Interview #9: Vinay Goyal

Posted on by jimecalfa
A new interview of the QIC – Quality Interview Chain is here! Today let’s meet Vinay Goyal, a QMS professional with more than 30 years of experience. Enjoy the interview!

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* YOURSELF / OCCUPATION: Who are you and what you do? 

Hi My name is Vinay Goyal, I was born and raised in India. I finished my BS in Electronic and Telecommunication from University of Roorkee India (Now called Indian Institute of Technology)


I am currently working for a Medical Device Company and take care of regulatory requirements related to Product Environmental Compliance and Stewardship.
I have worked mostly in electronics companies manufacturing products for commercial, military and medical applications, ranging from a very small company to very large corporations in various functions e.g. customer service, test engineering, manufacturing, quality, regulatory etc. 
I have received numerous awards and recognitions. 
Numerous presentations on quality and product environmental requirements in professional organizations e.g. ASQ, PSES, SME, etc. Published two reader guides on Regulatory Affairs for Medical Devices and Quality audits for Medical Devices.
Married, have two boys and two grandsons.

* CHALLENGES: What was the biggest challenge you faced in your job and how did you handle it?

The biggest challenge in any company for me was to make a place for myself and be the part of the team. I changed my jobs several times from design to customer services and marketing, test engineering to quality, reliability, regulatory, manufacturing, and now product environmental.
How did I handle it: Educate myself, becoming a better listener, educating myself as per the requirements, be hands-on, using quality tools e.g. visit where the problem occurs (Gemba), form a cross functional team, using Kaizen approach, come-up with short and long term solutions, be ready to make adjustments as needed and drive for the results. 
If not all 100% at least good 95% time, I was able to resolve the issue(s) successfully and once forever. 


* CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT: What are you doing to ensure you continue to grow and improve as a professional and/or as a person?

Educate yourself, use common sense, form a team of good resources at your disposal, analyze risks and associated pros and cons, do not be afraid in taking tough decisions, and take the ball and start running.

* QUALITY QUOTE: Which is your favorite quality quote?

Do it right the first time; Lead by the example, Do not follow where the path may lead. Go, instead, where there is no path and leave a trail.

* MOTIVATION / PASSION: What motivates you to do what you do? What are you truly passionate about?

Motivation: Having an opportunity where I can freely think, research, and share my thoughts in a team environment, implement and see encouraging positive results. Money is important but if you are good no matter wherever you go, you can make a place for yourself and money will come automatically depending on your fair market value.

* ADVICE / RECOMMENDATION: What advice would you pass along to others taking the same path as you? Any specific books/blogs/authors you would recommend?

Basic education is important but a good attitude e.g. be a good listener, be respectful and having a desire (hunger) for constant learning from both good and bad experiences. Education helps in boosting your confidence that you can do it and typically provides you a moderate success but may not provide ultimate inner satisfaction. Improving your common sense is very important but common sense is not common and it comes by listening, watching, practicing etc. and is an on-going process.

* FREE TIME: In your free time, what do you like to do to relax?
Listen music, singing, watch TV, research/reading latest activities related to my professional career, volunteer in professional and social organizations, teach in a college and professional organizations.

* HUMOR: I’m convinced that humor at work is the best remedy to reduce stress and help you with your productivity; do you have any funny stories/videos/pictures you would like to share with us?

It depends on each individual. Some people are very funny but are not good what they do. On the contrary some people are very introvert and quiet but do a super job. That does not mean that one is better than the other. I cannot recall anything funny but one incident I remember when in one of my previous companies as a Quality Manager I was giving the plant tour to our owner and CEO. He asked me how many people work for quality and I do not know why but my immediate response was 370. He looked pretty confused with my answer and repeated the same question couple of times, each time with more emphasis on every word. I gave him the same response. Then I clarified to him that we have total 370 employees and each employee is supposed to do a quality job. People directly reporting to me in QA department are there to assist other employees in achieving our collective policy and goals. 


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#1 Link: Bob Mehta: Quality Professional and very career oriented.

#2 Link: Dave Nagy: Professional and one of the most dedicated person.


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Connect with Vinay Goyal through LinkedIn.

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Thank you so much Vinay Goyal for your participation in the QIC. Appreciate it!

Interview #8 – Larry Pope

Posted on by jimecalfa
A new interview of The QIC – Quality Interview Chain is here! My pleasure to present Larry Pope, an Experienced Quality Professional with more than 25 years of experience in the pharmaceutical field. Keep an eye on his challenge story, so worth it. Enjoy it!

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* YOURSELF / OCCUPATION: Who are you and what you do?

