Philosophy
I believe the purpose of the Quality Assurance program is to ensure the profitability and long term success of the company. To accomplish this, it is essential to:

• Provide a system to link customer requirements and product features, from initial design through the life of the product.
• Develop processes to monitor and improve quality, including FMEA analysis.
• Respect and utilize the expertise and experience of all employees to create a team atmosphere for long term success

Background
This approach to QA is based on my experience and training, which includes:

• Education: Bachelor's degree in mathematics with additional university training in physics, statistics, management, and computer science.
• "Real world" experience: Over 20 years in commercial computer, satellite, and medical electronics. This includes both start-up and established companies, such as National Semiconductor, working in R & D, regulatory (FCC, UL, etc.), quality assurance, production, prototype, and safety testing, and customer service.
• ISO 9000 Registration--In 2002-2003, I led a successful ISO 9001:2000 registration program. Previously, I was a team member in a similar effort, with responsibility for formal procedures and process documentation for Training and Control of Measurement Equipment.

Mission
My mission is to help the business compete and win by using proven methods to control, measure, and improve quality. Meeting regulatory requirements for international markets is a critical part of a solid quality program.

For more information, contact me via phone or e-mail, below.

Typical Scenarios and Services
Here are some sample scenarios and how they might be addressed using these proven methods (click the local link or simply scroll down the page):

• Documentation -- Processes & Procedures (Incl. ISO 9000)
• Statistics & Process Control
• Quality Audits
• Regulatory Engineering for World Markets

Do these situations describe the type of "headaches" your company feels?

• Things seem to go wrong all too often--almost enough to prove that Murphy's Law is true!
• No one has the time to determine the root cause of problems.
• Processes are usually passed along by "word of mouth" or "tribal knowledge," degrading efficiency when someone resigns, is out on leave or vacation, or a new employee needs training.
• Potential customers request the company "Quality Manual," or ISO registration, and business is lost because these quality management systems are not in place.
• The costs of resolving customer complaints are increasing.

• Working with employees to document existing processes. Procedures are developed with the ISO 9001-2000 requirements in mind*, so that if you decide to pursue formal registration, documents do not have to be extensively revised. Formats include digital photography and development of an "intranet" to make documents easily accessible to all in the company.
• Computer based instructions, with video and sound, viewable on a basic web browser. This is an exciting alternative to static images and words on paper!
• Quality plans, statements of work, audit and inspection procedures, etc.

• Analyzing existing data
• Suggesting alternate statistical methods to solve problem
• Training personnel in basic statistics and Statistical Process Control (SPC)
• Training (or assistance in conducting) in Design of Experiments (DOE) to maximize the efficiency of design and prototype processes