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Process improvement is on the minds of Engineering Managers. Those
involved with ISO-9001 know that certification requires documented
procedures with built-in improvement through the analysis of faults,
failures and customer complaints.
It appears that "document what you do and do what you document"
is the answer to product development as well as manufacturing problems.
Appearances can be deceiving. Procedures focus on listing the activities
needed to produce the specified deliverables, they can not specify
the attitude with which people are to perform those activities.
Quality procedures focus on objective, observable behavior without
acknowledging the subjective and feeling nature of the people involved.
How can respect for others and a safe environment for taking risks
be documented in procedures? I believe that they cannot be and yet
these are vital for incorporating a quality mentality.
Therein lies the limitation of having a documented quality system.
Within one organization the procedures of the quality system are
used easily and do aid in producing quality products. However, in
another organization the same set of procedures are used to blame
individuals for not following all the procedures properly. Quality
products may or may not be the result in the second situation.
A quality environment or culture needs to be grown in order for
the procedures to be meaningful. Ironically, in a quality-oriented
culture, the procedures are not really needed because the employees
do these tasks without prompting. The culture encourages the respect,
the caring attitude and the pride of satisfying the customer. Documenting
what is done provides a way to bring new employees into the culture
quickly.
Our society loves to analyze success and then document, in ten-easy-steps,
the way any person or organization can achieve the same success.
ISO-9001, the Software Engineering Institute's Capability Maturity
Model, FDA's Good Manufacturing Process and others are attempts
to ensure quality products for any organization that follows them.
On the other hand, there are people, like Deming, who write more
about the intangibles for achieving product quality. "Drive out
fear" is one of Deming's 14 points. It is more difficult for organizations
to accomplish these intangibles since they impact each employee's
way of perceiving and responding to their work. How do you change
the meaning you give to what you see or hear? A trusted friend can
help you, if the friend is not caught up in the same assumptions
and perceptions that you are.
When working in an organization the members often are not aware
that they are locked into a set of assumptions, perceptions and
responses that are reinforcing of each other. To break the cycle
it is helpful to bring in an outsider who can question each item
in the cycle. |
