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 […]

We have seen situations where poor configuration management has led to embarrassing situations with customers. In one case, a supplier shipped parts to a relatively new customer in which neither the hardware revision nor the software version were known. The parts arrived at the customer location for demonstration by a senior sales manager–none of them […]

by Kim H Pries Our experience shows us that configuration management lies at the very heart of professional engineering and product growth. Just to be able to run an ERP or MRP system requires a standard for nomenclature and identification of parts (including software). We mark changes to parts and software with changes to part […]

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: 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 […]

Our previous post discussed the power of the routine task. Part of the purpose of this approach is to achieve a state of wei-wu-wei or “effortless effort,” where our achievements seem to occur almost as if by magic. Objectives and targets begin to finish on or ahead of schedule, yet we don’t appear to really […]

One of the most important concepts we have seen in any environment where we need to get things done is the POWER OF THE ROUTINE TASK. Basically, we make any work that needs to be accomplished part of a routine, say, in the morning, when we begin our workaday activities. Some of these tasks are […]

Are you tired of training that is mostly blather from the speaker/teacher/trainer? We use techniques that eliminate this issue. For example, we are fond of “training games” that allow our clients to get some person-to-person and hands on activity. We also ask you to work examples of the kind of material we are training on; […]

Congratulations to two attendees at the 2011 PlugIn event in Raleigh North Carolina. The winner of the test book: Anja Hartung, Duke Energy, PEV Program, Charlotte, NC The winner of the SCRUM book: Melinda Spangler, SPX Service Solutions, Warren, MI Congratulations

We can help with software and hardware product development.