Benefits for a world of seven billion people

As the world population achieves a new landmark of seven billion people, ISO standards offer practical tools for sustainability and a better, safer world.

According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the population of our planet has now reached seven billion people (1). It said “This unique moment in human history represents both an achievement and a challenge, and will have an impact on every single person on the planet. A world of seven billion has implications for sustainability, urbanization, access to health services and youth empowerment – however, it also offers a rare call-to-action opportunity to renew global commitment for a healthy and sustainable world.”

ISO Secretary-General Rob Steele comments: “Standards play a pivotal role in facilitating the interaction of so many people. Every day, thousands of ISO standards help people at work, in the home and at play, by promoting quality and efficiency, making lives safer and more comfortable, fostering economic prosperity and looking after

our planet. And that is because ISO standards are made by people to help solve problems for people.”

Examples include standards for food safety, medical devices, social responsibility, building and construction, transportation and fighting climate change. Whether we are pressing on the brake of a car, playing ice hockey protected by a helmet, or using a computer, ISO standards make an important contribution to our safety and efficiency.

As the world population reaches seven billion, International Standards can help address the ever growing challenge of sustainability. For example, standards for food and water quality and for energy management can contribute to an effective use of resources. And standards for new technologies help promote and deploy innovations crucial to facilitating the lives of a rising population. In fact, most ISO standards contribute in one way or another to addressing the economic, societal and environmental aspects of sustainability.

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Effective Team Charter

Too often teams spend a considerable amount of their valuable resources trying to figure out what it is they are supposed to do, writes contributors John Moran, Grace Duffy and Michael Rudis. Before starting any type of a process improvement work, it is important to know where you’re headed. Here’s how a Team Charter can help.

A Team Charter is the official document from the team sponsor that empowers the team to act. It is a written document describing the mission of the team and how this mission is to be accomplished.

The Team Charter is one of the most under-used and under-valued tools available to sponsors, team leaders, and facilitators for helping a team succeed.But it is often overlooked because it is time consuming to develop. To write a clear, concise, and inclusive Team Charter requires great forethought and effort.

Often the sponsor is in such a rush to start the teaming process that they skip the basic step of filling out a Team Charter that clearly defines the goals and objectives to be achieved. When a team is started without a formal Team Charter many meetings are often wasted trying to figure “why we are here, what we should do, and when it should be done.” The team spends a considerable amount of time and energy trying to second guess what the sponsor really wanted when the team was formed. This is a loss of valuable time and talent that could be avoided by designing a clear mission statement prior to the team’s formation. That’s why a sponsor must take the time to fill out a Team Charter.

The Team Charter is an official work contract. This document delineates the strategic goals, boundaries, measures of success, constraints/limits, and available resources. The Team Charter provides a framework for ongoing discussions between the team and its sponsor with regard to the team’s direction and progress.

It is an iterative process until a base line acceptance is established. It must be reviewed on a regular basis by the sponsor, the team leader, facilitator, and team members to ensure that it is reflective of what the team is doing or will be doing in the future.

The following example of the use of a Team Charter in a Public Health Department is an excellent adaptation of the concepts in the original team charter article to provide a guidance document to beginning Process Action Teams.

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Kids Vaccination Schedule

More than 1 out of 10 parents of young children in the United States follow an “alternative vaccination schedule” rather than the officially recommended one, according to a new study from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, which also suggests more parents are likely to follow. You can read about the study in a paper published online in the journal Pediatrics on Monday.
Every year, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) publish recommended schedules and guidelines for when children and adolescents should receive their vaccine or series of shots against communicable diseases such as: chickenpox (varicella vaccine); measles, mumps rubella (MMR); diptheria, tetanus and pertussis or whooping cough (DTaP); Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib); Hepatitis A and



Hepatitis B (Hep A, Hep B); seasonal influenza; polio (IPV); pneuococcal disease (PCV); and rotavirus (RV). There are two schedules: one covers birth to 6 years and the other covers from age 7 to 18 years. There is also a “catch-up schedule” to help those who need to get back on track.

Dr Amanda Dempsey, assistant professor of pediatrics and communicable diseases at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and colleagues, write that in the US, more and more parents appear to be departing from the CDC’s vaccination schedule. So they decided to see how widespread this was nationwide and also investigate the extent to which those that are currently following the recommended schedule might deviate from it in the future.

To do this they carried out an internet-based survey that took a single “snapshot” of a nationally representative sample of parents of children aged from 6 months to 6 years. Using statistical tools, they then looked at links between various demographic characteristics of the respondents, factors that might influence their decisions, and their use of an alternative vaccination schedule.

748 parents took part (response rate of 61%) in the survey. The results showed that:

Of those who followed an alternative schedule, just over half (53%) refused only certain vaccines, and/or delayed them until their child was older (55%); while 17% reported refusing all vaccines.