I began my journey in Quality 29 years ago. My experience has been focused on pharmaceutical manufacturing (sterile injectable, solid dose, topical solutions/creams/ointments). My first job in Quality was in the Quality Control Laboratory as a bench chemist. After 6 years in the lab, I moved to Quality Assurance providing guidance for sterile fill manufacturing. I then took a detour to the “Dark Side,” and spent 6 years in various operational roles. I returned to Quality Assurance and had various roles including Site Head of Quality. I am currently working as Senior Quality Manager for contract manufacturing. My journey has allowed me to live in 7 different states and travel to 7 foreign countries. I am very active in ASQ. I have been ASQ Certified Quality Auditor since 2002. In April 2015, ASQ published an article I wrote concerning internal auditing. My educational background includes a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering and a Master of Business Administration.

* CHALLENGES: What was the biggest challenge you faced in your job and how did you handle it?

The biggest challenge that I have faced in my career, so far, happened several years ago. The company I worked for had a business partner that wanted to introduce their product to the Japanese market. In pharmaceutical market place, Japan ranks 2nd in the world; therefore, this would mean a great deal for both companies. My role at the time was site Compliance so I was tapped to prepare the site for the inevitable pre-approval inspection. Since no one at the site or at our corporate office had experience with this type of inspection, I had no choice but to “roll up the shirt sleeves” and dive right in.

I started by reviewing the Japanese regulations, finding any gaps, and filling those gaps. In this process, I learned that the inspection would be conducted in Japanese (by regulation) thus I needed to engage the services of interpreters. The interpreters were brought in a couple months in advance of the inspection as a “mock” inspection. This allowed for (1) practice for the inspection, (2) the interpreters to learn about site specific phrases that would be used during the inspection, and (3) site personnel to learn and practice cultural norms for the inspection. In the final days before the inspection, we purchased a Japanese flag to be flown in a place of honor next to our US and state flags.

The day of the inspection arrived and the site staff were confident and ready. After the traditional introductions and exchange of business cards, the inspection started. It lasted five days but was very successful. After the closing meeting, the lead inspector took me aside and spoke to me in English (for the first time in 5 days). He said “I hope you did not feel we were being especially hard on you and your staff. You must understand that my role is to protect the Japanese people and ensure that only safe and effective drugs make it to the market.”

The moral of this story is to rely on your quality tools to help you prepare for those difficult situations. Also remember to always keep the customer in mind when you are making those daily Quality-related decisions.

* CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT: What are you doing to ensure you continue to grow and improve as a professional and/or as a person?
I was lucky enough to have teachers in high school and college that instilled in me a passion for continuous learning. I am also fortunate to be living in a time where all I have to do is go to the internet and all the newest and brightest ideas can be found. I start each day reviewing the latest information from the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) website. I learn what issues other companies are having and apply that knowledge so to prevent that issue at my site. I attend webinars on topics of interest. Another great source of information is ASQ. The website contains news about Quality from many industries. Finally, I network with my Quality colleagues at local ASQ section meetings, seminars, and social media.

* QUALITY QUOTE: Which is your favorite quality quote?

“Quality is not something you install like a new carpet or a set of bookshelves, you implant it. Quality is something you work at. It is a learning process.” by Dr. W. Edwards Deming

* MOTIVATION / PASSION: What motivates you to do what you do? What are you truly passionate about?
In the first few days of my life, I developed a very serious eye infection. Luckily, there was a pharmaceutical solution that cured the infection and saved my eyesight. Many years later, I started my first job allowed me to help others by making sure that my company’s pharmaceutical products were safe and effective. So, I would say that I am passionate about help people.

* ADVICE / RECOMMENDATION: What advice would you pass along to others taking the same path as you? Any specific books/blogs/authors you would like to recommend?
Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone. You’ll be amazed what you will learn. I have known people that would say “I’ll never work for a company under a FDA Warning Letter or Consent Decree.” I learned the most about quality by taking positions with companies that had issues with regulatory agencies and helping them to improve.

A book recommendation: Willful Blindness by Margaret Heffernan – she walks you through several examples how bad things happening when we become willfully blind (ignoring the obvious). As Quality professionals, we should never be willfully blind but ever vigilant to make the hard decisions.

* FREE TIME: In your free time, what do you like to do to relax?
Movies, movies, movies – I love to escape into a good story and be transported and forget about things for a few hours.

I also find enjoyment in the time I spend on my blog. The blog is a place for me to share Quality and Science articles, quotes, and news that I find interesting.

