Quality Management Tactics

Quality Control Manual

BADM370-1603B-02 Quality Management

Rhoda Shugars

August 23, 2016

Ryan Tipton

Introduction

History of the quality management evolution

Based on Low & Ong, (2014) the history of quality management is traced back to middle ages in which the work of apprentices and journeymen were inspected and assessed to make sure that they met quality standards in all factors of the final product so as to ensure that buyers are satisfied. It has pass through several changes but it has maintained its goals. It started to work in 1920’s and its focus was on the final product in which the statistical theory was applied for the first time to product quality control. The inspections on product quality control was done, this include examining, measuring and testing the processes, products against specific requirements to ensure every element met standards and guidelines. During the late 1970s and early 1970s Western Europe and North America were facing stiff competition from Japan and the United Kingdom a net importer of final products. The firms started to reexamine the quality control techniques and how the Japanese have been successfully employed them and at this point the quality management control was employed in most parts.

This quality management is needed for the companies to ensure that their products are quality and standards and satisfied their customers. It is also needed to ensure that the end products meet the required standards. Development and change were done in 1940’s by experts and industry leaders and this was the start of Total Quality Management. This system is needed to change the focus from inspecting the end product to preventing final product problems by detecting on the production line.

Direction that companies are adopting in terms of strategic quality management

According to Naidu el at, (2006) there are various directions that companies can adopt in terms of strategic quality management but the following two are more specific. These include; adopting the direction of threshold capabilities which are required for the requirements of the completion in a market. In order to achieve competitive advantage, there is need to develop strategic capabilities which the competitors cannot obtain. This can be achieved through the resources that the company has and which are unique.

Strategic planning

This is another strategic direction that the company can adopt this so as to focus and prioritize the efforts and the implementation of a plan. The company can use this direction to anticipate and predict changes and the position the company to act. The company has to quality which is a top priority for all in the company.

Six Sigma

Evolution

This is a methodology started by Motorola in 1986. It was developed to minimize defects in business process by improving it. It is widely as an organizational strategy which majors on reduction of differences and achievement of output improvements through problem solving.

Pros of Six Sigma

This initiative has several advantages which have made it employed by various companies. The following are the pros of this initiative; it makes decision based on data which can be verified rather than focusing on the assumptions. It also put more emphasis on the support and passionate management leadership. It is also customer driven. It is also addressing the whole process of behind the completion of service instead of the mere final product. This program is also proactive since it focuses on improvements before shortcomings are detected. It also stock value and sales.

Cons of six sigma

This program may create bureaucracy and rigidity that may cause stifle creativity and delays; this is because it is applied in all factors of planning process and production. Another con is that the focus of customer may be taken to ends, in which the inner qualities control measures that are not taken due to the emphasis of achieving the Six Sigma – stipulated status of consumer satisfaction (Evans, 2014)

Evolution of Deming program

This program evolved when the level of competition among business organizations increased and there was need to review the quality management programs to ensure that the service and products remain competitive. It was applied after World War II.

Pros of Deming program

This program has several programs which include; it makes small-scale improvements at all levels of manufacturing and management processes and earns benefits of their cumulative effects. With this organizations are able to maximize value and quality for the final- user. This program is also has benefits the suppliers by enabling them to devote their attention towards the innovative goods with higher tolerance. It also reduces the time for inspection and this make the purchasers to depend on quality parts. This program also enables the companies to enjoy a dedicated workforce and increase the morale on every member of the company by placing the commitment.

Cons of Deming program

While this program has its benefit, it also has demerits which include; this program calls for the elimination of work standards and numerical quotas and the frontline employees may not in a position to provide documentation of positive job evaluation during compensation hearings. Also the employers may not be in a position to justify workers increment of salaries and terminations. It forced the companies to get involved in swift undertaking which will negate the available benefits from the new process and alienating members who are not ready to move from the status quo. This program also does not demand radical organization reform while it calls for organizational change.

5S

The tactic used in improving quality in the organization was 5S. The employment of 5S in the organization’s strategy brought a lot of positive results in the company. 5S was applied in the organization’s operations in different ways.

a) Sort

The organization ensured that everything was sort out. By sorting out everything the employees would spend very little time looking for a tool or a document (Hannon, 2006). The organization did not only concentrate on tools and equipment used in the organization, it ensured that even the files were sorted out.

b) Set in order

All the files belonging to the organization was set in order. There had been delays in operations because it took a long time to look for a file or a document. The manager ensured that all the tools used in the organization were set in order. The move helped in speeding up the organization’s operations and reducing accidents at workplace.

c) Shine

After sorting out and setting everything in order, the organization ensured that the services and products of the company were attractive to the customers. The quality of most of the commodities was improved.

d) Standardize

The best way to ensure that the services and products of an organization are attractive to the customers is by setting a quality standard. Standardizing the quality of goods and services helped in attracting more customers.

e) Sustain

For an organization to remain successful it must ensure that all the strategies put in place are not eroded. Failure to maintain the quality standards of goods and services, the customers will start walking away (Griffin, 2015). To ensure that the high quality of goods and services would not be compromised, the organization selected a team whose main objective was to ensure that the high quality of goods and services is maintained.

References

Evans, J. R. (2014). An introduction to six sigma and process improvement.

Low, S. P., & Ong, J. (2014). Project quality management: Critical success factors for buildings.

Naidu, N. V. R., Babu, K. M., & Rajendra, G. (2006). Total quality management. New Delhi: New Age International (P) Ltd. Publishers.

Griffin, R. (2015). Fundamentals of Management. Boston: Cencage Learning.

Hannon, B. (2006). Dynamic Modeling for Business Management. Berlin: Springer Science and Business Media.