Even though the topic of the human side of quality  is so important to an organization’s quality system, there are still so many organizations that don’t manage it adequately.

Risk can’t be discussed in general terms. Risks are specific in nature. Executives, entrepreneurs and consumers should identify and describe risks as articulately as possible. Usually, they involve some risk of loss. Where possible, risks should be avoided, but risks that cannot be avoided should be managed by transferring or insuring them.

Quality giants Joseph M. Juran, W. Edwards Deming and Armand Feigenbaum ushered in the era of total quality management (TQM) 60 years ago. However, some lessons are hard to learn.