* HUMOR: I’m convinced that humor at work is the best remedy to reduce stress and help you with your productivity; do you have any funny stories/videos/pictures you would like to share with us?
I recall seeing a video during my MBA course work. In the video Gill Rider, Head, Civil Service Capability Group, UK Cabinet Office recounted an incident that has stuck with me. She was late for a meeting and was running down the hallway when she was stopped. The gentleman asked her what she was doing. She responded by saying she was late for an important meeting. The gentleman asked again what she was doing. After she repeated the same response given previously, the gentleman said “No, you are telling everyone that things are out of control.” Upon reflection, Gill agreed with the gentleman and said “You can’t talk your way out of what you behave your way into.” This is a good adage for any Quality professional to keep in their back pocket for use in those occasions when the operational procedures have been bent just about as far as possible.

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Connect with Larry Pope on LinkedIn and through his Blog.

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Thank you so much LARRY POPE for being part of this project! I’ve really enjoyed your interview a lot!

Interview #7 – John Hunter

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The QIC – Quality Interview Chain is growing! My pleasure to present today ASQ Influential Voice John Hunter: Senior Facilitator at The W. Edwards Deming Institute, Senior Consultant at Hexawise and CEO of Curious Cat Ltd with more than 15 years of experience in management consulting, software development and internet consulting. Enjoy and learn from his experience!

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* YOURSELF / OCCUPATION: Who are you and what you do? 

For the last few years I have travel around South-East Asia: doing some work for clients and managing web sites while delivering a few management seminars.

I write many blogs on things I like to explore and learn about. In my most recently blog I am covering topics related to a freelance nomad lifestyle and entrepreneurship. On my web site I provide links to other interviews and podcasts with me on the topic of management improvement.

I lived in Malaysia for 3 years and now am pursuing a nomadic lifestyle. Since leaving Malaysia I have spend a month or two in: Chiang Mai, Thailand; Luang Prabang, Laos; Siem Reap, Cambodia and Hoi An, Vietnam. Next will be Japan (I think) and likely more time in Kyoto than anywhere else but also more internal country travel than I have had so far.
* CHALLENGES: What was the biggest challenge you faced in your job and how did you handle it?
Isolated urgent challenges I don’t see as that big a deal. You figure something out and make it work if you have ability, critical thinking skill and an understanding of the work.
I think the biggest challenges is to change the management system so that it is much more robust and effective. Making that happen is pretty much what my blog has been about for over 10 years and is the theme of my book – Management Matter: Building Enterprise Capability.

Some blog posts that address this issue: 
– Circle of Influence 

* CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT: What are you doing to ensure you continue to grow and improve as a professional and/or as a person? 

I don’t do anything consciously to achieve that. I think if we retain a thirst for knowledge and curiosity and have a desire to do a good job we will do what is necessary. I follow my passion to learn largely through the internet (blog, webcasts, articles and podcasts). And I constantly question and experiment and adapt based on what I learn.

* QUALITY QUOTE: Which is your favorite quality quote?

There are so many I don’t have a favorite, more like 50 favorites. But here are four:

“The old-fashioned idea of a good manager is one who is supposed to know all the answers, can solve every problem himself, and can give appropriate orders to his subordinates to carry out his plans… A good modern manager is like a good coach who leads and encourages his team in never-ending quality improvement” by George Box – When Murphy Speaks, Listen

“Hire and promote first on the basis of integrity; second motivation; third capacity; fourth understanding; fifth knowledge; and last and least, experience. Without integrity, motivation is dangerous; without motivation, capacity is impotent; without capacity, understanding is limited; without understanding, knowledge is meaningless; without knowledge, experience is blind” by Dee Hock on Management

The common objection to seniority pay is, “It’s rewarding dead wood!” My response is, “Why do you hire dead wood? Or why do you hire live wood and kill it?” by Peter Scholtes on The Leader’s Handbook

“There are three ways to get better figures… Improve the system… Distort the system… Distort the figures” by Brian Joiner on Fourth Generation Management

* MOTIVATION / PASSION: What motivates you to do what you do? What are you truly passionate about?
I am most passionate about improving the system for long term success. Achieving some visible short term success is fine but really I mainly care about visible improvements as a lever to convincing people to make more systemic improvements. 

I also care about providing people good jobs – that provide them a good income and joy in work. I am happy when I feel I am contributing to others having good jobs. In a post on my management blog, The Importance of Management Improvement I talk more about some of these ideas.


* ADVICE / RECOMMENDATION: What advice would you pass along to others taking the same path as you? Any specific books/blogs/authors you would like to recommend?

