to figure out a strategy that can support the three generic ones such as low cost, differentiation and focus scope and go beyond for a corporate. Bunji Tozawa and Norman Bodek's The Idea Generator: Quick and Easy Kaizen offers a fundamental solution for my question. It did convince me why small, continuous, and alternative-seeking changes can benefit companies as well as individuals in them. Further, by volumes of examples and how-to information, I found their way matching the core idea in complex adaptive system theory: Creating an impact sensitive and interaction friendly environment in an organization can trigger more effectiveness than simply summing up the individual efforts respectively. They prove that by accumulating quick and easy improvements, the power and profit Kaizen activities result in will go beyond our imagination. I love this book and highly recommend it to the management level and frontline people in an organization together work for their viable future.

A Guidebook for Improving Organization Performance
In any organization, all of us are smarter than any of us. Here is a book about all of us. Wisdom resides not only in senior-level people, but widely throughout the organization. How can organizations draw on the huge amount of knowledge, experience, and wisdom of everyone in the organization and apply this capability to continuously improve organization performance? The Idea Generator; Quick and East Kaizen, by Bunji Tozawa and Norman Bodek describes how, with examples from American companies that use these methods. The book draws on experience in Japan and in the United States to show how everyone in the organization can be involved in improving the way work is done, and achieving organization success. While the concepts and methods presented in this book are not yet in widespread use, they're growing. The book cites company experience showing how they create competitive advantage, and a motivated, high-morale organization. I highly recommend this book for everyone concerned with participation, motivation, and world-class operations.

William F. Christopher
Company Executive
Author, Award-Winning Business Books
Fellow, World Academy of Productivity Science ... Read more

Book Description

This is a revision of a classic! This text provides a single source for information on both the structure and management of quality systems and the use of statistics to control and improve quality. It incorporates an international flavor and a good balance of services and manufacturing coverage. The goal of the second edition remains the same as the first edition - to promote learning by means of practical, effective applications intended to develop, control, and improve quality systems and processes. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

not recommended
Very tedious, always refers to other examples, bad problems, unfriendly, unclear, no quality control

Tedious history of QC
Reader unfriendly, tedious. Not recommended as a text for individuals entering the field. ... Read more

Book Description

". . . competition, we see now, is destructive. It would be better if everyone would work together as a system, with the aim for everybody to win. What we need is cooperation and transformation to a new style of management."

In this book W. Edwards Deming details the system of transformation that underlies the 14 Points for Management presented in Out of the Crisis. The system of profound knowledge, as it is called, consists of four parts: appreciation for a system, knowledge about variation, theory of knowledge, and psychology. Describing prevailing management style as a prison, Deming shows how a style based on cooperation rather than competition can help people develop joy in work and learning at the same time that it brings about long-term success in the market. Indicative of Deming's philosophy is his advice to abolish performance reviews on the job and grades in school.

previously published by MIT-CAES ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Highly Recommended!
Critique W. Edwards Deming's work at your peril. After all, he probably set whatever standard you're using. This volume - revised by the author before his death in 1993 and partially based on his 1950s work with the Japanese - may strike the contemporary reader as a curious mixture of seminal process thinking and idiosyncratic ruminations on education. Portions read like an artifact of the early 1990s, but in this regard, however, his volume offers a unique perspective on a turning point in American economic history: the shift to the knowledge-based economy. We [...] recommend Deming's volume to any serious student of management thought, and all human resources professionals should familiarize themselves with his work, which set the foundations for many of the transformations now underway in the corporate world.

Straightforward, Realistic & Practical
I have recommended this book in my previous review of "Out of the Crisis" to managers who are new to Deming's ideas, being a manual that will be easier and more effective to comprehend and follow. At the final stages of his life, Deming (1900-1993) wrote this epilogue of his career with an honest attitude and sincerity that I, along with many of my colleagues, admire. The frankness of his opinions regarding the (lack of) essentially fundamental leadership traits in today's modern global societies, in all vital areas at all organisational strata, are both valid and brave; the information voiced is made possible only through his previous experiences and status in the field.

