February 6, 2025 • 13 mins
How are quality tools Legos of development?
We talk about two philosophies of brick building and our use of the family of quality tools.
We also talk about seven uses of quality tools in product development.
Visit the podcast blog for fun graphics.
Other Quality during Design podcast episodes you might like:
Choosing Quality Tools (Mind Map vs. Flowchart vs. Spaghetti Diagram)
Quality as a Strategic Asset vs. Quality as a Control
DISCOVER YOUR PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT FOCUS: UNLOCK YOUR IMPACT
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About me
Dianna Deeney is a quality advocate for product development with over 25 years of experience in manufacturing. She is president of Deeney Enterprises, LLC, which helps organizations optimize their engineering processes and team perform...
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to the Quality During Design podcast.
I'm your host, diana Deeney.
I want to reintroduce anepisode that was recorded a
couple of years ago.
I'm reintroducing it because Iwas reminded about it.
The Lego movie was in my queueand the episode is about how we
can think of quality tools asLegos, that there are two
(00:21):
philosophies that we can applyto our quality tool use.
I recorded it to kind of expandour expectations of what we can
do with common quality toolsand I wanted to reintroduce it
to you.
If you're a repeat listener ofthe Quality During Design
podcast, welcome back.
If you're new to the QualityDuring Design podcast, welcome.
(00:41):
We talk a lot about productdevelopment and engineers
working to create new products.
Quality during design is aphilosophy that emphasizes the
benefits of cross-functionalteam involvement in design.
It's also a methodology thatuses quality tools to refine
design concepts early.
So if you're involved indesigning stuff and want or need
(01:05):
to know how to do it better, ifyou want to avoid surprises
during tests, design what yourcustomers really want and have
shorter design cycle, and alsoif you feel like you just need
to do more with less and stillcreate the best, we have some
resources for you.
I invite you to visit andbookmark the website
qualityduringdesigncom.
(01:26):
On that website, you can accessand search through the podcast
library.
There's also additionaltraining links and other
offerings available that you canaccess for free.
If you want to stay on top ofwhat's the latest and greatest,
then please sign up for ourmonthly newsletter.
All of this can be done atqualityduringdesigncom Without
(01:47):
further delay.
I'll share this Quality DuringDesign archive episode.
Enjoy those plastic buildingblocks, legos.
Kids play with them inimaginative ways.
In fact, they're one of themodern day model model-building
kids.
For adults too, they're used tobuild robots with a community
(02:10):
that competes.
Robot a robot.
A man uses them to fill in gapsin buildings and sidewalks in
his neighborhood, replacingbrick-and-mortar bricks with
Lego bricks and filling potholesand gaps in sidewalks with Lego
bricks.
A woman buildswheelchair-accessible ramps for
stores so that she can shopthere, partnering with the
(02:33):
shopkeepers to provideaccessibility.
Legos are adaptable, seeminglytimeless, readily available to
many and useful sort of like thefamily of quality tools.
Even with all these uses,there's two philosophies of a
LEGO bill that tie in with twophilosophies of quality tool use
(02:56):
.
Let's talk more about LEGOs andquality tools after this brief
introduction.
Hello and welcome to QualityDuring Design, the place to use
quality thinking to createproducts others love for less.
Each week, we talk about waysto use quality during design,
engineering and productdevelopment.
(03:17):
My name is Diana Deeney.
I'm a senior level qualityprofessional and engineer with
over 20 years of experience inmanufacturing and design.
Listen in and then join usVisit qualityduringdesigncom.
I watch cartoons.
I mean, I have kids, but evenif I didn't have kids, I would
(03:40):
probably watch cartoons.
I watched the Lego movies withmy family.
I would have watched it on myown.
One of its songs is my ringtoneon my phone because it makes me
smile.
If you haven't seen it andshould, let me tell you a bit
about it without giving spoilers.
The Lego movies star a characternamed Emmett Brikowski, a
(04:04):
construction worker who lives inBricksburg.
Bricksburg is a place whereeverything is built to
specification.
Emmett builds things followinga carefully laid out blueprint
and he's great at it.
He has a routine life andEmmett thinks everything is
awesome.
Playing opposite of Emmett isWildstyle, a master builder who
(04:27):
doesn't want to follow theblueprints and sort of rails
against the idea that everythingneeds to be meticulously
planned out.
I can't really tell you muchmore about it without giving
away some of its fun twists, andthe movie is fun.
It highlights philosophicaldifferences in building with
Legos.
(04:48):
One thing we can do is tofollow a plan following the Lego
instructions to build from theconstruction manual.
The other philosophy is tocreatively assemble a build,
piecing together what we've gotin hand.
The Lego Group Company wasclever in recognizing these two
different philosophies withtheir product.
(05:10):
In the Lego store in a mallnear me, they sell those fancy
kits that people assemble with ablueprint, from kits made for
adults with thousands of piecesto kits made with larger blocks
for smaller kids.
