Cycles. They are natural. I can prove this by mentioning the natural cycle—the processes by which the Earth regulates its systems, including its carbon, water, and nitrogen. To personify, its breath, drink, and food. And if you are familiar with the Rule of Three—that humans cannot live for more than three minutes without air, three days without water, and three weeks without food—you can see the importance of the natural cycle. (My apologies if you believed I was going to describe the rules of celebrity deaths.) 

It's also not difficult to see the importance of studying and understanding these cycles. For instance, the rotation of the Earth on its axis and its cycle around the Sun allow us to tell time and create calendars. 

And there are many important cycles worth understanding, not just the so-called natural ones. Ones that are important to success in our personal lives, in business, and in manufacturing. They often have to do with development and change. They often focus on ideas like progress and/or growth, evolution, and redefinition. 

Let’s take sports, for instance. As I believe I have described in the past, athletes get faster, stronger, better at the game over time. Soon, young fans will emulate their favorite players, learning those faster, stronger, and better ways until it becomes the foundation of the game. And the cycle repeats. The game evolves. And this is usually followed by a redefinition, or the sport, its governing body, and its fans asking, “Is this where we want the game to go?” 

Such a cycle and redefinition are on the cusp, not only for society in general, but also particularly in manufacturing and quality—artificial intelligence. 

“The person who can define AI literacy in the quality profession is going to be the next Deming,” writes Greg Hutchins and Margaux Hutchins. “AI is disrupting all professional work and creating opportunities for the quality profession. New opportunities are being created around AI trust, risk assurance, and risk based decision making. Quality professionals are perfectly placed to monetize these opportunities.”  

Check out Greg and Margaux’s article, “Show Me the Money!” and everything else we have to offer in this month’s Quality. 

Enjoy and thanks for reading!