| Articles » What Quality Practitioners Need to Know To Help Them Sleep Better At Night |
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How to Manage the Top 3 Challenges Facing Your Quality Initiatives |
| by Michael Stanleigh |
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| Research undertaken at the 2004 American Society for Quality’s
Annual Quality Congress held in Toronto, Canada revealed that sixty-two
percent (62%) of the 343 respondents who completed a survey on quality
initiatives found ‘Buy-in From All Levels of the Organization’
to be their major challenge. Additionally, respondents mentioned ‘Process
for Managing Change Not In Place’ (36%) and ‘Poor Project
Management Skills’ (33%) as their next most difficult challenges. |
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| This research provides a snapshot of the issues facing
organizations in the management of their quality initiatives. It also
asked quality practitioners what they felt would benefit them most
to improve their ability to manage their quality systems and here
is what they said:
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Other challenges identified in the research that are
facing organizations when implementing quality initiatives were:
- Lack Creativity and Innovation in Decision-Making
- Managing a Decentralized Quality Workforce
- Analysis or Reengineering of Business Processes Not Done
- No Quality Management Committee in Place
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Business Improvement Architectt's research uncovered ‘Change Management
Skills’, as the number one item, that quality practitioners
felt would benefit them the most in improving their ability to manage
quality initiatives. In addition, the following items were identified
in descending order:
- Determining the Cost of Quality
- Communication Skills
- Project Management Training
- Quality Management Training
- Problem Solving Skills
- Quality Functional Deployment
- Having a Coach or Mentor
- Quality Certification
- Training for Senior Management
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| Most quality initiatives involve change for the organization
and all change requires buy-in. The research provides evidence that
Quality Practitioners would benefit from a greater understanding of
change management. |
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| Here are some strategies for Quality Practitioners to
help them better manage changes that come up during the implementation
of their quality initiatives: |
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| #1—Learn the Process for Managing Change |
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| There are numerous quality initiatives that organizations are undertaking
today such as: Six Sigma, Lean Manufacturing, Quality Awards, Process
Management, Reengineering, ISO Implementation/Re-certification and
Quality Service. Senior management must consider the organization’s
culture; the work environment and the actual work performed by their
staff, as the quality initiatives are implemented so purported benefits
are delivered. |
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| Other changes that impact an organization as quality initiatives
are implemented include supporting the strategic plan for the organization
internally and externally meeting changing customer needs. |
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| As a result, the quality practitioner needs to understand
the change management process and how it helps with the successful
implementation of a quality management initiative. |
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| Here are some steps to help you manage change and get
buy-in from all levels of the organization: |
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| 1. Identify the key objectives of the quality
initiative. |
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- Make sure you understand the business case for the quality initiative
at the start. If the quality initiative’s objectives are
not clearly linked to departmental and organizational strategy,
it increases the likelihood of failure.
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| 2. Create a Steering Committee to oversee the
entire process of change. |
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- This cross-functional team will oversee the entire process of
change. They will suggest alternative corrective or preventative
actions in the event that the quality initiative is moving away
from its original target.
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| 3. Communicate to everybody in the organization
that is affected by the change. |
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- Continuous communication to everybody in the organization that
is affected by the change helps enormously in implementing the
quality initiative. To start off the communication process, form
small focus groups of cross-functional and cross levels of employees.
Use these focus groups to identify what type and frequency of
communication is required such as: town-hall meetings, newsletters,
periodic status reports, e-mails, etc. Ask these focus groups
to identify concerns, challenges and opportunities about the quality
initiative implementation process.
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| 4. Undertake a Culture Review |
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- Organizational culture is the commonly held attitudes, values,
beliefs and behaviours of its members. The culture of an organization
is as unique and diverse as an individual’s personality.
