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iBi - July 2009
What is Quality?
by Jim L. Smith
Fellow & Region 12 Director, American Society for Quality

Quality doesn't just happen—it comes as a result of hard work and a commitment to process excellence. Quality is seldom improved through cost reduction efforts, but costs can be reduced by improving quality. Quality is no longer just an element of customer satisfaction—it is fundamental to your organization's survival.

iBi Focus

Quality

  • Publisher's Note
    Success and the Quality Journey
    by Jan Wright, Publisher
    What is Quality? That is the question with which we wrestle in this issue.
The History of Modern Quality
by Jim L. Smith
Fellow & Region 12 Director, American Society for Quality
By far, the most important event that followed the war was the Japanese quality revolution. The U.S. DoD asked Juran and Deming, two of the emerging quality giants of the era, to work with Japan, and, partially due to their efforts, Japan committed to becoming an economic superpower.
The Alphabet Soup of Quality Improvement Initiatives
by Jim L. Smith
Fellow & Region 12 Director, American Society for Quality
The proliferation of terms has tended to confuse managers in the marketplace. ISO9001, ISO/TS16949, JIT, MBNQA, Six Sigma, Kaizen, Kanban, 5S, Lean, TPM, TQM, etc. are but a few of the initiatives confronting organizational leaders.
6 Sigma: Foundation for Quality at Caterpillar
by Heather McBroom
Caterpillar Inc.
The quality of Caterpillar’s products reflects the power and heritage of the company. As the organization focuses on executing the enterprise strategy and living by its values, one of the top priorities continues to be product quality.
A Quality Problem in Healthcare
by Julie Gray
Quality Quest for Health of Illinois
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality defines quality care as "doing the right thing for the right patient, at the right time, in the right way to achieve the best possible results."
Quality Improvement at District 108
Tying It All Together
by Amy Groh
About 10 years ago, Pekin Public School District 108 implemented a district-wide program designed to improve the quality of the education its students received.
Minimize the Cost of Quality
by Tucker Kennedy, IMEC
Hiding in the shadows of the manufacturing production process is the cost of poor quality, or the money that businesses lose because of defective products.
The Quest for Quality and Excellence in Healthcare
by Methodist Medical Center
Methodist Medical Center has taken an early lead in a vibrant movement now underway to improve services to their patients.
Quality Control in Accounting
by Nancy Wright
Heinold-Banwart, Ltd.
Inefficiencies and inaccuracies can destroy value. Managers often consume hours of time reviewing reams of paper that, in the end, do not capture the essentials of costs, expenses and trends.
County Committed to Quality
by Thomas O'Neill III, Peoria County Board
Annually, the County Board revisits its strategic plan and develops new action items for the coming year.
Creating a Culture of Quality: The Essentials
by Bridgette Heard
Illinois CancerCare
As director of quality for Illinois CancerCare, I am often asked, “Is quality something that an organization just has, or is it created?”
Pursuing Quality for the Patient
A Behavioral Health Perspective
by David Moore
Fayette Companies
Fayette Companies, a behavioral health organization in Peoria, has been in the pursuit of quality using process improvement for several years now.
HR and Voice of the Customer
by Mary Pille, Employers' Association
Voice of the Customer is a continuous improvement process utilized by many customer-centric organizations.
What Makes a Quality Community?
by Jim McConoughey, Heartland Partnership
Peoria is considered one of the best demographic and cultural examples of an “average” American city, but are we a quality community?
Quality Engineering
The Ongoing Journey
by Warren Knoles
Crawford, Murphy & Tilly, Inc.
Some quality “gurus” (Deming, Juran, Crosby, etc.) say that quality is not a destination, but rather a journey with no end. CMT embraces this view and has been on this journey for the past 16 years. This is our story.
Continuous Quality Improvement
Lean and 6 Sigma
by Mike Waight , IMEC
Over the years, operating and management strategies have taken on new names, new packaging and have even become their own “fads” within industries.
Wage War on Waste
by Jim L. Smith
American Society for Quality
The quality profession has risen to the tremendous challenges of the last century by developing philosophies and methodologies that have helped businesses meet the demands of its customers.
Quality Education at Bradley University
by Dr. K.S. Krishnamoorthi
Bradley University
Bradley University has included quality methodologies as part of the industrial engineering curriculum for many years, receiving national recognition among employers and educational institutions.
Quality Metal Products: An IMEC Case Study
“We really needed to focus on quality. It’s in our name, but the rules have changed.”
The Future of Quality
by Jim L. Smith
American Society for Quality
A competitive strategy based on quality alone might not continue to be effective at capturing market share.

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