Resources

Following are some resources we’ve either created or recommend.  A recommendation means we’ve used them and have been impressed with the results.

Online Root Cause Analysis workshop- Here’s where you’ll find an electronic version of my root cause workshop.  It’s excellent when you have a small number of people to train, or are trying to earn some continuing education credits for recertification. The course is very highly rated compared to other e-courses.

Online Performance Metrics workshop  Here’s where you’ll find an electronic version of my performance metrics workshop.  When you don’t need to train a large group, this is a low-cost option, with lots of examples, case studies, and Q&A.

SigmaXL – I was amazed to find that this software allows you to do Monte Carlo simulation.  It’s basically a statistics package that runs in Excel, but if you get the DiscoverSim addition, the additional power available is phenomenal for the price.

QI Macros – Allows you to analyze data using a simple set of tools (e.g., paretos, run charts, histograms, control charts). All you do is put your data in MSExcel, and this set of macros will allow you to analyze it very quickly without having to learn a whole new application.

David Walker Designs – This organization managed the update of my website.  Quick, professional and inexpensive.  Great job!

APLOMET Checklists – Following are some checklists, forms and other documents I’ve developed over the years as part of working with organizations.  Feel free to download and use them to help improve your organization.

SIPOC Form – A fundamental tool for helping people understand process management.  It can be used to look at interrelationships between suppliers, processes and customers, as well as the inputs & outputs and related performance measures.

Process Management Maturity Matrix – Want to see how well your organization manages processes?  Here’s a maturity matrix developed for just that purpose.

Metrics Worksheet – If you’re developing some metrics this worksheet can help ensure you’ve considered many of the issues necessary for defining, capturing and using the metrics.

 

My 10-step RCA Problem Solving Guides – A worksheet-type form laying out the 10-step model, and a checklist of the 10 steps and actions & outputs for each step.

Root Cause Analysis Maturity Matrix – Provides an opportunity to evaluate your root cause analysis/corrective action process for degree of sophistication. Intended for quality/performance issues, not safety/accident events

Musings: My Blog

How Happy are Your Employees to Come to Work?

Ever seen a dog at work?  For example, I was watching one searching bags for drugs in an airport.  They are totally committed and love it. Question: How many people are that happy at their work?  What does it say about mission, culture, etc?

Quality Entertainment

Given the COVID shutdowns I've not traveled any this year, and the time at home gave wife and me the opportunity to binge watch some TV series we'd not seen before (and in many cases hadn't even hear of).  Most involve spies, detectives, and/or science fiction, Here's...

Qualitative vs. Quantitative Risk Assessment

For some time I (and many others) have been writing and speaking on how common widely used risk assessment methods actually introduce risk rather than help reduce it. Here's a great talk by Doug Hubbard on the topic:...

Irrationality

First let me state that I am not a medical professional, and have not read all the studies that have been done on whether or not HCQ (+ zinc and azithromycin) are effective in treating COVID.  In the limited info I have read I believe it's unlikely to be effective...

Really Bad Comparison!

You may know that I teach and write on Performance Metrics, and get really frustrated when I see someone use them badly.  Here's an example from an article in The Japan Times about the Boeing 787 MAX: "...the FAA completed a risk analysis that found that the...

Quality Professionals and Industry 4.0

The need for quality professionals is likely to be less as Industry 4.0 comes more fully to fruition.  The digitalization of everything should significantly reduce the opportunities for errors. One thing that will increase is the need for information security ... at...

Design Quality

An analysis of Industry 4.0 reveals that a lot of work, both physical and cognitive, formerly done by humans will be digitized.  This means the operations aspect of those processes will be more reliable, but only if the design of the digital systems is very good....

More Risk Management Lessons (the hard way) from COVID-19

Good risk management involves monitoring leading indicators (known as KRIs, or Key Risk Indicators) that allow an organization to see that something has changed, which means the ability to respond quicker.  Obviously someone was asleep at the wheel in many places,...

Copyright © 2002-2024 Aplomet.com. All Rights Reserved.

Website Design by David Walker Designs