Departmental Performance Metrics - What's appropriate for Quality Assurance?

[normzone]

This thread is about to fall off the bottom of the active list, and with [45 Registered Users and 101 Unregistered Guests] currently in the Forums, I'm going to have to assume that nobody here has a metric they're satisfied with that reflects their departmental performance that they currently are tracked and held to.

I find this discouraging. I could track something like service response time, but since it's either instantaneous or "as soon as I'm done with this fire I'll come put out yours" it would be a moot point.

Help me out, people, I'm dyin' up here

 

[ralphsulser]

Customer complaints-number & type
Returns as a percent of sales
Reduce scrap and rework from_to_ by Dec.2006
Train dept. employees in SPC during month of _


Not sure if these are any help either, but posed anyhow in case it might

 

[fuzzy]

Some more ideas...

Ralph had one that we use: returns as a percent of line items shipped. Here are some others that I won't necessarily vouch for as rock solid: DMR / NC material dwell time (time to closure) \ DMR / NC material value ($$$$). For auditing we track Ontime and Ratio of Minor / Major findings per month (i.e. 6 majors over 6 audits = 100% rate of major findings). Dunno if any of these are effective or controllable but these are what we track currently in our QMS that I relate more directly to the QA function.:

 

[Jen Kirley]

There's a movement afoot to choose some non-financial performance metrics that the QA department will track. I'm under pressure to pick something simple that is meaningless but easily trackable.

I'd like to choose something that we could actually work to improve to our benefit, but everything I'd like to improve is an issue that is outside of our direct control.

Do any of you have any metrics regarding your department's performance that you're tracking that you are content with or happy about?

Thanks
Norman Lutes

I found this insightful because of the line "I'm under pressure to pick something simple that is meaningless but easily trackable."

Do you have evaluations with line items listing behaviors to which employees are graded? If so, it seems fair to consider those established factors as a starting point. I have noted that some evaluation lines are indeed pretty meaningless.

It's quite true that there are few functions purely under QA's control. That's because we are a service/support function. How fast, how often, how correctly we perform tasks can very often be tied to member(s) outside of our direct control.

That may be why there's increased scrutiny on effective performance metrics and repsonses to them. You say you suspect this may be lingering from an old merit-based pay system. Is there a reason why you can't/shouldn't inquire about that--what is this initiative's goal?

If it's not part of merit-based pay, QA's modern role is in helping various functions perform better via the Theory of Constraints. There may be an opportunity in spite of few areas under your department's direct controls. Can you make a metric that requires liaison efforts--that is, helping another department, process or function to perform in greater alignment with the organization's mission and strategic objectives?

To sum it up, I'd want more information on what the big idea is so as to make a value-added response or establish the entire thing is without value. It's hard to march well until given even a few bars of the tune.

I found this site for developing performance metrics.
http://www.orau.gov/pbm/documents/overview/uc.html

 

[QualityDudette - 2008]

Good Morning;
Can you get the information to support: the number of data entry mistakes per data entry? This would give you a measure of accuracy. You could also measure the time to re-do the data entry - and compare to volume of work over available time. This would rise and fall with your workload. You could also monitor number of mistakes in proportion to number of entries within a specific timeframe.

This gives you measurables, and also can lead to continuous improvement activites and workload distribution information.

 

[normzone]

The story has a happy ending. I've been dragging my feet on choosing knee-jerk metrics, searching for an appropriate choice.

And apparently my boss has received clarification as to the nature of the mission, and an appropriate schedule for choosing, reviewing, and implementing APPROPRIATE metrics.

So, while I'm off the unpleasant hook for the moment, I'll wind up with more work in the long run, but at least it will be "the right thing for the right reason".

Thanks
Norman

 

[RoxaneB]

The story has a happy ending. I've been dragging my feet on choosing knee-jerk metrics, searching for an appropriate choice.

And apparently my boss has received clarification as to the nature of the mission, and an appropriate schedule for choosing, reviewing, and implementing APPROPRIATE metrics.

So, while I'm off the unpleasant hook for the moment, I'll wind up with more work in the long run, but at least it will be "the right thing for the right reason".

Thanks
Norman

More work?!?! Sorry, but I disagree...it's more like "right work" (in my opinion). For me, I report metrics focusing on the state or health of our Management System. Everything from Customer complaints to overdue nonconformances to out-of-date metrics from other departments.

Define "appropriate"...appropriate for you, the department or the company? What about tracking the status of projects you're working on?

 

[Caster]

None needed?

.....I'm going to have to assume that nobody here has a metric they're satisfied with that reflects their departmental performance that they currently are tracked and held to.

I find this discouraging. I could track something like service response time, but since it's either instantaneous or "as soon as I'm done with this fire I'll come put out yours" it would be a moot point.

Help me out, people, I'm dyin' up here

normzone

My department is quality assurance, but we do not have a process called "quality assurance"

Thus we have no process metrics for quality assurance.

The manufacturing process tracks defects. Shipping tracks late orders, etc.

But none for us, we are a pure staff/support function.

Surprised Deming hasn't raised his head here.....abolish numerical targets!

 

[LawrenceMD]

Department metrics should be something the department influences if they cannot directly control the activity. The metrics being monitored should eflect the influence on the department performance and possibly drive a change to improve. I have worked where the "quality department" monitors the organization's metrics for each department without having any quality department metrics at all. I have seen where ach department monitors their own metrics including quality (i.e., employee interview participation for audits, Time to verify Corrective/preventive actions to schedule) These are some metrics I have used in quality departments in the past and they seem to work to show how the department is influencing the organization.

Creativity is not a normal solution. Just because it fits, does not mean it is functional.