They also have a whole wall,floor to ceiling, of loose Lego
(05:32):
bricks, organized by color, sizeand special shapes.
What does this have to do withquality tools?
Well, quality tools can be likeLego bricks.
With some, we follow a plan,meticulously building out an
analysis to draw a conclusion.
With others, we grab somebuilding blocks, invite our
(05:55):
friends and create something outof ideas.
Both are okay and both have aplace in the product development
process.
Really, what we need to do iswe need to keep the end in mind.
Do we want a tidy record ofanalysis that feeds into other
analyses that we can build uponas we develop ideas, iterate on
(06:19):
it and use it to makeconclusions, then we'll want to
be like Emmett and follow ablueprint.
Or do we want to use a qualitytool to be able to work with our
team, to be creative and comeup with new ideas, identify
problems or figure out nextsteps?
Then we might treat a qualitytool like wild style.
(06:40):
I've created a list of sevenways that quality tools can be
used for projects.
As I'm going through this list,think about for yourself which
ones do you think we should use,like Emmett, and which ones are
more like wild style.
Number one is that quality toolscan be used to build out ideas
(07:02):
with other people.
They help us collaborate arounda framework.
We can use them as a prompt forbrainstorming Instead of coming
up with wild ideas out ofnowhere.
We have a framework that we canwork within.
Generally, these tools areaccessible to many people.
We don't have to have aspecific job or a specific
(07:25):
background or learning to beable to use it and participate
with our team in using it.
Number two is that we can usequality tools by ourselves.
They can help us understand thebig picture or hone in on a
specific detail.
We can use them to see patternsnot seen before and also help
(07:49):
us to organize lots ofinformation.
These are different ways thatwe could use quality tools by
ourselves, or at least get themstarted by ourselves, to help us
inform decisions.
Number three quality tools wecan share with others.
This is where we can getalignment about ideas.
(08:09):
Is what we're thinking, whatthe other person is thinking?
The way reality is too.
Let's get on the same page.
We can also get confirmation Isthis right or am I missing a
step?
Quality tools used in this waycan also prompt us to ask
questions about gaps and getinput from others.
(08:32):
Number four is that we canopenly share quality tools
within the project and outsideof a project.
Sharing the results of aquality tool activity outside of
a project can give us newperspectives from other people.
They can also teach others onhow to do something.
(08:54):
Maybe they would want to adoptone of your ideas and it can
also help celebrate the teamwins.
Teamwork is hard and it'sbeneficial.
Share it outside with others tocelebrate the team win.
Number five we can studyquality tools to derive actions.
(09:16):
We can look at them to findproblem areas, those
misalignments andmisunderstandings, but then also
identify opportunities forchanges and improvements.
Number six we can iteratequality tools as we learn more,
especially through a projectdevelopment process or a
(09:37):
continuous improvement effort.
And the last one, number seven,is that we can compile quality
tools to tell a story to sharelessons learned.
Quality tools to tell a storyto share lessons learned we can
share that.
We started with this problemand use this kind of quality
tool to get these results anddevelop these questions that we
(09:58):
thought needed to be answered.
So then we followed throughwith some investigation and used
another quality tool toinvestigate, analyze and come up
with more answers or moreopportunities.
We can share our process forwhat we did in the project, for
lessons learned, for otherpeople and other projects.
(10:19):
We can share what worked andwhat didn't work, and it serves
as a baseline of how we madedecisions through the project.
At the beginning of the episodewe talked about the two
philosophy of Lego builds howone?
You could be like Emmett andcarefully follow the
instructions.
(10:39):
Or, on the other hand, youcould be more like Wildstyle,
the master builder, who collectsbricks as she sees them and
builds whatever she can withwhat she sees.
You have my permission to be alittle like wild style when
using some quality tools.
If it's organizing information,categorizing, creating some
(11:03):
sort of model of a physicalthing or a logical thing,
helping people better understandan idea, then go a little wild
style.
Quality tools are provenframeworks that have worked for
many people.
They've been used by so manypeople that they have best
practices.
In that way, you can rely onthem.
(11:25):
But don't let knowing a littledetail stop you from using them.
They'll likely help you andyour team and you'll get good at
it through using it.
Be careful.
Just like some Lego bricks areonly useful with a planned
construction project, somequality tools are more useful
(11:47):
with careful planning andexecution.
If it's used with rankings tohighlight important things or
has a basis in statistics, thenbe like Emmett and follow the
rules of constructionThoughtfully execute and get
advice from a knowledgeablepractitioner.
I hope you have a little bit ofa different perspective about
(12:12):
quality tools.
We cover a lot of differentquality tools and their
potential uses in new productdevelopment through this podcast
and on the podcast blog on thewebsite.
