Just the Facts, Please
How are you doing? It’s a good question to ask at the end of the year. Next month I will fill you in on how Chalmers St. is doing and things we have planned for 2026. In this newsletter l’ll focus on “How is the process doing?” This is the question that we need to […]
The Power of a Good Definition
What’s in a project charter? I started in the Motorola Six Sigma Program in 2001. At that time, they did not include DMAIC as part of the training. The focus was on organizing data to explore variation and measure correlation. The problem with this approach is that we can study many different things, but not […]
The Foundational Approach to Asking Better Questions
I was recently asked to talk about Continuous Improvement on a podcast. One of the questions was what approaches are important and I went into a fairly long explanation of DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control). So, let’s talk about DMAIC and why it is so important to continuous improvement. I remember starting my […]
A Pragmatic Perspective on Artificial Intelligence
Hey, have you heard about AI!? It’s all the rage, but then maybe it’s just another passing fad… kinda like the Pet Rock. Kidding aside, the thinking computer is here. It’s changing things as we speak. I am a bit skeptical of the predictions. It’s been suggested to me that consulting is dead and everyone […]
Digitizing to Control the Process
The nature of knowledge work is that it is very hard to see. Knowledge work takes one form of informational input and translates it into another form of information. Much of these processes go on inside of a person’s head and you can only observe what gets documented. This does not mean that you cannot […]
Maintaining Human Engagement in an Increasingly Digital World
I see a lot of Gemba boards in my work. It is a fun thing in consulting to see so many different companies and variations in how information is gathered, stored, and shared. Sometimes I see boards with hand written production numbers and hand drawn trend charts. Other times I see printed Excel charts and […]
Optimize Human and Machine Interaction and Minimize Machine Downtime
Machine uptime is crucial to the efficiency of all our operations. Machines are intertwined with all areas of our operations. We enter data into them and they process the data and communicate information and reports. We load raw material into them. They cut or weld or assemble and provide us with a processed part. When […]
When Is Automation The Right Answer?
When is the right time to automate? One of my clients asked us to look at automation for their receiving dock. They were short on labor and saw a machine that could reduce the transportation time on their dock. We have a terrific integration partner for these types of requests so we had them take […]
Thinking About The Role of Technology
Spring has sprung! The year is in full swing now. As a fan of change, I truly enjoy the change of seasons and all the natural splendor. I’m lucky to experience the sun and fun of summer, the relaxing cool days of fall, the blustery winter, and the rebirth of spring. I do feel a […]
Don’t Bias Your Discovery!
I will close out this series of articles covering the process of discovery by touching on some of the less tangible considerations of performing a solid discovery. The context, the environment, and your own assumptions and bias will affect the reliability of the information that you gather. To be confident that you are collecting useful […]