John Compton

John Compton

John is owner and principal of Compton & Associates, a consulting company dedicated to improving the people, processes, and profits of its clients. He is professor emeritus of the Rochester Institute of Technology, where he taught quality systems and process improvement while serving as director of the Center for Quality and Productivity in the Graphic Arts. Most recently, he served as vice president of quality and training at Vertis Communications and prior to that, he served as vice president of quality and organizational development at Fort Dearborn Company. John has authored and co-authored several books dealing with quality and productivity in the printing and imaging industry. He is a Master Lean/Six Sigma Black Belt and a senior member of the American Society for Quality. John has served as a consultant to the Continuous Improvement Conference since 2010.
How to Establish Good Standard Operating Procedures

A standard operating procedure is a documented, best-known method to perform some task or process. A standard operating procedure combines technical knowledge and process know-how, putting them in a written form so everyone can use them.

Understanding the ABCs of Improvement

During assessments of printing companies seeking feedback on the state of quality in their businesses, I’ve learned there are three kinds of work activities that can be observed. These activities can be broken down as "A work," "B work," and "C work."

Kaizen: Everybody, Every Day, A Little Bit Better

The Japanese word “kaizen” when translated into English means “to change for the good,” or to improve. The concept of continuous improvement is well known in our industry and practiced to some extent by most companies. The challenge is to find a way of accelerating your rate of improvement to capture the advantages in quality, time, and costs it brings.

The Customer Buys Your Value Stream

The value of a printing company stems from the result of multiple processes that when strung together create a value stream. The value stream of a company is what its customers are interested in buying. Therefore, ensuring waste is removed from the processes is essential to maximizing performance.

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