The issue of ensuring quality in manufacturing is eternal. What changes are the complexities of these issues and how decision makers respond to them. Market-leading companies are developing a model of operational excellence that aligns financial and operational objectives with the right mix of people, processes, and technologies. These resources are essentially a tool belt for battling and foreseeing the adversities that emerge in everyday operations.

Within this operational excellence framework, it’s important to note that the capabilities of people, processes, and technologies should be viewed as dynamic. People today, for instance, bring a wealth of intellectual capital, such as Six Sigma certifications, that help them better understand and use operational metrics. Similarly, the automation of processes has much stronger drill-down functionalities, and emerging technologies are connecting data at an enterprise level.

With the nature of rapid change in these resources, it’s understandable that executives may not be entirely up to date or use the latest technological trends. Highlighted below are five of the biggest mistakes decision makers are making in quality management strategies that may be keeping their company from reaching operational excellence.

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