Non-black parents, and those whose child did not have a regular health care provider, were the only factors to be significantly linked to following an alternative schedule.

28% of the parents who were following the recommended schedule thought that delaying vaccine doses was safer than the schedule they were following.

And 28% disagreed that the recommended schedule was the best one.

Read more text http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/

marketplace, including business development positions at Munters, a manufacturer of desiccant dehumidification equipment.  He has also been a catalyst in identifying and developing new markets for global distribution channels.  His proven track record and extensive experience in the marketing of value-added consumable products will also benefit the division, its global distributors and end users.

“Scott’s experience building organizations that sell through distribution makes him a natural fit to lead the growing Air Sentry^® division,” said Jeff Peterson, president and chief executive officer of The Whitmore Group.  “His international experience, business development expertise and glowing praise from prior distributors make him an excellent fit for our organization,” added Mr. Peterson.

Joe Loftin, Air Sentry’s sales manager, will continue to focus sales efforts in the North American market and Steve Anderson, the company’s director of innovation, will continue to bring new and innovative products to market.

Dunbar will have responsibility for all sales, marketing, product development and customer service functions.  He received a Bachelor of Business Administration in Business Management and Marketing from Eastern Michigan University and will reside in Rockwall, Texas.

The Whitmore Group, consisting of The Whitmore Manufacturing Company, KATS Coatings^®, Horizon Lubricants and Air Sentry^®, is a leader in creating component protection technology through the manufacturing of specialized lubricants, coatings, sealants, and contamination control breathers with broad product application for a variety of industries on a global basis.  Since 1979, Whitmore has operated as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Capital Southwest Corporation, a Dallas-based investment company that provides patient equity capital to exceptional businesses.

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Wall Builder is a web-based information security and confidentiality management software application that enables organizations to centrally control, monitor and report on user access

permissions across multiple applications, including document management, accounting, portal, CRM, time entry and records management systems. It also automates notifications to individuals subject to specific policies and tracks acknowledgments for compliance purposes.

This year, several law firms have been recognized for their success based on their adoption of IntApp Wall Builder. Most recently, Patricia Fitzpatrick, Director of Practice Management at Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP, a full-service law firm with over 600 lawyers, was honored by the International Legal Technology Association (ILTA.) as part of its 2011 Distinguished Peer Awards Program. She is one of three finalists in the “Risk and Records Management Champion” category. The winner will be announced August 25, 2011 at ILTA’s annual conference.

“We’re pleased to count ourselves as a successful IntApp Wall Builder client and honored to be selected as a finalist for an ILTA Distinguished Peer Award based on our information risk management efforts,” said Patricia Fitzpatrick, Director of Practice Management, Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP. “IntApp has definitely distinguished itself in our eyes, particularly with its service team’s commitment to addressing our rigorous product implementation and information security requirements.”

Wall Builder is the most-adopted ethical walls and confidentiality management software by law firms with 150 or more lawyers. According to an independent survey by the International Legal Technology Association (ILTA) of its membership, 74% of large law firms using commercial software to enforce ethical screens to secure access to confidential information use IntApp Wall Builder.

Law firms must closely manage and track internal access to client information for many reasons. These include waiver-driven ethical screens, client outside counsel guidelines, and compliance with regulations such as the HITECH Act, ITAR and several data privacy laws.

Wall Builder replaces distributed, ad hoc approaches to information security with a centralized system that provides organizations with unprecedented capability and control over user access to specific applications, documents and other information. It’s the only product for law firms that delivers real-time enforcement while updating access rights in response to attorney behavior to ensure that policies are kept up to date automatically.

“Today law firms face an unprecedented set of confidentiality drivers, which is why so many choose to work with IntApp, as we focus on developing the most sophisticated technology available for addressing this specific challenge, and delivering it in a way that’s easy to deploy and easy to use,” said Pat Archbold, head of IntApp’s Risk Practice Group. “We’re excited to reach these important milestones and thankful to the legal community for standardizing on IntApp Wall Builder for confidentiality management.”

About IntApp

IntApp provides software products and services that enable law firms to achieve competitive advantage by exceeding client compliance requirements, increasing revenue, and reducing operational costs. IntApp’s three practice groups (Risk, Revenue and Integration) focus on understanding existing pressures and emerging trends, and translate this knowledge into products and best practices. IntApp products are the most-adopted in their respective categories – Wall Builder for ethical screens and client confidentiality management, Time Builder for time capture, and Integration Builder for application integration and master data management. IntApp serves over 200 customers, is endorsed by major software vendors across all categories, and has cultivated a vibrant partner community.

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healthcare is also expected to increase.

