Effective Team Meetings: From Chaos to Cohesion

In today’s fast-paced and highly competitive environment, team meetings can often feel like a necessary evil. They can be messy, complicated, and sometimes a complete waste of time. However, in this episode, we reveal how to turn these often-chaotic gatherings into cohesive, productive, and efficient sessions.

One of the primary focuses of this episode is the application of Six Sigma, continuous improvement, product development, and project management strategies to team meetings. The podcast discusses how successful facilitators utilize similar techniques to transform the way ideas are generated, examined, and prioritized. By breaking down the process into discovery, examination, and prioritization phases, team meetings can become a fertile ground for creativity and actionable decisions.

In addition to these methodologies, the podcast provides real-life scenarios to illustrate how these techniques can be applied. For instance, it discusses how to break down an FMEA into manageable parts and conduct separate meetings for each part. This ensures that each aspect of the FMEA is thoroughly examined and that the team can focus on specific issues without being overwhelmed by the entire process.

Overall, this podcast episode provides a comprehensive guide on how to transform team meetings. By focusing on discovery, examination, and prioritization, and utilizing tools like affinity diagrams, tree diagrams, and fishbone diagrams, teams can ensure that their meetings are productive, collaborative, and efficient. The episode also emphasizes the importance of staying organized and breaking down complex issues into manageable parts, ensuring that every team member’s input is valued and that actionable decisions are made.

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Unraveling QA, QC, Quality Assistance, and Quality 4.0

I’m sure you’ve heard it before:

Quality is everyone’s responsibility.

You’ve also heard the terms “quality assurance” and “quality control”. Have you heard of “quality assistance” or “Quality 4.0?

What’s the difference between all of these terms, especially with quality assurance and quality control, the two oldest terms in the list?

As a designer, how are you supposed to interact with these terms? If quality is everyone’s responsibility, then what are yousupposed to do for quality assurance and quality control? Are there different ways you’re supporting each of these ideas inhow you design?

How does quality assistance and Quality 4.0 fit into the design picture?

Let’s explore some official definitions, the changes in quality that led to the quality assistance and Quality 4.0 terms and givesome context of quality with respect to design.

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Simplifying Probabilities for Better Decision Making

Ever find yourself stuck trying to gauge the likelihood of an event?

What if you could transform your approach to probability assignments with just one simple trick?

On this episode of Quality During Design, we talk about simplifying probabilities for better decision making. We uncover a method to assign probabilities and occurrence ratings during preliminary assessments.

We share a technique that involves breaking down an event into smaller, more manageable parts, helping you understand and analyze it better. This method makes it easier to assign likelihoods because it provides better understanding of the event, clearer context, and consideration of what may drive things to happen.

Then, we relate these parts to conditional probabilities. We offer example explanations and practical applications to help you grasp conditional probabilities.

Plus, for those looking for additional resources, we have a cheat sheet that can further simplify these concepts for you. Not a subscriber yet? Visit qualityduringdesign.com to sign up and start receiving valuable insights directly in your inbox.

Join us to learn how these techniques can simplify probabilities, improve your assessments, and boost your team’s decision-making.

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From Solo to Collaboration: Lessons from Nobel Laureate Shuji Nakamura and Dale Carnegie

Are you harnessing the power of collaboration in your professional life? What could Shuji Nakamura, the Nobel Prize-winning engineer behind the blue LED, teach you about teamwork and career growth? Discover how transitioning from an independent researcher to a collaborative leader can elevate your professional journey.

Join me, Dianna Deeney, as I share insights from a recent event co-hosted for the IEEE Philadelphia Professional Communication Society. We’ll uncover valuable lessons from the books “Brilliant!” by Bob Johnstone and Dale Carnegie’s classic “How to Win Friends and Influence People,” both of which spotlight the transformative power of teamwork and communication.

Learn about Shuji Nakamura’s career evolution and find out how his story parallels many of our own professional paths. I’ll also dive into my personal shift from solitary work to embracing collaboration in quality engineering. By leveraging quality tools for better communication and idea sharing within cross-functional teams, you too can drive more successful engineering and design projects. This episode is packed with actionable advice and inspiring anecdotes to help you thrive in your professional life.

Don’t miss out on knowing THE baseline approach that can lead to collaboration success!

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Bridging Triumph and Trial: A Panel Discussion about Engineering with ‘To Engineer is Human’ and ‘The Wright Brothers’

Anne Meixner, Dr. Vaneeta Kaur Grover, and Dianna Deeney join in a panel discussion about engineering and STEM. They met for an engineering book review to discuss the ideas that came from the books themselves and to link literature about engineering to current-day challenges.

Uncover the intricacies of engineering’s past and present as we dissect To Engineer is Human and The Wright Brothers. Our collective expertise spans the gamut from semiconductor testing to biotechnology statistics, offering a rich tapestry of perspectives on these seminal works. This episode promises a journey through the shared trials and triumphs that shape our engineering landscape and a candid examination of the setbacks we seldom speak about.

