Archive for October 2011
Components of Quality Management
Quality Management
The implementation, design, and development of a service or product forms part of a method called quality management. This method (quality management) ensures that all the activities necessary (implementation, design, development) are both efficient and effective with respect to the performance of the system. The focus of any successful organization should thus always be to achieve more consistent quality. The responsibilities, quality policy, and objectives of an organization are determined and implemented by quality management. Four main components are concerned with quality management. These are:
Quality assurance Quality planning Quality improvement Quality control
One of these components, quality control, will be discussed in more detail further in this article.
Total Quality Control
Total Quality Control is one of the most important components of Quality Management. In a nutshell it can be defined as the most necessary inspection control of all. Even though statistical quality control techniques and quality improvements are implemented, it does not guarantee an increase in a company’s sales. On the contrary, sales might even decrease.
If sales decrease, a total quality control should be launched. A total quality control incorporates a number of “characteristics”. These are:
Reliability Maintainability Safety
Thus, in order to improve manufacture and overall business performance, a lot of careful planning, attention and detail must be given to the above characteristics. If this is done correctly, part of the total quality control was done.
Something else which forms part of a total quality control is the implementation of some refinements into all aspects of business. These include the following:
The marketing department must define the customer’s specifications. Specifications should conform to certain requirements. The quality levels of products should not be affected if workers are on holiday or on sick leave. Inspections and tests should be carried out regularly on the products. All complaints/feedback from customers should be dealt with by management. Product/process change notification.
The above information basically forms the basis on which total quality control is based. It is clear that every employee, from operator to management, plays an important part in total quality control. If done correctly, sales should start to increase immediately. Total quality control is thus a very important cog in the wheel that is quality management [http://www.qualitymanagement.co.za/qualitymanagement.html]
Strategic Management
Strategic management is the process of specifying an organization’s objectives, developing policies and plans to achieve these objectives, and allocating resources so as to implement the plans. It is the highest level of managerial activity. It is not a task, but a rather a set of managerial skills that ought to be exerted throughout the organization, in a wide array of functions.
An organization’s strategy must be appropriate for its resources, environmental circumstances, and core objectives. The process involves matching the company’s strategic advantages to the business environment the organization faces. One objective of an overall corporate strategy is to put the organization into a position to carry out its mission effectively and efficiently.
A good corporate strategy should integrate an organization’s goals, policies, and tactics into a cohesive whole, and must be based on business realities. Business enterprises can fail despite ‘excellent’ strategy because the world changes in a way they failed to understand. Strategy must connect with vision, purpose and likely future trends.
Strategic management can be seen as a combination of strategy formulation and strategy implementation, but strategy must be closely aligned with purpose.
Strategy formulation involves doing a situation analysis: both internal and external, both micro-environmental and macro-environmental; setting objectives–crafting vision statements (long term view of a possible future), mission statements (the role that the organization gives itself in society), overall corporate objectives (both financial and strategic), strategic business unit objectives (both financial and strategic), and tactical objectives; and planning. This three-step strategy formulation process is sometimes described as determining where you are now, determining where you want to go, and then determining how to get there. These are the essence of strategic planning.
Strategy implementation involves allocation of sufficient resources (financial, personnel, time, technology support); establishing a chain of command or some alternative structure (such as cross functional teams); assigning responsibility of specific tasks or processes to specific individuals or groups; managing the process–monitoring results, comparing to benchmarks and best practices, evaluating the efficacy and efficiency of the process, controlling for variances, and making adjustments to the process as necessary. When implementing specific programs, this involves acquiring the requisite resources, developing the process, training, process testing, documentation, and integration with legacy processes.
Strategy formulation and implementation is an on-going, never-ending, integrated process requiring continuous reassessment and reformation. Strategic management is dynamic. It involves a complex pattern of actions and reactions. It is partially planned and partially unplanned. Strategy is both planned and emergent, dynamic, and interactive.
For strategic management to be a success, organizations must not fail to follow the plan. They should be guided by the set of objectives that they have formulated, envisioning a prosperous business. They should strive to understand customers more thoroughly. Over-estimation of resource competence and under-estimation of time requirements should be avoided. Employee and senior management commitment should be obtained through keeping communication channels open and healthy. Most crucially, the management should acquire the ability to predict environmental reaction and manage change.
Copyright 2007 Ismael D. Tabije
5 Key Steps for Total Quality Management Process
Is there any doubt in the fact that only those organizations grow fast that remain in the continuous improvement mode? Companies spend millions of dollars in research and development and learning from every stakeholder including staff, customers and competitors.
Buzz of “TQM” or “Total Quality Management” is heard in the management discussions. TQM allows organizations to learn from current practices and improve upon the quality of their of service,
product or procedure. It is rightly considered as an essential element of best management practices.
Size and depth of process improvement programs may vary from company to company, depending on the complexities, nature of business and age of the company. In addition to TQM, these programs may include Business Reengineering, Lean, and Six Sigma.
These are generally focused at identifying cost cutting measures, quick and efficient processes, reduction in wastage etc. But in most cases, continuity of these measures depends on the organizational culture. It is recommended that while embarking upon any of these improvement drives, senior management must consider how to embed the culture for continuous improvement in the organization.
One of the key areas is the customer service that has been the focus of TQM for many years. And it is an important and very delicate one too!
Following are 5 major things to consider while designing a TQM monitoring process for Customer Service Department:
Monitoring Customer Complaints:
Remember not everyone complain, dissatisfied customers just stop using product or service. Those who complain must be considered as kings as they have taken out time to call or write to you. These complaints must be recorded properly to monitor the trends.
After Sales Service Calls:
Train your technicians to go beyond fixing the fault in the product. They should memorize a simple questionnaire to assess levels of customer satisfaction (or dissatisfaction). Remember they are meeting your customer and their input will be of immense importance.
Customer Satisfaction Surveys:
This is the most common way to assess the level of customer satisfaction. Generally speaking, response rate of email or snail mail surveys is about 10%. Since it is a small percentage, questionnaire needs to be designed to cover wide aspects of product or services.
Monitoring Compliments:
You will be surprised to note that not many company monitor bouquets, these are compliments
received from their happy customers. This is a serious mistake! These are important customers, it is highly recommended to record why they were happy and how can you improve further. They are the people who will give you time to talk over phone. Some companies by giving importance to their happy customers go a little further and appreciate them and offer a reward or a small gift.
Repeat Customers:
It is highly important to keep track of your repeat customers. Their return means that they trust your product or service. See how can you give them a little extra care? Will they be happy to refer more customers to you and perhaps become partner in promoting your brand?
I would like to share the following comment made by Michael Schrage, a research fellow at MIT Sloan School’s Center for Digital Business, is the author of Serious Play.
“Paying close attention to customer complaints is a leadership “best practice.” Here’s a better practice: Pay even closer attention to people’s complaints about customers. Few things say more about organizational culture and character than how employees complain about the customers and clients they serve.”