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After more than 50 years as a quality control engineer and having worked with more than 700 companies, it is my observation that the vast majority of quality professionals hold their prime directive to be reducing defects to the lowest acceptable level by minimizing process variability. Most of us are working to comply with ISO 9001:2015, or one of the other harmonized standards, so we have templates that direct how we practice our craft.
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We employ many tools to plot our progress and solve problems. We use control charts to help us stay within established limits of acceptability. Histograms depict variables over time. Pareto charts tell us the rank order of problems we need to solve. Fishbone diagrams break process issues into their constituent components to help locate critical issues.
We are skilled in root cause analysis and failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) to diagnose complex issues and identify where corrective actions and process improvements can and should be made. Unfortunately, it is often the case that those who are involved in the processes are the ones attempting to diagnose their own procedures and methods.
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Comments
article
Tom:
Your series of 10 pieces on the Future of Quality are great. They should be considered 'must reading' for all new and upcoming qualiuty professionals.
Well done.
Greg H
"Wrapping it Up" Article
Tom,
There are many points made in this article that are completely valid and applicable across many industries. That said, I think your reference to 'delivering zero defects' is a goal that is and should be the focus more on highly-regulated industries (aerospace, medical device, pharma and automotive) than many other industry segments (technology / data management, consumer products, etc.).
As you noted, the value of ISO certifications have come into question as business / profit analysts have increasingly assumed control of executive management for all businesses across all industry sectors. One of the best responses to questioning the value of ISO certification quality professionals can provide is through an enhanced focus on aligning quality objectives w/ strategic business objectives, and demonstrate how successfully executed quality systems and improvement initiatives have added quantative and qualitative value to the financial success of the organization.
As both an engineering design and quality system management / quality engineer professional w/ extensive experience in both highly-regulated and other industries, I strongly believe this should be the primary focus for the "future for quality professionals".
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