Aim and Stats
Now in our twelfth year of operation, the aim of the "OD" sessions is to continue to foster an appreciation of InThinking within an emerging network that is developing inside Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne and beyond. Dates for future "OD" sessions along with additional "thinking" opportunities for 2011 can be found in this announcement.
OD Stats
For an update on OD statistics, this month's invitation is going out to 5000+ partners in the U.S., as well as fellow inthinking partners in Australia, Austria, Bosnia-Hercegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Chile, Dubai, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and the U.K. Taken together, these individuals represent over 600 organizations in this list of nations, from elementary schools and senior high schools to colleges and universities, from one-person consulting firms to United Technologies, GM, IBM, General Electric, NASA, Philips Electronics, and The Boeing Company. Among this list of invitees, participation in March's OD conference call with John Pourdehnad
included 22 partners from across the US and UK, (in all, 147 have joined in so far in 2011, 520+ joined us in 2010, 450 in 2009, 394 in 2008, 342 in 2007, 444 in 2006, and 402 in 2005...ah, yes, variation exists).
And, yes, Grace, the diffusion process of connecting thought leaders continuuues...
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As we end the month with the Memorial Day weekend in the U.S., here's the belated announcement that the May Ongoing Discussion has slipped into June and will be held on June 2nd and 3rd, with Phil Monroe sharing "Deming's Message to Me." Link here for the PARTICIPANT SURVEY and to receive the conference call information once you complete the survey. Find details on the Ongoing Discussion below.
Cheers...
Bill Bellows
Associate Fellow and Lead
InThinking Network
Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne
Canoga Park, California
william.bellows@pwr.utc.com |
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50 States and 16,000+ miles in a Year
The cover story of the October 2010 edition of Time magazine is titled, "An American Journey - 6,782 miles, 12 states, 24 days, 576 songs," a journey in pursuit of "the issues people are talking about." Meanwhile, the husband and wife team of Doug Adams and Deb Lewis, who joined us as Thought Leaders in July 2009 on the topic of Reconstruction in Iraq: An Extraordinary Opportunity to Expand One's Thinking on How We "Help" Others, are going further, much further, all in the spirit of "helping" focus "awareness and action" on the issues of U.S. veterans. With Doug on his bicycle and Deb and Daisy, their 10-year old Chihuahua, in the tour's motor coach, Simba, progress along their 50 state, 16,000+ mile "Duty, Honor, America Tour" can be tracked on their website as well as on Facebook. Look for Doug and Deb to share their stories with us, along the tour, as Thought Leaders in 2011. Until then, follow them on their blog sites ( Doug and Deb), as well as on Facebook and using Twitter for day-by-day updates. At last report, Deb and Doug were seen near Route 31 in western Michigan, on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan, heading towards Whitehall and looking for Wolverines and Spartans and friends they've not yet met, to share their vision with. |
Memories of and from Russ Ackoff
The one and only Russ Ackoff served as our "January" Ongoing Discussion Thought Leader on four occasions between 2006 and 2009. In addition to these "visits" with us from his home in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, he also traveled to Canoga Park every year, from 2003 through 2007, to deliver half-day and full-day lectures in our Leadership & Learning Center (picture above), as well as in Boeing's Conference Center in nearby Huntington Beach. In doing so, he inspired us with his countless "systems" stories, from his chance visit to AT&T's Bell Labs to experience the account of the "overnight destruction of the Bell telephone system" (and his discovery of their use what came to be known as the Idealized Design process) to the tale of a cost-cutting paper company client, who continued to offer sales of a paltry amount (think "loss leader") of specialty photographic paper to Claire Booth Luce, whose husband's company, Time magazine, was their number 1 customer. One of these stories, plus many more from his career in the U.S. Army, stationed in the South Pacific, to his lengthy career as a management consultant, is told by Russ in the first of two recent posthumous publications by Triarchy Press, titled Memories. Follow this link for more details on this book, in addition to news of the second book, Differences That Make a Difference. Here's a link for details on a special discount.
