After the registration audit - Hey we got our certificate, that's all that matters

My company was recently certified to ISO 9002 by a registrar. It seems like quite a few people within the company (including top management) have become complacent regarding our ISO quality system. There is an attitude that "Hey we got our certificate, that's all that matters."
I'm interested if anyone has faced a similar problem and what they did to "light a fire under people" to get them working within the system again.

[David Mullins]

Encourage the troops to start firing improvement requests and see if that doesn't get their attention.

Hold a managemenr review meeting and offer them a variety of options for improvement tools.

Check the wind hasn't spilled out of your own sails.

Get quality as an agenda item at all meetings, especially toolbox (workplace) meetings.

Produce KPI reports on quality performance - don't measure the bloody quality system, measure product/service critical characteristics, AKA on-time, to cost and to spec.

Look at process capability - where do we have to improve, where can we improve, where do we require innovation to improve a critical low capability process?

Is the QMS across the whole organisation?

Do we need to incorporate safety or environment (or Risk Management - Alan)?

How do we improve the quality of life for management through process improvement?

How can management get bigger pay rises through improved lean manufacturing processes now that we've standardised our work practices.

What is our vision - where do we want to go?

Can women be made to see reason?

Is there a God? And if so, she must have a sense of humour to make women so cantankerous (sorry we aussies don't use this word so I haven't a clue how to spell it), or men so nieve.

USE YOUR IMAGINATION. USE EMOTIVE TOPICS TO INSPIRE MOTIVATION.

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If you want management's attention (and support) speak their language - money. Attach dollar signs to everything and show them cost saving and revenue enhancing opportunities, backed up by hard facts.

[Kevin Mader]

Rob,

Educate, educate, educate!

The reason folks are falling off is simple. They are not intrinsically motivated. David raised a good point about motivation. What you need is for folks to motivate themselves about the business of Quality. This does not mean stand back and wait for it to happen magically. If you do that, you will never see anything happen.

Instead, find ways to educate them on Quality Management Theory and how ISO (a TOOL, not a MANAGEMENT THEORY) can help them to achieve the organizational focus. Education should be your first priority in my opinion. If people do not learn the importance of Quality Management, then they will not be inspired to manage any System, ISO or otherwise.

My hunch is that your organization did ISO for the wrong reasons (probably short term/near term goals, the competition is doing it) or were required to do so by a Customer. Both External influences. Also, if my hunch is right, you weren't motivated to get ISO, you were MOVED to do it. Movement and Motivation are not the same.

Regards,

Kevin

Without Top Management's committment, you're dead in the water. Express your concern, nicely, that all the resources expended getting certified may be wasted if they don't stay the course. When the auditors come back for semi-annual audit, if things haven't changed, they'll find out soon enough. Chill, it's out of your hands.

[David Mullins]

D'oh! So busy ranting I forgot one of the approaches I've used before.

Scenario: We've implemented a QMS just the way we think it should be to provide just what we think the customer needs. Or have we?

We don't know that unless we start asking the customer how we are doing. Run a pilot survey, and if you don't identify half a dozen significant improvements, you've asked the wrong questions, or don't understand the feedback you're getting.

Then you can SHOW management we're kicking goals with quality, and you get to change the perception of the company - EMPATHY, look through the eyes of the customer (but as Jim T suggested, make the bottom line talk!).

The eductaion/awareness/learning factor is very important, but is often better self-taught. Crank up the internal audit schedule. Get Managers auditing so they can see how someone else interprets the companies procedures. The best way to learn, is make them use it.

If managers aren't asking you questions about how to translate procedures, or "what does ISO say I should do about this?", and all those sorts of things, then perhaps they've missed the boat and need some one-on-one facilitation to deteremine/raise their level of understanding.

If you don't measure it, you don't know if you improved it!

Good Luck
(Sorry about ranting more)

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