Quality

Quality is vital to everything you do, and it is high on the agenda for many businesses. But,

• Are your management systems addressing real quality issues as well as meeting the requirements of Certified standards such as ISO 9000/2000.
• Are the systems working all of the time?
• Has your company addressed total quality management as a basis for improved performance?

Every quality manager will have to address certain critical issues; these are as follows:

• Without a commitment to quality from top management your efforts will certainly fail.
• Certification to a standard such as ISO 9000/2000 may be a minimum requirement imposed by your customers.
• TQM is about involving everyone in your organisation to think and act "quality". It requires training in quality systems.
• Teamwork is required to achieve excellent levels of customer service and an ultimate goal of zero defects.

Embracing quality throughout your company means more than achieving certification. Quality management must transform the attitude and approach of your company and thus maximise competitive advantage.

The following section will enable you to determine your quality standards. See how many statements are really worthy of your "agreed" response.

E1 - Quality Management

Commitment	Strongly Agree	Agree	Not Sure	Disagree	Strongly Disagree	Good Business Practice
Our approach to quality is to view it as a key strategic issue.						If you are not committed to quality then you cannot expect your employees to receive the right message.
There is a direct and clear line of responsibility and accountability for quality issues from the shop floor to the chief executives.
The commitment to quality comes from the very top of our company.

Quality Assurance	Strongly Agree	Agree	Not Sure	Disagree	Strongly Disagree	Good Business Practice
We have the evidence in place to pass to our customers that support our claims regarding our quality performance.						Your customers do not see the inside of your business as you do: make sure they understand what makes your approach to quality produce products that are right first time.
We have the right calibre of person in place, someone who is known to our customers and is responsive to their requests.
We have had quality system independently assessed.

Approvals	Strongly Agree	Agree	Not Sure	Disagree	Strongly Disagree	Good Business Practice
We have applied for/been accredited with BS EN ISO 9000.						Registration to BS EN ISO 9000 is not a target – it’s only a milestone on the way to cost effective quality.
We have important industry specific approvals (e.g. Market Driven Quality MDQ)).
The approvals issue is one, which we have been forced consider and efforts in this area are as a result of our own initiative.

Culture	Strongly Agree	Agree	Not Sure	Disagree	Strongly Disagree	Good Business Practice
Quality is an issue integral to our management process not outside it.						Good quality is not simply the responsibility of the quality department; it’s a company wide responsibility.
We operate our quality management system because we genuinely believe in its importance.
Our culture is such that any necessary changes to methods a result of quality needs seen as positive not negative.

Quality management is about a commitment to quality and a culture the puts the right system in place. It is important to produce real quality not just meet the systems requirements.

Where you "disagree" then you need to take action.

E2 - Quality Systems

Procedures	Strongly Agree	Agree	Not Sure	Disagree	Strongly Disagree	Good Business Practice
There are strict standards of quality evident and practised in all areas of our operation.						Design your procedures around your customers’ needs for total satisfaction; not to suit the way you like to do things.
There is a system of fast response to problems related to quality issues.
Systems are in place to monitor quality on an hourly/daily/weekly basis and those systems identify real problem areas.

Controls	Strongly Agree	Agree	Not Sure	Disagree	Strongly Disagree	Good Business Practice
We can track failures in our quality system directly to our customer’s satisfaction levels.						Do not inspect quality into your products; use controls to provide you with reassurance that the procedure are being observed.
We have the controls in place to prevent any circumvention of our quality procedures.
Our controls are optimised for the purpose and are not a burden to the efficiency of our operations.

Monitoring	Strongly Agree	Agree	Not Sure	Disagree	Strongly Disagree	Good Business Practice
The quality systems we have are as high as those we expect from our suppliers.						Make sure your quality records and information have a purpose; if nobody uses the information it’s not worth generating it.
Our quality systems act as benchmarks for our quality standards.
We actively cost out our quality requirements to highlight their effectiveness.

The best companies have efficient and effective quality systems, which everyone understands, that are easy to control and that ensure the final product quality, demanded by the customer.

Where you "disagree" then you need to take action.

E3 - Quality Techniques

Communication	Strongly Agree	Agree	Not Sure	Disagree	Strongly Disagree	Good Business Practice
Our workers know that there is a direct link between our quality standards and the health of our company.						Your customers are the best source of information regarding your quality performance.
Our employees know qualitatively what is expected of them.
Our quality standards are sufficiently robust to market their existence to our customers and suppliers.

People	Strongly Agree	Agree	Not Sure	Disagree	Strongly Disagree	Good Business Practice
Quality is a vision that is shared by all our employees’ not just senior management.						Your employees are in the best position to make the right changes happen, so give them tools to do the job.
There is an effective system of recognition for employees who contribute to the quality process.
There are effective classroom and on the floor training programmes for employees

Development	Strongly Agree	Agree	Not Sure	Disagree	Strongly Disagree	Good Business Practice
Employees are regularly canvassed and they receive feedback on quality issues.						Total quality management requires a commitment to the continuous, cost effective development of your quality systems.
We continually look for ways to improve the quality performance of our business.
We are continually looking at the changing needs of our business and how this affects our quality systems.

The introduction of quality techniques throughout a business exists in processes, in people and in managerial actions. Policies for people and systems development need to be regularly reviewed.

Where you "disagree" then you need to take action.

Return to introduction