To view a video of John Pourdehnad's fond memories of Russ, follow this link on YouTube. |
| Menlo Labs' "Garden of Eden" in LA
Tracy Huston, our Ongoing Discussion Thought Leader in 2007 and again in 2009, with Dave Flanigan, has been putting her green thumb to work in Los Angeles, guided by her systemic thinking and joining minds and arms with Dave Flanigan to initiate an urban farming project that is serving 150 families a week (including 40+ within Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne) with everything from carrots to chilies, employing at-risk youth in the San Fernando Valley, and providing free training for more than 75 employees. In a recent visit to their North Hollywood farm (covered by local media, including the LA Daily News) on land provided by the Department of Water and Power, and a project funded by the city of Los Angeles, Tracy and Dave shared a vision of "an Eden in the middle of a city" and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa imagined "what we could do if the city could now find more land." While we wait for a return visit by Tracy and Dave as Ongoing Discussion Thought Leaders in 2011, link here for more about their recent book, Gardening for People and Planet. |
| Ken Hopper's Papers Donated to The Drucker Institute
In December 2008, we hosted Kenneth ("Ken") and William ("Will") Hopper as Thought Leaders for an Ongoing Discussion. Find the December 2008 "OD" announcement at this link, on the topic of their book, The Puritan Gift. In recent news from The Drucker Institute, the Kenneth Hopper Papers on Management will be added to the Institute's archives. According to the announcement;
Donated by Kenneth and Claire Hopper, the collection comprises his records from a long career in industrial management and consultancy in the U.K., the U.S., Ireland, Continental Europe and Japan. A major part of the collection includes original correspondence, manuals, memoirs and other documents related to the Civil Communications Section (CCS) under General MacArthur's command in Tokyo after World War II. These papers tell the story of how the Americans shared their industrial management know-how with some very able Japanese, eventually giving rise to the Asian Economic Miracle. Find more details on the archives at this link. Follow this link to register to attend the donation ceremony at the Drucker Institute, set for June 23rd, from 3:00-6:30pm at 1021 North Dartmouth Avenue in Clarement, California. |
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Welcome First Timers
Your names have been added to this announcement list by virtue of your attendance in our series of InThinking Roadmap seminars, workshops, and overviews within Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, or attendance at the annual In2:InThinking Network Forum, through a personal request, from you or a friend. Welcome to our thinking networks.
Click either link below to send me the name(s) and e-mail address(es) of anyone you would like to have added to this mailing list, or let me know if you would like to be removed. Thanks!!!
ADDITIONS DELETIONS |
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Thought Leader - Phil Monroe
Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne's InThinking Network welcomes Phil Monroe, from Coronada, California, to lead our fifth Ongoing Discussion of 2011 on June 2nd and 3rd (and our 137th session since we began in January 2000). Phil has selected Deming's Message to Me as our topic this month, his first time with us as a Thought Leader, following many times as a participant.
I had the pleasure of attending three presentations by W. Edwards Deming in February 1900 at Western Connecticut State University (WCSU) in Danbury, each hosted by Professor Dan Fox. Other than some minor reading abour Dr. Deming, my limited appreciation of him at the time was largely limited to his efforts to help Japan after World War 2. The first two sessions at WCSU were afternoon sessions, directed to students and faculty, respectively. The third was an evening session, about 90 minutes in length. It was recorded and can be viewed in its entirety on Vimeo at this link. These sessions represented my first exposure to Dr. Deming and his management theory. I was fortunate to be able to attend all three sessions and hear a very similar message in each session. His thinking on topics from competition to his System of Profound Knowledge needed a second and third try attempt to begin to make sense of his perspective. Most striking at the time was to hear his view on competition, as he quoted Alfie Kohn's book, No Contest: The Case Against Competition. Never before had I heard anyone challenge competition as being counter productive. Never before had I considered so deeply the impact of a system that creates winners and losers. Years later, I appreciate the degree to which competition for resources within organizations can lead to winners and losers at the time and losers overall in the end. Such was Deming's first message to me.
