The Brain Teaser series in Quality Magazine was introduced in January 2000. The concept of a monthly column which would present real-world situations and allow readers to practice their skills in solving them was suggested by the magazine editor. He discussed this idea with Sheila Poling of Pinnacle Partners, who immediately realized that the one consultant/trainer who had successfully worked with companies in solving their process problems was Dr. Sophronia Ward. Frony had the academic process improvement credentials plus the real-world experiences of helping companies understand and then use statistical process control (SPC) and Six Sigma tools and techniques. The Quality Brain Teaser series ran from January 2000 through December 2009 – a 10-year run.