Book Description
Improve quality and productivity in most any organization
Based on W. Edwards Deming's model, this guide offers an integrated approach to testing and improvement?one that is designed to deliver quick and substantial results. Using simple stories to illustrate core ideas, the authors?all active consultants?introduce a new, flexible model for improving quality and productivity in diverse settings. They draw from research conducted in a variety of areas?manufacturing, government, and schools?to present a practical tool kit of ideas, examples, and applications. What's more, they've included a Resource Guide to Change Concepts so even beginners can utilize the tested techniques of some of the world's most experienced practitioners.
Customer Reviews:
Very helpful. One omission distresses me........2007-06-09
Clear, practical, and empowering. The authors are ambivalent on whether or not they will keep the focus on business operations; from the start they're keen to promote to a fully generic application, but the examples veer to and away from the business world, finally settling there a bit awkwardly.
The Change Concepts index near the end is a great idea, but the scope is confused along the lines I've already cited, and you might feel stuck in the QC department by the time you get through it. That's a bit of a shame, because one wonders if the challenges so elegantly met by the improvement model couldn't be cast in a more universal mode. (One also realizes one doesn't have the time to pursue this thought to fruition.) More pertinently, I'm trying to learn business process engineering, and it's easy to see a list dedicated to that discipline would be different. So despite the book's opening claims to a generic application, I felt stranded in one small tributary of the mighty River Improvement.
Nonetheless, I feel enabled by the book to succeed in my company where others have failed. It's so easy now to see how attempted improvements went wrong, through poor planning or inappropriate opening scope or simply through a failure to acknowledge real benefits when they happened. These pitfalls can be avoided, and the book shows how.
Now, I will mention an important omission. In my workplace I have to test and pilot and implement changes that are complex because a single change has no effect -- rather, two or more changes must be made at the same time, because they are mutually contingent. Management is not sure about A, nor about B. I would like to test A and get a decision, and I would like to treat B as a separate decision path. But they depend on each other, so things aren't so simple. (This is a point where Darwin's theory of cumulative biological mutation fails, if you care to know.) A mechanic troubleshooting your car's ignition system could give you concrete examples, but unfortunately, I couldn't find any in this book. My sense of empowerment has suffered correspondingly.
I just read the Philippy review..........2007-05-16
...and feel compelled to write in response. I must say it is hard to believe that Mr. Philippy and I are looking at the same book. I wrote an extensive review of this book already some time ago (it is listed below) and still feel the same way, even stronger. The Improvement Guide has continued to be, for me and my students/clients/mentees the "here's how" of Dr. W. Edwards Deming's philosophy. I am at a loss to find any hint of self-promotion of the authors in the book, save what one could reasonably infer about the competency and knowledge of the authors given the wealth of useful, in depth examples it contains. These could only come from deep knowledge of the theory and extensive successful experience in its practice. This book is as devoid of self-aggrandizement as any I have ever read.
I take considerable comfort from the fact that given the principles exemplified by the book, it is unlikely that the authors will over-react and over-adjust their professional aims in response to a single review, and will instead continue the fine work that has been done in this volume. My only question is, will there be a second edition? I would love to see it. In tenor and tone, I for one hope that it is exactly like this one....
David Wayne
[...]
Shallow and Pedantic.......2007-01-22
I should qualify this review by stating that I am not an expert on the subject of improvement. This book will not make you or even guide you to expertise. The only shining concept within the book, PDSA, is a great format for structuring improvement within a company, but could have been summed up successfully in 20 pages or less. BOOKS SHOULD NOT SPEND A SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF THEIR VOLUME ADVERTISING THEMSELVES!
The Improvement Guide.......2006-03-11
A very clear update of performance improvement process for business. Can be used as an introduction to the concept for newly trained staff and an everyday reference for those working on real projects.
A must read for all Black Belts.......2002-08-13
This is a very practical and powerful guide for improvement.
1. The first revelation this book brings is: improvement is a change. From this viewpoint, the fundamental questions faced by the improver (e.g. Green Belts and Black Belts) are:
(1) What are we trying to accomplish? (Define phase)
(2) How will we know if a change will result in an improvement? (What are the key Y's?)
(3) What changes can we make that will result in improvement?
(What are the key X's and their settings to affect Y's)
Appropriate tools from `6-sigma' tool sets can be used to seek answers to (2) and (3).