In an excerpt from Phil's Thought Piece, filled with case studies representing five significant learning moments, he begins with his first meeting with Dr. Deming, at a forum associated with a "4-Day Seminar." According to Phil;
The forum was a group of leaders who met with Dr. Deming for an evening when he was on the West Coast conducting one of his four-day seminars. This night, we sat in front of about 300 of our supervisors and asked Dr. Deming questions. I did not know, but soon found out that Dr. Deming was kind, even gentle to people he called the, "Hourly Worker". But he was caustic as hell to top management and I was the Commanding Officer. In an answer to one of my questions he yelled at me saying, "Captain, if that is the way you are acting, you are breaking the law!" That was my conversion moment. Few people have such a dramatic moment in their lives recorded, but I have mine. I walked away from that evening thinking two things;
1. Dr. Deming was right in what he said.
2. I had a lot of learning to do.
I had achieved many things in my career and important positions. I was a firm believer in Management by Objectives, setting goals, and holding people responsible and accountable. It all went out the window that fateful evening and a new life began for me.
Please join us this week to ask Phil about his conversion
moment with Dr. Deming and be prepared to share yours as well.
Biography
Phil Monroe served eight years on the Coronado City Council. Prior to that Mr. Monroe served five years on the Coronado Planning Commission, the last two years as Chairman. He represented Coronado on the SANDAG Board and the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System Board for six years. For thirty years he was an Officer in the U.S. Navy where he held positions in engineering, logistics, and direct fleet support areas. When Phil was Commanding Officer at the Naval Air Rework Facility, North Island, he introduced the Deming management theory to that organization which employed 5,500 personnel and managed an annual budget of over $400 million dollars.
After leaving the Navy, Phil consulted with major companies, helping them develop their Quality Improvement and Performance Measurement implementation strategy. Phil has a unique talent that helps organizations connect their strategic plans to a meaningful measurement strategy. His friendly style and "How to" approach clarify key points to promote learning.
Phil was a founding member of the In2:InThinking Network's Board of Directors. He current serves on the board of the Coronado Historical Association, the Coronado Tennis Association and is Chairman of the Board of Full Access Coordinated Transportation (FACT) that works to meet the transportation needs of Seniors, the disabled and people in Social programs.
Mr. Monroe's degrees include a BA (Mathematics) from Cornell University and an Engineers Degree in Aeronautical Engineering (AeE) from the Naval Postgraduate School. Hobbies include tennis, golf, and rollerbladding. With his wife, Fran, they maintain a love and concern for four daughters.
Contact Phil by email at philmonroe1@aol.com with any questions you would like to share with him in preparation for his OD session with us. |
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OD Details
Please join us for one or all of the hours of this month's ODs. As always, you are invited to participate for as long, or as short, as you can in one or more of these sessions. Note that the conversations vary from session to session, due to a variety of causes, such as who participates and what questions are asked. This diversity is captured every month, as the calls are recorded and posted as mp3 files on a PWR OD website that is being created.
Option - Date/Time (Pacific Time), with Phil Monroe;
1 - Thursday, June 2nd - 12:00-1:00pm
2 - Thursday, June 2nd - 1:00-2:00pm
3 - Friday, June 3rd - 12:00-1:00pm
4 - Friday, June 3rd - 1:00-2:00pm
The agenda for each option will be:
Timing: Topic
Opening 10 minutes: Call in & Introductions
Next 45 minutes: Ongoing Discussion
Last 5 minutes: Farewells and Close
Please reply to this note by noon Pacific Time on Wednesday,
June 1st to confirm your plans to participate in one (or more) of these options. If you do plan to attend, please complete the OD PARTICIPATION SURVEY by using the link below...
PARTICIPANT SURVEY
Those of you connecting in Canoga Park can join in at the Canoga facility on Thursday and Friday in the Leadership & Learning Center.
Telecon lines (including a pass code and a security code) have been arranged for those who cannot join us at our Canoga facility and are provided upon completion of the participant survey.
As always, please forward this announcement to anyone we missed who would also like to participate.
Regards...
