Quality Management and Quality Gurus - Essay Example

Quality Management and Quality Gurus Contents Contents Introduction 4 Quality 4 Eight Dimensions of Quality 5 Eight Dimensions of Quality in Manufacturing 5 Eight Dimensions of Quality in Services 6 Why Quality 6 Quality Management System (QMS) 7 Quality Timeline 8 QA vs. QC 8 Quality Gurus 9 Kaoru Ishikawa 9 Masaki Imai 10 Philip B. Crosby 11 Noriaki Kano 11 Genechi Taguchi 12 Hiroyuki Hirano 12 References 14 Introduction The term quality is of utmost importance in the modern day business environment. In the modern competitive market customers calls all the shots as they have various options to opt. Hence fall in quality potentially will lead to the loss of customers and revenue. Quality management has become an important part of the overall corporate level strategy. Quality is the performance of the product as per the commitment made by the producer to the consumer. The commitment made by the producer to the consumer. If the producer is not able to live up the commitment is likely to suffer losses in business. This study looks to focus on some of the key concepts of Quality including the basic concept of quality, importance of quality to the business, quality management system as well about the quality gurus and their contributions to the business. Quality The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and American Society for Quality (ASQ) has defined quality as the totality of attributes and characteristics of a product and services that bears on its aptitude to please given needs. In the modern markets characterized by high competition, satisfying the needs of the customers will probably pave the path to success. In order to beat the competition, companies must take the initiative to exceed expectations of customers. Thus one of the most admired definitions of quality is gathering or exceeding the expectations of the consumers. Quality is defined to be the conformance to clearly state practical and performance needs, openly documented development of production/production principles and implicit sorts that are likely of all professionally developed products/ services (Kundu, 2009, p.178). Variation control is the heart of quality control. From one project to another the idea is to minimize the difference between the predicted resources needed to complete a project and actual resources used, including staff, equipment, and calendar time. The general, it likely to be made sure that the testing programs covers a known percentage of the product, from one release to the other. The idea is not only to minimize the defects the number of defects that are released to the field, it is also be ensured that the variance in the number of bugs is also reduced from release to the other. It is important to minimize the differences in speed and accuracy of the hotline support responses to the customer problems. Usually products are examined on the basis of three measurable characteristics such as; Quality of requirement which implies how well customers’ needs have been identified; Quality of design which refers to the features that designers specify for an item; Quality of Conformance which is the degree to which the design specifications are followed during production. Eight Dimensions of Quality Managers of manufacturing and service functions deal with different types of quality issues. Although the particulars of quality management vary between manufacturing and service industries, the client driven definition eradicates the artificial differences and provides a unifying standpoint. Quality control in manufacturing is usually based in conformance to specifications. Specifications are regarding the targets and tolerances determined by designers of products and services. Tolerances are acceptable deviation from these principles. Eight Dimensions of Quality in Manufacturing The manufactured products have several quality dimensions. The eight of them are performance of a product; features of a product; reliability of product; conformance of a product; durability of a product; serviceability of a product; aesthetics of a product and perceived quality of a product. Eight Dimensions of Quality in Services Today services an important emerging area of economy. Quality in services cannot be underestimated. If the customer feels that the problem is resolved quickly the figure jumps to 95%. Customers who have had their complaints resolved satisfactorily will only tell five others. The customer who has had problem will tell ten others about it. It costs 6 times more to get a new customer than to keep a current customer. Services should clearly be at the forefront of a firm’s priorities. The most important dimensions of service quality are Completeness, Time, Accessibility, Timeliness, Courtesy, Consistency, Accuracy, Responsiveness and Consistency. Why Quality Quality is the performance of the product as per the commitment made by the producer to the consumer. The commitment made by the producer to the consumer. The commitment may be explicit such as written contract or it may be implicit in terms of the expectation of the average consumer of the product. Quality has become an important part of production and operations management. But that is not all. With the growth in competition customers have more options in their kitty. That is the very reason due to which quality has become an integral part of the corporate strategy. It is the job of all the functional mangers including the production and operations managers, to see that such strategic objectives are implemented. Quality implementation is a total organization effort. Quality management, which includes ensuring proper quality for company’s output is important not only for its survival in the market, but also to expand its market. If a country’s products are to make an impact in the international market, it is vital that the quality of its export should be at pear with, if not better, than similar products from