2. The Guide emphasizes testing a change in small scale before full implementation so we can learn and improve the proposed change using the Plan-Do-Study-Act cycle. This significantly improves our typical `trial-and-error' approach.
3. The Guide classifies improvement into 3 categories:
(1) Eliminate Quality Problems (the aim of many `6-sigma' projects)
(2) Reduce Costs while maintaining or improving quality (the goal of many internally focused improvement efforts)
(3) Expanding Customer Expectations
Specific advises and examples are presented for each of these categories.
4. Best of all is a list of 70 Change Concepts categorized under 9 sessions, e.g. standardization under Manage Variation, Synchronize under Improve Work Flow.
Using these change concepts can significantly reduce the time to develop the specific changes.
This book is very easy to follow and contains a lot of examples. It is a must read for all improvement practitioners including Green Belts and Black Belts.
Customer Reviews:
You will not regret .......2007-08-21
It is a very useful book to read and very practical. The author is very realistic and more into being in action rather than academically written. The funny thing that he keeps talking about the type writer rather than the PC. The book was last published in 1985. Go buy it.
FAST DELIVERY.......2007-05-30
The book came in faster than expected and was in great shape. Great transaction!
Excellent book !.......2006-11-11
Easy to read, explanatory examples and excellent advices applicable to all type of writings; from a short e-mail to a term paper.
uninspiring.......2006-07-31
I did not like this book and did not enjoy reading it. I am serious about learning how to write better and I did not find this book helpful to me.
100 ways to improve your writing.......2006-07-18
quick, acurate and good quality. I am very satisfy.
Customer Reviews:
Best I've Read.......2006-02-03
This is one of the best books I have ever read on how to tell (or write) a story and I've read about 50. This book is simple and basic and therein is its beauty. In simple terms and a basic straightforward style, Rubie covers all the subtle and enthralling techniques and characteristics of writing gripping, captivating, page-turning tales. Only a true master can make the subtle so simple. I don't just recommend you read this, I recommend you read and read again. A great investment for any writer and really a great read for anyone.
Gold in them there hills!.......2004-03-24
Rubie's book is great.
I got a copy because I thought it'd be fun to write something out of my usual genre. (Search on author "Stephen L. Nelson" if you want to see what I've written.) And I was really well-rewarded for my reading investment...
As an author, there are some things I know about and so get to "double-check" on Rubie's notions and conclusion. In the handful of places where I, as an oft-published author of nonfiction, can test his knowledge, he's absolutely right. Which then leads me to conclude, "Hey, Rubie's probably right about all this other stuff, too."
The one other thing I will say about this book--and this isn't a criticism of the book but more advice for readers--is this: some of the stuff that Rubie talks about is a little subtle. If one isn't careful in one's reading, one might miss some pretty important stuff. I think you'd want to read this title more than once...
A toolbox for expression.......2003-01-28
Writers live in a world where the right tools and skills can make the difference between surviving in a hovel and living in a comfortable home. 'How to Tell a Story" is a book that brings many of these skills and tools together in a useful format. Like a painter looking for just the right brush and stoke, I used the ideas and guidelines presented to help finalize my own book, which I'm happy to say is now being published (with minimum 'editing'). Highly recommended.
Too many rules and regulations........2001-04-25
We live in a world of rules and regulations, I would like to think that writing is above all that, that authors can write from the heart and spontaneously. Of course, if we wish to be published, we cannot ignore some of the guidelines in this book. In that aspect, the book is helpful and truly has some wonderful ideas and things to keep in mind that may help you get your book published. My hope is that it does not deter the aspiring writer from plunging on from the heart, since a lot of what this book has to say can be daunting. At times I felt myself being drawn into worry that my own manuscript would fall way short of all these "have to" rules, and I would never be able to remember all this and incorporate it into my own story. If you keep in mind that all this information is to guide and not set in stone, then the book is very helpful, the exercises given are strong and will assist your writing efforts, and you will learn much from this book. I much prefer the book "Writing Down the Bones" by Natalie Goldberg for new authors, but you will glean some helpful insight here as well.
An insightful, hands-on book that solves immediate problems.......2000-02-10
This book by Peter Rubie and the late Gary Provost is filled with the kind of hands-on advice you'd get from very good writing instructors. More clearly than in many other books, Rubie and Provost explore the nature of character, objectives, and obstacles, and demonstrate that plot and structure derive from character and conflict. While the book is primarily intended for writers of fiction and nonfiction narrative, the principles can also be used by screenwriters and playwrights, and in fact most of the authors' examples are taken from films.