- If the members of an organization believe that change is something
to be feared and avoided, then change implementation is often
reactive and haphazard. If the members believe that all change
should be aggressively implemented “from above”, then
change is seldom supported. However, if the members of an organization
believe that change is exciting and everyone’s responsibility,
then change and growth occur with relative ease. These are the
few “excellent” organizations that continue to excel
in their industry.
- An organizational culture inventory can be used for an organization
to assess:
- Their current organizational culture.
- Obtain information and insight regarding the type of culture
that supports quality and effectiveness.
- Gauge their readiness for change…to traverse the
journey.
- Identify and address organizational forces likely to drive
or impede cultural change.
- Create a vision for the organization's cultural “ideal”.
- Define the specific changes that need to take place.
- You may choose to work with your Human Resources department
or bring in a consultant such as Business Improvement Architects
(BIA) to conduct the Culture Review.
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| 5. Implement training |
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- There is always a training component where change is involved.
Training for staff can include: “How To Cope with the Stress
of a Change You Didn’t Want” and training for managers
can include “How to Create a Quality Environment”
and “Management’s Role in Ensuring Success in the
Execution of Quality Initiatives”. These programs can help
prepare staff for changes to come.
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| #2—Acquire Project Management Skills |
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| Quality Initiatives are really projects. However, they are often
managed as a series of unrelated tasks performed by many different
people and not at all connected. At times, an outside consulting firm
is used to help drive the initiative. Usually, their approach and
their plan, is not shared with the organization. So the organization
has tasks to perform and the consultant has tasks to perform but these
are not necessarily linked. This creates cost overruns, time overruns
and customer dissatisfaction. |
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| A definition of a project is “A temporary endeavour
undertaken to create a unique product, service or other measurable
end-result.” We often equate this to something that only the
IT department does. However, this couldn’t be further from the
truth. Everyone engaged in a quality initiative is essentially managing
a project and the same process or methodology must be used to manage
a quality initiative as to the management of all other projects within
the organization. |
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| This presents an opportunity for quality practitioners.
Through training, they will gain the skills necessary to manage their
quality initiatives more effectively. They will also be able to understand
the need to link their project plans with those of their consultants
and learn how to ensure that their projects are managed with the constraints
of time, cost and other resources. Successful management of their
projects will help them to gain the buy-in from all levels within
their organizations. |
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| #3—Implement Quality Management Training Programs
for Staff |
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| In the late 1980s through to the early 1990s Quality
Practitioners received rigorous training because ‘Total Quality
Management’ (TQM) became a popular strategy for organizational
change and training was an important element within this initiative. |
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| However, new “flavours” became the norm and the old
TQM took on new names, new directions and so on. In so doing, some
of the TQM basic principles were lost including: the customer focus,
the understanding of the change, cultural issues and finally, the
training. Team Training and Cost of Quality Training were common components
of the TQM initiative and these seem to have been lost over time.
It is now apparent that organizations need to go back to some of the
basics and ensure that their quality practitioners are properly trained
in the various quality tools that will ensure they are able to meet
all of their competency requirements. |
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Conclusion
Getting buy-in from all levels of your organization will require an
understanding of the process for managing change and an understanding
of project management. Change initiatives are projects and, as such,
follow a project management process with the following project steps:
- Project initiation
- Project definition
- Project planning
- Project execution
- Project closing.
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| Furthermore, quality practitioners should request training
in Quality Management techniques to improve their teamwork. |
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| About the Author |
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| As President and CEO of Business Improvement Architects, Michael works with executives and senior managers around the world to help them improve operational effectiveness through strategic planning, leadership development, project management and quality management. He has been instrumental in helping his clients reduce waste and increase efficiencies and profits with his clear processes and quality approach. |
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| For more information about this article, please contact
bia™ at info@bia.ca. |
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| Michael Stanleigh is author of the global report: “2010 PMO Global Study: How a Project Management Office Can Improve Organizational Effectiveness”.
For more information about this report, please contact
bia™ at info@bia.ca. |
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| © Business Improvement Architects |