other nations. Quality thus becomes an important marketing strategy. For developing countries, this part assumes greater significance since in the international market they have to compete with products of advanced countries with established brand names. To make a dent on such market, it might sometimes be necessary for our product to be one step better than already established products of other advanced countries. Looking at it from another angle, it is necessary to improve the quality of the products and services for even domestic consumption, so that the consumers get better service in terms of improved products. This also happens to be a social aspect of quality. Quality Management System (QMS) Organizations are likely to benefit immensely from establishing an effective quality management system or QMS. The basis of establishing quality concepts in an organization is the concept of the company, customers, suppliers as well as the channel partners working as a cohesive unit for their mutual benefit. The key to having an effective quality management system is to have key interfaces within as well as outside organizations. A quality management system must be defined as a set of co-ordinated activities to direct and control an organization in order to improve the effectiveness as well as the efficiency of its performance. The drive of QMS lies in the defining the process. This is likely to result in the production of quality products and services as compared to detecting the items that are defective in nature after their production. An ideal QMS will make sure two important needs are met; needs of the customer and the organization. The customer needs refer to the ability of the organization to deliver the desired product and services consistently. The needs of the organization are cost efficiency and availability of resources including materials, human, and technology. QMS helps the organization to achieve the objectives mentioned in the organizational corporate strategy. It delivers satisfaction and consistency in terms of methods, materials, equipments and interacts with all the organizations. A good QMS will set directions, meet customer expectations, improve process control, reduce wastages, decrease cost, increases involvement among employees, raises morale and increases market share. Quality Timeline The Quality time is treated as a guidance mechanism mainly used as a constant aide memoire of the quality improvement errands required to be conducted through the organization. It is mainly used initiate everyone that they have a definite part to play in the overall quality improvement. The main objective for the development of the quality timeline or QT was to maintain an overall focus on the improvement of quality. The quality time line is a detailed list of the required quality tasks that needed to be completed. It also shows the frequency of those tasks. It splits up departments of an organization so that each of the departments can see the roles they are supposed to play. When a quality task is done, it is marked off along with date of completion. The quality provides an n important ongoing audit mechanism where all the employees can very quickly see if the required quality tasks are being done or not. QA vs. QC Quite often employees in an organization get confused about the differences between quality control (QC) and Quality Assurance (QA). They are really closely related, but difference concepts. It is very important for the managers to understand the difference between them. Quality assurance is a set of activities developed to make sure that the development and (or) maintenance process is in on track to ensure that the organization will meet objectives. Quality control on the other hand is activities developed to evaluate a developed end product. Here another important factor needs to be mentioned: testing. Testing can be explained as the way of executing a system with an objective to find out any defect. Quality assurance activities look to ensure that the procedure is well defined and appropriate. Prime examples of quality assurance activities are methodology and standards of development. Quality assurance looks to focus on the route elements of the project. On the contrary Quality control activities look to focus on finding out defects in key deliverables. Testing is often treated as a quality control activity. Both QA and QC are required to ensure high quality. Often controversies creep in regarding the responsibilities for QA and QC activities. Some believe that a group of externals should be responsible for QA or QC. Although there is no hard and fast rule regarding the responsibility, experts believe that the companies should adopt a horses for courses attitude. Some experts believe that the line management should have the prime responsibility to implement the important QA and QC activities. However an external QA can provide valuable expertise too. As companies mature management staffs are more likely to implement proper QA and QC approaches. When this happen very little external guidance and reviews are needed. Quality Gurus Kaoru Ishikawa Dr. Ishikawa, Japanese quality guru and contemporary of Deming and Juran, was Emeritus professor of Tokyo University. He initiated survey and study of quality management when the joined the research group set up by the Japanese union of Scientists and (JUSE). He was the first person to identify quality improvement as an important tool. He asserted that it may be company-wide, from board room to back room, top to bottom and must have pervasive influence on the way the business is conducted. His three specific contributions are companywide quality control, quality circles and 7 tools of quality management. In the essence, CWQC in concerned with the companywide participation in the pursuit and its control, from top management to lower ranking employees. Quality circle is a small group of employees who work in same work area or doing a similar type of