Publishing my First Research

Alhamdolellah I am happy to announce that my first research is now published in the TQM journal. Our research aimed at bringing a new perspective for the business excellence area where we developed a new business concept, BEVUCA (pronounced as BE-VU-CA) to examine how companies can achieve Business Excellence in a Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and …

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The Integration between Quality Management and Risk Management Systems

After discussing the basic definition of the term 'Integrated Management System' and its benefits here, in this article, I will discuss the integration between quality management and risk management systems. In specific, I will examine the rationales behind this integration. Quality Management: More than an ISO 9000 Standard The quality management knowledge area was founded …

Integrated Management Systems

Companies need management systems to link strategies to operations. A management system starts by defining a strategy followed by translating it into specific objectives that are accomplished via certain resources. During the execution, the management will monitor and control the performance and then periodically assess the adequacy of that strategy and act accordingly (Norton & …

Business Excellence: Advantages and Criticisms

In a previous post here, I discussed the different definitions for the Business Excellence concept and the different approaches and frameworks that can be used to start and sustain this journey. In this article, the term, business excellence, will be further critically evaluated in order to understand the benefits that can be generated from achieving …

The Quest to Business Excellence

A famous quote by Apple's Founder Steve Jobs was: "Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren't used to an environment where excellence is expected". Business excellence is not a jargon related to a consciously specific industry, sector or county (Porter & Tanner 2004) In the manufacturing companies, a TQM (Total Quality Management) program plays …

Six Sigma Certificate: Lessons Learned

Do you enjoy problem-solving? And do you want to learn a structured problem-solving methodology to do that? Then, Six Sigma area might be an option to explore. Sigma (σ) by itself is a statistical phrase that is used as a measure of the variability in a process. Six Sigma means that a process is capable …

Six Sigma Journey

The ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus once said: "Change is the only constant". Enormous scholars addressed how companies can embrace the change to maintain a competitive advantage. In today's business environment, the need becomes crucial. Companies are continuously looking for the next magic wand to transform their operations and improve their businesses.  Moving from the agricultural …

Tools and Techniques from Lean and Project Management for New Product Development

The broad picture about the use of lean thinking and project management in New Product Development (NPD) was discussed here and here respectively. The two approaches have some similarities and differences as shown here. The bodies of knowledge about these two areas provide different tools and techniques, yet, not all of them are applicable to …

Project Management and Lean Thinking: Similarities and Differences in New Product Development

After discussing role of lean thinking in the New Product Development (NPD) process here, alongside with the role of the project management for the same purpose here, it is the time to examine the similarities and differences between the two approaches. Within this context, NPD is defined as " the sequence of steps or activities …

Lean Thinking and the New Product Development

New Product Development (NPD) becomes a core competency for many industries. In automotive companies, for example, it creates a larger 'strategic differentiation' even more than their manufacturing proficiency (Morgan & Liker 2006, p.8). An excellence study conducted by Arthur D. Little in 2005 revealed that "top innovators have 2.5 times higher sales of new products …