Proactive Vs. Reactive

 Three of the concepts of Quality Control and Quality Management Systems, the areas that I consider myself to be an expert (I know you're laughing! It's fine) are:

1) Be proactive rather than reactive,

2) Cause and effect, and

3) Root Cause Analysis.

None of them are new concepts and have been introduced many years ago. You would be able to see some of them, if I refer to Juran's Quality Handbook, although some consider that old! My point here is I've barely seen any of these concepts to be used and implemented anywhere, especially in West where they originate from although the main source is Japan and then the Americans transferred them to the US and tailored them to use for their own. Maybe it is seen in a few high tech industries.  

I'm not going to teach the basics of the above but I'm going to refer to a recent accomplishment in Calgary that the authorities (perhaps the Government of Albert and AHS) are so proud of that and it has a long name (Perhaps they think it would be more effective and impressive at the same time): Arthur J. E. Child Comprehensive Cancer Center.

They have spent millions on this facility but would that be necessary, if instead, they looked into the causes of cancer and tried to eliminate them, or not?! 

I'm no physician but we all know that eating habits could contribute a lot. Do they not? Look at what people, including children, of course, eat here. There's no doubt that other factors are involved and I don't know what they could be. Some of them can be controlled but some can't. I don't know if genes are a factor but I think I read somewhere, that they are. The other factor is air pollution. So which ones can we control? And why do they not? Or perhaps I shall say why they have not being controlled? is this not why nations elect a government? To do the right thing for them? To make the right decisions on their behalf? It seem not! Everything is about money. There're people who benefit from this multimillion dollar facility and now they have it. It is not important to them whether sick kids are cured or not. It matters that this building is there and it provides its services so the business is going on! 

(Photo: The kids cancer center is built next to Foothills Medical Center in west side of Calgary)