work, who voluntarily meet on regular basis for about an hour every week to identify, analyze and resolve work related problems, leading to improvement, in their total performance, and enrichment of their work. The seven tools of quality management invented by him are tally sheet or check sheet, histograms, satisfaction, scatter diagram. Pareto analysis, cause effect or fishbone diagram. Masaki Imai Masaki Imai was born in the year 1930 in Tokyo. He is a consultant in the field of quality management. He is famous as the father of continuous improvement and better known as the lean guru. His journey began in the year 1950 as he started to take the Japanese managers on tours to the US in order to look for secrets of high productivity. However he is most famous for the Kaizen theory. Kai stands for change and Zen stand for better. It is means step by step gradual improvement and doing little things in a better way, setting high standards and involving everyone in the process. Kaizen involves the sequenced questioning of each process for its ‘purpose, place, sequence, person and means. While formulating this theory he brought together the management, philosophies, theories and tools. He claims Kaizen is largely responsible for the economic success of Japan. Kaizen is therefore an umbrella; which covers all the tools and techniques of continuous improvement. The Kaizen umbrella involves philosophies such as TQC, Zero defect, Quality circle, Kanban, JIT, etc. Kaizen suggested that the continuous improvement is a must in the age of global competition. The improvements made by the competitors and ever increasing expectations of the customers force any organization to ensure an increasingly better quality through Kaizen approach (Lareau, 2003, p. 156). Philip B. Crosby Philip Bayard Crosby (1926-2001) was a prominent businessman. He is mostly famous as an author and for his contributions to quality management. He started his famous zero defect programs at the Martin Company. The zero defect advocates that every product or service has certain degree of needs. Such needs describe the needs of the customers. If a particular products meets the needs it has actually desired level of quality. This regarded as the quality is conformance. According to zero defect it is always less expensive to prevent defect rather than detecting them. For example if a person if someone changes the brakes of his bikes it will reduce the risk of accident as well as prevent lot energy of the rider. Zero defect measured quality in terms of money. It said that price is non conformance or PONC. Crosby believed that every defect is represented by a cost. Such costs may include rework, wasted material, inspection time, loss of revenue, customer dissatisfaction, etc. Such costs are often hidden. When properly recognized the magnitude of these costs could be obvious leading to certain advantages such as cost justifications (Sukhija, 2009, p. 56). Noriaki Kano Noriaki Kano, born in 1940 is a lecturer, writer, consultant in the area of quality management. He is most famous for his customer satisfaction model which is also known as the Kano model. The model differentiates between the necessaries elements and differentiating features related to customer quality. The different categories of the model are Attractive Quality; according to the model these factor provides satisfaction when achieved totally, but may not cause displeasure when not fulfilled. Single dimensional quality; these factors result in satisfaction when fulfilled and leads to displeasure when not fulfilled. Must-be-quality; these factors are often engaged for granted when fulfilled but results in displeasure when not fulfilled. For example packet f milk that is leak. Customers are dissatisfied when the packet is leak. But if the packet is not leak it may not increase customer satisfaction level. Indifferent quality; these are those factors which are neither bad nor good and they do not result in satisfaction or dissatisfaction. Reverse Quality; these factors refer to high degree of achievement leading to customer dissatisfaction. Genechi Taguchi Genechi Taguchi (1924-2012) was a statistician and an engineer. Since 1950 Taguchi developed several models trying to apply statistics in the field of quality management. Some of the methods have been known to be controversial among some of the western statisticians; however others have shown acceptance and appreciation to his knowledge. Among his various contributions to the field of management and quality management Taguchi is most famous for the ‘Taguchi loss g\function’. It is basically a graphical distribution to describe the fact that affects the value of the products produced by companies. This model has been praised several experts round the globe. The American quality movement proved the worth of the model. This model was treated as a breakthrough while describing quality and helped in the continuous improvement movement. Hiroyuki Hirano Hiroyuki Hirano is the most famous for the invention of the Japanese philosophy called 5S concept or better known as the 5S concept of the housekeeping. This philosophy focuses on the effective workplace organization as well as standardized wok process. The concept simplifies work environment, condenses waste, while improving quality with efficiency as well as safety. The 5S’s are Seiri or sort; it says put things in order. Seiton or straighten; proper arrangement. Seiso or shine; it refers to cleanness. Seiketu or standardize; Shisuke or sustain; commitment and self discipline. Many western managers who came across this approach for the first time were believed to have found it as enlightenment. References Kundu, A., 2009. Productions and Operations Management. Matrix Educare. UK. Sukhija, R., 2009. Quality Management: An Excellence Model. Global India Publications. India. Lareau, W., 2003. Office Kaizen: Transforming Office Operations Into a Strategic Competitive Advantage. ASQ Quality Press. UK. Read More