If all managerial leaders of this world were to listen, be able to understand and follow Deming's ideas and underlying philosophies, societies will be enhanced beyond recognition in many aspects.

However, if you are a lone crusader in your organisation or even country, then you are in for hell... but do hang on tight, as the world generally hates challenges in any forms and situations... Implementing Deming's philosophies (as with any corporate strategy) involves innovation by the introduction of new ideas into an organisation, which includes rearrangements from jobs and roles to structures and systems; which people generally hate. Even within the book, Deming had already highlighted the various problems to that, and had always emphasised on EDUCATION of the organisation, rather than decreed training to extinguish corporate flames, for he had said:

"Knowledge is theory. We should be thankful if action of management is based on theory. Knowledge has temporal spread. Information is not knowledge. The world is drowning in information but is slow in acquisition of knowledge. There is no substitute for knowledge."

- W. Edwards Deming 12th September 1993

This is my humble tribute to a great man.

An excellent book on systems and whole systems thinking.
This is the last book written by Dr. Deming before his death in 1993 at the age of 93. Dr. Deming is perhaps best known for the work he did in Japan at the end of World War II, and his famous 14 points. In this book Dr. Deming introduces his System of Profound Knowledge, which consists of: An understanding of Systems,A Theory of Knowledge, An understanding of Variation and Psychology Dr. Deming defines a system as: "A series of interdependent components that try to work together to achieve the aim of the system." The system must have an aim, without an aim there is not system. Dr. Deming explains variation as follows: All systems have some variation in them. The secret is to know what kind of variation is occuring and to respond accordingly. Common cause variation is the random variation tha occurs in any system. Special cause variation is a result of something outside the system acting on the system. An example would be that it normally takes you 25 minutes to drive to work, give or take a few minutes, but this morning, because of an accident the commute required 50 minutes. The normal drive time, with variation represents common cause variation, while the accident represents special cause variation. A theory of Knowledge is a way of doing experiments, or defining a mind set. According to Dr. Deming without theory no learning takes place. He give an example of a rooster that has a theory that he causes the sun to rise because he gets up early and crows. One morning he forgets to crow. The sun rises anyway. While the rooster's theory is blown out of the water he has learned that he is not responsible for causing the sun to rise and in the future he can sleep in. Dr. Deming's discussion on psychology has to do with the difference between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. His basic theory is that people enter the world motivated to learn and do well and that the excessive use of extrinsic motivation kills the intrinsic motivation. In this book Dr. Deming also discusses in some detail his famous Red Beads Experiment which he uses to demonstrate the power of systems and how they victimize the people working in them. ... Read more

Book Description

The first and only nontechnical method for installing, maintaining, and measuring a comprehensive quality improvement program in your business operation. Special features: Emphasizes throughout that doing things right the first time adds nothing to the cost of a product or service. (What costs, and costs dearly in terms of rework, test, warranty, inspection, and service after service, is doing things wrong). Introduces the proven Make Certain program (the best way known to get management and service personnel participating in the improvement effort). Shows how to recognize and guard against the kinds of problems that can cost your company money, damage its reputation, invite litigation. Proves that quality is a people business, not a ``manufacturing'' function or statistical mystery (note, for example, the chapter on management style to help you improve your personal quality). Illustrated throughout with actual case examples, enabling profit-minded managers to understand and install quality programs in their own operations. Management at all levels: Quality is not only free, it is a supreme source of profit. Quality professionals and company executives: Don't forget that current ``consumer'' and ``environmental'' pressures fall under this quality responsibility. MBA or undergraduate students and company trainees: the basics for specific training programs are included. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Good overview of Quality - Too Traditional
I will never have the Quality background of Philip Crosby, but I felt strongly that Crosby's approach was long on the old school, prior to America's turnaround in Quality in the Mid 80s.

