Mind Your Ps & Qs: How to achieve Quality through Process Improvement: a handbook for humans. [Paperback]

David Covey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 19, 2003

It is humans who have to change the way they work in order to improve quality for customers. Improvement models tend to concentrate on the area to be improved, failing to provide a cohesive framework for the humans who have to implement them Mind Your Ps & Qs is a concise handbook that fills the gaps left by the models. The advice offered is pragmatic, and does not shy away from the problems that will have to be faced in order to ensure success; specifically that everyone in the organization has their part to play.The author uses various "Ps" and "Qs" by way of illustrating what has to be done to successfully implement improvements. There are role-specific "Ps" and "Qs", as well as five that are vital to all improvement programs of whatever type:·Prepare·Quantify·Preach Quality·Persevere·People

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Freelancing since the mid-80s, in companies such as Alcatel, Motorola, Nokia, Philips and VW, David Covey has been involved in many quality and process improvement initiatives. Fed up with facing the same old problems, he decided to write the book he could have done with 15 years ago?

Product Details

• Paperback: 122 pages
• Publisher: iUniverse, Inc. (May 19, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595277543
• ISBN-13: 978-0595277544
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,210,583 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Keeping it simple....at last!, August 2, 2004

By 

P. Moran (St. Louis, MO USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mind Your Ps & Qs: How to achieve Quality through Process Improvement: a handbook for humans. (Paperback)

A refreshingly frank, clear dissertation on the fundamentals of planning and managing a successful project.

This is a fireside chat, where 'stating the obvious' is clearly identified as the starting point for any task to have a chance of a successful conclusion. It is 'the obvious' that is too often the victim of office politics and personal agendas - identifying it, openly, is the very best way to circumvent these twin evils.

It seems not all reviewers have understood from where this author is coming; indeed, what a pleasant experience it is to find an author secure enough in his research and experience, who doesn't feel the urge to spray the latest industry buzzwords all over his text in the pursuit of being up with the latest fad.

In conclusion, this book is an easy read, is of manageable length but always manages to keep the reader fully informed, via the 'Pertinent Questions', of each and every step needed to bring a project to successful, affordable and timely completion.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Truly a Handbook For Humans..., September 24, 2003

By 

John Donaghy (Paris, France) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mind Your Ps & Qs: How to achieve Quality through Process Improvement: a handbook for humans. (Paperback)

In writing this review I have to first declare that I do have a past professional connection with the author having worked with him on one of his improvement projects 10 years ago. That said , I beleive the only bias in my review is possibly in the last sentence...

'Changing attitudes is never easy but that's what you have to do', says Covey, 'and you have to do this before you start implementing process improvements...' Originally written as a guide for Humans involved in Process and Quality Improvement in 'hi-tech' industries, Mind Your Ps and Qs can be equally applied to Business Improvement and indeed any Change Management or Organisational Development field where the human and organisational factors (and often political ones too!) are dominant. And hands up all those who've ever worked on process improvement programs where the human factors are not the dominant issue...

Really a lite 'conversational' read to brush up on the human aspects of Quality and Process Improvement for those experienced in the field or as an introduction to new entrants, this book is packed with practical advice from real life experience. For the more experienced reader, David sometimes appears to state the obvious, but in this business the obvious is often what needs to be stated and re-stated again and again. Getting the message across to your target audience, the decision makers and practitioners who will make or break your improvement effort is, as the book makes clear, at least half the battle.

The book may lack a formal theoretical base but that's not what we're aiming for here and, as the author himself says, there are many works in the field based on formal models and Business School theory. This is a practical book full of real life experience and an entertaining read. My only real criticism is that I could have read more... Truly a Handbook For Humans. If you're human, or have to deal with humans, buy it, read it, apply it!

0 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Emperor's New Clothes?, April 29, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Mind Your Ps & Qs: How to achieve Quality through Process Improvement: a handbook for humans. (Paperback)

I've been a senior manager for many years now, and I always find it interesting to read the latest load of so-called 'business improvment' books when they are printed. Unfortunately, this is yet another book to add to the recycle pile.

It fundamentally fails to grasp any of the points that it attempts to make, and manages to use just about every management cliche ever devised, including some that were even new on me! Personally, I find books such as this similar to the story of the Emperor's New Clothes: It may well be the flavor of the month, but in time, people will see it to be totally transparent.

However, if you want to try to master the art of using thousands of words to say nothing, then maybe this book is for you after all!