Their wish for listeners is to gain different perspectives and to get inspired toward action: to try something new, read one of the books, or make new connections with others.

The episode isn’t complete without their review of the books that sparked this enriching dialogue. You’ll hear why “The Wright Brothers” and “To Engineer is Human” scored high on our recommendation list for anyone keen on understanding the essence of engineering, from the glory of breakthroughs to the wisdom found in failures. Join us for this episode, where we bridge the divide between historical achievement and contemporary challenges in the ever-evolving world of STEM.

This panel discussion about engineering and STEM originally aired on Linked-In Live on November 1, 2023.

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What is DFSS and How does Quality during Design Relate?

We explore the history, philosophy, and methodology of Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) and explore how it relates to Quality during Design (hint: they’re not the same).

Six Sigma

We dissect the acronyms DMAIC and DMADV, revealing how these methodologies are blueprints for achieving excellence. From statistics to Motorola’s legendary quality standards and other history of six sigma, you’ll begin to see how DFSS may relate with your organization’s current design development processes.

Quality during Design

Quality during Design is not DFSS. It can be part of DFSS or any other product development process. Quality during Design is a philosophy that emphasizes the benefits of cross-functional team involvement and a methodology that uses quality tools to refine design concepts early on. Quality tools bridge the gap between team communication and innovative concept development. We review why skipping the crucial steps of questioning and investigating can lead to missed opportunities.

As we navigate through the essential stages of product development, we invite you to join us on this enlightening path to creating impactful and high-quality solutions that stand the test of time—and the marketplace.

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Exposing The Hidden Flaws of FMEA and Risk Matrices: Advancing Your Risk Assessment

In the realm of risk assessment and management, traditional tools like Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) and risk matrices have been widely accepted as the norm. However, beneath the surface of these established methods lie hidden flaws of FMEA and risk matrices that can significantly impact the effectiveness of risk analysis and decision-making processes. The latest podcast episode takes a deep dive into these issues, offering listeners an exploration of the challenges posed by conventional risk assessment techniques.

The episode emphasizes the importance of staying informed and adapting to new methods in the ever-evolving landscape of risk management. By doing so, professionals can ensure that they are not only equipped to handle current challenges but also prepared to meet the demands of the future.

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Getting Information for Product Design with Fred Schenkelberg (A Chat with Cross-Functional Experts) – Part 2

Dianna Deeney interviews Fred Schenkelberg about getting information for product design, focusing on reliability engineering in new products.

This episode is part 2 of 2.

This interview is part of our series, “A Chat with Cross Functional Experts”. Our focus is speaking with people that are typically part of a cross-functional team within engineering projects. We discuss their viewpoints and perspectives regarding new products, the values they bring to new product development, and how they’re involved and work with product design engineering teammates.

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Getting Information for Product Design with Fred Schenkelberg (A Chat with Cross-Functional Experts) – Part 1

Dianna Deeney interviews Fred Schenkelberg about getting information for product design, focusing on reliability engineering in new products.

This episode is part 1 of 2.

This interview is part of our series, “A Chat with Cross Functional Experts”. Our focus is speaking with people that are typically part of a cross-functional team within engineering projects. We discuss their viewpoints and perspectives regarding new products, the values they bring to new product development, and how they’re involved and work with product design engineering teammates.

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Harnessing Team Insights for Risk Analysis using Probabilities

Navigating the common roadblocks of team consensus on severity ratings during FMEA or hazard analysis can be challenging. But with the right strategies, your team can capture uncertainty and avoid the pitfall of too many conservative estimates that skew prioritization. Learn how a probability mass function can revolutionize your risk assessment, ensuring a smoother, more accurate process for all stakeholders involved.

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From “Fall-Through” to “Follow-Through”: A Proactive Strategy for Design

Quality during Design isn’t just an add-on; it’s a fundamental aspect that drives innovation, efficiency, and customer satisfaction!

Ever find yourself at the tail end of a project, swamped with unfinished tasks, and wondering where things went awry? Are there important recommended actions that the team was excited about that just didn’t get done? These are the conundrums we tackle in this episode of Quality During Design, with a special nod to Arnold Schwarzenegger’s “Be Useful” for his proactive approach to work. Move from “fall-through” to “follow-up and follow-through”.

We dissect the all-too-familiar scenario of projects saddled with incomplete actions, despite our best-laid plans. We don’t just commiserate—we arm you with a strategy to ensure that things are seen through to the end.

Let’s pull lessons from Schwarzenegger’s tenure as California’s governor and his hands-on approach during crises. We dissect the significance of staying involved and the vital role of follow-up and follow-through. Use this when implementing recommended actions from customer studies to FMEAs.  Join us as we cast a critical eye on why management systems sometimes fail in practice and what to do to help ensure success. This isn’t just about weathering audits or ticking boxes; it’s about a commitment to excellence in product and service design.

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