Look at how American cars have improved in quality over the last 20 years. From our cars just barely holding together in the 80s to the great cars from the big three, all because we used new methods to get to quality.

His methodology is more of the 50s and 60s military style of management. His quality method was inspection after the fact, not elimination of defects before the product is made.

This a good book as a basic study in quality and understanding why managers have the approaches they have. It is traditional and will appeal mostly to 'old school' quality methods.

Quality is not a gift, but it is free.
The author has figured out that it is traditionally difficult to have a meaningful, real-life, factual discussion on sex, quality and other complicated subjects until some basic erroneous assumptions are examined and altered.

"The first erroneous assumption is that quality means goodness, or luxury, so shininess, or weight. We must define quality as conformance to requirements if we are to manage it. The second erroneous assumption is that quality is an intangible and therefore not measurable. In fact, quality is precisely measurable by the oldest and most respected of measurements - cold hard cash", says the author. For example, "It is much less expensive to prevent errors than to rework, scrap or service them".

This book does not only have theoretic approach, but also brings practical value. It offers a quality improvement program that can be installed in any service or manufacturing company.

Philip Crosby's "Quality Is Free", first published in 1979, influences the book "Business @ Speed of Thought" by Bill Gates, released twenty years afterwards. With a bright set of modern case studies, he illustrates the basic concepts presented by Philip Crosby:

- There is absolutely no reason for having errors or defects in any product or service.
- Basically, we are slow to change because we reject newness.
- Transmitting: how you come across to others should not be left to chance.
- It is much less expensive to prevent errors than to rework, scrap or service them.
- Business is ... communication that we control and utilize. The effectiveness of the business is determined by how well we do that data transmission.

In the same year when the Bill Gates's book was published, Philip Crosby exposes his own case studies entitled "Quality and Me: Lessons from an Evolving Life".

A very practical and insightful book
This book contains excellent material, which shows what way to look if you want to increase your productivity/profitability. The whole approach is very customer-oriented, which makes it possible to avoid distinguishing between manufacturing and service businesses (and thus getting lost in irrelevant details). The concept of quality the way that Crosby presents it is fairly universal to all types of businesses. This lets one see to the bottom of the quality issue, which is essential for true understanding.

I found very useful the idea that quality should be observed in all business activities, not only customer-specific (e.g. hiring, bookkeeping, etc. vs programming). If this is neglected then the firm simply does not know the true cost of quality. Seems to be so obvious, but ask yourself if you really think of it this way. Also very useful is the suggested way to measure quality in dollars, instead of indirect measurements, like defects-per-KLOC and such. After all, everything boils down to money, and that's the only real indicator of performance.

The weak point of this book is its language: it is a little bit hard to read, especially if English is not native to you. It would be much better if it were written in decent English, instead of US spoken.

Another pitfall is a somewhat free use of terminology. Thanks to this, many authors argue that the book message is not (entirely) correct, but the point is that some of its statements should not be taken literally. One needs to grasp the true meaning, which Crosby attaches to some of his words, like "requirements".

I rate that book with 4 stars only because of readability, which could be better. The contents deserves full 5 stars, and I consider it a must-read for all managers.

Cistch ma! Eszk mire kamite!
Tchiker tesk miserka-masurkayet...matzurkae! Tchet, yeteMUSS! Blazkir ye Fzjieste cozte lidenczery, yetemire. Diskzt muzsye ister neueyrnz. Me ye yetskirmire!

Philip Crosbey can not read a dictionary
Lets look at three words from the Webster's Ii, New Riverside University Dictionary ISBN: 039533957X.

Quality is 1. Essential character: nature. 2 a. Inherent or distinguishing attribute. b. Degree or grade of excellence. (There are more definitions that follow this train of thought.)

