Discussion 6

TO: Kelly Anderson, Operations Manager

FROM: Alexis Finley, Production Manager

DATE: April 20, 2020

SUBJECT: Root Cause Analysis

Background

Kibby and Strand is going through a tough month since customers complaints have been at an all-time high due to quality issues with recently shipped orders. Last quarter, the organization was facing concerns when promising customers delivery dates that were too tight, and it appears quality may have suffered in an effort to meet short deadlines.

Purpose

Clothing brands face daily scrutiny for their suppliers’ working conditions, their environmental impact and their delivery times (Burkhart, 2019). Customer complaints are a part of doing business and usually one of the best sources of valuable information. A complaint is a chance for Kibby and Strand to learn from their mistakes and do better for their customers.

1. Make it right the first time – the organization needs to refocus their resources by spending their assets on important aspects of the business instead of wasting it on recalls.

2. If not made right the first time, catch it before it gets to the customer – the shipping department needs to inspect each item before delivery to make sure it exceeds customers’ expectations

3. Do not let the suppliers dictate the quality – the receiving department needs to audit the raw materials that are coming in before production to make sure they meet the quality percentage

4. Educate the customers about our products – Kibby and Strand can sell the products, however taking the extra step for customers to understand the differences in quality when selecting their raw materials for production

5. Do not send a replacement without checking it first – inspection is key before delivery so customers stay loyal to our organization

6. Think about quality from a customer’s perspective – the organization needs to anticipate customer’s needs

Consistently making quality products is not easy, however, cultivating a quality mindset throughout the organization will go a long way towards the success that will not only benefit the customers but the company as well.

Recommendation

Root Cause Analysis (RCA) is defined as a collective term that describes a wide range of approaches, tools, and techniques used to uncover causes of problems (2020). The RCA steps Kibby and Strand need to focus on are:

1. Communicate with Receiving and Shipping Manager to figure out the production period in which these complaints were made that focused on stitching problems.

2. Once production period has been detected, the employees need to go through all the remaining stock to check for defective raw materials/products that the organization will not be able to sell to the customers.

3. Have a meeting with the employees to discuss the problems that Kibby and Strand are facing and create a solution that we will best fit the needs of the organization and the customers. Establishing where the root cause is such as:

a. Receiving department – incoming raw materials from suppliers are defective and not the correct quality percentage

b. Production department – materials going through the machines are causing defective problems

c. Shipping department – inspections are not being done correctly and/or products are being shipped to the wrong customers. Required training may be needed for new and existing candidates.

4. Once employees are on board, continuous monitoring of the operational process from receiving to shipping is needed to identity any mistakes early so that it can be corrected in a timely manner.

As Kibby and Strand dedicate their focus on monitoring the assembly line from start to finish, production activity and customer satisfaction will lead the company to establish excellent reviews as defective products are spotted early on.

References:

10 Ways to Help Your Quality Team Reduce Customer Complaints. (2020, January 9). Retrieved April 20, 2020, from https://www.qualitymag.com/articles/95446-ways-to-help-your-quality-team-reduce-customer-complaints

American Society for Quality. (2020). What is Root Cause Analysis (RCA)? Retrieved April 20, 2020, from https://asq.org/quality-resources/root-cause-analysis

Burkhart, M. (2019, April 16). 3 Ways to Manage Garment Quality Control. Retrieved April 20, 2020, from https://www.intouch-quality.com/blog/3-key-areas-of-quality-control-for-garments

Nichol, M. (2019, October 2). The 12 most important metrics to measure in manufacturing. Retrieved April 13, 2020, from https://blog.matthews.com.au/the-12-most-important-metrics-to-measure-in-manufacturing/