In a recent interview, quality executive Paul Arrendell delivered a critical message for technical fields facing productivity pressures: sustainable success requires moving from speed-focused approaches to system-based workflows. With over 30 years of leadership experience at companies including Abbott Diagnostics, KCI Medical, and Becton Dickinson, Arrendell emphasizes that industries like healthcare and manufacturing operate in high-risk environments where structure, not just speed, determines outcomes.
Arrendell's perspective addresses a documented productivity crisis. According to a 2023 McKinsey report, 40% of engineers in healthcare and manufacturing report high deadline pressure, yet only 12% say it improves performance. This pressure in environments with significant consequences—such as product recalls, audit failures, or patient risk—makes Arrendell's call for systems particularly urgent. "You can't sprint your way through an FDA inspection," he states. "You need systems that guide people, catch issues early, and build trust across teams."
The solution, according to Arrendell, lies in implementing simple, scalable, system-based workflows. He describes how replacing complex quality forms with visual checklists and clear deadlines cut internal product hold times by 40% in one instance. More fundamentally, he advocates tracking process friction rather than just time spent. In an example, a team discovered change approvals took 11 days to clear while actual changes required only 2 hours; addressing that bottleneck proved more impactful than any productivity tool or deadline pressure.
Arrendell urges professionals and leaders to examine how work gets done, not just how fast. He recommends practical steps: track where work gets stuck, create shared systems that don't rely on "hero mode," turn reports into feedback loops that drive change, and train for understanding rather than just task completion. "If your process only works because two people know the shortcuts, it's not a system. It's a ticking clock," he warns. This shift from speed to systems represents a foundational change for industries where reliability and consistency are paramount, offering a path to reduce errors, improve team performance, and build sustainable operational excellence.