Conformity is 1. Likeness in form or character

Require is 1. To have as a requisite: need

Philip Crosby is attempting to push "New Speak" 1984 ISBN: 0451524934, on us by usurping a word for his own purpose and negating its intended meaning. On page 15 he describes quality as "conformances to requirements" It is easy to conform to inappropriate specs. Is that quality? Is that free?

However this book is considered a classic. It was written in the days of typewriters. He refers to giving women a chance. He gets zero defects mixed up with quality. It is fun to play games with his "Maturity Grid" however too much time with it can put you out of business.

The one innovative part of this book is the Guidelines for Browsers. It is useful even after you have read the page. This tells you what he considered important on that page. ... Read more

Book Description

ISO 9001:2000 Internal Audits Made Easy provides tools, techniques, and step-by-step guidelines for performing internal audits that are effective at improving the business and its bottom line. This fast-pace book is designed specifically for the internal auditor and describes in plain English how to:

* Use process models to help evaluate the effectiveness of processes and their interactions;

* Create effective and easy-to-use checklists for process-based audits;

* Tap into the expertise of the auditee to discover audit findings that will result in measurable improvements to the business;

* Report audit findings in a way that encourages timely, thorough corrective action;

* Calculate return on investment for corrective actions taken as a result of internal audits and communicate these successes throughout the organization.

Included with this book is a CD that includes all the tools to establish an effective audit process:

* 16 process models;

* A powerful internal audit checklist including what records to pull, whatto look for when you pull them, and how to evaluate the effectiveness of each process in your quality management system;

* Forms and templates to report the audit and track corrective actions. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A Very Valuable Tool
This information is very, very helpful. It made my audit much easier and helped me be very thorough. It was such a time saver, saving me hours of audit prep time. It was also very helpful in organizing my audit. It was nice to have a tool to allow me to cover all my material in a logical systematic way. I'm sure that this book will help me be a better auditor in the future.

Audits ARE easier AND more valuable
Great book! It made me look at audits in a totally different way. We used to do audits just to meet the requirements of ISO 9001. But now we are actually calculating return on investment on some of our findings! ... Read more

Book Description

This revised, expanded best-seller is a powerful new tool kit for the 21st century.The book that crowned the quality revolution (with over 100,000 copies sold since 1991) is poised to make it happen all over again.

This new and expanded edition of the widely influential WORLD CLASS QUALITY not only provides more techniques and case studies, but also extends them into new areas (such as the service sector) and shows how to use them in a wider variety of applications. A new coaching emphasis makes it easy for managers to make these tools available at all levels of a company and even to customers and suppliers. The book also offers: * A practical way to secure top management commitment and make "Design of Experiments" a way of life at any company * A new reliability technique that simulates field failures at the design stage so they can be prevented before production * A new chapter summarizing related quality management and control techniques, making this an essential book for managers concerned with quality. ... Read more

Reviews (14)

Apples and Oranges
The methods highlighted in this book are cheapened by the constant slamming of other methods. Constant references to fractional factorials leading to "downright wrong results" and similar comments indicate either a profound lack of knowledge (which I doubt), or an ulterior motive. ANY methods that are misused, or used with your brain checked at the door will lead to downright wrong results! Bhote makes contrasts & compares his tool set (all of which he calls "DoE") to the stand-alone classical DOE techniques. This comparison is apples to oranges. It is rarely appropriate to launch into a stand-alone DOE without understanding the process and product through use of other tools. So, many of the conclusions drawn are valid only if you want to compare "apples to oranges". A more appropriate comparison would have been Bhote's methods to the full Six Sigma methodology.

Beyond that, there appear to be numerous typos in the examples which were distracting, and made it a challenge to follow the solutions.

In spite of the one-sided comparisons and poor editing, I enjoyed reading the book and learning about the methods.

