Quality Objectives - How would we teach the importance of QMS?

I feel Quality Managemet System is worth only who manages it. I mean, only QMS department in an organisation takes enough importance and carry out the internal audit as per sechdule. I am working in a private company in middle east. According to my knowledge many companies here are eager to know their profit level than the quality product or service. In this contest, say spending much time on QMS become a waste.

How would we teach them the importance of QMS? I would like to have good ideas from my dear freinds. Share your ideas and assist me to build up a strong QMS set up where I work.

Thomas Kurian

Thomas Kurian said:

According to my knowledge many companies here are eager to know their profit level than the quality product or service. In this contest, say spending much time on QMS become a waste.

How would we teach them the importance of QMS?

Click to expand...

Hello Thomas,

Not only in the Middle East, I'm afraid. It think what you describe is a world wide phenomenon. Actually, that question has been discussed here many times (not that there is anything wrong in discussing it again - Let's do that.) and a search should provide you with more information.

Anyway: Yes, spending time on a QMS is seen by many as a waste. So how do we persuade them to look at it from another angle? I think the trick can be found in the following fact: Anyone can see the bills you have to pay, but how often do you see a bill for costs caused by what you did not do?

Poor quality is anything but free. Of course you can save money by not adressing quality problems, but then what happens? those problems will usually cost you a lot more than if you had dealt with them in the first place. Yes, a QMS costs money to maintain, but you lose money by not maintaining it too: Reveal the costs of poor quality.

/Claes

Just a quick one...

QMS can be equated to maintenance on a vehicle.
There are fluids in the vehicle that need to be changed regularly, but if you don't change them the vehicle will still function. It will still start and get you where you want to go. Plus you save the money it would have cost to change the fluids. Therefore, Why Change the Fluids?
Most people see the fallicy in this line of reasoning and regularly check their vehicle out to assure good performance.
The QMS is designed to do the same thing.

If you can keep introducing these kinds of points to the right people, it can help to change their ways of looking at things.

James

I know this may sound a bit defeatist, but why raise awareness of the the QMS? Claes, you and I are both firm believers that we never say we're doing something because of ISO 9001 or ISO 14001...why say we are doing it because of our QMS?

You are, in some combination, implementing, developing, maintaining and/or improving your Business Management System....in other words, you are either standardizing or improving your company.

Items such as Document Control, Record Control, Audits, Management Committment, Management Review, Key Performance Indicators, 5S, Six Sigma, and so are are merely those tools/methodologies that you will use to support your company.

You are not raising awareness....you are promoting a culture.

Nothing wrong with profit as an Objective (in my opinion). We are, afterall, in business to make money. But *how* will your company make money?

• Reduce returned product?
• Increase on-time-delivery rates?
• Reduce Customer complaints?
• Increase process efficiency?

...and so on.

It's great to have the WHAT of "To make a profit"...but your company also needs to have the HOW.

There is no magical fairy out there who will wave her sparkling wand and guarantee that your company will make money. With my company, I used to joke that wrestled that wand away from the fairy and drove my car over it several times. It was now up to us to guarantee that we made money...and that was the first step in coming up with the HOWs.

Perhaps off-topic, but I ask you this...who comes up with the HOWs? Getting people at all levels involved promotes a culture. Reporting on the results and actions taken promotes a culture. Walking the talk promotes a culture.

Objectives

Buisness objective to make money!

Quality Objective to help the buisness objective!

:mg:

RCBeyette said:

I know this may sound a bit defeatist, but why raise awareness of the the QMS? Claes, you and I are both firm believers that we never say we're doing something because of ISO 9001 or ISO 14001...why say we are doing it because of our QMS?

Click to expand...

Yes, I'm with you. I think you said what I meant... only better

/Claes

Promoting Quality

I believe what Thomas is trying to get at is how to promote quality in the company. If I read his post correctly, he is dealing with the same issues we all have and/or do to some degree or other. A culture of, "Quality = inspection", or, "Quality is 'that thing' that the quality department does".

Lets not get sidetracked by his using the terminology of promoting the QMS.

Personally I like analogies. (see my earlier post) often times you can get you point across in a way that is non-threatening and has a real world significance to the listener. For instance, I work in a factory where we promote quick turnaround and flexibility to service our customers. This means we need to have machines, tools and materials available at the right time.
Many shop floor people are big Nascar fans. So I use the analogy that races are won or lost, not on the track but, in the pits. This sparks a visual image that denotes speed, excitement, precision, etc. and does it by using their own interest.

Another tip I'll pass on to Thomas is to look for allies where you can find them. It doesn't matter their position in the heirarchy. Work with them. As far as those who aren't on board, work to empowered them to make the necessary changes. Much of this work will be of the subtle "stealth quality" variety (to steal a phrase). But slowly the culture will change.

One day someone will come to you for help, or make some offhand comment about improving quality and you'll think, "Gosh, X number of years ago they said that (whatever quality stuff) would never work, and now it's just the way we do things."

James

NASCAR and 5S and Safety

JRKH said:

I.......Many shop floor people are big Nascar fans. So I use the analogy that races are won or lost, not on the track but, in the pits. This sparks a visual image that denotes speed, excitement, precision, etc. and does it by using their own interest.James

Click to expand...

James

I'm with you on NASCAR analogies. People are fanatics about this stuff.

Also very useful to help promote 5S, those pits and garages are not just clean and orgainized, they are painfully so.

Safety - these guys wear all the PPD every time they go over the wall.

Teamwork - well you said it, races are won in the pits.

Re: Objectives

pilchard said:

Buisness objective to make money!

Quality Objective to help the buisness objective!

:mg:

Click to expand...

To expound upon this, Quality Objective to support the buisness objective. In my organization our four pillars are Service, People, Innovation, and QUALITY
To establish pillars of an organization is to identify the critical foundations for the success of the organization.
My dillemma is how to promote this message both in our work environment and in my ISO/QMS training.
Thank You

Re: Objectives

km214 said:

To expound upon this, Quality Objective to support the buisness objective. In my organization our four pillars are Service, People, Innovation, and QUALITY
To establish pillars of an organization is to identify the critical foundations for the success of the organization.
My dillemma is how to promote this message both in our work environment and in my ISO/QMS training.
Thank You

Click to expand...

Why not discuss the concepts of ISO/QMS during your BMS training which will also include your pillars?