UQI
Understanding Quality Institute

Quality tools, explained in under 5 minutes.

Short, practical guides to the Lean and Six Sigma tools used on real production floors. Each one gets you from "what is this?" to filling out the worksheet, without a 400-page textbook.

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The format

Built like a work instruction

Every book in the series follows the same layout, so once you've read one you know where everything is in the next. Plain language first, then the tool, then a blank worksheet you can use on Monday.

24–30pages per guide, 6×9 paperback
<5 minto understand the core method
1ready-to-use worksheet in every book
A–Zglossary and one-page cheat sheet
The series · Books 1–4

Start with the fundamentals

Read them in order or pick the tool you need today. Each paperback is $12.99 on Amazon.

BOOK 01
UnderstandingFMEA
Justin M. Taylor

Understanding FMEA in Under 5 Minutes

Find what can fail before it does. Score each failure mode, rank the risk, and decide where to act first.

RPN = Severity × Occurrence × Detection
$12.99Book 1
BOOK 02
UnderstandingRoot Cause Analysis
Justin M. Taylor

Understanding Root Cause Analysis in Under 5 Minutes

Stop fixing the same defect twice. Use 5 Whys and the fishbone diagram to get past the symptom to the cause.

Why? → Why? → Why? → Why? → Why? → Root cause
$12.99Book 2
BOOK 03
Understanding5S
Justin M. Taylor

Understanding 5S in Under 5 Minutes

Organize a workspace so problems are visible at a glance, and keep it that way after the audit is over.

Sort · Set in Order · Shine · Standardize · Sustain
$12.99Book 3
BOOK 04
UnderstandingDMAIC
Justin M. Taylor

Understanding DMAIC in Under 5 Minutes

The Six Sigma roadmap for improvement projects, broken into five phases with the deliverables each one needs.

Define → Measure → Analyze → Improve → Control
$12.99Book 4
In development

Coming next

The series grows into the full automotive quality toolkit, from measurement systems to supplier launch requirements.

  • Control PlansWhat to check, how often, and what to do when it drifts
  • SPCReading control charts and knowing when to react
  • MSAGage R&R and trusting your measurements
  • 8DTeam-based problem solving for customer complaints
  • PPAPThe 18 elements of production part approval
  • APQPPlanning quality into a launch, phase by phase
  • Process CapabilityCp, Cpk, and what "capable" really means
  • Quality AuditsPreparing for, running, and closing out audits
Templates

The working toolkit

Editable templates that pair with the books, so you can go straight from reading to doing.

Six Sigma

DMAIC Project Charter

Problem statement, scope, goals, team, and timeline on one page your sponsor will actually read.

ISO 9001

Internal Audit Checklist

Clause-by-clause questions with space for evidence, findings, and follow-up actions.

Problem solving

8D Report

All eight disciplines, from team formation and containment to verified corrective action.

About the author

Written from the production floor

Justin M. Taylor has spent more than 15 years in automotive manufacturing as a product and quality engineer, running FMEAs, leading root cause investigations, and coaching teams through DMAIC projects on live production lines.

He started the Understanding Quality series for the people he trained along the way: engineers, supervisors, and operators who needed the tool explained clearly and quickly so they could get back to work.

Experience
15+ years, automotive quality & QMS
Certification
Lean Six Sigma
Specialties
QMS, Lean Manufacturing, DMAIC
Service
U.S. Marine Corps veteran
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Find the series on Amazon by searching "Understanding Quality" by Justin M. Taylor.

Browse Books 1–4