I would recommend: W. Edwards Deming, Peter Scholtes, Russell Ackoff, George Box, Brian Joiner. I could go on with many more but really understanding these five would get you very far. And they are compatible with each other.


* FREE TIME: In your free time, what do you like to do to relax?
Travel, basketball, read, photography, invest, learn.
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Connect with John Hunter on Twitter, Google +, Blog and John Hunter online 

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Thank you so much JOHN HUNTER for being part of this project! I appreciate it!

Interview #6 – Pam Schodt

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The QIC – Quality Interview Chain is growing! My pleasure to present today Pam Schodt, Certified Quality Engineer with more than 10 years of experience in supervision, corporate communications, customer service, handling quality complaints, and marketing. Enjoy and learn from her experience. 

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* YOURSELF / OCCUPATION: Who are you and what you do? 

I’m Pam Schodt, a certified Quality Engineer, and member of the Raleigh, North Carolina, Chapter of ASQ. I coordinate Eventbrite sites and social media for chapter events. Currently, I’m not working for a company, but I’m about to complete the most important project ever: I’ve been raising twin sons and they will be entering college in August! 

* CHALLENGES: What was the biggest challenge you faced in your job and how did you handle it?

One exciting challenge in my job with Burlington Knits arose with a yarn supplier. There’s a condition called immature cotton. It’s caused by weather conditions during the cotton plant’s growth and makes the cotton dye resistant. Light colors and whites look normal, but medium and dark colors have white specs. The challenge is that this is an invisible problem until the fabric is manufactured and dyed. We had just started production on a huge fabric program for an upscale retailer. Royal blue fabrics were sprinkled with white specs. My quality service team and I stopped production so we could trace suspect supplier yarns through our fabric lots. Suspect yarns/fabrics were rerouted into light and white colors. “Safer” fabric lots were routed into the medium and dark colors. Ultimately, we still lost some production because of excessive defects, but the loss was minimized by backtracking yarn sources. 

It took a tremendous amount of supplier production research and coordination with manufacturing logistics.

* CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT: What are you doing to ensure you continue to grow and improve as a professional and/or as a person? 

I consider myself a lifelong learner. The Raleigh Chapter of ASQ schedules tours, workshops, and speakers for professional growth. In May they hold a conference with workshops that I plan on attending. I’m also a regular viewer of the ASQ Standards Channel videos and ASQ webcasts. The Raleigh-Durham area has several biotechnology and pharmaceutical firms so I took continuing education classes in Biotech and cGMP. A few years ago I earned a certificate in Web Technology. I’ve taken many courses in social media, e-publishing, and web content writing. Currently, I’m taking a course to update my Microsoft Office skills and to become more familiar with Windows 8. 

* QUALITY QUOTE: Which is your favorite quality quote?

“Quality means doing it right when no one is looking” by Henry Ford

* FREE TIME: In your free time, what do you like to do to relax? 

In my free time, I like to enjoy nature. I spend a lot of time outdoors taking photos and gardening. 
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Thank you so much PAM SCHODT for being part of this project. I appreciate your time and effort!

Interview #5 – Carlos De Castro

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A new link to the QIC – Quality Interview Chain. Let’s meet Carlos De Castro, a Quality and Continuous improvement Director who assures that, in order to be a successful quality leader you have to remember among other things, that “customers don’t buy things but buy solutions to their needs”. Enjoy his interview!

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* YOURSELF / OCCUPATION: Who are you and what you do? 

carlosdecastro
My name is Carlos de Castro and I was born in Sao Paulo, Brazil. My professional trajectory happened through different industries and countries: I started in quality control and inspection, then became plant quality manager in a small factory of Invensys, moved to the automotive quality with ZF Group in Germany. Went for 11 years with Philips in different quality positions and recently joined Novelis, the world leader in rolled aluminium products, delivering high quality alloys to the beverage cans, automotive, architecture and consumer electronics industries. 

* CHALLENGES: What was the biggest challenge you faced in your job and how did you handle it?

During last years I’ve realized there are actually three elements imposing a big challenge for quality leaders. 
The first is People. I have worked in many different countries and managed people located in various locations, such as factories in China, supply center in Hong Kong, or R&D facilities in Singapore. Understanding the drivers that lead to engagement and motivation in all those different places was always a challenge but fundamental to obtain effective team collaboration and results. To reach engagement at individual level, I have learned the importance of making people accountable, identifying owners with a face and name, and then connecting them together. 
The second is Strategy. It starts by understanding that customers don’t buy things but buy solutions to their needs, so we must find out what problems people are trying to solve or what needs they are trying to satisfy. Without a good product and service, there is no business success and to achieve those we need to place the customer high in the vision and drive the right mindset. 
The third is Execution. Without focus on execution, the best strategy would fail terribly. I experienced success and also failure depending on how the vision & strategy were deployed to the people in charge of making it happen. Without dialogue, clarity, targets and follow-up, programs went through the sink without people feeling accountable for the implementation.

* CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT: What are you doing to ensure you continue to grow and improve as a professional and/or as a person?

I keep my eyes and mind open to learn. As a friend likes to say: “life is constantly teaching me”. This is valid for both professional and personal aspects of life. Our journey is full of incidents along the way and to progress we must learn with the incidents and avoid incurring on the same mistakes. But if we don’t experiment and try there will be no learning. Therefore, in all aspects of life, be open, experiment, try, learn from it, and keep going.

* QUALITY QUOTE: Which is your favorite quality quote?

“Organizations are like automobiles. They don’t run themselves, except downhill” by Prof. Manfred Kets de Vries

* MOTIVATION / PASSION: What motivates you to do what you do? What are you truly passionate about?

I am passionate about people and how to enable people to unlock their full potential. I am an advocate that tools and methods don’t change an organization, you need to work on people’s behaviors and attitudes.

* ADVICE / RECOMMENDATION: What advice would you pass along to others taking the same path as you? Any specific books/blogs/authors you would recommend?

  1. If you’re in Manufacturing, read “Workplace Management” by Taiichi Ohno. 
  2. If you’re in leadership positions, read Manfred Kets de Vries.
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#1 Link: Mr. Ronny Schepmans – strong passionate for quality and advocate of continuous problem solving
#2 Link: Mr. Hans Van Beek – an inspiring leader on excellence and continuous improvement, had thought me a lot years ago

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Connect with Carlos De Castro on Twitter and LinkedIn.

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Thank you very much CARLOS DE CASTRO for being part of this project and sharing your experiences. I appreciate it. 

Interview #4: James Lawther

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A new link to the QIC – Quality Interview Chain. Let’s meet James Lawther. A Head of Operational Excellence from Nottingham, United Kingdom. 

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* YOURSELF / OCCUPATION: Who are you and what you do? 

I am currently the Head of Operational Excellence for a FTSE 100 insurance company in the UK, though I have done flavors of the same job in Banking, Retail, FMCG and the Public Sector.

When I am asked what I do at a dinner party I either say I “work in a call center” or I’m an “organisational mechanic”, I guess it depends on how many drinks I have had and how much I am enjoying the party.    

* CHALLENGES: What was the biggest challenge you faced in your job and how did you handle it? 

I think the challenge is always people. It would be easy to improve things if organisations didn’t employ people. It is invariably egos, pride, position, power and fear that make my job challenging. The way to handle it is always to be supportive and helpful. Making others look good is the key to success.

On a positive note if it wasn’t for the people issues I would be out of a job, so I shouldn’t complain too much.

* CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT: What are you doing to ensure you continue to grow and improve as a professional and/or as a person?
In my spare time I blog at www.squawkpoint.com. The only way to come up with new ideas for posts is to read other people’s ideas and combine them. Blogging forces me to read and connect with others.
* QUALITY QUOTE: Which is your favorite quality quote?

“Having no problems is the biggest problem of all”  by Taiichi Ohno
Unless you admit there is a problem and are prepared to do something about it nothing will ever get better.

* MOTIVATION / PASSION: What motivates you to do what you do? What are you truly passionate about?
The most satisfying thing is when I help other people improve their daily work so that their jobs are more effective and they can enjoy their time at work more, seeing people realize that they can change what they do for the better and not be stuck in the 9 to 5 grind gives me a real buzz.

* ADVICE / RECOMMENDATION: What advice would you pass along to others taking the same path as you? Any specific books/blogs/authors you would recommend?
  1. The Leaders Handbook by Peter Scholtes ~ A great way to learn about Deming 
  2. Poke the Box by Seth Godin ~ You only really learn by trying something new
  3. Dilbert by Scott Adams ~ Dilbert is the most overlooked Quality Guru
* FREE TIME: In your free time, what do you like to do to relax? 
Other than blogging I enjoy running, cooking and time with my wife and daughters. I’m also enjoy novels, especially ones with fast cars, loose women and guns – though the truth is they would scare the life out of me.
* HUMOR: I’m convinced that humor at work is the best remedy to reduce stress and help you with your productivity; do you have any funny stories/videos/pictures you would like to share with us?
I hope this comic reinforces my point about Dilbert. 


