Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1339822
FEBRUARY 2021 I PCB007 MAGAZINE 89 possible causes resulting from latent manufac- turing defects. e need for high quality and reliability in aerospace applications is paramount. e aero- space industry is just one of many sectors re- quiring the need for high quality. Similar qual- ity and reliability needs abound in the medical industry. e FDA lists numerous examples of medical product recalls and quality issues re- lated to faulty PCBAs. ere are hundreds of defects that impact the quality of printed cir- cuit boards and printed circuit board assem- blies [8,9] . Many continuous improvement ac- tivities are undertaken to improve the quality and reliability of PCBAs. Continuous Improvement Continuous improvement = continuous change. For an organization to improve, it must have a culture that embraces change. e difficulty is determining and measuring culture within an organization. Organizational culture can be ambiguous and formidable to quantify. Organizational culture is a shared belief system consisting of an organization's philosophy, tra- ditions, shared expectations, work ethics, and values that hold it together. Given any improvement situation, one must define the problem in a process; design and manage a series of simple, efficient data col- lections; analyze data; determine what to do; present to management; and maintain the im- provements over time. An optimized contin- uous improvement culture leverages leader- ship/management, innovation, 3S thinking, and human resources. Both leadership and management are crucial for success. Leadership and management have specific individual responsibilities and shared organizational commonalities (Figure 1). Man- agement's focus is on operational excellence. Management does this by influencing the mo- tion of human resources. Methods include meeting short-term goals, improving reliabil- ity and efficiency, mitigating risk, and continu- ous improvement. Leadership's focus is on in- Figure 1: Leadership and management.