by Kim H Pries and Jon M Quigley Configuration management quality will have a significant impact on the system. If configuration management is necessary for component development, producing a collection of parts that make up a system is even more complicated. Developing and delivering a workable system to test and subsequently delivering it to the […]

by Jon M Quigley and Wally Stegall This post is a flashback to the earlier series about prototypes (https://valuetransform.com/planning-prototype-parts). A recent event reminded me of one other area we did not cover in this series. Such is the way of the blog. Consider the organization that decides to limit the number of prototype parts to […]

by Kim H. Pries Some people find terms such as configuration management and change management to be confusing and they are unsure what they mean and what the difference could be. We consider change management to be a higher order concept that includes the idea of configuration management. Let’s discuss configuration management first! Classical configuration […]

by Kim H Pries When we are engaged in prototype development during the early to late middle phases of our new product delivery process, we usually purchase components through maintenance, repairs, and operation (MRO) purchasing. This type of purchasing is managed on an as-needed basis, and often, is not automated. We purchase the parts we […]

by Jon M Quigley When we have a short project schedule, we need to learn from our prototype as quickly as possible. Rapid prototyping is a rational approach to a shorten schedule that does not come at the risk or cost level of skipping prototypes or starting the next level of prototype before we have […]

As you may have noticed, we are working on a Configuration and Change Management book. In an effort to articulate the proposition, we are using the blog temporarily to define what we seek and the benefits to those who contribute. We are looking for configuration management tools, techniques and stories. We are especially interested in […]

Jon M. Quigley I keep ruminating on the article from the American Management Association on people leaving their previous employer (http://www.amanet.org/training/articles/How-Employers-Drive-Away-their-Employees.aspx?pcode=XCR). The findings of Leigh Branham in the above study are both discouraging and encouraging. Discouraging in that there is a problem with how we treat our people. Encouraging in the hope maybe we will […]

By Jon M Quigley In our previous blog post, we discussed PPAP and objectivity or the check the box mentality. What happens when we communicate in an overly optimistic way?  Below is an exchange between a supplier project management as well as the customer project management and a line manager responsible for verification. Chief Project […]

by: Jon M Quigley and Wally Stegall In the last blog post, we discussed how PPAP should be the quality system, although it is not in many cases.  One reason PPAP drops off the map after the start of production may have never been a concern during the design is the check box mentality.  Check […]