I put this cartoon together a while back when illustrating cartoons for iSixSigma Magazine, and it still makes me smile. But lately… it’s been making me think even more. At the time, this was about Pivot Tables. Today? It might as well say AI. It Was Never About the Tool Back then, it was Excel. […]
I remember the first time I facilitated a spaghetti diagram exercise. Simple intent: understand the flow. What we created? A masterpiece of confusion. This cartoon captures that moment. A three-level cube — 1st, 2nd, 3rd floor — filled with arrows going everywhere. Lines cross, double back, jump levels. The label says it all: “Spaghetti
One of the unintended consequences of learning statistics is that we can start seeing the world through distributions before we see the work itself. That’s not inherently bad. Understanding variation matters. Patterns matter. Context matters. But somewhere along the line, many organizations tip from using statistical thinking to hiding behind it. I’ve sat in more
We hear it all the time: “We need more diverse teams.” And most leaders nod in agreement. But here’s the problem—many still think diversity is the goal. It’s not. Better thinking is the goal.Diversity is how you get there. Sameness Feels Efficient… Until It Isn’t If you’ve ever sat in a meeting where everyone
The Main Effect Leaders Should Really Be Watching In continuous improvement circles, we spend a time talking about data — main effects, interaction effects, root causes, process behavior charts, and all the rest. But sometimes the most powerful “main effect” in an organization has nothing to do with statistical output. It has to do
I’ve found there’s real value in keeping good reference materials close at hand. The books and resources I rely on most are not the ones sitting on a shelf looking impressive. They’re the ones that are clearly well used — dog-eared pages, highlighted sections, and Post-it notes marking the parts I go back
In this week’s Cox‑Box cartoon, a team member makes a quick escape: “Wow, look at the time! I have to go and feed my pet—” “—Project.” And suddenly, the “pet” turns out not to be a furry companion at home, but something far more familiar: the improvement work they keep avoiding. Why We
Every year, as conference season rolls around, I’m reminded why I love the Continuous Improvement community so much. We’re passionate. We’re curious. And when we see a better way to do something, we can’t help ourselves—we lean in, we share, we challenge, we debate. And sometimes… we bump heads. The Productive Pain of Disagreement In
One of the biggest misconceptions in Continuous Improvement (CI) is the idea that improvement simply “happens” because someone has a good idea, a solid data set, or a well‑written project charter. But anyone who’s been around CI long enough knows the truth: Improvement doesn’t fail from bad ideas — it fails from lack of leadership
Ever had one of those days when everything snaps? Literally? That’s what happened to me one day and it sparked the idea for this Cox-Box cartoon—my shovel broke, and all I thought was, ‘My Cpk just dropped to zero.’ I uttered a few other words, but as I thought about it, I thought I