Bill |
International Participants
Our conference call sessions are toll-free within the U.S. and Canada. Several international participants have been able to connect toll-free using Skype for a VOIP connection, which we now recommend to others calling in from outside the U.S. and Canada.
First, you'll need to establish a Skype account at www.skype.com. Once Skype is set up and functioning correctly the only thing that is different when connecting with our "InThinking Roadmap" conference call sessions ("OD" or "The New Economics Study Sessions") is the use of a pass code and security code. For our "OD" sessions, these numbers are provided once the "participant survey" is completed. For the "The New Economics Study Sessions," these numbers are provided in an email from Tim Higgins, who hosts these calls. In either case, when prompted by Skype to enter these codes, use the keyboard not voice option and be sure to turn off the computer's microphone, otherwise the numeric keys don't function. If the microphone is left on when the codes are entered, Skype's automated operator will reply with "number not recognized," as no number has been transmitted.
New users of Skype are encouraged to perform a conference call test in advance of the scheduled "InThinking Roadmap" conference call. Contact Bill Bellows to arrange for a test call. |
Future OD Dates
Mark your calendars - future Ongoing Discussion sessions will be held on the following dates (subject to slight changes), from 12-1pm and 1-2pm Pacific Time.
Month, Dates and Thought Leader(s):
June 23-24, Steven Ringelstein
July 25-26, To Be Determined
August 25-26, Bill Bellows and Ariane David
September 26-27, David Wayne
October 20-21, Debbie Cook (InThinking Roadmap Seminar Week)
November 17-18, Graham Rawlinson
December 16-17, Deb Lewis & Doug Adams
January 26-27, Gipsie Ranney
February 23-24, Ilene Val-Essen
Note that the "OD" home page on the In2:InThinking Network web site is being moved to a PWR website. Stay tuned for the new address. |
Systems Thinking Newsletter
Available online for Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne employees...
The Systems Thinker is an electronic newsletter made available monthly (on a subscription basis) by Pegasus Communications. Each issue provides articles and case studies on systems thinking concepts and is available only electronically (as a pdf file). Tools and techniques for use in the Learning Organization are regularly included in this valuable publication. Featured authors include thought leaders and consultants well known in organizational learning and change management circles.
The current edition of the SYSTEMS THINKER, as well as archived issues from December 2002 through May 2011, is available for reading and printing by Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne employees here.
Network friends outside of Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne can learn more about this newsletter AND read a variety of sample issues and articles online. Individual and site licenses are available. |
InThinking Roadmap Seminars and Workshops
The following in-house "InThinking Roadmap" seminars and workshops are open to employees of Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne (PWR), as well as suppliers, customers, family members, and "Members of the Community." "Members of the Community" are individuals who are involved full or part time, or in a volunteer capacity, in community related work.
Background information on PWR's InThinking Roadmap, in addition to seminar and workshop descriptions and upcoming schedules, are being added to a new PWR website, to be announced. The schedule below includes the next available offerings for the listed seminars in Canoga Park, California. Contact Bill Bellows to request additional information.
Note that the dates listed below are subject to change. All times listed are Pacific Time. |
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2nd Annual InThinking Roadmap Seminar Week (October 17-21)
During the week of October 17th, PWR's InThinking Network will be hosting a week of activities from our InThinking Roadmap. Such a design offers a convenient way for visiting attendees to attend a selection of our sessions during one trip to Los Angeles. Plans include;
Monday, October 17th
8:00-11:00am - Managing Variation as a System - Part 1
12:30-5:30 - InThinking Together - Part 1
Tuesday, October 18th
7:00-11:30am - InThinking Together - Part 2
12:30-3:30pm - Six Thinking Hats - Part 1
Wednesday, October 19th
8:00-11:00am - Managing Variation as a System - Part 2
12:30-3:30pm - Six Thinking Hats - Part 2
Thursday, October 20th
12:00-2:00pm - Ongoing Discussion - Options 1 & 2
Friday, October 21st
8:00-11:00am - Managing Variation as a System - Part 3
12:00-2:00pm - Ongoing Discussion - Options 3 & 4 |
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InThinking Together (formerly "ET")
Description: This seminar explores the philosophies of a variety of management theorist, including but not limited to Russell Ackoff, W. Edwards Deming, Edward de Bono, Tom Johnson, and Genichi Taguchi, among many others; as they apply to the management of organizational resources, including ideas, innovation, knowledge, money, equipment, and space. Among the topics of discussion will be the concepts of "better thinking about thinking" (InThinking) and "Purposeful Resource Management." The seminar will introduce you to these ideas through a series of questions that are specially selected to create awareness of a new approach to working together, learning together, and thinking together.