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Connect with James Lawther!
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Thank you very much JAMES LAWTHER for being part of this project and sharing your experiences. I appreciate it. 

Ref: Thanks Scott Adams for let me share your comic on my blog! Please, visit Dilbert.com for more fun comics!.

Interview #3 – Anshuman Tiwari

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A new link to the QIC – Quality Interview Chain. Let’s meet Anshuman Tiwari, a Quality Leader and ASQ Influential Voice from Bangalore, India. He believes that a customer is truly the king and we need to keep evolving as quality professional to meet customer always-changing demand (Love this idea!). Enjoy the interview!
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* YOURSELF / OCCUPATION: Who are you and what you do? 
I am a quality leader with a special interest in high impact process improvement and business transformation. I currently lead a team of process consultants at HSBC Global Change Delivery in Bangalore. Our team delivers large and high impact improvement and change projects for the bank, globally. 

Earlier I was VP – Business Excellence for the Retail and Wealth Operations of ANZ’s global hub in India. We delivered improvements in operations and customer facing processes for products such as mortgages, cards, loans, and wealth. 

In my over 18 years in the industry I have worked as an Industrial Engineer, Quality Consultant, Program Manager, and Quality Head with companies ranging from textiles, consulting, Information Technology, and Financial Services. My consulting clients included companies from the Tata, Reliance, Aditya Birla, and ICICI groups and four of my clients won the Deming Application Prize. 

I am on the Influential Voices program of ASQ and was recently named a New Voice in Quality (40 global quality professionals under age of 40) in recognition of my contribution and potential in the field of quality management.

My core skills include leading large quality change programs, wide-spectrum stakeholder management, and quality education. I have worked extensively with the Malcolm Baldrige Criteria, Six Sigma, and Lean. I am a Certified Manager of Quality and Org Excellence, a Certified Six Sigma MBB and a PMP. 

I am a Fellow of the American Society for Quality.
* CHALLENGES: What was the biggest challenge you faced in your job and how did you handle it?
The most daunting challenge I have faced all my career is about helping leaders see value in what quality professionals do. With competition for mind-space from Finance, Human Resources, Firefighting, quality really needs to win the daily battle of relevance. We have to deliver everyday. 

I overcome this challenge of relevance by planning small wins in all my projects. I am always conscious of showing some results to the leadership team. They lose interest easily in us. 


The other major challenge is – reducing quality of quality professionals. I interview a lot and my strike rate has gone down a lot in recent years. This may of course be because I have raised my expectations but what has alarmed me is how easy people think a quality professional’s job is. Many people turn up for interviews saying ‘they’ think they can do the job and don’t back it up with any knowledge or skill. 

* CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT: What are you doing to ensure you continue to grow and improve as a professional and/or as a person?
Firstly I sincerely believe that we have to keep evolving. What worked 10, or even 5 years ago doesn’t work now. ISO 9000 implementation was a skill in demand 15-20 yrs ago and then it disappeared. Training Six Sigma Black Belts was in demand 10 years ago then it wasn’t so hot. Balanced Scorecard came and went. TRIZ never gained momentum. Lean is around for some time. 


We have to be aware and of all this and keep re-skilling to meet customer demand. I see quality professionals as a service. We too have a customer in leadership. We have to adapt to customer needs but remain true to the needs of the profession as well. 

I do certification course every alternate year. Sometimes every year. Most recently I did my PMP and before that Active Operations professional. I also make it a point to teach at training programs each year. I find this very useful. One has to prepare well to conduct training. I enjoy that process. 

I write often and this helps me organize my thoughts. To me, that’s growth. To remain regular at my writing I have continued my association with ASQ Influential Voices program. I also have written three articles for quality progress in last few years. I also speak at seminars for reasons similar to writing. It helps me think and prepare. 
* MOTIVATION / PASSION: What motivates you to do what you do? What are you truly passionate about?
I get immensely motivated to see processes change, for the better. I like being in discussions that are about improving processes. The processes that matter to customers are my favorite. I am most attracted to customer facing processes where we can make an impact on how and what customers buy from us. 

* ADVICE / RECOMMENDATION: What advice would you pass along to others taking the same path as you? Any specific books/blogs/authors you would recommend?
The path of quality needs a lot of patience and perseverance. Some advice that I could give:
  • Customer is truly the king – remain focused on customer needs
  • Remain true to the profession – speak the truth and be the watchdog
  • Deliver quick wins often enough to keep management interested
  • Work with all people – it takes all kinds to make this world
  • Have a plan but don’t obsess about it
The books I would like all quality professionals to read:

* FREE TIME: In your free time, what do you like to do to relax? 
I like doing household chores. It takes me away from thinking about work. It helps me win some points from my wife!
I have also started running since last year. My personal best Half Marathon time is currently 2 h 24 mins and I plan to go 2.10 this year. 

