The quality department often gets overlooked during the production process. Yet the quality manager’s shoulder is where problems end up, and you’re the one having to chase people in order to get it fixed. Not just that, any flaw that you miss doesn’t just wreak internal havoc but may cause wide-spread illness or damage. One thing is clear: quality management should go beyond its perceived boundaries. What’s stopping you from having company-wide sway?

Quality is a process, not a step

Too often, quality management is seen as the final step in a production process, a checklist that needs to be completed before the other employees’ hard work can be sent out into the world. Research shows that, in manufacturing, the quality department isn’t seen as an integral part of the organization, but as more isolated from the rest of the company. However, your work as a quality manager should be influencing the entire process from start to finish. Implementing this change requires a cultural shift, but there is no doubt that quality as a whole will go up, and this shift enables more collaboration.

Quality gets a bad rep

The seeming rigidity of quality management doesn’t help its cause. Often enough, people are wary of the department because they find problems, and therefore criticize the others’ work. This creates a tense atmosphere. Getting people motivated about quality, and encouraging them to take pride in their work, goes a long way towards solving this problem. In this sense, quality managers become people managers as well, not only concerned with the end result but with the way that result is achieved. Approaching quality management in a more people-oriented manner diminishes that ‘pointing fingers’ reputation you often get and ensures that you’re seen as a critical team player from the start.

Finding the data that matters

Analyzing problems requires an in-depth look at everything that could have gone wrong, and generally yields a huge amount of data. Going through that flood requires time, effort, and can create a feeling of uselessness and frustration. When there’s too much data, too much of the wrong data or the wrong people are looking at it, the quality department can’t perform as it should. Getting a proper quality management system with the right authorizations and visualizations is key to solve this problem. This shouldn’t just be a separate system just for the quality department either, because that causes unnecessary chaos, and puts us back at the first point. Proper integration is crucial.

Do you also find that the quality process is too isolated from the rest of the company? If so, what do you think is a good solution? Get in touch, and don’t forget to subscribe for more insights.