Applies common sense to solving tough quality problems.
As a practitioner of the Shainin techniques, I found the book to be a very basic primer of what kinds of gains can be made by using Dorian's techniques. Many mainstream quality practitioners dismiss Dorian Shainin's techniques as not following "the rules," or not using "rigorous" methods, or even worse, not understanding variation. What many of them don't understand is that as a quality professional in an industrial setting, our goal is NOT to understand the theoretical implications of variation. Top management wants their problem FIXED! Mr. Bhote clearly understands this and offers Dorian's techniques as a way to achieve this. He elucidates clearly on the advantages of "talking to the parts" to gain an understanding of exactly how they vary, and then using that understanding to leverage differences between parts found at the extremees of the distribution to understand WHY they are the way they are. If you want to learn how to use simple and effective techniques to solve those problems that everyone says can't be solved, this is the book for you. Highly recommended.

Good book - but foul attitude...
Excellent material, marred by an attitude towards other quality gurus. The author does a good job of presenting sound and fast methodologies in product quality. These techniques can be of value to every professional engaged in manufacturing and quality fields. A must read, but ignore the pungent remarks on other methods.

Taguchi techniques also work well, I have used them often.

not too too bad
I guess i liked the book because the technical writing was nice and easy to understand. I really haven't read this book, but i would like to know who this other ben cromwell is... especially since he lives in Gilbert. I live in scottsdale, and i'm intrigued that there is another ben cromwell in the world and so close to me. What's your middle name by the way? anyway, i just wanted to get that off my chest.

Finding the Root Cause
First, let's get the negative stuff out of the way. The first 1/4 of the book contains a lot of comparisons between the author's methods and everyone else's. Not surprisingly, his consistently rates highest. Included are tables with numerical ratings of the different experimental design strategies but no explanation is given for where the numbers come from. Skip it.
The meat of the book is its exposition of Dorian Shainin's DOE methodology. I am not claiming to have made an exhaustive survey of the literature on this subject, but he is the only one I have read to offer a workable strategy for sorting through a large number of variables in order to arrive at those that truly control the response of interest without the confounding of main and interaction effects that results from the use of fractional factorials, Taguchi orthogonal arrays and other methods. I have just four more words on this book: try it, it works. ... Read more

Book Description

Expert Trevor Kletz examines the causes and aftermaths of numerous plant disasters--almost every one of which could have been prevented. Case histories illustrate what went wrong, why it went wrong, and then guide you in how to circumvent similar tragedies.
Learn from the mistakes of others. This invaluable and respected book examines the causes and aftermaths of numerous plant disasters - almost every one of which could have been prevented. Case histories illustrate what went wrong and why it went wrong, and then guide you in how to circumvent similar tragedies. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Good for engineers, not-good for non-engineers
From a Safety Manager perspective, I found the descriptions of the incidents too brief. If you are looking for something with detailed incident information and corrective actions, presented in the form of a story, look somewhere else.

The standard in process safety incident case reviews.
We have made this book part of a required reading program for all engineers, as part of our company's process safety program. Anyone involved in chemical or petroleum operations, will benefit greatly from the wisdom that can be gained by learning from other's mistakes. As my old boss used to say, "You can accumulate about 50 years of knowledge in your work life-time. What you need is 100 years of wisdom." By reading this book you can accumulate 100 years of wisdom. The book is a collection of short summaries arranged by topic. This allows for easy short term reading periods appropriate for training classes or casual reading.

ejb ... Read more

Book Description

It's one of the hot topics for the 1990s--how to apply quality improvement techniques originally developed for the manufacturing sector to service industries. How to Take the Lead in Business Process Management details how to do it, providing a step-by-step formula that helps companies improve quality and productivity in the support areas. Here in one comprehensive volume is all the information an organization needs to start the improvement process right away: how to determine customer needs and expectations and deliver the best service; how to establish which processes drive your business; how to create process improvement teams and train team leaders; how to eliminate bureaucracy, simplify the process, and reduce processing time; how to measure progress and provide feedback to participants; how to document the levels of improvement and certify operations and activities; and how to ensure ongoing improvement. Two special features further enahance the value of this highly practical guide: (1) a chapter of case histories, showing the results of business process improvement, and (2) an exhaustive section that guides readers in the application of problem-solving methods, value analysis and process analysis techniques, perfection analysis, work simplification programs, and more. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