I try to read regularly. It could be books, blogs, magazines, anything. Reading is therapy. It also helps me in writing my blog as one gets ideas from what one is reading.
  
* HUMOR: I’m convinced that humor at work is the best remedy to reduce stress and help you with your productivity; do you have any funny stories/videos/pictures you would like to share with us?
Absolutely agree. I am known at work for my wit and humor. I don’t try hard for it but I do try and reduce stress levels in meetings. I believe timely wit and humor helps at work immensely. It makes working less stressful and also cements relationships a bit more.

Share > NOMINATE > Connect > Learn

#1 Link: Steve Hoisington – VP, Quality and Safety, Flowserve – Steve is an accomplished quality leader and respected globally for his skills on the Malcolm Baldrige program. 
#2 Link: Lynn Grantham – Senior Program Manager, Coles – Lynn is a senior quality professional in Australia. She has clear views on implementing quality and I would like her voice to be heard.

Share > Nominate > CONNECT > Learn

Connect with Anshuman Tiwari!


Share > Nominate > Connect > LEARN

Visit the QIC MAP to read and learn from other interviews.

Thank you very much ANSHUMAN TIWARI for being part of this project and sharing your experiences. I appreciate it. 

Interview #2 – Sarb Khatra

Posted on by jimecalfa
A new link to the QIC – Quality Interview Chain. Let’s meet Sarb Khatra. A Quality Manager from Edmonton, Canada. Currently working at National Oilwell Varco in New Iberia, Louisiana, USA.

SHARE > Nominate > Connect > Learn

* YOURSELF / OCCUPATION: Who are you and what you do? 
My name is Sarb Khatra. I work for National Oilwell Varco, Rig Systems, as a Quality Manager. Overseeing the quality assurance, standardizing and process improvements. I gained knowledge and developed skills within different processes and industries. Implemented and improved process control, and production improvements. Team building, leadership, coaching, mentoring and training skills.

Some other special projects that I’ve excelled at are managing small to medium projects, money management and investments, negotiation with banks to get financing and building business plans for implementation of new projects.

* CHALLENGES: What was the biggest challenge you faced in your job and how did you handle it?
Every new task or job is a challenge until you’ve completed it or manage to finish it. I’ve taken on some roles that would challenge me. Starting with a new company is always a challenge to learn and adapt to the company culture. I’ve worked with different companies that involved learning their system, so with every job I’ve had to learn and overcome those challenges, by being open minded and listening and understanding.

* CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT: What are you doing to ensure you continue to grow and improve as a professional and/or as a person?
By challenging myself to new opportunities and learning from my seniors. Always looking to improve or do it better than before. It could be personal improvement or work related improvement.

* MOTIVATION / PASSION: What motivates you to do what you do? What are you truly passionate about?
Improvement and making or doing it better than before. Learning and sharing the knowledge to see others grow and improve.

* ADVICE / RECOMMENDATION: What advice would you pass along to others taking the same path as you? Any specific books/blogs/authors you would recommend?
Every task or job requires skills & knowledge and most of the time the skills & knowledge is transferable to whatever you are doing. Quality skills and knowledge could be used anywhere, any industry, any process and in daily personal life as well. So, I would recommend that any skills & knowledge you have, you’ll be able to use it various ways.

* FREE TIME: In your free time, what do you like to do to relax?
I like to read, exercise, and review any new products or ideas. Try to improve on life.

Share > NOMINATE > Connect > Learn

#1 Link: Jill Raman – she is a great quality person and have strong quality skills, which I think she may be able to share to help other grow.

#2 Link: Ryan Tran – he is a great quality person and have strong quality skills, which I think he may be able to share to help other grow.

Share > Nominate > CONNECT > Learn

Connect with Sarb Khatra on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Share > Nominate > Connect > LEARN

Visit the QIC MAP to read and learn from other interviews.

Thank you very much SARB KHATRA for being part of this project. I appreciate it.

Interview #1 – Jimena Calfa

Posted on by jimecalfa
The first interview of the QIC – Quality Interview Chain is here! All about my life as a Quality Assurance Engineer. 
SHARE > Nominate > Connect > Learn
* YOURSELF / OCCUPATION: Who are you and what you do? 