You can search for a particulartopic or tool on the website.
Chances are we may have coveredit already.
If we haven't covered it andyou think we should send me a
(12:36):
message, you can contact methrough the website, either
using the form or my contactinformation is listed there.
No matter what, legos are fun.
The Lego movies are also fun,and so are quality tools.
This has been a production ofDini Enterprises.
(12:56):
Thanks for listening.
Welcome to the Quality During Design podcast.
I'm your host, diana Deeney.
I want to reintroduce anepisode that was recorded a
couple of years ago.
I'm reintroducing it because Iwas reminded about it.
The Lego movie was in my queueand the episode is about how we
can think of quality tools asLegos, that there are two
(00:21):
philosophies that we can applyto our quality tool use.
I recorded it to kind of expandour expectations of what we can
do with common quality toolsand I wanted to reintroduce it
to you.
If you're a repeat listener ofthe Quality During Design
podcast, welcome back.
If you're new to the QualityDuring Design podcast, welcome.
(00:41):
We talk a lot about productdevelopment and engineers
working to create new products.
Quality during design is aphilosophy that emphasizes the
benefits of cross-functionalteam involvement in design.
It's also a methodology thatuses quality tools to refine
design concepts early.
So if you're involved indesigning stuff and want or need
(01:05):
to know how to do it better, ifyou want to avoid surprises
during tests, design what yourcustomers really want and have
shorter design cycle, and alsoif you feel like you just need
to do more with less and stillcreate the best, we have some
resources for you.
I invite you to visit andbookmark the website
qualityduringdesigncom.
(01:26):
On that website, you can accessand search through the podcast
library.
There's also additionaltraining links and other
offerings available that you canaccess for free.
If you want to stay on top ofwhat's the latest and greatest,
then please sign up for ourmonthly newsletter.
All of this can be done atqualityduringdesigncom Without
(01:47):
further delay.
I'll share this Quality DuringDesign archive episode.
Enjoy those plastic buildingblocks, legos.
Kids play with them inimaginative ways.
In fact, they're one of themodern day model model-building
kids.
For adults too, they're used tobuild robots with a community
(02:10):
that competes.
Robot a robot.
A man uses them to fill in gapsin buildings and sidewalks in
his neighborhood, replacingbrick-and-mortar bricks with
Lego bricks and filling potholesand gaps in sidewalks with Lego
bricks.
A woman buildswheelchair-accessible ramps for
stores so that she can shopthere, partnering with the
(02:33):
shopkeepers to provideaccessibility.
Legos are adaptable, seeminglytimeless, readily available to
many and useful sort of like thefamily of quality tools.
Even with all these uses,there's two philosophies of a
LEGO bill that tie in with twophilosophies of quality tool use
(02:56):
.
Let's talk more about LEGOs andquality tools after this brief
introduction.
Hello and welcome to QualityDuring Design, the place to use
quality thinking to createproducts others love for less.
Each week, we talk about waysto use quality during design,
engineering and productdevelopment.
(03:17):
My name is Diana Deeney.
I'm a senior level qualityprofessional and engineer with
over 20 years of experience inmanufacturing and design.
Listen in and then join usVisit qualityduringdesigncom.
I watch cartoons.
I mean, I have kids, but evenif I didn't have kids, I would
(03:40):
probably watch cartoons.
I watched the Lego movies withmy family.
I would have watched it on myown.
One of its songs is my ringtoneon my phone because it makes me
smile.
If you haven't seen it andshould, let me tell you a bit
about it without giving spoilers.
The Lego movies star a characternamed Emmett Brikowski, a
(04:04):
construction worker who lives inBricksburg.
Bricksburg is a place whereeverything is built to
specification.
Emmett builds things followinga carefully laid out blueprint
and he's great at it.
He has a routine life andEmmett thinks everything is
awesome.
Playing opposite of Emmett isWildstyle, a master builder who
(04:27):
doesn't want to follow theblueprints and sort of rails
against the idea that everythingneeds to be meticulously
planned out.
I can't really tell you muchmore about it without giving
away some of its fun twists, andthe movie is fun.
It highlights philosophicaldifferences in building with
Legos.
(04:48):
One thing we can do is tofollow a plan following the Lego
instructions to build from theconstruction manual.
The other philosophy is tocreatively assemble a build,
piecing together what we've gotin hand.
The Lego Group Company wasclever in recognizing these two
different philosophies withtheir product.
(05:10):
In the Lego store in a mallnear me, they sell those fancy
kits that people assemble with ablueprint, from kits made for
adults with thousands of piecesto kits made with larger blocks
for smaller kids.
They also have a whole wall,floor to ceiling, of loose Lego
(05:32):
bricks, organized by color, sizeand special shapes.
What does this have to do withquality tools?
Well, quality tools can be likeLego bricks.
With some, we follow a plan,meticulously building out an
analysis to draw a conclusion.
