ROOT CAUSE ANALYSIS

Many organizations have recurring problems which their corrective & preventive action (CAPA) systems do not effectively address.  The cause is often inadequate depth of the analysis ... fixing only the physical, and not the system, causes.  We conduct root cause analysis training that teaches how to distinguish between the two levels of causes, how to determine when the deeper level should be pursued, and powerful tools for guiding the analysis.

If you'd like to attend an open-enrollment course see the Events page for upcoming courses.  If you'd like to bring the course in-house, Contact us.  If you'd like to take an online version of the course go to the Resources page.

Several participants have indicated this is the best course they ever attended!

CONTINUAL IMPROVEMENT

We support the process of continual improvement of organizational performance by working with management to design an improvement process specific to their needs, guiding and/or facilitating projects, and monitoring progress. Training is provided as needed in process improvement techniques such as:

  • Six-sigma DMAIC improvement process
  • Statistical techniques (e.g., SPC; t/F/ANOVA, correlation/regression)
  • Lean production methods (e.g., 5S, SMED, TPM)
  • Team facilitation skills

EDUCATION & TRAINING

In an age where everyone has access to the same capital & equipment, knowledge is the greatest tool for competitive advantage. We help companies increase performance by providing specially developed courses targeted at not only improving the work process, but also how people think about their work. Workshops are also available to professional organizations and universities for continuing professional development. Examples of courses we've developed and delivered include:

  • Process Management
  • Lean Manufacturing
  • Effective Technical Problem Solving
  • Project Management
  • Change Agent Skills
  • Statistical Process Control
  • Achieving ISO 9000 Registration
  • ISO/TS 16949
  • Process Documentation Methods
  • Internal Quality Auditing
  • Train-the-Trainer
  • Process Analysis and Improvement Methods
  • Measuring and Improving Cost of Quality
  • Advanced Quality Planning
  • Process Failure Mode & Analysis
  • Root Cause Analysis
  • Skills for Team Facilitators and Members

QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS

We've helped dozens of companies achieve ISO 9001, QS-9000, and ISO/TS 16949 registration by conducting gap assessments, training management and staff personnel, guiding system development, training internal auditors, and conducting pre-assessments.

SPECIAL PROJECTS

Sometimes there simply aren't enough resources available within an organization to carry out a specific project that is of high need. We've provided expertise as a project manager, process improvement specialist, process facilitator and/or technical writer to help organizations implement projects such as:

  • Conduct an organizational assessment based on a knowledge management framework
  • Write a European Quality Award application
  • Design, document and implement a quality management system
  • Review automotive component production processes for control adequacy, and facilitate cross-functional development of process failure mode & effects analyses (pFMEA)
  • Develop the requirements and conceptual design for a computer aided process planning (CAPP) system
  • Improve the strategic planning process to make it more holistic

ORGANIZATIONAL CONSULTING

Company performance will be improved when an organization identifies and leverages its strengths, and when roadblocks are removed. The latter often isn't easy to do when you're a part of the system you want to change. We help organizations and individuals deal with change and get "unstuck" by providing an outsider's perspective through observing and providing feedback on day-to-day interactions, helping the organization understand how perspectives can be a constraint, facilitating or coaching individuals or groups, and providing new models for looking at business situations.

GUEST SPEAKER

Management retreats, professional conferences, and many other groups look for someone who can provide listeners with an understanding or new ways of acting on trends. We've spoken to more than 130 groups on a wide variety of topics; following is a partial list:

  • Maximizing the Yield and Minimizing the Damage from Performance Metrics
  • e-QM: Quality Management in a Digital World
  • Barriers to Effective Root Cause Analysis
  • Complex Adaptive Systems and Quality Management: Are They Compatible?
  • Auditing for Supply Chain Reliability
  • Dealing with Multiple Levels of Change
  • Critical Thinking: A Fundamental Requirement for 21st Century Organizations
  • Quality Improvement as Strategy
  • Improving Six Sigma through Action Learning
  • Supply Chain Quality Management
  • Making Continual Improvement a Continuous Process
We contract with organizations in several ways: Daily Rate Basis -- Project Basis -- Retainer Basis.  This allows clients to determine the optimum time/cost balance suited to their needs. Daily Rate Basis: An hourly rate is converted to a daily rate (8-hour day) and work is billed based on the number of days incurred. This is the ... (more)

May 2008

May 19-21 - Presenting a Root Cause Analysis workshop for ASQ Learning Offerings, Atlanta GA. (more)
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