Developing quality program
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The document provides guidance on developing and implementing effective quality programs. It discusses reviewing processes, defining organizational purpose and commitment to quality, developing change management plans, focusing quality initiatives, providing training, using measurement and feedback, and making continuous improvements. Key factors for success include visible leadership, focus, training employees, effective measures, and creating a positive work environment.
Developing quality program
- 1. Developing Quality Program Ahmed El-Askalany CSTE, PMP, CSQA, CQIA, ITIL https://www.facebook.com/EdgeConsultancyInc E-mail: EdgeConsultancyInc@Gmail.com
- 2. Steps to Develop Quality Programs A review of the process in terms of structure and operation is provided. Details about how the process guides and contributions to improved quality, reliability, effectiveness, and economics of new product introductions are given. The volatility of new product introduction and its effect on Quality Program Management is illustrated by an overall evolutionary cycle in new product design and introduction
- 3. Steps to Develop Quality Programs Defining organizational purpose and providing a clear and well communicated commitment to quality are absolutely essential to long-term well-being. The vehicle for making change productive and lasting simply must be the organization's people. The over-used and under-utilized phrase "...people are our most important asset, our most important resource...", must become a reality and a way of thinking. Quality professionals must understand this principle perhaps better than any other group, as a significant portion of their success depends upon effective cooperation with people. A simple plan for managing change is developed and discussed. Key elements include: focus on the future, setting effective goals, understanding simplicity, communication, recognition, and the ultimate concept in success - continuous improvement.
- 4. Success Keys Quality Program Quality initiatives and strategic plans rely on five ingredients that have sailing analogies. First, management must be visibly committed to the initiative. Their leadership is like the wind that powers a sailboat. Second, the initiative should focus and steer as well as a sailboat's rudder. In quality programs, focus and alignment comes from establishing vision, mission, key result areas, key result measures, and tactics. The program should be manageable; more than about 20 measures or tactics is probably too much. Third, to execute a plan throughout an organization, everyone needs training. A training plan can track requirements, progress, gaps, and ongoing training needs. Training is akin to a sailboat's sail. Fourth, employees need measurement and feedback, as a sailor needs a compass. Effective measures are specific, controllable, and understandable. Fifth, both sailing and quality initiatives need fun and creativity. In the workplace, these elements arise out of a comfortable atmosphere, organizational themes, teamwork, and a reward system.
- 5. An Approach to KISS Quality The KISS (kindness, intelligence, simplicity, and sincerity) Quality Program is a method for revising an existing quality program or developing a new program. The theme is the development and use of work philosophies and activities that will direct a service industry business or other business segments toward better quality, a higher plane of excellence and quality, and better profits.
- 6. Six-Sigma Quality Programs The Objective of six-sigma program is minimize defects, minimize variations and increase customer satisfaction. Components of a six-sigma program are: the improvement process, quality measurement, quality initiatives, and improvement tools. Six-sigma in a single-part or single-step process means that the chance of the process falling beyond upper and lower specification limits is at the level of six standard deviations from nominal. This is equivalent to the process having a capability index of Cp = 2. If the process mean is not centered at nominal, then it is shifted, on average, 1.5 standard deviations from nominal. This is expressed as a capability index of Cpk = 1.5, which can be interpreted as a rate of one defect per 3.4 million parts. For processes with multiple parts or steps, the defect rate can be calculated by summing the defect rates for individual components.
- 7. Implementing a Quality Management Program Three C's of Success: Commitment, Culture, Cost. The conceptual differences between quality management and quality assurance still confound people. Quality assurance efforts are directed at activities related to the products and services that are provided; the scope of a quality management program encompasses everyone and all activities. The total quality management (TQM) philosophy needs to be integrated into the prevailing thinking so everyone will view the various TQM tools as the "weapons of choice" for attacking problems. Management must provide the appropriate leadership in demonstrating its commitment, must foster a culture commensurate with its vision and mission, and must provide funds necessary to implement the program. Without these aspects in place, no quality program can succeed.
- 8. Cost of Quality Program Cost of Quality (COQ) systems are in use in many industries and have proven themselves as both effective drivers of cost reduction and as a method of monitoring the effectiveness of quality assurance activities. However, most of the systems currently in use, and certainly almost all the reports concerning such systems, deal with companies whose main quality costs are accumulated during the manufacturing phase. A company whose only product is complex military systems, primarily one- of-a-kind systems, must develop a COQ program that concentrates on the development and engineering phases. This is so not only because most of its manpower and costs are concentrated in these areas, but also because ignoring them opens up the whole program to a charge of irrelevance. In the Electronics Systems Group of XYZ, Ltd., we attacked this problem by tailoring program to systems projects and consulting with all involved groups at each stage before we continued to the next. The program applies to both hardware and software development.
- 9. Cost of Quality Program (cont.) The first step was to set general criteria for which types of activity would be considered COQ contributors and which would not. We then carefully analyzed the development, engineering and manufacturing processes and listed all activities which were totally or partially concerned with the quality costs. These activities were then characterized as to whether they were primarily prevention, appraisal, internal failures or external failures. Finally, we determined how each activity's costs would be collected. This was especially problematic for the design and engineering phases because at XYZ, ltd engineers charge their time to a project without designating the type of activity performed. Through a sometimes painful process of trial and error we designed a system that is acceptable to management, accounting and the engineering divisions. In order to insure the widespread acceptance of the data, we decided to only consider those costs that everyone agreed should be considered. Even though this meant ignoring some costs that fit the theory, it enabled us to obtain the cooperation of several engineering managers who had previously been very antagonistic. Once the system was designed, a program was set up to ensure that the data generated would be used to bring down costs while maintaining or improving quality.
- 10. Things Killing Quality Programs Many quality programs die each year, and here are some reasons why. Management wears blinders and ignores facts about their products. Management shows that quality is a low priority, by inappropriate appointments to quality jobs and by not integrating quality into important business. The quality effort has more sizzle than substance, so that employees know it is not a long-term program. Employees look to others, not themselves, for improvement activities. When things go wrong, people rather than processes get blamed. The cost of quality is ignored. Quality activities are not measurable and are not evaluated. The quality program is not applied to information products. Without quality information, the company loses competitiveness.
- 11. Is Your Quality Program Dragging Although many companies implement quality programs, only a few experience great success. In a survey of 161 companies that had initiated quality programs, about 80% reported little or no progress. The few successful companies applied most or all of the following points. Quality teams should have strategic direction and know which improvements to work on first. Senior and middle management must actively support the program. Employees should understand the company's business process and how they fit in. Everyone should have the chance to join a quality team immediately after quality training. Quality teams should receive support, including responses to all their suggestions. There should be a recognition program for teams. Implementation of quality requires a change in the company's culture. Benchmarking encourages useful competition among production groups. The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award and ISO (International Organization for Standardization) 9000 criteria are good evaluation tools. Quality improvement should be a continuous activity.