Scope:

• Market size data for Renal Dialysis Equipment market categories – Dialysis Accessories, Peritoneal Dialysis Solutions, Hemodialysis Machines and Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy Machines.
• Annualized market revenues ($m), volume (units) and average price ($) data for each of the segments and sub-segments within the four market categories. Data from 2003 to 2010, forecast forward for seven years to 2017.
• 2010 company shares and distribution shares data for the overall Renal Dialysis Equipment market in each of the aforementioned countries.
• Global corporate-level profiles of key companies operating within the Renal Dialysis Equipment market in BRICS.
• Key players covered include Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA, Baxter International Inc., Gambro AB, NIPRO CORPORATION, B. Braun Melsungen AG, NIKKISO CO., LTD., Asahi Kasei Corporation.

Reasons to Buy:

• Develop business strategies by identifying the key market categories and segments poised for strong growth.
• Develop market-entry and market expansion strategies.
• Design competition strategies by identifying who-stands-where in the Renal Dialysis Equipment competitive landscape in BRICS.
• Develop capital investment strategies by identifying the key market segments expected to register strong growth in the near future.
• What are the key distribution channels and what’s the most preferred mode of product distribution – Identify, understand and capitalize.

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The article begins by saying that many Amish had “weathered the recession far better than most other Americans” due to their frugality, lifestyle, and philosophy that does not drive them even in good times to buy things they don’t need or can’t afford. The Amish habits listed in the article sound very much like lean management principles:

1. Use it up, wear it out, make do or do without. The Amish don’t believe in trading up or replacing something that still has useful life left in it. This follows the lean principle of “use your wits, not your wallet” to fix or improve a process or piece of equipment many times before buying a replacement.

2. Don’t work for a dead horse. While most of us non-Amish are busy beating our dead horses, the Amish are paying off their debts on time every month and keeping any credit strictly short-term, not taking the risk that the horse will die before they finish paying for it. The avoidance of long-term credit suits the simple and local model of Amish business, but may be harder to emulate for corporations who require larger investments to grow. But this is also a lean principle because the inexpensive, general purpose asset that is dedicated to a low-speed flow process pays off much quicker than the expensive, fast, all-purpose asset which demands utilization and drives overproduction, the mother of all wastes.

3. More is caught than taught. The Amish do not explicitly teach their children about being frugal. Instead it is “absorbed by being in the culture” as parents show that they “use it up, wear it out” and children teach each other to share what they have. This is remarkably like comments from Toyota people that the TPS is “in the air” and absorbed by demonstration and observation, less direct teaching. Most likely both are necessary in the modern business world and outside of the simple Amish life, but if it is true that more is caught than taught it critical to lead by example.

4. Simpler often translates to cheaper. The indulgences of Amish mentioned in the article include ice cream, salad dressing or Ritz crackers, and even these are seldom enjoyed. Simple pleasures are the best. So are simple measures, simple processes and simple rules – the stuff lean systems are made of.

read at http://www.gembapantarei.com/

Dunbar’s number takes this idea to the next level, possibly defining the maximum effective size of an organization. It needs to be said that this rests on the premise that stable social relationships are essential for effective organizations. These stable social relationships are based on social contact and mutual recognition. These in turn are limited by our cognitive capabilities. Dunbar’s number hypothesizes that there is an upper limit beyond which detailed rules are necessary to maintain stable social order. Based on observations of villages, armies, academic organizations, communities and companies, this number is proposed to be around 150 people. In the words of British anthropologist Robin Dunbar

“this limit is a direct function of relative neocortex size, and that this in turn limits group size … the limit imposed by neocortical processing capacity is simply on the number of individuals with whom a stable inter-personal relationship can be maintained.”

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Chapter 7, Effective Decisions, is especially valuable for the lean problem solver or problem solving coach, and by logical upward extension the executive. Distilling the wisdom in this chapter, we can say that there are three requirements for management by fact. They are

1) decision on the criteria of relevance,

2) testing of hypothesis and conversion of opinion into tested fact, and

3) arriving at consensus through clash and conflict of divergent opinions.

data were plotted before I liberated them for action with a simple graph.

Example One: Take for instance the data for a heat sink. The supplier provided the data in tabular format. No part was out of specification and so no action was taken. I plotted the data as in Figure 1, showed it to the supplier quality manager, and he immediately saw that there was a pattern to the data; Down… Up… Down… Up… Down… Up…. Then the pattern reverses at Point 16. What causes this special pattern? Different shifts? Different Lines? Different Machines? Different measurement systems? Find out what causes the pattern and take action to fix it. Plot the data. Take action.

Example Two: Another supplier dutifully recorded the time and the solder temperature for a wave solder operation. The numbers were stored on data sheets and accumulated for weeks and months. They came to life when I plotted them using boxplots for each of the five different times of day as shown in Figure 2. Nobody knew that there were start-up/warm-up differences at 8:30 compared with the other times. Even if there were no additional clean-up costs after wave solder, the cold solder temperatures could still result in reliability problems later. Plot the data and you see what action to take.

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