The Way to Build the Knowledge System for Quality Newcomers
In today's network era of information explosion, all kinds of articles are emerging in an endless stream. By chance, I read an article online about the knowledge system of quality professionals. The author's argument was excellent and the viewpoints were unique, and I couldn't help but deeply agree. However, building a perfect knowledge system is not an overnight thing. It takes at least three to five years to accumulate and precipitate, and at most it may take ten to twenty long years. For newcomers who have just entered the quality field, it is like being in a vast ocean of knowledge and facing many confusions. The knowledge is vast. Where should they start learning? How should the learning sequence be arranged? How can they gradually build their own knowledge edifice?
For newbies in the quality field, they are facing a dilemma. On the one hand, they need to master necessary knowledge in combination with practical work to successfully complete the current tasks at hand. After all, the implementation of work allows no slightest negligence. Only by possessing the corresponding knowledge and skills can they gain a firm foothold in their positions. On the other hand, for long - term future development, they also need to systematically reserve some knowledge to avoid being in a hurry and seeking help at the last moment. Unfortunately, there seems to be few relevant thoughts and discussions on how to balance these two aspects and how to scientifically and reasonably plan the learning path.
Taking our company as an example, there are quite a few new quality personnel who have only been working for one or two years, and the normal production and operation time of the enterprise itself is not very long either. Against this background, how should these new employees plan their career development and build a knowledge system suitable for themselves so as to promote the smooth progress of their work and enhance their self - confidence? Based on my years of experience in quality management, I think new quality workers can start from the following steps.
Learn important and urgently needed professional knowledge
Take the position of regional quality engineer (process control) as an example. The learning of professional and technical knowledge is of crucial importance. Due to various limitations in the recruitment process of the company, such as financial strength and regional attractiveness, many new employees are not from the relevant major. Ideally, employees engaged in quality work should preferably graduate from the relevant major so that they can adapt to the work more quickly. However, the reality is that the factory has to recruit some talents who are not from the relevant major. In this case, getting familiar with the professional knowledge of the area under management becomes an urgent matter. Without professional knowledge, one may be at a loss even when facing a seemingly simple problem.
I once experienced such a thing. Our company recruited three new college students. The company arranged for them to have a three - month internship first and then assigned them to our department. I asked them to continue their internship at the production plant. However, not long after that, they came to me and said they didn't want to continue the internship, thinking it was redundant. More than a month later, I randomly asked one of the college students several very basic professional questions. The result really surprised me. These were the most basic knowledge in my opinion, but she knew nothing about them. The situation at that time was very embarrassing. I even worried that she might think I was bullying the new with my seniority. However, later she realized her own deficiencies and became the most hard - working one among the three. She also told me frankly that the internship in the department had taught her a lot of practical knowledge. Now, she has grown into a key business person in the department. This example fully shows that for newbies in the quality field, learning important and urgently needed professional knowledge is the first step towards success.
Master and apply the basic knowledge of quality management
The PDCA management technique can be regarded as the "universal key" in the field of quality management. It is applicable to all industries and various work scenarios. However, it is a pity that many people have not truly mastered this technique. Even some "veterans" who have worked in the quality field for many years have not developed the PDCA thinking mode. It takes a great deal of time and effort to practice and understand how to truly and consciously apply these simple eight words: "Plan, Do, Check, Act".
In addition to PDCA, quality newbies also need to learn how to view and use on - site management tools. Learning these tools cannot be just theoretical; instead, it should be mastered in combination with specific problems. For example, when dealing with defective products, it is an excellent opportunity to learn the basic knowledge of quality management. We can conduct analysis according to the PDCA concept: how the documents stipulate (planning), what deviations exist between the actual operation and the regulations (implementation), compare the two to find out the differences (checking), and finally formulate measures to ensure that similar problems do not occur again (improvement). For some tendency problems, tools such as checklists, stratification methods, and tree diagrams need to be used.
Personally, after working for many years, I rarely use histograms in actual work. However, it's always beneficial to learn about them. This also reflects from the side that there may be a certain degree of lag in our enterprise's quality management. Nevertheless, other management tools have played a significant role in the work and achieved good results. Therefore, new quality management employees must attach importance to the learning and application of basic knowledge in quality management, which will lay a solid foundation for their career development.
Learn new systematic knowledge in a timely manner
As work experience accumulates and career development demands, new systematic knowledge will come in handy during a certain period. Take those engaged in system management work as an example. They need to master and be familiar with quality management system standards. If they want to develop deeply in the automotive industry, they also need to understand the 16949 specification for automotive steel and the five common tools in the automotive industry. Learning and applying this knowledge can not only deepen the understanding of work but also improve logical thinking ability.
If a newcomer is arranged to participate in a certain project, then the relevant knowledge of project management must also be mastered. However, for new quality control personnel, it is often unrealistic to learn knowledge systematically as they did in school. Especially for those newcomers who are busy with work and hold important positions, the time available for learning is extremely limited. In this case, learning in combination with the problems encountered in work is a more effective way. They can search for relevant information online, consult experienced veterans, and at the same time, pay attention to whether the measures taken are effective. This learning method is more in line with actual work and is more easily accepted by newcomers.
Master communication knowledge
In the knowledge system of quality professionals, communication knowledge holds a pivotal position. In the workplace, the resolution of many problems relies on effective communication. Without communication knowledge, it is difficult to rapidly improve communication skills. Communication knowledge is general basic knowledge, but its importance is particularly prominent for new quality professionals. Good communication skills can help them better communicate with colleagues, superiors, and customers, obtain the required information in a timely manner, coordinate resources from all parties, and thus solve problems more efficiently and promote the smooth progress of work. Therefore, new quality professionals should incorporate the learning of communication knowledge into the construction of their knowledge system and continuously improve their communication skills.
In conclusion, building a knowledge system for quality beginners is a gradual process. It is necessary to start from multiple aspects such as professional knowledge, basic knowledge of quality management, new systematic knowledge, and communication knowledge. Only by continuous learning, practice, and accumulation can one achieve considerable development in the field of quality.