In Search of the Big Picture
Organizations that have implemented quality management systems conforming to ISO 9001:2000 can attest to the standard’s emphasis on using a process approach to control and improve their systems. ISO 9001 requires organizations to identify, monitor, measure, control and improve their systems’ individual processes. They must also determine and describe the sequence and interaction of these processes.
Somewhat less emphasis has been placed on managing interactions among those processes and almost none on an important quality management principle: the systems approach to management. When managing individual processes, we tend to look for direct, linear cause-and-effect relationships. With an ideal process, we can measure and control a small number of independent variables to control the behavior of outputs (i.e., response variables).
The systems approach is different in that it teaches us to look at interactions between the processes. There are at least two reasons for doing this. First, problems seem most obvious at the interactions. But there’s also the issue of complexity, which increases along with the number of process interactions. If a system includes three processes and each interacts with the other, then there are three possible interactions between them. With four processes, there are six possible interactions; with five processes, 10 interactions; and so on. Often, multiple interactions occur between any two processes. It gets messy very fast.
All this complexity tends to separate cause from effect. In other words, an action in one part of the system can have dramatic consequences in other parts, and those consequences often happen long after the action was taken. An example might be a quality improvement proposal initially resisted by the system but eventually accepted and turned into cost reductions. The subsequent rise in warranty costs are blamed on the quality manager for “not controlling the parts.”
In this example, various parts of the management system reacted in unexpected ways. The finance people thought a proposed improvement in quality was too expensive. The design and industrial engineers came up with an alternative that reduced cost but had significant risk. Somehow, the quality manager wasn’t involved in the final solution. The cost reduction part of the story is long forgotten, but the system tracked the item as the quality manager’s idea. If the managers in this situation saw the business as a system, they would look for the best overall results, not just grab the quick money and hope there are no resulting problems.
When we focus on processes, we tend to focus on details. However, we must understand how the whole system works rather than search for direct cause-and-effect relationships. Managers must understand what will happen if they make a process change that isn’t properly coordinated. It’s this big-picture coordination that makes system management “magic.” In our example, the interrelationship among the cost reduction process, the quality improvement process and the financial accounting process needed attention.
Some techniques that can help with such big-picture thinking include:
 When your people work on improving one process, it’s the manager’s job to consider other processes and interactions.
Think globally and understand how the system’s various processes work together to achieve objectives. An organization has only one management system, but it has many components. In addition to quality, it might include processes to manage finance, investor relations and so on. All parts of the system must work together to produce results.
Provide a simplified, graphic illustration of how your organization’s key processes interact. Describe these interactions carefully. Keep in mind that ISO 9001 requires a quality manual to include a description of the interactions.
During ISO 9001:2000’s development, there was discussion on whether to emphasize the process approach or the systems approach to management. Both are important, but the process approach won out. It’s simpler, easier to understand and fits our linear way of thinking about cause-and-effect relationships.
Individual processes must be managed. The full “magic” of a management system will only be realized when an organization understands process interactions as a system. Such big-picture thinking might appear abstract, but it’s necessary to effectively manage the system. This is accomplished only if the process interactions are clearly understood.
This article is based on chapter 5 from the forthcoming book Unlocking the Power of Your Quality Management System: Keys to Performance Improvement, by John E. (Jack) West and Charles A. Cianfrani (ASQ Quality Press).
John E. (Jack) West is a consultant, business advisor and author with more than 30 years of experience in a wide variety of industries. He is chair of the U.S. TAG to ISO TC 176 and lead delegate for the United States to the International Organization for Standardization committee responsible for the ISO 9000 family of quality management standards.
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