Experimental design for manufacturing-fashion or foresight?

It is noted that society is demanding quality products and service and that industry is responding by adopting a culture of quality improvement. Programs and techniques designed for implementing this new quality awareness have arisen, targeting management motivation and manufacturing control. Particular attention is given to the thinking of K. Ohmae (1983) and R.J. Sternberg (1988). The DOE (design of experiments) model of hypothesis generation evolving into process control, which is considered as a metacognitive approach to critical decision making is discussed. It is emphasized that manufacturers need to go from making fashionable decisions to making farsighted ones. >