Quality Management
Principles, Criteria, Objectives, and Stages
Quality is always the top priority even though the company has to meet the targets and deadlines that have been set. Companies need to implement quality management in all aspects. Quality management not only brings added value to the company, but has a major impact on customer loyalty as well.
I. What is Quality Management
Quality management is a management activity within a company that aims to maintain any desired level of quality. The company not only maintains product quality, but other aspects as a whole, such as service, employees, to the quality of the company in the eyes of consumers.
There are three benefits of implementing quality management in a company. First, the company can achieve consistency in carrying out every operational activity, especially the production process. Second, quality management can increase customer satisfaction and loyalty. Finally, quality management also ensures that all company resources are used optimally.
II. What are the Quality Management Principles
Quality management consists of seven principles in practice. The following describes the seven principles.
1. Focus on the Customer
Companies must understand customer needs and try to meet those needs.
Quality management seeks to produce products with the quality expected by customers in order to maintain their loyalty.
2. Leadership
Good quality employees come from good leadership in the company. Leaders and superiors must be able to create a conducive work environment so that employees are fully involved with each other to achieve the goals or vision of the company.
3. Employee Engagement
Companies cannot operate if they do not have skilled human resources in their field of work. Every employee must work according to their responsibilities and abilities so that the company can produce good quality in the eyes of consumers.
4. Process Approach
Companies can achieve the targets or results they want to achieve if they have a systematic process. All activities and resources will be managed in a process determined by the company. The process is useful for converting inputs into more measurable outputs through a number of sequential steps.
5. Management System Approach
The quality of the company will increase if it adopts a management-based approach. This approach includes the process of identifying, understanding, and managing all interrelated processes. Good quality management is useful for increasing the effectiveness and efficiency of a company in achieving its goals.
6. Continuous Improvement
Improvement or evaluation of the quality of the company must be applied continuously so that the quality of the company is increasing. Companies can achieve goals or visions effectively if they evaluate and correct errors in the process.
7. Decision-Making based on Facts
Companies must make decisions based on data, information and facts to come up with efficient solutions. Information or facts can help companies trace the root of the problem and solve it properly.
III. What Are the Goals of Quality Management
Quality management certainly has a series of goals that must be achieved by the company. These objectives consist of:
Establish a vision and work standards that must be met by employees
Increase enthusiasm and motivation to work within the company
Increasing customer and client confidence in the products produced by the company
Bringing innovation or development within the company through quality improvement
IV. What Are the Stages of Quality Management
The stages in quality management cover general management principles. There are three management principles that must be followed, namely planning (planning), implementation (actuating), and controlling or evaluating (controlling). How are these three principles applied in quality management?
1. Quality Planning and Strategy
Quality planning and strategy are essential components of any successful business. Quality planning involves creating a plan that outlines the processes, procedures, and resources required to meet quality standards. It includes identifying the quality standards, determining how to measure and monitor quality, and establishing procedures for addressing quality issues that arise.
Quality strategy, on the other hand, is a long-term plan that outlines the goals, objectives, and tactics that an organization will use to achieve its quality objectives. It includes identifying the quality priorities of the organization, establishing quality goals, determining how to measure and evaluate progress towards those goals, and creating a plan for continuous improvement.
Together, quality planning and strategy help organizations ensure that their products and services meet or exceed customer expectations. By focusing on
quality, businesses can improve customer satisfaction, increase sales, reduce costs, and build a strong reputation for reliability and consistency. Additionally, quality planning and strategy can help organizations identify and eliminate waste, reduce errors and defects, and improve efficiency and productivity.
Overall, quality planning and strategy are critical to the success of any organization, as they help ensure that the organization's products and services meet or exceed customer expectations, while also driving continuous improvement and reducing waste and inefficiency.
2. Implementation of Quality Planning
The plans that have been made are then worked on in the implementation process. Companies need to pay attention to workmanship standards and quality checks during this stage so that the process can deliver high quality output. Every operational activity in the business must be able to meet the quality standards that have been set to achieve its goals.
The implementation of quality planning involves the following steps:
Identify customer needs and expectations: The first step in quality planning is to identify the needs and expectations of the customer. This can be done through surveys, market research, and customer feedback.
Set quality objectives: Based on the identified customer needs and expectations, set quality objectives that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. These objectives should align with the organization's overall goals and objectives.
Develop a quality plan: Develop a quality plan that outlines the processes, procedures, and resources required to meet the quality objectives. The quality plan should also include a timeline for implementing the plan and a budget for the required resources.
Assign responsibilities: Assign responsibilities for implementing the quality plan to specific individuals or teams within the organization. Ensure that everyone involved understands their roles and responsibilities.
Implement the quality plan: Implement the quality plan by following the processes and procedures outlined in the plan. Ensure that the plan is followed consistently across all departments and teams.
Monitor and measure quality: Monitor and measure the quality of the products or services delivered to the customer. Use appropriate metrics and tools to track progress towards the quality objectives and identify areas for improvement.
Continuously improve: Use the data collected during monitoring and measurement to continuously improve the quality of products or services.
Identify areas for improvement and take corrective actions to address any quality issues that arise.
Overall, the implementation of quality planning requires a collaborative effort from all departments and teams within the organization. By following these steps, organizations can ensure that they are meeting or exceeding customer expectations while continuously improving their products or services.
3. Quality Evaluation
Evaluation is needed so that the company can reflect on every success and failure in its operational activities. In this stage, the company reviews the results or output of each operational activity that has been carried out. The results of this review are useful as a review that can be used as an improvement or development for the company in the future.
The company's success is not only measured by sales figures or profits that have been achieved. Quality management is also an important factor so that the company continues to improve the quality of all aspects, including the quality of
employee assignments. Key Performance Indicator (KPI) is an important indicator in assessing the quality of your employees' work.
