About the Authors

Dr. Howard S. Gitlow is Executive Director of the Institute for the Study of Quality, Director of the Master of Science degree in Management Science, and a Professor of Management Science, School of Business Administration, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida. He was a Visiting Professor at the Stern School of Business at New York University in 2007, and a Visiting Professor at the Science University of Tokyo in 1990 where he studied with Dr. Noriaki Kano. He received his Ph.D. in Statistics (1974), M.B.A. (1972), and B.S. in Statistics (1969) from New York University. His areas of specialization are Six Sigma Management, Dr. Deming’s theory of management, Japanese Total Quality Control, and statistical quality control.

Dr. Gitlow is a Six Sigma Master Black Belt, a Fellow of the American Society for Quality, and a member of the American Statistical Association. He has consulted on quality, productivity, and related matters with many organizations, including several Fortune 500 companies.

Dr. Gitlow has authored or co-authored 14 books. These include: America’s Research Universities: The Challenges Ahead, University Press of America (2011); A Guide to Lean Six Sigma, CRC Press (2009); Design for Six Sigma for Green Belts and Champions, Prentice-Hall, (2006); Six Sigma for Green Belts and Champions, Prentice-Hall, (2004); Quality Management: Tools and Methods for Improvement, 3rd edition, Richard. D. Irwin (2004); Quality Management Systems, CRC Press (2000), Total Quality Management in Action, Prentice-Hall, (1994); The Deming Guide to Quality and Competitive Position, Prentice-Hall (1987); Planning for Quality, Productivity, and Competitive Position, Dow Jones-Irwin (1990); and Stat City: Understanding Statistics Through Realistic Applications,2nd edition, Richard D. Irwin (1987). He has published over 60 academic articles in the areas of quality, statistics, management, and marketing.

While at the University of Miami, Dr. Gitlow has received awards for Outstanding Teaching, Outstanding Writing, and Outstanding Published Research Articles.

Richard J. Melnyck is Assistant Vice President for Medical Affairs and Executive Director of Process Improvement at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and Health System. He is a Six Sigma Master Black Belt, the University of Miami faculty advisor for the American Society for Quality, the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine faculty advisor for the Institute for Healthcare Improvement and a member of the Beta Gamma Sigma International Honor Society. He has consulted on quality, productivity and related matters with many organizations. He received his M.S. in Management Science (2008), M.B.A. (2002), and M.S. in Computer Information Systems (2002) from the University of Miami.