I'm a playwright and read this book while blocked on a project. Thanks to the ideas expressed here, I was able to go back and immediately think of further ideas and a "next step." The only reason I didn't rate the book 5 stars is that I think you can quarrel with some specific pieces of advice and with some analyses (e.g., the authors cite the play and movie "Betrayal" as an example of flashback, while I think it's actually an example of a nonlinear time sequence). (Also, it's surprising that a book about writing consistently misuses the word "it's.") But those are quibbles. I found this to be a useful, thorough book.
Average customer rating:
- A serious book for quality practitioners
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Quality Improvement Through Planned Experimentation
Ronald Moen ,
Thomas W Nolan , and
Lloyd P Provost
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill Professional
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Understanding Statistical Process Control
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All Crises Are Global: Managing to Escape Chaos
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The Improvement Guide: A Practical Approach to Enhancing Organizational Performance (Jossey-Bass Business and Management Series)
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Understanding Variation: The Key to Managing Chaos (2nd Edition)
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Out of the Crisis
ASIN: 0079137814 |
Book Description
The methodology engineers need to plan and conduct experiments to quantify cause-and-effect mechanisms in complex systems
Updated to include the latest in experiment design, this breakthrough resource offers a comprehensive framework for the sequential building of knowledge -- a model for improvement -- that is key to making improvements. Step by step, you discover the tools and properties of sound experiments, the methods of planned experiments, and their application to the design of new and improved products and services.
Case studies of experiments in action, and forms and checklists facilitate the adoption of the methods into your daily work. The Second Edition includes new and expanded coverage of how to:
* Test changes to products, processes, and systems
*Evaluate the measurement process
* Extend planned experiments to large systems
*Apply experiments to new product design
Customer Reviews:
A serious book for quality practitioners.......2000-03-14
This is a book about quality improvement via proven techniques of statistical experiment design. It is full of illustrative examples, with mathematical details kept to a minimum. It is an excellent source of reference for industry personnel interested in improving the performance of products and processes beyond the deployment of the usual technical (engineering) approaches.
Customer Reviews:
I'm in the book...........2004-05-05
They spelled my name wrong and left out the most interesting part of my involvement.....................
Average customer rating:
- Indispensable
- Indispensable
- Indispensable
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Cutaneous Manifestations of Rheumatic Diseases
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Rheumatology Secrets
ASIN: 0683078526 |
Customer Reviews:
Indispensable.......2004-01-02
This is an outstanding book of considerable merit. Sontheimer and Provost have written the "Bible" on skin diseases and how they represent the manifestations of rheumatic disease.
This book is well-researched, well-referenced, and a comprehensive source of useful and interesting information for the practicing dermatologist, rheumatologist and dermatology/rheumatology trainees. It is the definitive book on this subject, written by well-recognized experts in the field.
This is a must addition to one's dermatology/rheumatology library.
Indispensable.......2004-01-02
This is an outstanding book of considerable merit. Sontheimer and Provost have written the "Bible" on skin diseases and how they represent the manifestations of rheumatic disease.
This book is well-researched, well-referenced, and a comprehensive source of useful and interesting information for the practicing dermatologist, rheumatologist and dermatology/rheumatology trainees. This is the definitive book on this subject, written by well-recognized experts in the field.
This is a must addition to one's dermatology/rheumatology library.
Indispensable.......2004-01-02
This is an outstanding book of considerable merit. Sontheimer and Provost have written the "Bible" on skin diseases and how they represent the manifestations of rheumatic disease.
This book is well-researched, well-referenced, and a comprehensive source of useful and interesting information for the practicing dermatologist, rheumatologist and dermatology/rheumatology trainees. This is the definitive book on this subject, written by well-recognized experts in the field.
This is a must addition to one's dermatology/rheumatology library.
Book Description
Instrumentalists will find all they ever wanted to know about practice. This book outlines the many aspects of practice, such as repertoire maintenance, note-reading, and technique.
