From judbasiner at gmail.com Tue Nov 7 07:32:05 2006 From: judbasiner at gmail.com (judbasiner at gmail.com) Date: Tue, 7 Nov 2006 08:32:05 -0600 Subject: Visio-Access Message-ID: <982391be0611070632w74968f46j9fc5276b36f7c8cd@mail.gmail.com> One of the projects I am currently working on is an Access database that will sit behind various Visio docs. There is someone else working on the Visio docs, but I was wondering how big of a project is it to tie the two together. I have built databases before with links to and fro, but this will be the first time where Visio is involved. One of the Brass want a link in the Visio that will take the user (internal) to the database for more information. Has anyone else done this? If yes, are there any special considerations that we should look out for? Thanks. -- Kelly "Don't forget that no matter how many "No's" you hear, it only takes one "Yes" to make your career." -Mike Straka- From ann at annlwiley.com Tue Nov 7 13:19:50 2006 From: ann at annlwiley.com (Ann L. Wiley Consultants Inc.) Date: Tue, 7 Nov 2006 15:19:50 -0500 Subject: Focus of this list was Re: Visio-Access (and content management a while ago) References: Message-ID: <004c01c702aa$c1180060$6600a8c0@ACERTMate> This list has about 600 subscribers who are looking for information on quality and process improvement, and have expertise to offer in that area. Please focus questions in that area. For general questions we have the STC Forum, http://stcforum.org where questions on process improvement are also welcome, in the business forum. Thank you, Ann Ann L. Wiley, Ph.D. Ann L. Wiley Consultants Inc. ann at annlwiley.com Manager QPI SIG From k.mardahl at gmail.com Wed Nov 8 08:23:32 2006 From: k.mardahl at gmail.com (Karen Mardahl) Date: Wed, 8 Nov 2006 16:23:32 +0100 Subject: book suggestions for Six Sigma, LEAN, and Theory of Constraints Message-ID: <60e0e50d0611080723p382164ffu2929c8b81829413e@mail.gmail.com> Hi I am looking for recommendations of some good books on these topics that are appropriate for technical communication. I can find many on the Web, but I want "your" opinion. You see, I finished reading "The Goal" by E. Goldratt, which I found an exciting read - something I thought I would never say about a book on this topic. :-) For the first time, I could truly see how a document could be integrated into the entire manufacturing process. (I know it should be, I just didn't think it could be categorized like the manufacturing of a ball-bearing or milk carton.) "The Goal" is the starting point for the Theory of Constraints. Next, I was told to read "What is this thing called Theory of Constraints and how should it be implemented?" I cannot read it. It is full of grammatical errors and the diagrams seem to be missing vital markings. These things slow me down when I am in unfamiliar territory. I will have to look for something else. I now want another book that will walk me through the actual implementation of the concepts introduced in "The Goal". I was also introduced to this article: www.asq.org/pub/qualityprogress/past/0302/qp0302nave.pdf "How to compare Six Sigma, Lean and the Theory of Constraints: A framework for choosing what's best for your organization" by Dave Nave, Quality Progress magazine, March 2002, pp 73-78. My reaction to that was that no one concept is perfect. You need to take a bit of this and a bit of that and apply them as needed and when needed in your own situation. Now I would like to have a fun read in all of these areas. By fun, I mean that I want a book that can give me an intelligent and usable walk through these concepts without requiring that I have a PhD in the topics. We are currently going over our tech pubs processes with a fine-tooth comb. I want to read about these concepts so I can improve my understanding of what is going on, and make intelligent contributions to our discussions. With the Socratic methods of "The Goal" in mind, I should seek out the answers myself, and not ask for answers, otherwise, I will not learn. I permit myself to post this question anyway. :-) regards, Karen Mardahl PS While searching for the link in this mail, I stumbled across this interesting link: http://curiouscat.com/guides/ The title of the site concerns management, but I can see that there are quality-related items that are worth investigating. From vcaldwe at yahoo.com Wed Nov 8 12:03:11 2006 From: vcaldwe at yahoo.com (Victoria E Caldwell) Date: Wed, 8 Nov 2006 12:03:11 -0700 Subject: book suggestions for Six Sigma, LEAN, and Theory of Constraints Message-ID: It's amazing that The Goal is still a hot book to read. I personally recommend it also as well as Its Not Luck (which is the sequel). They are easy reads (novel type). Regards, Victoria From cliffordjc at yahoo.com Wed Nov 8 15:09:30 2006 From: cliffordjc at yahoo.com (JANET CLIFFORD) Date: Wed, 8 Nov 2006 14:09:30 -0800 (PST) Subject: ISO 9001 auditors - Do we have any in our STC community? Message-ID: <20061108220930.14051.qmail@web53807.mail.yahoo.com> Hi, During my career, I've had many opportunities to work on defining and documenting policies and procedures for different organizations. I've also participated in two ISO 9001 implementations and was an internal ISO auditor during one of those implementations. I'm considering becoming an (external) ISO auditor on a consultanting basis and was wondering if we have any ISO auditors in our STC community. If so, I'd like to hear more about your ISO related education, skills, experience, and certifications. Please respond via email (cliffordjc at yahoo.com). Thanks, Janet Clifford ____________________________________________________________________________________ Sponsored Link Mortgage rates near 39yr lows. $420k for $1,399/mo. Calculate new payment! http://www.LowerMyBills.com/lre From ron at enhanceability.com Tue Nov 14 18:02:14 2006 From: ron at enhanceability.com (Ron Stone) Date: Tue, 14 Nov 2006 17:02:14 -0800 Subject: ICAS framework update Message-ID: Hi, Wanted to post a quick update on AAT (Alliance for the Advancement of Technology) projects to revise ICAS (Integrated Chronological Applications System) standards for uniform representations of calendar and clock. A recent special version declaration (http://www.aatideas.org/itinica/develop/index.html) announced a review of a forthcoming 'ICAS Basilicum' document set, and a review of an 'ICAS now' strategy for open-source developments referencing an ICAS framework. Thus, volunteers are needed for review or development of various AAT programs for technology education (ICAS, technology timeline, environmental awareness month, metrication month, e quality initiatives, etc.). In addition, AAT would be glad to coordinate review efforts with other standards organizations for purposes of harmonization with current or developing projects. I would also be glad to forward any comments or inquiries about AAT or ICAS to AAT at www.aatideas.org because I am serving that role for AAT. Best, Ron -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Ron Stone e: ron at enhanceability.com web: http://www.enhanceability.com - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - From ann at annlwiley.com Tue Nov 14 22:50:29 2006 From: ann at annlwiley.com (Ann L. Wiley Consultants Inc.) Date: Wed, 15 Nov 2006 00:50:29 -0500 Subject: book suggestions for Six Sigma, LEAN, and Theory of Constraints References: Message-ID: <000f01c7087a$03d595f0$6600a8c0@ACERTMate> Karen, Did you receive any more replies to your inquiry (portions included below because it's been a while). The resources recommended at this link were suggested by STC members, especially Jill Finan who is a Master Black Belt. http://stc-on.org/quality/topics/quality-management/2006/05/10/six-sigma-resources/ Wikipedia is useful: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_of_constraints#Goldratt_and_TOC_.22official.22_links This is a short article, TOC and Six Sigma--Better Together http://www.focusedperformance.com/articles/tocsigma.html As you observe, no one method is perfect nor provides all the answers. Organizations do adopt and adapt in their own ways, though Lean Six Sigma is a fairly standard approach. The George Group is considered significant experts. I'm interested in additional resources you find, and how you applied these methods. Ann Ann L. Wiley, Ph.D. Ann L. Wiley Consultants Inc. ann at annlwiley.com ----- Original Message ----- From: "Karen Mardahl" To: "STC Quality and Process Improvement SIG Discussion List" Sent: Wednesday, November 08, 2006 10:23 AM Subject: [stcqsig-l] book suggestions for Six Sigma, LEAN, and Theory of Constraints > I am looking for recommendations of some good books on these topics > that are appropriate for technical communication... I finished reading "The Goal" by E. Goldratt... "The Goal" is the > starting point for the Theory of Constraints. Next, I was told to read > "What is this thing called Theory of Constraints and how should it be > implemented?" I cannot read it. It is full of grammatical errors and > the diagrams seem to be missing vital markings... I now want another book that will walk me through the > actual implementation of the concepts introduced in "The Goal". I was also introduced to this article: > www.asq.org/pub/qualityprogress/past/0302/qp0302nave.pdf > "How to compare Six Sigma, Lean and the Theory of Constraints: A > framework for choosing what's best for your organization" by Dave > Nave, Quality Progress magazine, March 2002, pp 73-78. My reaction to that was that no one concept is perfect. You need to > take a bit of this and a bit of that and apply them as needed and when > needed in your own situation. Now I would like to have a fun read in > all of these areas. By fun, I mean that I want a book that can give me > an intelligent and usable walk through these concepts without > requiring that I have a PhD in the topics. We are currently going over > our tech pubs processes with a fine-tooth comb. I want to read about > these concepts so I can improve my understanding of what is going on, > and make intelligent contributions to our discussions. PS While searching for the link in this mail, I stumbled across this > interesting link: > http://curiouscat.com/guides/ The title of the site concerns > management, but I can see that there are quality-related items that > are worth investigating. From k.mardahl at gmail.com Wed Nov 15 00:41:53 2006 From: k.mardahl at gmail.com (Karen Mardahl) Date: Wed, 15 Nov 2006 08:41:53 +0100 Subject: book suggestions for Six Sigma, LEAN, and Theory of Constraints In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <60e0e50d0611142341q4f21201evb743f1b418d27f05@mail.gmail.com> Hi Ann I did get a reply to my request for TOC, LEAN, and Six Sigma book suggestions. Victoria kindly recommended It's Not Luck. I have that on order from my library now so that will push me a bit farther along that path. (Takes time to absorb these things!) I'll look into the books suggested at this link: http://stc-on.org/quality/topics/quality-management/2006/05/10/six-sigma-resources/ that you just sent me. What I wanted was not just a list, but personal recommendations so I could avoid getting too bogged down in one thing. I want the buffet, not the 6-course meal. :-) The article you passed along is great: