Quality Capsules

Examples of quality measurement in manufacturing

Examples of quality measurement in supplier relations

9 criteria/questions for selecting a project

A comprehensive list of the responsibilities of a Quality Council

A quality vision is a basis for action. It describes what the organization seeks to become. It differs from other visions that an organization might develop in that it is explicit about the quality dimension of its intentions.

Ideally there is a single company strategy with quality as an integral part of it, although there may be some separate identification. Strategies for quality organizations center around the customer. This requires that the organization have a clear understanding about who the vital-few customers are and have information on the priority needs of the customer and on how the customer views the organization’s quality.

Whether they are called goals or objectives, organizations need specific measurable targets that they are aiming to achieve with respective to quality. These targets generally have a three-to-five year time horizon. These targets must be set based on measures of current performance and be specific steps towards the organizational quality vision.

Quality Councils have several responsibilities. If no Quality Council exists, it should be formed. The members should be the set of upper manager that make the critical decisions for the organization. Normal membership is six to twelve individuals.

There are generally two types of cross-functional quality teams: quality improvement teams and quality planning teams. Both are composed of individuals from several parts of the organization and employ a formal, structured process to attain an objective that is assigned to them. The process each applies, however, is different.