Matthew Littlefield

President and principal analyst

Matthew Littlefield is president and principal analyst for LNS Research based in Brookline, Massachusetts. LNS Research provides executives a platform for accessing unbiased research and benchmark data to improve business performance. Littlefield writes for the LNS Research blog where he covers topics including enterprise quality management software, manufacturing operations management, asset performance management, sustainability, and industrial automation 2.0.

Mon, 01/04/2016 - 12:19
Assessing Your Organization’s Quality Maturity Where does your company stand in relation to these top five challenges?
Mon, 01/04/2016 - 12:19
Although there is no bad time to improve quality management maturity, an optimal time is during fiscal planning for a new year. Executives and quality professionals who are affected by the quality of products or services should ask two questions: “…
Three Major Quality Management Gaps… … and how to fill them
Thu, 06/12/2014 - 13:42
You know that old saying “if it’s not broke, don’t fix it”? Unfortunately, that is the thought process many executives adopt around quality management. It is not necessarily that their quality management systems are broken, per se, but the…
EQMS ID: Which One Is Right for You? Four types of providers and what they offer
Thu, 03/06/2014 - 12:46
For years, LNS Research has been advising industry executives on the enterprise quality management software (EQMS) selection process. And for years, each executive that we speak with typically asks some form of this question: Which solution is best…
Three Trends Driving EQMS Industry Growth in 2014 Although an accepted solution, enterprise-level quality management is still a hard sell
Mon, 01/27/2014 - 11:04
There’s been a noticeable shift during the past five years in how the quality software market is perceived. The definition of what Enterprise Quality Management Software (EQMS) encompasses has shifted, and the benefits of creating a closed-loop…
When You Should Globally Standardize a Quality Process An EQMS can help cross-functional communication
Fri, 06/21/2013 - 11:49
Editor’s note: There is a free recording of the QD/LNS webinar on enterprise quality management software (EQMS) which ran Tuesday, June 25, 2013, at 11 a.m. Pacific. Click here to view recording. There are a number of costs and benefits when…
Achieving Measurable Improvements With Energy Management Metrics Use a tiered and tactical approach to meet objectives
Mon, 03/18/2013 - 11:17

We’ve established that executives who focus on aligning and then optimizing people, processes, and technology in operational excellence models will position their organizations for success. This is true in quality, manufacturing, energy…
Automating Corrective and Preventive Action CAPA drives dramatic improvement in product compliance
Fri, 03/01/2013 - 14:24
With the evolution of quality management, there has been a shift away from manual and paper-based solutions. Organizations are now leveraging the power of automation and integration across the value chain to improve the quality of products and…
Upfront Value: How EQMS Implementation Strategies Pay Off Six best practices for avoiding common pitfalls
Mon, 01/28/2013 - 13:10

Many organizations have implemented targeted quality management functionalities to address immediate issues. It’s common for these functionalities to be homegrown or bought as off-the-shelf software solutions. As a consequence, however,…
What Is Enterprise Quality Management Software (EQMS)? EQMS manages processes and facilitates communication and collaboration
Wed, 12/12/2012 - 15:36
Although best practices and management systems behind quality management have remained consistent for decades, the systems and solutions used to ensure the production and delivery of high-quality products and processes have changed drastically.…
LNS Research Publishes Industry’s First Solution Selection Guide for EQMS Provides information and insight to help buyers create a shortlist of vendors
Tue, 10/23/2012 - 13:51
Since W. Edwards Deming and the quality revolution, numerous quality management software systems have emerged during the past several decades. However, the quality software market in general has been ill-defined, making it difficult for quality…