More Info.
I rate it a 2 because it didn't give that much information. Some people just don't have enough money to go out and buy books. Especially young adults on a fixed income. When I come to the internet I expect to learn and read, not spend my money. Thank You

This is the essential Quality book.
This book is a great investement. This book explains much more than Business Process Improvement, it also breaks down the sub categories of Quality management into easy to digest pieces. Harrington makes the complex/theoretical Quality "mechanics" easy to understand. He explains today's business trends which can help any business become more productive.

Manufacturing Industries have been using these Quality techniques for years and Harrington helps any business adopt these "tried & true" measures. I recommend this book to anyone who is in the Quality field, or for anyone who is embarking in TQM. ... Read more

Book Description

This long-awaited companion and update to H. James Harrington's best-selling Business Process Improvement is a hands-on implementation guide. It focuses on upgrading information distribution paths to optimize the many processes with which they come in contact. Filled with lists, charts, and appendices, this workbook tells how to document a company's processes, analyze current effectiveness, design new processes, use system enablers, and much more. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Not bad, could be better
I'll agree with users who feel this book is dry, dry, dry. I also have some issues with the design of the book. There were concepts that I found confusing until I drew my own flow charts -such aids could certainly have been included in the book. There were too many bulleted lists that probably should have been numbered for easier reference and ranking. Where this book shines is on the mechanics on BPI; how to organize the project and the teams (although a good project manager should know how to do this), the sequence of steps to go through, and how to organize all the collected information.

What is missing from this book, in my opinion, is discussion on Risk Management and Change Management. You can document processes and manuals and forms until you're blue in the face, but in the end, you'll have to get human beings to buy into the difficult task of changing processes to reach the future state, and there is little discussion of this.

Disappointing
I found that the title was a little bit misleading as well. The word "workbook" led me to believe that there would be examples, exercises and forms to work from. Instead, the entire book is broken down into tiny sections that only DESCRIBE how or why a particular analysis or technique should be performed.

Some of the information is purely common sense, and yet you are forced to read through a dry, overanalyzed, high-level description of it. For example, under the Project Documentation section, an explanation reads: "Communication. With the documentation, all those who were involved with the project can be informed about the development of the project from beginning to end." (Do you really need a book to tell you this?)

Some good suggestions and a few good examples do exist, but you must wade through time-wasting, frustrating, non-informative text before getting to them.

I think this book was nothing more than an ego booster and moneymaking scheme for a few E&Y consultants.

Excellent structure for end to end mechanics of BPR
Provides an excellent framework for organizing and planning for BPR. The orientation is at a high level and should be adapted to your specific needs, but the overall structure discussed can be applied to large, medium and small efforts.

Great "How To"
This is a good easy to read, reference for someone unfamiliar with BPR methodologies. I was a part of a major redesign project and it helped me clearly define the steps I needed to take as well as how to create usable documentation for team members up to sr. mgt. Excellent How-to. Good examples of documents. ... 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

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

Reviews (4)

Very Practical and Revealing on Quality Management
A definite read for the person who needs to know the practical issues about Quality Management.

Ideal introduction to Deming's approach to management
One of few books about Deming actually endorsed by Deming himself - "It is a pleasure to commend this book to anyone for easy reading of the principles of management..." (Foreword). A step-by-step, practical introduction to the basics of Deming's management philosophy, far easier to read than Deming's own books, but not attempting to reach the depth of the system of profound knowledge outlined in "The New Economics." Of particular use to managers and students in understanding Deming, and to educators in preparing several famous demonstrations, including the Red Bead Experiment and the Funnel Experiment, with ample illustrations. This is not a lecture, but a self-paced "fun" substitute for "the real thing" (Deming's four-day seminars). Highly recommended.