Registration Fee - there is NO fee to attend
Prerequisites - there are NO prerequisites
Format - two 4.5-hour sessions over two days, offered as an in-person event
Presented by: Bill Bellows
Schedule for InThinking Together classes in Canoga Park, CA for Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne
Class #CP-2011-06
Part 1 - 23-Jun-11 - 7:00-11:30am
Part 2 - 24-Jun-11 - 7:00-11:30am
Class #CP-2011-07
Part 1 - 25-Jul-11 - 7:00-11:30am
Part 2 - 26-Jul-11 - 7:00-11:30am
Class #CP-2011-08
Part 1 - 25-Aug-11 - 7:00-11:30am
Part 2 - 26-Aug-11 - 7:00-11:30am
Class #CP-2011-09
Part 1 - 26-Sep-11 - 7:00-11:30am
Part 2 - 27-Sep-11 - 7:00-11:30am
Class #CP-2011-10 (InThinking Roadmap Seminar Week)
Part 1 - 17-Oct-11 - 12:30-5:00pm
Part 2 - 18-Oct-11 - 7:00-11:30am
Register to attend InThinking Together |
Six Thinking Hats
Description: This seminar is designed to present a more structured approach to thinking, for individuals and teams. We have developed many excellent thinking tools for argument and analysis. Our information technology methods are constantly improving. We have, however, developed few tools to deal with our ordinary everyday thinking - the sort of thinking we do in conversations and in meetings. What is needed is Parallel Thinking or Thinking Together, where each thinker puts forward his or her thoughts in parallel with the thoughts of others. The Six Thinking Hats method is a practical way of carrying out Parallel Thinking. This seminar explores Edward de Bono's concept of Six Thinking Hats as a way to unbundle thinking, separating out its different aspects. Use of the Six Thinking Hats can result in more productive meetings on the road to better resource management within a growing environment of "InThinking Together."
Registration Fee - there is no fee for PWR employees to attend. For visitors, we charge $165, payable to Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne.
Prerequisite - there are NO prerequisites
Presented by: Tim Higgins
Schedule for Six Thinking Hats classes in Canoga Park, CA for Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne
Class #CP-2011-03
16-Aug-11 (7:00am-3:30pm)
Class #CP-2011-04 (InThinking Roadmap Seminar Week)
18-Oct-11 (11:30am-3:30pm)
19-Oct-11 (11:30am-3:30pm)
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Lateral Thinking
Description: This seminar provides participants with a number of deliberate, formal tools for creative thinking followed with opportunities to practice building usable skills. Seminar content is based on the work of Edward de Bono, an international authority on creative thinking and the direct teaching of thinking skills. Edward de Bono's Lateral Thinking tools are based directly on how the brain functions as a self-organizing information system. Here are some notes from Edward de Bono on the definition of Lateral Thinking:
1. You cannot dig a hole in a different place by digging the same hole deeper.
2. Lateral Thinking is for changing concepts and perceptions instead of trying harder with the same concepts and perceptions.
3. In self-organizing information systems, asymmetric patterns are formed.
Lateral Thinking is a method for cutting across from one pattern to another. This course develops skill in the use of the Lateral Thinking tools by means of practice exercises. Skills learned will build upon concepts covered in other classes on our InThinking Roadmap.
Registration Fee - there is no fee for PWR employees to attend. For visitors, we charge $120, payable to Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne.
