The Growing Myth of OTA Quick Fixes The automotive industry loves the promise of OTA software updates. The idea that misbehavior in the field can be “fixed remotely” has become part of both product strategy and marketing. Industry voices often proclaim, “If something goes wrong, we’ll just push an update.” Yet, rising software-related recalls and increasing regulatory scrutiny tell a […]
What Is IATF 16949 Standard? The IATF 16949 standard is the global benchmark for automotive quality management systems, built on ISO 9001 and tailored to the automotive supply chain. It defines how organizations design, develop, produce, install, and service automotive products while continually improving, preventing defects, and reducing variation and waste. Standards often get a […]
When the Schedule Is “Managed” but Still Sinking Not everything can be turned into a process—especially in product development, where discovery and uncertainty are unavoidable. But there is a dangerous gap between acknowledging uncertainty and pretending it is under control. The image illustrates a familiar scenario: a project manager confidently “monitoring and controlling” while the […]
By: Jon M Quigley When Process Helps—and When It Can’t We are a big fan of Aircraft Disasters on the Smithsonian Channel (at least that is where we watch it). This often appears in our written materials, including the occasional blog post. This post origins from the season 4 episode 7, “Catastrophe at O’Hare” as well […]
Problems Are Symptoms of Unmanaged Risk by Jon M Quigley This post is in response to an article on LinkedIn from Habib ur Rehman on blaming operator mistake as the root cause, and operator training as corrective action. This article is very timely, as I have been involved in consulting work where this situation was […]
The PFMEA–Control Plan Connection in Manufacturing A robust PFMEA connected to a control plan strategy is essential when launching a new manufacturing line or improving an existing one. The Process Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (PFMEA) identifies where and how a process might fail, while the control plan documents how those risks will be monitored, […]
Manufacturing Repeatability and the Importance of Repeatable Processes Manufacturing organizations striving for predictable, high-quality output often discover that manufacturing repeatability is not achieved by accident—it is engineered through disciplined, repeatable processes. In competitive markets, manufacturers cannot rely on tribal knowledge or inconsistent practices; they must establish process stability that consistently converts raw materials into reliable […]
Know Your Manufacturing Process Baseline Before Improving Before diving into advanced line upgrades or expensive automation, the first step is to understand the manufacturing process baseline. What do you change if you do not know what needs to be changed and why? This involves collecting detailed data on how a manufacturing line currently performs — […]
Openness Builds Stronger Cultures In the past few weeks, I’ve been reflecting on a pattern that appears across high-performing, logic-driven organizations: brilliant teams slowly losing momentum because the fight to be proper overshadows the desire to understand. Then I saw this LinkedIn article, which is the genesis of this article. I have worked on teams […]
The genesis of this post is from a LinkedIn post: Common wisdom in manufacturing often holds that replicating the systems of successful giants, like Toyota, is the path to profitability. Yet, as the original post points out, many organizations meticulously follow the playbook—implementing 5S, 5-Why, and visual management—only to fail in the market. We have […]