A must read for Deming Devotees
This book is unique. It has a format that shows f three levels of the Deming philosophy. It deliniates the viewpoint of the man who led those amazing seminars, It brings the subject to earth with a narrative, and it supplies the wonder of a first-time participant. This is the book I give my students when they ask what Dr Deming was like.

Quick breezy book reviewing the basics of a four day seminar
Authors take the reader through a typical four day Deming seminar. They lead a reader thru a seminar through the eyes of an executive and the authors add their comments. Portions of Deming's seminar are legendary and the authors make you believe you're there for the marble test. Deming had approved this book and one of the authors had been a facilitator for a number of Deming led seminars. If you want an easy introduction to statistical control, this is the book for you! ... 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

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 (2)

A good primer and introduction to concepts in ODD.
This is not an end all be all book, but it provides very good insight into ODD and design of teams. It is easy to read and containts many relevant concepts that are in practice today. A friend of mine (With a Masters in OD) referred this book to me as not only an introduction for myself into the complexities of ODD but to use with clients in talking about the subject. If your new to the concepts of Org Design or are looking for a book to share with others, this is a very useful (and easy) read.

Bringing Practicality to Esoteric OD Practice
The book is written for those managers who would like to develop higher levels of performance in their organisation but aren't sure how to go about it. It addresses both types of people, the manager of a business unit and also organisational consultants who looks for tools to help others manage.

The book focusses on how to implement various theories to get better results, and therefore is more of a 'how-to' book rather than being comprehensive in treatment of concepts. The how-tos concern two aspects of design , (1) the rational part, including identifying the desired organisational model, structuring the various design elements to produce the required results, and assessing one's progress at any point of time and (2) the emotional part including educating membersabout organisational alternatives to the bureaucratic model, developing their commitment and support for the model actually chosen , changing habits and practices to fit with the "model system", maintaining commitment "when the going gets tough", and renewing the model when circumstances require it. ... Read more

Book Description

This book explains in detail why and how to use management intensive grazing, and what to expect from its use for most kinds of livestock. I provide many examples to illustrate fine points, including producing milk, beef, and lamb on pasture alone, nutrient cycling, grounding energizers, recovery periods, economics, and much more. I present everything that I learned during 17 years of using Voisin management on my own farm, and answer all questions that have been asked me during conferences and farm visits with farmers. This book shows a way to increase your farm's profitability and reduce its labor demand -- thereby improving your quality of life -- while properly and responsibly caring for the land and the plants and animals that live on it. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Greener Pasture on Your Side of the Fence: Better Farming Vo
Loved this book - although I have only one horse and can not do some of the intensive grazing techniques, I do have a better understanding about maintaining the pastures. This has been very useful and will enable me to get together with the neigbors and do several horses on the pastures in rotation. We will all have more edible forage for the horses.

Has what it takes!
I'm reading this book for the third time - there's just too much info to digest in one reading. We are just starting with cattle and are using this book as our bible. It not only explains the many advantages of raising animals using managment intensive grazing (more profit, environmentally friendly, humane, better nutrition, ease of animal handling), it goes into great detail on HOW to do it. My husband used the chapter on fencing to select products that have received many positive comments from visitors to the farm. I especially enjoyed reading about pasture plant diversity and how cattle "harvest" it. Our cattle look (and taste) great, much to the shock of long-time cattle farmers in our community who are surprised that two greenhorns like us can do so well. We attribute our success to this book and highly recommend it.

Good resource for MIG
If you are interested in seriously implementing rotational grazing (management intensive grazing) on your farm this is a very good resource.

Great Book
This is a really good overview if you are interested in pasture based livestock farming. With a lot of interesting facts about pasture ecology and euqlly fascinating detials about livestock production on pasture, I think Mr Murphy has put together a good book for livestock producers to use to become acquainted with pasture-based farming. ... 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

Fully updated and expanded, The ISO 9000 Handbook, Fourth Edition is essential for implementing ISO 9001:2000, contemplating third-pa