Prerequisite - Six Thinking Hats
Format - two 8-hour sessions, offered as an in-person event
Presented by: Tim Higgins
Schedule for Lateral Thinking classes in Canoga Park, CA for Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne
Class #CP-2011-02
1-Dec-11 and 8-Dec-11 7:00am-4:00pm
Register to attend Lateral Thinking |
Managing Variation as a System
Description: This seminar continues to explore the prospects of better thinking as defined by the management and leadership philosophies of Russell Ackoff, W. Edwards Deming and Genichi Taguchi and other like-minded systemic thinkers. The topics of discussion will be "Resource Management" (the systemic application of resources, including activities without problems, but featuring opportunities for investment) and it's applicability to variation management and systems thinking. This seminar will introduce you to these ideas through a series of questions specially selected to reveal a refreshing perspective when managing variation as a system.
Registration Fee - there is NO fee for employees to attend. Visitors are asked to bring a copy of the course textbook (Donald Wheeler's
Understanding Variation), which can be purchased online for as low as $25. Follow this link to Amazon for one purchase option.
Prerequisite - there are NO prerequisites
Format - three 3-hour sessions over three days, offered as an in-person event
Presented by: Joe Onstott
Class #CP-2011-01 (InThinking Roadmap Seminar Week)17-Oct-11, 19-Oct-11, 21-Oct-11 8:00-11:00am
Register to attend Managing Variation as a System
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Kepner-Tregoe Problem Solving and Decision Making
Description: The seminar presents more rational approaches to problem solving, decision making, and successful planning. The seminar content is based on the work of Charles Kepner and Ben Tregoe who studied the methodology of "successful" managers and concluded that better skills in problem solving, decision-making and planning were a key distinction.
Registration Fee - there is no fee for PWR employees to attend. For visitors, we charge $330, payable to Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne.
Prerequisite - there are NO prerequisites
Format - three 7-hour sessions over three weeks, offered as an in-person event
Presented by: Tim Higgins
Suggestion: If you are unable to attend all three sessions in a given monthly series, we encourage you to attend the first session and then attend the second and third in any order during a future monthly series.
Schedule for Kepner-Tregoe classes in Canoga Park, CA for Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne
Class #CP-2011-02
13-Sep-11, 20-Sep-11, and 27-Sep-11 7:00am-4:00pm
Register to attend Kepner-Tregoe |
The New Economics Study Session
Description: A group of participants assembles, some in-person and some via teleconference, for this 14-hour series. Participants discuss W. Edwards Deming's last book, The New Economics, in which he introduced his concept of a "System of Profound Knowledge." The group reads specified chapters before each session and discusses the meaning and application of the ideas, as well as personal reactions to the ideas. Supplemental reading material become part of the conversations, as do reactions to video tapes of Dr. Deming.
Registration Fee - there is NO fee to attend. In addition, this is a toll-free call from the United States and Canada. International participants are welcome to join in as well, provided they do so at their own expense for the conference call.
Prerequisite - there are NO prerequisites
Format - seven 2-hour sessions over three and a half weeks, offered as a teleconference event
Presented by: Tim Higgins
Session #CP-2011-02
Sessions begin on 23-May-11 and run on Mondays and Wednesdays through 15-Jun-11, from 3:00-5:00pm (skipping Memorial Day)
Session #CP-2011-03
Sessions begin on 31-Oct-11 and run on Mondays and Wednesdays through 21-Nov-11, from 3:00-5:00pm
Register to attend the TNE Study Session |
Design of Experiments & Taguchi Methods -An Overview
Description: This seminar introduces the fundamentals of both Design of Experiments (DOE) and Taguchi Methods and also serves to relate both bodies of knowledge to PWR's InThinking Network efforts. This course is a condensed version of two extensive 40-hour Taguchi Methods seminars. The shorter overview is designed to provide a strong foundation in the thinking and applicability of DOE and Taguchi Methods for both process and product improvement.
Registration Fee - there is NO fee to attend Prerequisite - there are NO prerequisites
Format - eight 2-hour sessions over four weeks, offered as an in-person event
Presented by: Bill Bellows
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