The Development and Current Situation of Quality Management
As an independent system, quality management has only been around for a mere century from its inception to the present. During this century, technology and industrialization have developed vigorously like a surging tide. The two World Wars have acted like catalysts, accelerating its growth and gradually transforming it into a truly independent and comprehensive disciplinary system.
Looking back on my less-than-twenty-year career in the workplace, when I first entered the job market, I was just a naive rookie. Now, however, I deeply feel that our quality professionals' circle has fallen into a puzzling state. In this circle, it seems that everyone takes lean management as a catchphrase. Every conversation and every slogan are inseparable from TQM (Total Quality Management) and QCC (Quality Control Circle). If one doesn't mention statistics and control charts, they would even feel ashamed to say that they are engaged in quality management work. It seems that only by constantly talking about these profound theories and tools can one demonstrate their professionalism and authority.
Doubts about the current situation of enterprise quality management
Does an enterprise really need such "high - end" quality management? In actual work, we often see the following quality management phenomena: Quality management in private enterprises is often in a mess, lacking an effective system and norms; Quality management in state - owned enterprises sometimes seems too comfortable, with insufficient motivation for innovation and progress; Quality management in foreign - funded enterprises may be too rigid, lacking flexibility. Everyone seems dissatisfied with this current situation. So what kind of quality do we really expect?
Some quality control professionals always fantasize that they can be like the ancient strategists, full of passion in expressing their ideas and with great influence. It seems that with just a gentle wave of their fans, they can give guidance on national affairs and change the fate of enterprises. They even fantasize that they have an aura like that of a "king" which can make all the bosses bow down and submit at one glance. However, this is just an unrealistic dream after all. It's time for the afternoon nap to end and it's time to wake up. Although it's really exciting to have such a dream of being a savior, when we return to reality, we still have to face the cruel truth.
Knowledge dilemmas of quality management personnel
Let's sort out the knowledge that quality management personnel in the manufacturing industry are supposed to know and be able to apply. This includes numerous professional terms and methods, such as TQC (Total Quality Control), PDCA (Plan - Do - Check - Act) cycle, VDA6.3/6.5 (German automotive industry quality standards), various inspection technologies, 5WHY analysis method, Three No's Principle, Gemba - Genbutsu - Genjitsu principle, 5S management, Management by Walking Around, 8D problem - solving method, standardized management, Five Core Tools, applied statistics, FormelQ (German automotive industry quality management system), leadership, 4M management, brainstorming, QFD (Quality Function Deployment), flowcharts and advanced flowcharts, TQM, TPM (Total Productive Maintenance), quick - win strategies, QCC, tolerance design, balanced scorecard, PMP (Project Management Professional certification), hypothesis testing, DOE (Design of Experiments), Taguchi method, ISO9001 (Quality Management System Standard), ISO14001 (Environmental Management System Standard), IATF16949 (Automotive Industry Quality Management System Standard), military standards, pharmaceutical standard systems, sampling methods, quality cost management, supplier quality management, affinity diagram, mind map, old and new seven quality control tools, zero - defect theory, Juran Quality Handbook, etc.
This knowledge does seem quite impressive, but how many years does it take to learn all this knowledge? And how many more years to master it? Can enterprises really make use of so much knowledge? If an enterprise hires someone who is proficient in all this knowledge, would a monthly salary of one million US dollars be enough? Will the boss end up working for such a person? Under the endless instillation of various trainings and consultations, both we and the boss seem to have fallen into a state of madness.
Enlightenment on Quality Management from Excellent Enterprises
Let's take a look at what those now high - end enterprises did in their start - up stages. When Toyota was starting out, it didn't make a big fanfare about lean management. Instead, it hired a large number of ordinary workers and focused on doing a good job in 3S management. Through this basic and pragmatic approach, it gradually improved the enterprise's operational efficiency and quality. In the early days of its business, in order to achieve the management goal of strict obedience, Haier used the event of smashing refrigerators to establish 13 military regulations, thus establishing a strict sense of quality and corporate discipline. Initially, Huawei didn't conduct in - depth research on IPD (Integrated Product Development). Instead, it inspired employees' enthusiasm and creativity through a sharing and elimination mechanism. When GE introduced relevant management concepts, its original intention was not simply to improve quality, but to promote innovation. When Ford initially implemented process control, its main purpose was to increase the output rate. The original control chart was not specifically used for quality management, but to keep abreast of changes in the production process in a timely manner.
Almost none of these industry leaders deliberately focused on quality just for the sake of improving it. However, as their corporate cultures were gradually established and improved, the quality of their companies has been getting better and better. It should be noted here the expression "getting better and better", which means that their initial quality might not have been ideal, or even rather poor. It was only through long - term efforts and the right methods that they gradually achieved the current high - quality level.
The essence of enterprise quality management
So, what was the purpose of these companies when they did so back then? The essence of enterprise operation is to pursue surplus value, that is, profit and continuous and healthy growth. Quality management evolved from management science and is just a component of enterprise operation and management. It must serve the essence of the enterprise, namely, pursuing profit, reducing costs, and achieving the continuous and healthy growth of the enterprise.
After multiple revisions, ISO9001 has formulated seven principles in recent years, namely customer orientation, leadership, full participation of the workforce, continuous improvement, processes and standardization, evidence-based decision-making, and win-win cooperation. If you think carefully about these seven statements, you'll find that they seem applicable at all levels of enterprise operation and management and are universal truths. But can such a statement still be simply called quality management?
Reflection on the Value of Quality Management Personnel
In the process of pursuing "high - end, sophisticated and elegant" quality management, we often get carried away and deviate from reality. It's not until the enterprise encounters difficulties and needs to downsize that we regret deeply and shout hysterically, "Why am I being laid off?" and "Why do we have such high aspirations but such a fragile fate?" We should reflect on whether we have created value for the enterprise. Does the value we've created exceed what we've taken? Are we people who have made contributions to the enterprise?
In the manufacturing industry, what exactly should quality management personnel do to make their work valuable and practical? Let's re - examine the work processes from the grassroots level to the senior level and reflect on our functions. What would happen if incoming material inspection were carried out by the procurement or production department? What if process inspection were handed over to the production or process management department? What results would there be if the finished product/ex - factory inspection were borne by the manufacturing, warehouse, or even the sales department? What would happen if product testing were the responsibility of the development team? What impact would it have if non - conforming product management were done by the warehouse or material control department? What if the parties responsible for quality improvement were made to bear the consequences and each manager managed it on their own? What would happen if preventive control were implemented by the design or process department? What if systematic and risk management were operated by the management themselves? It seems that all these functions of ours can be performed by other departments. So, what on earth should we quality management personnel do? What are the core values that we must strive for?
Value return of quality management personnel
Upon careful consideration, we will find that if we overly emphasize management, why would others listen to us? Enterprises stress cooperation for mutual benefit, and so does interpersonal communication. Therefore, we should return to the essence and first do a good job in service - oriented work to make everyone feel comfortable at work. Specifically, we need to carry out the "III Inspections", namely incoming material inspection, process inspection / patrol inspection, and shipping / finished product inspection; we also need to do well in the "I Management", that is, non - conforming product management. When we have done these basic service - oriented jobs well, there will be people willing to cooperate with us in carrying out management - oriented work, such as the "I Improvement", which is corrective and preventive action and continuous improvement. After we have done all these things properly, it's not too late to discuss those metaphysical theories and methods.