What are "Quality Processes" and how to map them?

[High Fidelity]

Hello!

Our managing director gave me a task to map "quality processes" and I'm a bit stuck here. Can you guys give some tips, what are in fact "quality processes"? I think that i'm thinking this a bit too complicated because I think that there is no certain quality process. I think the quality process goes along with the things we do in our organisation. Argh, the more I think this the more I'm confused. Should I just draw the classic PDCA-cycle?

HiFi

 

[t.PoN]

I think what you need to do is determine the processes in your business - don't be fooled by the term Quality Process.

for example:
Purchasing, Production, Material Flow ...etc these are Processes and Quality Processes as well.
what you may need to add is The Document Control, Internal Audit , Control of Nonconforming ...etc. what some may call "the standard procedures" for ISO 9001.

How to map it, a simple flow chart will do the trick there is so many ways to do it - my fvrt is MS Visio.

if you don't have a MS Visio, then i may suggest the ASQ forms - attached.

NOTE: don't stuck in a certain format, you can edit it or use any form you like.

Once you are done of your process map, then you'll be asked to improve it - figure out wastes

 

[t.PoN]

To define process - Just use the turtle diagram
This forum has many forms to use as well, see this thread

 

[High Fidelity]

But the thing is that I have already mapped the organizations supply chain processes (marketing, sales, contracting, design, procurement, manufacturing, logistics, installation, commissioning and post-delivery) and made a flow chart of the whole thing. The managing director himself made the "upper level" process maps (management, human resources, finance, accounting) and now he asked me to compose the flow chart of the quality processes. We have used the sipoc -model for the process mapping. I'm a bit lost here still.

 

[John Broomfield]

But the thing is that I have already mapped the organizations supply chain processes (marketing, sales, contracting, design, procurement, manufacturing, logistics, installation, commissioning and post-delivery) and made a flow chart of the whole thing. The managing director himself made the "upper level" process maps (management, human resources, finance, accounting) and now he asked me to compose the flow chart of the quality processes. We have used the sipoc -model for the process mapping. I'm a bit lost here still.

High Fidelity,

Okay, you've already captured the quality processes from a Big-Q viewpoint where everything your organization does is for quality.

Perhaps your MD is thinking little-q where quality is confined to the processes directly responsible for determining and satisfying customer requirements for the product.

How does marketing avoid making promises your company cannot meet? How does quality planning establish the controls and resources (processes) necessary to assure quality? How does product and process design ensure the intended product fulfills customer requirements before shipping? How does shipping protect product quality while delivering the product on-time? You may also choose to show any monitoring and verifying of process and product quality. You may also choose to show how auditors gather and examine evidence of effectiveness (includes conformity) and report these results for management to take any overdue corrective actions.

Lastly, you may show how top management ensure their organizational management system is helping employees to determine and fulfill requirements.

I hope your MD returns to Big-Q thinking soon.

John

 

[t.PoN]

Does each process contain a quality control and KPI?
some make a separate process for KPI and Quality Control, others make it integral part of the process (which i prefer).

maybe he means a process map for the Quality Department itself? for example (maintenance, inspection ...etc)

I guess what am I trying to say: You have to ask him what he is looking for!

 

[High Fidelity]

Yeah I've tried to ask him but his on a business trip and he isn't available and he comes back on friday when he wishes to see the quality processes. Maybe he wants to see in general how the quality process goes regardless of the subject, just like the pdca. In very high, general level. Well I have to scratch something together and hope for the best.

Btw I'm very new to quality engineering, I graduated as a production engineer in May 2013 and have been working as a quality engineer for 5 months. Basically I'm learning while I'm doing, so bare with me. I think that I look things too much in detail and I'm still learning to see the whole big picture in quality thinking.

 

[John Broomfield]

Does each process contain a quality control and KPI?
some make a separate process for KPI and Quality Control, others make it integral part of the process (which i prefer).

maybe he means a process map for the Quality Department itself? for example (maintenance, inspection ...etc)

I guess what am I trying to say: You have to ask him what he is looking for!

t.PoN,

Integral, never separate quality from the people working to add value for customers.

On this we are agreed but some top managers may still believe quality is like fairy dust; sprinkled as needed to avoid defects and customer complaints!

Perhaps the OP will enlighten us on his organization's shared beliefs or culture.

John

 

[High Fidelity]

I think that our MD is very keen on quality management and understands the importance of good quality management system. After all he designed and implemented the current quality system back in 2005 and now he wants to update it because we have a fusion with another company coming in spring. But anyway, I believe that our top management understands the importance of quality management system and he wants to describe the quality processes with a "quality process" -process card just like every other process in our organization. The problem is that I don't understand the word "quality process" because I think that quality follows in our every day actions and it's not a separate process.

 

[John Broomfield]

I think that our MD is very keen on quality management and understands the importance of good quality management system. After all he designed and implemented the current quality system back in 2005 and now he wants to update it because we have a fusion with another company coming in spring. But anyway, I believe that our top management understands the importance of quality management system and he wants to describe the quality processes with a "quality process" -process card just like every other process in our organization. The problem is that I don't understand the word "quality process" because I think that quality follows in our every day actions and it's not a separate process.

High Fidelity,

I agree with you. Your MD has flummoxed both of us.

Perhaps this is his way of getting you to familiarize yourself with how the organization works as a system of interacting processes to fulfill its purpose of creating more successful customers and other stakeholders.

If you are going to have to assume then better to assume the best of intentions.

John