Customer Reviews:
Concise History of an overlooked Civil War Brigade.......2000-07-06
Never Were Men So Brave by Susan Provost Beller, 1998. This is a short book, (98 pages) intended for a younger audience, while providing a well-written and very complete history of this famous unit. Any person of Irish descent would be happy to own this book. Susan Beller records the glory garnered by the Irish Brigade in some of the most decisive and heaviest battles in the Civil War. Ms. Beller addresses the proven bravery displayed by the actions of the Irish Brigade, (made up of the 69th New York, 63rd NY, 88th NY and the 29th Massachusetts) at decisive battles, and she gives vivid descriptions of the actions of the Brigade through some important characters such as General Thomas Meagher (pronounced MAAAHer). For example, at the bloodiest single day in American history, September 17th 1862, Susan Beller not only tells the story of the vital contribution of the Irish Brigade at the "Bloody Lane", but tells how, when they ran out of ammunition, the Irish Brigade "right-shouldered arms" and marched away in good order from the enemy. She also describes how shaken General Meagher was when his horse was shot and subsequently fell on the General. In this brief book, Ms. Beller provides a complete synopsis of the life of the Irish rebel, Meagher, from his early days in Ireland to his exile in Australia and finally his escape and settlement in America. She also describes important historical events, such as the famous "general absolution" given by Chaplain William Corby. Either one of these individuals would make a fine central character in a movie about the "Irish Brigade"; .... The Irish Brigade, as Ms Beller relates, was involved in some of the most important Civil War battles, and were so effective that it caused Confederate General Robert E. Lee to state, "Never were men so brave", from which the author draws her title. Perhaps Mel Gibson might consider such a movie
Irish Suppression With A Little Civil War Mixed In.......1998-08-15
"Never Were Men So Brave" is a "nice" effort for the sixth or seventh grader looking for general information on Irish emigration in the 1840's or about the American Civil War at the unit level. But a high school term paper it isn't. Ms. Beller's book in no way approaches the detail satisfying those interested in reading regimental or brigade histories (e.g., "The Iron Brigade" by Nolan; "The Last Full Measure" by Moe). The book begins with an elementary -- clearly pro-Irish -- summary of 800 years of Irish Catholic persecution at the hands of the English. This is a subject unto itself, and Beller's cursory treatment is neither thorough or balanced.
The history of the Irish Brigade (63rd, 69th, and 88th New York and 29th Massachusetts) in the Civil War emerges as nearly an afterthought -- absent of detail or depth, leaving the reader hungry for more. Judging by the bibliography, Beller appears to have had the background research in hand but fails to use it to best advantage, even for the target audience. The pictures, illustrations and many of the quotations (espcially from Father William Corby) are nice supplements to an otherwise disappointing treatment.
Book Description
How do international human rights and humanitarian law protect vulnerable individuals during peace and war? Provost analyzes systemic similarities and differences between the two to examine how they are each designed to achieve their specific goals. He describes the dynamics of human rights and humanitarian law, revealing that each performs a task for which it is better suited than the other, and that the fundamentals of each field remain partly incompatible. He covers all relevant materials from the UN, ICTY, ICTR, and regional organizations in Europe, Africa and Latin America.
Download Description
How do international human rights and humanitarian law protect vulnerable individuals in times of peace and war? Provost analyses systemic similarities and differences between the two to explore how they are each built to achieve their similar goal. He details the dynamics of human rights and humanitarian law, revealing that each performs a task for which it is better suited than the other, and that the fundamentals of each field remain partly incompatible. This helps us understand why their norms succeed in some ways and fail - at times spectacularly - in others. Provost's study represents innovative and in-depth research, covering all relevant materials from the UN, ICTY, ICTR, and regional organizations in Europe, Africa and Latin America. This will interest to academics and graduate students in international law and international relations, as well as legal practitioners in related fields and NGOs active in human rights.
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James Glen: From Scottish Provost to Royal Governor of South Carolina (Contributions in American History)
W. Stitt Robinson
Manufacturer: Greenwood Press
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Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0313297606 |
Book Description
This pioneering biography breaks new ground about Colonial America and about James Glen, correcting major misconceptions. Glen was appointed royal governor of Colonial South Carolina in 1738 and came to the colony in 1743 to serve until 1756, the longest tenure of any governor during its Colonial period. Two major themes are stressed: first, Glen had to protect the royal prerogative and follow the dictates of his commission in the face of persistent challenge from the assembly; and second, his role in Indian affairs was critical and dominated much of his time and energy, because Glen had a keen interest in and an aptitude for Indian negotiations.
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