As a society we are inundated daily with bad news about the economy. Although things have gotten a little better, we still hear about declining markets, failing businesses, unemployment, home foreclosures, declining net worth, and evaporating 401k plans.

If, as Sophocles said, "There is no success without hardship," then the current economic environment is a perfect opportunity for those in the quality field to lead the drive to success.

Quality professionals who find themselves in a continual improvement role can become frustrated with resistance to change. They sometimes equate it to a lack of management support, but this may not be entirely accurate.

Quality should play a larger role in when a product is released. When the quality function plays an independent and integral part in the development, manufacture and release of new products, then the role was to serve as a customer advocate to ensure all known issues are documented and resolved prior to shipment.