Many improvement projects get chartered but never progress to testing changes. Executing projects to results requires a shared method, capability building, & portfolio management—while learning what works. Managing a portfolio to results is essential. davidmwilliamsphd.com/2026/01/01/q...

Planning that enables learning and guides where to act is critical. It connects strategic objectives to specific places that shift the org forward and move metrics. Planning to improve and operate. Read more: davidmwilliamsphd.com/2026/01/01/q...

We have data like never before. But you can still be data-rich and knowledge-poor without a theory behind collection and how to act. A system for obtaining and using information is essential—converting data to action. davidmwilliamsphd.com/2026/01/01/q...

Leaders struggle to see how their organization works as a system. Many processes across departments. But how are they linked? How are they designed to achieve the measures that matter? Viewing the org as a system enables learning across it. davidmwilliamsphd.com/2026/01/01/q...

Most organizations display their mission statement. But is it actually used to guide decisions & focus their system. How do you move purpose from the wall to the work so it guides improvement, shapes decisions, and connects daily work to what matters. davidmwilliamsphd.com/2026/01/01/q...

Most CQOs are first or second-generation in the role. First built the elements: training, metrics, safety programs. Second face integration: connecting elements into coherent systems. The role evolved from builder to architect. davidmwilliamsphd.com/2026/01/23/c... #improvementscience #quality

When a dozen Breakthrough Collaboratives failed, the problem wasn't the method—it was using it at the wrong stage. BTS spreads proven changes. Most orgs need to start earlier and match your learning system to change maturity. New post👇 davidmwilliamsphd.com/2026/01/10/m... #improvementscience

The best professional development? Improvement projects. When staff study their own work, they find insights no consultant could. They see where handoffs break down, where info gets lost, why workarounds became normal. Result: Frontline experts. davidmwilliamsphd.com/2025/12/19/i...

AI can help us learn about systems and analyze data. But teams getting measurable results pair those tools with something timeless: clarity of purpose, fidelity to testing, commitment to fundamentals. That's what moves dots in the direction of goodness. davidmwilliamsphd.com/2026/01/02/t...

The QOS Field Guide is out—a practical companion to Quality as an Organizational Strategy (QOS) and a #1 Amazon New Release in Quality. It helps leaders put QOS into action with tools, examples, and a roadmap for building a learning system. 📘 QOS a.co/d/94S2HFg 📘 The QOS Field Guide a.co/d/0V2Kyyi

Patients are using AI chatbots to fill in gaps or supplement their experience with the healthcare systems. This can be a positive or create new frictions. How can a healthcare system keep up with this innovation and evolve to continue to meet patient needs? Source: www.nytimes.com/2025/11/16/w...

From Building to Accelerating. Over the past decade, many leaders have laid a strong foundation for quality. The structures and people are in place. Now the question is: how do we move from a good start to accelerating quality across the system? davidmwilliamsphd.com/2025/11/06/m...

A great new paper on advanced PDSA using planned experimentation by Dr. Shafer at CHOC Children's. His project was to improve examination of ocular abnormalities in newborns. You can read the full paper here. bmjopenquality.bmj.com/content/14/4...

I am no pioneer at using AI in improvement work. I run small PDSA tests everyday to learn how it works and where it’s useful (and not). Here are four learning cycles and what I discovered. davidmwilliamsphd.com/2025/09/30/f...

I have a major piece in Bloomberg Citylab today. Should the US let transit fail, as Pennsylvania is already doing? And if not, what are the arguments we need to let it succeed? www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

I listen to @kutnews.bsky.social for news and @kutx.bsky.social for Austin music everyday. I also watch @pbsnews.org on @austinpbs.bsky.social nightly. I just increased my monthly membership. Join me.

One struggles for leaders is figuring out how to focus attention on the work that best serves the customer and will get the desired results. A great place to begin is your vector of measures. Here are steps to take and questions to ask... davidmwilliamsphd.com/2021/02/07/u...

People will manipulate a system if they feel it doesn't allow them to be their best. Here's an interesting example of researchers embedding hidden prompts in manuscripts to trick AI LLMs that journal reviewers may be potentially using. asia.nikkei.com/Business/Tec... @thebenedictevans.bsky.social

Starter pack for #improvementscience go.bsky.app/DWvuaeu

Powerful benchmark: compare a new employee on day 1 with the same person 6 or 12 months later. Are they still eager to find purpose, contribute meaningfully, and make a difference? QOS is an alternative—methods that transforms how people work together. bit.ly/QOSbook

A large proportion of EMS patients do not benefit from ER transport. ET3 tried to change that. A failure not captured in this paper was the scale of the initiative without a pilot to create a change package and results. Still opportunity to improve. www.healthaffairs.org/content/fore...

The science writer Robert P. Crease suggests there are three crucial properties that units of measures must possess: 1) accessibility, 2) proportionality, and 3) consistency.

We used to have radio on TV…King, Imus, etc. Cable news today feels stale…same show different talkers. Bothsidesism. No learning. Podcasts & YouTube bring back the long interview & complexity & nuance. Love to see cable news follow. Via @brianstelter.bsky.social www.vanityfair.com/news/story/e...

The application deadline is Friday. Don't miss this opportunity to be part of a select cohort of leaders in the only advanced improvement science program for emergency services. ⏳ Apps close April 18 🔗 davidmwilliamsphd.com/ems-course/

The applications deadline is one week from today. Don't miss this opportunity to be part of a select cohort of leaders in the only advanced improvement science program for emergency services. ⏳ Apps close April 18 🔗 davidmwilliamsphd.com/ems-course/

Powerful benchmark: compare a new employee on day 1 with the same person 6 or 12 months later. Are they still eager to find purpose, contribute meaningfully, and make a difference? QOS is an alternative—methods that transforms how people work together. bit.ly/QOSbook

Quality as an Organizational Strategy blends the theories of systems thinking, variation, knowledge, and psychology with methods for developing a learning organization to pursue continuous, results-driven improvement. Getting Started on Deming Institute Podcast: podcast.deming.org/getting-star...

