Business, Thought, and Management Articles --- Quality Control Fundamentals --- Investigation of Cause and Effective Measures
There are reasons for claims to occur. It is because there is a cause somewhere that defective items come out. The reason is that something should be somewhere to provide poor quality services. The important thing is not to mistake the cause.
There are reasons for claims to occur. It is because there is a cause somewhere that defective items come out. The reason is that something should be somewhere to provide poor quality services. The important thing is not to mistake the cause.
The cause is in a deeper place. The cause is more unnoticed by people. There are causes in unexpected places. So, when you investigate the cause, you have to think over and deepen your inferences.
It is often said "Repeat why five times". By asking why five times, you can reach the true cause by pursuing the cause deeply. Quality problems are not to be solved if you find a superficial cause and take measures against it.
When investigating the cause, never settle them as "artificial mistakes".
The cause of the artificial mistake is that the failproof was not effective. Moreover, artificial mistake was made because the standardization did not go well. If you did not make failproof and did not standardize, there should be some more reasons. If you make mistakes despite there are failproofs and standards, there should also be some deep reasons there.
There is a cause in a deeper place. Let's dig deeply and deeply without giving up in a shallow place.
Perhaps, how to make failproofs may not have been good, perhaps because there was a problem with the standardization process.
The deeper the cause investigation, the root cause can be found out. If you find the root cause and take a countermeasure, the countermeasures would be effective enough that the same problem will never occur again. Even though it seems that appearance is getting better just by taking measures for the minor, problems will come back again later. Whether fundamental countermeasures are taken or not depends on a large difference in quality.
*Return to Quality Control Fundamentals
Quality Target
To get anything done, you need a good target. No target, no results. You walk around without destination, you can achieve nothing. When you want to manage the quality of products and services, it is very important that you set goals in advance.
Quality Standard
In order to continue to provide products and services with consistent quality, reduce complaints from customers, quality standards are indispensable.
Pitfall
To reduce claims that damage the business, to obtain good feelings from our customers, and to maintain and enhance the brand image, strict quality control is very important. However, You need to be careful because there is a pitfall of the quality control.
Lessons from News
News of large corporate scandals, lawsuits related to quality troubles often appear on newspapers. Those scandals are the valuable lessons from something. We don't know when we might face similar troubles.
Mechanism Development
Even if you try to improve the quality of the product and improve the quality of the service, there are limits if you depend on the attention of the employees. Humans make mistakes and working for a long time will distract attention.
Simulation and Testing
Before you start to sell products and services, you will have to simulate and do testing. The objectives of simulation and test are to find out potential quality issues and to secure customer satisfactions.
Heinrich's Law
When you work, you sometimes get up accidents. You may get a fright for a moment you would be injured. You may pass defective products to customers. Or, you may fail in service to customers.
Reduce Dependency on Human
In many cases, quality control relies on human attention. Even if you use the tools, equipment, only your attention can pick up defects after all. You would be nervous, and get tired from work of quality control. Quality system must reduce dependency on human as much as possible.
Create Quality Manuals
It is essential to create manuals for quality control. Anything that affects quality of products and services must be written in manuals. There are various benefits of quality manuals.
Recording and Management of Inspection Data
Before items go into customers' hands or before we provide the services to customers, we usually inspect the product or service for any problems. Only after it can be confirmed that there is no problem by inspecting, we can offer that product and service to our customers.
Analysis of Inspection Data
Inspection data is a valuable source of information. Check the data securely by all means, and put on a variety of analyzes. By analyzing data you can obtain various information that were not seen in bare data.
Response to Customers
If you sell products, claims will come. If you provide services, some customers will complain. What made customers angry were not necessarily your defective products or services. Sometimes problems are in your response to customers.
Inertia
Gradually workers get used to when they come out and have a similar job for a long time. On continuing to deliver same products, provide same services, workers may lose attention to detail issues.
Crank and Overall Review
Expectations and quality demands of customers are gradually becoming increasingly severe. It is because it is natural that technology and quality is expected to improve on a daily basis in an intense compeittion society.
Hidden Dissatisfaction
In business there are various interactions between customers, employees, and suppliers. In these interactions, dissatisfaction occur in people's minds little by little. Dissatisfaction do not appear to the surface quickly. They will continue to accumulate in their hearts.
Failproof
As a way to reduce mistakes without relying on human concentration, there is some error proofing devices or so-called failproof. By adding failproofs onto the process, it is easier to notice the mistakes since defected products will stop at failproof.
Standardization
In order to reduce quality problems such as complaints, it is necessary to deliver products and services to customers stably. To that end, we must prevent workers from getting lost and doing uneven work with the mood of the day.
Investigation of Cause and Effective Measures
There are reasons for claims to occur. It is because there is a cause somewhere that defective items come out. The reason is that something should be somewhere to provide poor quality services. The important thing is not to mistake the cause.
PDCA Cycle
It is important that you take advantage of PDCA cycle for the thorough quality control, and are committed to improving the work process. Helpfulness of PDCA cycle is not limited to quality control, even to do any activity.
Quality Education
Quality control is the lifeblood of business. Only when customers are satisfied with your the products and services you provide, they will continue to buy products and services from you. Those who support the quality is your employees, education to them is essential for quality management.
