Do Your Procedures Read Like A Text Message?

Communicating With Acronyms
I remember the first time I received a text message.  I spent several minutes trying to decipher it, before calling the person to ask what they were trying to communicate. Your Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) can be equally as challenging (and frustrating) to understand if they include a lot of acronyms.
In some industries, [...]

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One Step Closer To Achieving Work Life Balance

Do you work with someone that constantly puts in long hours every single day?  They work through lunch, stay late in the evening (at least until 7 PM), and take work home with them!
I bet your co-workers are upset because they feel this person has raised the bar too high and now management will expect [...]

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Is Your Understanding Of A Quality System A Little Fuzzy?

If you were asked to explain ‘what is a Quality System’, could you do it?   The reality is that most people don’t have a clear understanding themselves and would be hard pressed to explain it to others…regardless how long they’ve worked in the Quality field.
In general, a Quality System is a collection of processes, [...]

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Changing The Perception Of Quality

We’ve all heard it before, co-workers referring to Quality Assurance as the ‘police’ .  With such an unflattering label, it’s no wonder people avoid us (from an on-the-job point of view).  It makes me wonder how much responsibility we bear for the negative perception of Quality.
I remember working on a Quality project with several people [...]

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Creating a Lean Office With 5S – No More Cubicle Clutter!

Do you jam pack your cubicle with so many personal items that it no longer resembles a place for work (overgrown plants, family pictures, personal nicknacks, awards, etc.)….in your defense, it probably makes you feel more like home.  But this clutter can add time to your day and make you less productive because of the [...]

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Building A Quality Mindset With Your Staff (or Not)

Now that your Quality System is in place, does your staff have the mindset to support and improve the system?  Creating and nurturing a quality mindset isn’t limited to just quality type activities, such as internal audits.  It’s everything that you do in addition to audits….that includes your actions and attitudes towards quality.
I thought I’d [...]

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Wow Your Audience With Mind Mapping

If you use brainstorming as a tool and would like to communicate the results creatively, then you should learn how to Mind Map.  The concept was created by Tony Buzan as a way to communicate information visually through pictures and word associations so you remember the information more easily….a majority of us think visually, plus [...]

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When Should You Revoke Access to Your Electronic Data Management System?

If you have an electronic data management system for your electronic records, then from time-to-time you’ll have to deal with the unpleasant task of revoking access to users….keep in mind that your electronic system is a closed system, meaning that access is controlled at all times.  Use these three questions to help you determine when [...]

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Paper or Plastic?

The question is no longer paper or plastic when checking out at grocery stores, but if you’ve brought your own bags.  If you live in Washington D.C , then a recently passed law allows store owners to charge you 5 cents per bag….a great incentive to bring your own.
Several states are anxiously watching how consumers [...]

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Art Imitating Corporate Culture….

I don’t usually watch a lot of TV, but lately I can’t seem to get enough of The Office on NBC.  It’s a comedy that’s filmed as a ‘documentary’ about the office workers of a fictitious paper supply company (Dunder Mifflin) located in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
The writers do a nice job of portraying stereotypical characters found [...]

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