http://www.focusedperformance.com/articles/tocsigma.html Comparisons are so handy at this stage. I'll get back to the group when I have digested more information. This is a solo flight. There is a manager who semi-swears by TOC (my manager's manager) and then there is me wondering what he is talking about and reading up on it all. No one else in my group has read this, even though I have referenced the concepts at meetings regularly for the past few months. I'm not sure why there is no interest. That is a task unto itself... And yet we have thrown all our processes on the table and are going through them one by one to re-evaluate everything. Basically, I am just collecting and digesting knowledge and observing and thinking. regards, Karen From chris at bizmanualz.com Wed Nov 15 09:09:39 2006 From: chris at bizmanualz.com (Chris Anderson) Date: Wed, 15 Nov 2006 10:09:39 -0600 Subject: book suggestions for Six Sigma, LEAN, and Theory of Constraints In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <009001c708d0$74734680$e21310ac@CJADELL> A good, simple, book to read is "What is Six Sigma Process Management". It is a fast read, about 100 pages, and it does a good job of tying together how process improvement should work throughout your entire organization. It contains the name six sigma in the title but it also references lean and other methods for improvement, so it is not really about six sigma. I think it is a good book for anyone in management. Chris -----Original Message----- From: bounce-stcqsig-l-243914 at lists.stc.org [mailto:bounce-stcqsig-l-243914 at lists.stc.org] On Behalf Of Karen Mardahl Sent: Wednesday, November 15, 2006 1:42 AM To: STC Quality and Process Improvement SIG Discussion List Subject: [stcqsig-l] Re: book suggestions for Six Sigma, LEAN, and Theory of Constraints Hi Ann I did get a reply to my request for TOC, LEAN, and Six Sigma book suggestions. Victoria kindly recommended It's Not Luck. I have that on order from my library now so that will push me a bit farther along that path. (Takes time to absorb these things!) I'll look into the books suggested at this link: http://stc-on.org/quality/topics/quality-management/2006/05/10/six-sigma-res ources/ that you just sent me. What I wanted was not just a list, but personal recommendations so I could avoid getting too bogged down in one thing. I want the buffet, not the 6-course meal. :-) The article you passed along is great: http://www.focusedperformance.com/articles/tocsigma.html Comparisons are so handy at this stage. I'll get back to the group when I have digested more information. This is a solo flight. There is a manager who semi-swears by TOC (my manager's manager) and then there is me wondering what he is talking about and reading up on it all. No one else in my group has read this, even though I have referenced the concepts at meetings regularly for the past few months. I'm not sure why there is no interest. That is a task unto itself... And yet we have thrown all our processes on the table and are going through them one by one to re-evaluate everything. Basically, I am just collecting and digesting knowledge and observing and thinking. regards, Karen From k.mardahl at gmail.com Thu Nov 16 00:27:32 2006 From: k.mardahl at gmail.com (Karen Mardahl) Date: Thu, 16 Nov 2006 08:27:32 +0100 Subject: book suggestions for Six Sigma, LEAN, and Theory of Constraints In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <60e0e50d0611152327i3b297a87m99e66d0e2a93c0fe@mail.gmail.com> Hi There have been several good suggestions in reply to my book search. I won't be able to respond right away. I now have a few books to get through! In the meantime, this just arrived in my mailbox courtesy of http://safari.oreilly.com (which I can heartily recommend), so I thought I would share it. Commercializing Great Products with Design for Six Sigma by Randy C. Perry, David W. Bacon Publisher: Prentice Hall Pub Date: November 03, 2006 Print ISBN-10: 0-13-238599-6 Print ISBN-13: 978-0-13-238599-2 Part of the blurb says: "Optimize Every Stage of Your Product Development and Commercialization To remain competitive, companies must become more effective at identifying, developing, and commercializing new products and services. Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) is the most powerful approach available for achieving these goals reliably and efficiently. Now, for the first time, there's a comprehensive, hands-on guide to utilizing DFSS in real-world product development. Using a start-to-finish case study, a practical roadmap, and easy-to-use templates, Commercializing Great Products with Design for Six Sigma shows how to optimize every stage of product commercialization. Drawing on a combined sixty-five years of product experience, the authors show how to make better product and portfolio decisions; develop better business cases and benefits assessments; create better concepts and designs; scale up manufacturing more effectively; and execute better launches." I completely forgot to check out Safari for related titles! This O'Reilly site is excellent, because you can sample a lot of great books. I pay my own way, but some of you might be able to convince your workplace to pay for a license. regards, Karen Mardahl From anne.mckneally at towersperrin.com Thu Nov 16 08:10:22 2006 From: anne.mckneally at towersperrin.com (Anne McKneally) Date: Thu, 16 Nov 2006 09:10:22 -0600 Subject: Editing help Message-ID: I will be out of the office starting 11/16/2006 and will not return until 11/21/2006. If you need editing help, please call Kim Woodward -- 8 CLE 1091, Tim Houk -- 8 LOS 5667 or Linda Shou -- 8 SFO 1221.