Ask the Right Questions

When investigating the root cause of a failure mode be sure to ask the right questions. A simple guide is "who, what, where, when, and why" - aptly named the 5-Ys.
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Getting things accomplished

When presented with a hot issue it is important to focus and assemble your team and resources that you will need. A bit of planning at the start will save you mounds of confusion and misdirection later.
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Toyota's Fall From Grace

Although the theory of continuous improvement and six sigma are sound practices to analyze a business state it is imperative to understand the balance between profitability and the cost of poor quality. It seems that Toyota has fallen of the edge of the fence after initially being on the greener side. There comes a point that business decisions will prevail in order to keep investors happy after you have six sigma'd your manufacturing and design to death. Although, there is a good argument that DFSS and NPD should never get stale. Congress may want to investigate the debacle around the "oh it's the floor mats" but the other side to that coin is who would accept such a flimsy root cause analysis - clearly I would not and neither would many other engineers well versed in RCA.
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The Climate of the times

Caution seems to be the word of the year thus far.  Manufacturers in the United States are hesitant to pull the trigger on full time employees.  We may want to re-consider the traditional full-time engineer and speed up the timeline to the world of independent consulting.  For someone not planning on a career in consulting so soon, I can see the benefits for both the employer and employee.  As with any change it comes down to a level of comfort with the "new thing".  In my instance it may seem like I have been destined to be a consultant.  For my entire career, working as a divisional or corporate engineer, I've been groomed in the lifestyle of supporting multiple facilities to address several challenges in the design, development and manufacturing of products and processes.  I have also led product and process implementation strategies to align customer wants and needs with acceptance criteria, specifications, and validation plans.

REALITY OF YOUR OPERATION

It is important to have a gage of the gap between your actual process and what is written in the procedures. Over time, it is a natural occurrence for people who perform a task to invent more efficient and effective ways of getting things done - especially if the task is monotonous and repetitive. Evaluate your process and update procedures as necessary so that you may capture best practices and have a written record for future trainees. Re-inventing the wheel would be minimized or avoided.
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TEAM and Collaboration

Working as a team will provide a healthier work environment for you and your co-workers.  The business will run healthier as well because teamwork fosters collaboration on the various projects you may work on from day to day.  Making decisions is never easy and most decisions will impact other areas of the business.  It is helpful to discuss plans that will influence how others operate in their positions with those people that are affected.

The Endless Loop

Today's businesses are running leaner than ever before.  As our economy recovers it seems like most companies today are starting slow and contracting work out rather than hiring full time employees right away.  Permanent employees have to wear multiple hats and manage multiple tasks and projects in a more intense work environment.  Teamwork becomes essential.  Progress cannot be achieved if co-workers are isolating themselves.  Domains should not exist and walls need to be torn down.  Seeking approvals for critical processes should not be a power trip.  Those with approval authority should extend themselves into an interactive role that will aid the progress of completing objectives and tasks that hinge upon proper review of critical documents.  The days of marking up a document in red ink and just handing it back should be long behind you.