Joined #handsoff crowds in Austin, Texas. #Resist.

🚨 EMS leaders need more than grit—they need tools to test, measure & improve. That’s why @mtaigman.bsky.social and I built Next Level Improvement Science for EMS Leaders. 🎙️ I joined @ukrobl.bsky.social on EMS One-Stop to explain why: 🔗 davidmwilliamsphd.com/ems-course/ 🎧 apple.co/4aKVQn7

I am grateful to the leaders at the Quality Leaders Forum at the Children’s Hospital Association for inviting me to discuss research on the role of CQOs in driving quality across systems. It was a privilege to introduce the methods outlined in our book, "Quality as an Organizational Strategy."

Do you have 2 mins? Watch the trailer for an upcoming master class to help EMS & fire leaders build the capability to do results-driven improvement with @mtaigman.bsky.social & me. Co-sponsored by ESO & @firstwatchdata.bsky.social youtu.be/fKZftQw-FVo #ems #firedepartment #ambulance

Change requires new routines, discipline, & time & space. When pursuing quality as a strategy, QI projects help us understand the organization & the challenges of making changes. The learning system adds new methods & learning to build a system of improvement. davidmwilliamsphd.com/2025/03/18/l...

I interviewed leaders like Peter Senge, Don Berwick, Blan Godfrey, John Seddon, Paul Batalden, and Michael Maccoby and asked: What drives them to move beyond the status quo and adopt a strategy grounded in the Science of Improvement? Here's what I learned davidmwilliamsphd.com/2025/03/18/w...

Wednesday's zoom, I am joined by Dr. Achala Vagal, co-directer at the CCTST at the U of Cincinnati College of Med. I'll talk about the methods of Quality as an Organizational Strategy and Dr. Vagal will share what it's like using these methods to develop quality as a strategy across their system.

Join ISQua’s North American Community of Practice Webinar on March 19 at 12:00 PM (EST) to explore Quality as an Organizational Strategy! David M. Williams, Achala Vagal & Ulfat Shaikh share strategies & real-world insights on implementing QOS in healthcare. Register now 👉 bit.ly/4bIQPxh

I am looking forward to joining @isqua.org to discuss building on the Science of Improvement and using methods to adopt improvement as your organizational strategy. Please register and join us. For more information on QOS: davidmwilliamsphd.com/book/ #improvementscience #quality

How do leaders gauge their progress in pursuing quality as a strategy? One place to start is to use the QOS assessment tool. Each member of the leadership team completes it on their own. Then, consolidate the results and learn together. davidmwilliamsphd.com/2024/11/01/q...

🚑 EMS leaders—are you ready to take improvement to the next level? Join Mike Taigman and I for a master course designed for EMS leaders to achieve results-driven improvement. Now accepting applications. #EMS #fire #ImprovementScience davidmwilliamsphd.com/ems-course/

🚑 EMS leaders—are you ready to take improvement to the next level? Join Mike Taigman and I for a master course designed for EMS leaders to achieve results-driven improvement. Now accepting applications. #EMS #fire #ImprovementScience davidmwilliamsphd.com/ems-course/

These are the kinds of heroes we need. My next donation is Friday. Via @npr.org www.npr.org/2025/03/03/n...

Newsweek released its 2025 list of the "world's best hospitals". Leaders love to compare their organizations to others. Knowing where you rank can be useful, but not enough. How will you learn from leading organizations and get better? davidmwilliamsphd.com/2020/08/06/b...

How do leaders figure out how to focus attention on work that best serves the customer and gets results. Begin with your vector of measures; a set of indicators linking your purpose, core stakeholders, and key outcomes. Here are steps to take: davidmwilliamsphd.com/2021/02/07/u...

I like Yong’s definition of burnout: “A lot of the health care workers I spoke to said that it wasn’t that they couldn’t handle doing their job. It was that they couldn’t handle not being able to do their job.” I share his observation.

One of the hardest parts of improvement is breaking through the gravitational pull of the status quo. It’s amazing how much effort good people will spend doing everything they possible can to NOT CHANGE and, as a result, NOT IMPROVE. All improvement requires change.

Making changes to a process is essential to improvement. Leaders can struggle with selecting where to improve. Here's a method that can help select for impact.. davidmwilliamsphd.com/2020/10/04/p...

Pleasure to join the Deming Institute podcast to talk about our new book Quality as an Organizational Strategy. QOS was developed to meet Dr. Deming's challenge to weave the theories, concepts, and methods for building improvement into the fabric of organizations. podcast.deming.org/quality-as-a...

I'm excited to lead the 2025 U.S. offering of the @theihi.bsky.social Improvement Advisor Professional Development Program in Boston starting in Sept. This is the leading publicly offered program on Improvement Science and Methods. Come join the next cohort. www.ihi.org/education/tr...

Systems thinking is critical for improvement. Visualizing the system helps us work with the present & make impactful changes for the future. The LA fires are horrible & raised awareness about firefighting systems. Interesting article about the hydrant system. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

Pleasure to present an ASQ Webcast for the American Society of Quality (ASQ) with Clifford Norman. ASQ is a global community dedicated to advancing excellence through quality. It was an honor to discuss the methods of Quality as an Organizational Strategy. Watch here: vimeo.com/1046839326

Thinking of all of the firefighters, medics, police, health care providers, & helpers working selflessly right now to serve their community affected by the #palisades fire.