Paul Naysmith

Quality manager

Expro Group

Paul Naysmith is the author of Business Management Tips From an Improvement Ninja and Business Management Tips From a Quality Punk. He’s also a Fellow and Chartered Quality Professional with the UK’s Chartered Quality Institute (CQI), and an honorary member of the South African Quality Institute (SAQI). Connect with him at www.paulnaysmith.com, or follow him on twitter @PNaysmith.

Those who have read Paul’s columns might be wondering why they haven’t heard from him in a while. After his stint working in the United States, he moved back to his homeland of Scotland, where he quickly found a new career in the medical-device industry; became a dad to his first child, Florence; and decided to restore a classic car back to its roadworthy glory. With the help of his current employer, he’s also started the first-of-its-kind quality apprenticeship scheme, which he hopes will become a pipeline for future improvement ninjas and quality punks.

Wed, 01/04/2017 - 12:00
Which Standard Will You Select? Accreditation doesn’t guarantee quality in an organization
Tue, 01/31/2012 - 12:47
The menu has folded out into four sections. Each page has a picture next to the delicious option; however, I know the server will be taking the menu away from me after I’ve placed my order. I’m pondering how I can confirm that my order is the same…
Taking on Big Tabasco Or, a little undercover research into le petit baton rouge
Mon, 01/09/2012 - 17:06
Recently I visited the world-famous Tabasco sauce factory on Avery Island, Louisiana. We live approximately 30 miles from the global super-brand, and what else would a quality professional like to do on his holiday downtime than visit a factory to…
Does a Corporate Social Responsibility Report Demonstrate Responsibility? Let us not confuse output for outcome
Tue, 11/29/2011 - 14:46
Oh no, it’s happened again! Why do I do this to myself time and again? Do I need to seek help, professional assistance of a psychological nature? I must stop doing this; it’s is as if I don’t have control over myself. It’s a habit. No, it’s not…
Man Cave Manufacturing Turning inspiration and ingenuity into quality training
Fri, 11/18/2011 - 09:33
My cell phone was vibrating like a dryer set at hyper-speed, and my wife’s name popped up on the screen. My first thought was that something had gone wrong. I did tell her to call only if there were problems with the movers. I was on the other…
Quality in the Year 2022 Strategic planning forecasts from a wannabe futurologist
Fri, 10/28/2011 - 12:12
In the business world we certainly like to toss around choice words to express our ideas. I don’t think I’ve ever used the term “strategic planning” in my home or personal life. I can well imagine my wife’s stare of death (inherited from her two…
Life in a Technocracy Technology has overcome problems I never knew I had
Tue, 10/11/2011 - 12:38
My wife and I were waiting near the departure gate at a miniature regional airport in Louisiana when the announcement blared: “Due to weather in Atlanta, your scheduled flight will not be disembarking for 15 minutes.” Dismayed by the news, we…
Those Quality Magic Moments Don’t let them get buried and forgotten under everyday challenges
Wed, 08/31/2011 - 12:42
The human mind is currently the most intelligent device you will ever own. However, have you ever noticed how it has a filtering system? For example, do you remember the uneventful drive to the office this morning? I have no idea why the brain “…
Are You a Quality Punk? I'm here to bring on the Quality Punk scene for the 2010s.
Mon, 08/15/2011 - 11:08
In the mid 1970s to mid 1980s the Punk movement was an intensely bright burning star that fizzled out just as quickly as it came in. As I understand it, the Punk movement was the antidote to the excessive color and pageantry of the Glam Rock…
Dr. Deming’s Camping Expedition In praise of cause and effect and 5 Whys
Mon, 08/01/2011 - 06:00
While playing her role as Maria Kutschera in The Sound of Music, Julie Andrews once sang about her favorite things, among which were geese flying with the moon on their wings, doorbells, and brown paper packages. Remembering these things was how…
If Deming could see what you’re doing... When making a change shouldn’t be simply copying someone else’s idea
Fri, 07/15/2011 - 17:12
If W. Edwards Deming could see what you are doing, he’d punch you in the face. OK, not really. He may have been brutally honest in his lectures but I don’t think he ever punched anyone. However, he would have plenty to say about how often one…