My name is Jimena Calfa. I’m an Information System/Quality Assurance Engineer from Argentina but living in the USA since 2006. I’m a Certified Software Quality Engineer and Quality Process Analyst by the ASQ.
Since 2012 I’m a contributor to the Influential Voices Group (IV), and it has been one of the most rewarding experience I ever have: by staying in contact with other quality professionals, exchanging experiences and opinions is the most amazing way to keep improving and learning. 

I’ve published an article about being a blogger on the Quality Progress magazine. You can read/download the article following this link.

I’m happily married since 2006, and have two beautiful sons. 

* CHALLENGES: What was the biggest challenge you faced in your job and how did you handle it?

One of my biggest challenge was during my years working for a software development company, where I was responsible to implement CMM (Capability Maturity Model) Level 2 and performed auditor activities. 
Going from the company’s chaos to having a quality system implemented was a hard work: I have to train software engineers about quality, teach them processes and then audit their job. It was hard to “sell” quality to them and let them know and understand that quality has the same importance as getting the software working right on time. 
But putting my passion for quality on the work, mixed with my soft skills, it helped me to perform the work smoothly and with successful outcomes.

* CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT: What are you doing to ensure you continue to grow and improve as a professional and/or as a person?

Reading about latest news about quality and networking with quality professionals, it keeps me updated, motivated and learning.

* QUALITY QUOTE: Which is your favorite quality quote?

I love so many quality quotes, but this one by W. Edwards Deming is amazing!

“Quality is everyone’s responsibility”

* MOTIVATION / PASSION: What motivates you to do what you do? What are you truly passionate about?
I’m passionate about quality. Quality is a life philosophy to me. It is in our day-to-day routine: the way we communicate, the way we dress, the way we behave socially and at work, the way we take care for our planet, the way we plan our goals for the future, the way we act to improve every day, etc. Working to raise the voice of quality and let the people know about its importance, it is what motivate me to keep going and going on this path.

But what really motivates me and I’m extremely passionate about is my family. They are my support, and make me believe in myself and keep working and improving for them!

* ADVICE / RECOMMENDATION: What advice would you pass along to others taking the same path as you? Any specific books/blogs/authors you would recommend?

Follow your passion, don’t be afraid of pursue your dreams! It will take time, you will fail, but if this is what you truly want to be; you will get it and it will be so gratifying!

I have a lot of blogs to recommend, but a good source is the Influential Voices group I talked in my first answer. For those of you who don’t know, IV is group of quality professionals and online influencers who raise the voice of quality on their personal blogs, talking about different quality topics that ASQ CEO wants us to discuss. 

* FREE TIME: In your free time, what do you like to do to relax? 
I love to spend time with my family going to the park and soccer games. Not much time to relax with 2 boys, but I love to read and play piano.

* HUMOR: I’m convinced that humor at work is the best remedy to reduce stress and help you with your productivity; do you have any funny stories/videos/pictures you would like to share with us?

I love this image. I think every person has to see it and learn from it. It is sadly funny.

Share > NOMINATE > Connect > Learn
To keep growing this chain, I have to nominate 2 people (in the quality field) I consider a valuable addition. However, I can’t nominate just 2, so I’ll nominate everybody who wants to participate; you are all welcome to be part of this chain!

Share > Nominate > CONNECT > Learn

If you want to stay in contact with me, please feel free to add me to your social networks:

Share > Nominate > Connect > LEARN
Visit the QIC MAP to read and learn from other interviews.

QIC – Quality Interview Chain

Posted on by jimecalfa

Today I would like to introduce you to this new challenge I called “Quality Interview Chain – QIC”.

The purpose of this chain is to LEARN by SHARING, because we are all working on a continuous improvement in our professional and personal life.

The overall idea is to interview professionals working in the quality field from all around the world, and make those interviews available on an interactive map, so readers can read them and learn from their experiences.

What do I mean with professionals working in the quality field? It includes everyone who is working and committed to help a company to deliver its products / services with quality, valuable for customers. It includes, among others, professionals working with Lean Enterprise, Six Sigma, TQM, quality tools, CMMI, ISO, process continuous improvement, SPC, Agile methodologies, DOE, root cause analysis, audits, etc.

The process for the interviewee will be:
1. SHARE your experiences by answering the interview questions I send by email.
2. NOMINATE two quality professionals to add to the chain (I’ll contact them on your behalf).
3. CONNECT with other links in the chain using an Interactive Map, where your interview will appear.
4. LEARN from others’ experiences.

If you want to participate on the QIC, just send my an email using My Contact form. Otherwise, be prepare… someone is going to nominate you to be part of this.

Let’s make together the biggest Interview Chain of quality professional!