With others, we grab somebuilding blocks, invite our
(05:55):
friends and create something outof ideas.
Both are okay and both have aplace in the product development
process.
Really, what we need to do iswe need to keep the end in mind.
Do we want a tidy record ofanalysis that feeds into other
analyses that we can build uponas we develop ideas, iterate on
(06:19):
it and use it to makeconclusions, then we'll want to
be like Emmett and follow ablueprint.
Or do we want to use a qualitytool to be able to work with our
team, to be creative and comeup with new ideas, identify
problems or figure out nextsteps?
Then we might treat a qualitytool like wild style.
(06:40):
I've created a list of sevenways that quality tools can be
used for projects.
As I'm going through this list,think about for yourself which
ones do you think we should use,like Emmett, and which ones are
more like wild style.
Number one is that quality toolscan be used to build out ideas
(07:02):
with other people.
They help us collaborate arounda framework.
We can use them as a prompt forbrainstorming Instead of coming
up with wild ideas out ofnowhere.
We have a framework that we canwork within.
Generally, these tools areaccessible to many people.
We don't have to have aspecific job or a specific
(07:25):
background or learning to beable to use it and participate
with our team in using it.
Number two is that we can usequality tools by ourselves.
They can help us understand thebig picture or hone in on a
specific detail.
We can use them to see patternsnot seen before and also help
(07:49):
us to organize lots ofinformation.
These are different ways thatwe could use quality tools by
ourselves, or at least get themstarted by ourselves, to help us
inform decisions.
Number three quality tools wecan share with others.
This is where we can getalignment about ideas.
(08:09):
Is what we're thinking, whatthe other person is thinking?
The way reality is too.
Let's get on the same page.
We can also get confirmation Isthis right or am I missing a
step?
Quality tools used in this waycan also prompt us to ask
questions about gaps and getinput from others.
(08:32):
Number four is that we canopenly share quality tools
within the project and outsideof a project.
Sharing the results of aquality tool activity outside of
a project can give us newperspectives from other people.
They can also teach others onhow to do something.
(08:54):
Maybe they would want to adoptone of your ideas and it can
also help celebrate the teamwins.
Teamwork is hard and it'sbeneficial.
Share it outside with others tocelebrate the team win.
Number five we can studyquality tools to derive actions.
(09:16):
We can look at them to findproblem areas, those
misalignments andmisunderstandings, but then also
identify opportunities forchanges and improvements.
Number six we can iteratequality tools as we learn more,
especially through a projectdevelopment process or a
(09:37):
continuous improvement effort.
And the last one, number seven,is that we can compile quality
tools to tell a story to sharelessons learned.
Quality tools to tell a storyto share lessons learned we can
share that.
We started with this problemand use this kind of quality
tool to get these results anddevelop these questions that we
(09:58):
thought needed to be answered.
So then we followed throughwith some investigation and used
another quality tool toinvestigate, analyze and come up
with more answers or moreopportunities.
We can share our process forwhat we did in the project, for
lessons learned, for otherpeople and other projects.
(10:19):
We can share what worked andwhat didn't work, and it serves
as a baseline of how we madedecisions through the project.
At the beginning of the episodewe talked about the two
philosophy of Lego builds howone?
You could be like Emmett andcarefully follow the
instructions.
(10:39):
Or, on the other hand, youcould be more like Wildstyle,
the master builder, who collectsbricks as she sees them and
builds whatever she can withwhat she sees.
You have my permission to be alittle like wild style when
using some quality tools.
If it's organizing information,categorizing, creating some
(11:03):
sort of model of a physicalthing or a logical thing,
helping people better understandan idea, then go a little wild
style.
Quality tools are provenframeworks that have worked for
many people.
They've been used by so manypeople that they have best
practices.
In that way, you can rely onthem.
(11:25):
But don't let knowing a littledetail stop you from using them.
They'll likely help you andyour team and you'll get good at
it through using it.
Be careful.
Just like some Lego bricks areonly useful with a planned
construction project, somequality tools are more useful
(11:47):
with careful planning andexecution.
If it's used with rankings tohighlight important things or
has a basis in statistics, thenbe like Emmett and follow the
rules of constructionThoughtfully execute and get
advice from a knowledgeablepractitioner.
I hope you have a little bit ofa different perspective about
(12:12):
quality tools.
We cover a lot of differentquality tools and their
potential uses in new productdevelopment through this podcast
and on the podcast blog on thewebsite.
You can search for a particulartopic or tool on the website.
Chances are we may have coveredit already.
If we haven't covered it andyou think we should send me a
(12:36):
message, you can contact methrough the website, either
using the form or my contactinformation is listed there.
No matter what, legos are fun.
The Lego movies are also fun,and so are quality tools.
This has been a production ofDini Enterprises.
(12:56):
Thanks for listening.
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