Total Quality Management in TN

When I was a Total Quality Managment Consultant and taught team oriented problem solving classes to teams from industry, I would also make ZUCCHINI BREAD and take it on the last day for all the students as a thank you for their great participation.  Typically, not everyone at the beginning of the class would be sold on the class but by the end of the class, 12 weeks later, they could not thank me enough for all I had taught them.

Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 ½ cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
2 cups zucchini grated/shredded
¾ cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon vanilla

Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes.  This makes enough to fill 2-8x4 baking pans.  Be sure to put flour on the bottom of each pan so it will not stick.

I usually had about 20-24 students, so I would make two batches or fill 4 baking pans.  Each pan would be cut into 8 pieces, so I would have a total of 32 slices in case someone wanted two pieces.

As a Total Quality Management consultant, I would teach the following classes:

• Statistical Process Control
• Process Re-engineering
• Team Oriented Problem Solving
• Train the Trainer
• The Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Awards Auditing
• ISO9000 National Quality Standards
• QS9000 Quality Standard for the Auto Industry
• Quality Gap Analysis
• Strategic Planning

In addition to being a Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Awards Auditor and an ISO9000 National Quality Standards Certification Auditor, I would teach companies how to audit themselves in order to become CERTIFIED or win the National Award.

The Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award was patterned after the DEMING PRIZE in Japan.  

Back in the 1990s before Dr. Edwards Deming died, I was fortunate enough to sit in a couple of his seminars given to the employees of Tennessee Eastman located in Kingsport, TN.

Today, Statistical Process Control is referred to as Six Sigma Training, and if you teach the class you must become certified as a BLACK BELT IN SIX SIGMA.

Back in the late 1980s and early 1990s, I was one of only two people who taught this in TN.  I left NC for this opportunity because there were dozens of people like me, already trained and in the marketplace.

It was the best decision of my life.