Essential management checklist for quality personnel, take it without thanks!

 

Adhere to the Three No's Principle

 

1. Do not accept nonconforming products

Not accepting nonconforming products means that before production and processing, employees must inspect the products passed from the previous process according to regulations to check if they are qualified. Once a problem is found, they have the right to refuse acceptance and promptly report back to the previous process. The personnel in the previous process need to immediately stop processing, investigate the cause, take measures to ensure quality issues are discovered and corrected in time, and prevent waste caused by continued processing of nonconforming products.

2. Do not produce nonconforming products

Not producing nonconforming products means that after accepting qualified products from the previous process, the current workstation strictly follows operational standards to ensure the quality of product processing. Preparations such as pre-operation inspection and confirmation must be thorough and in place; attention must be paid to process conditions during operation to avoid or detect abnormalities early, reducing the probability of producing nonconforming products. Adequate preparation and confirmation during the process are key to not producing nonconforming products. Only by not producing defective products can the principles of not passing on or accepting defective products be possible.

3. Do not pass on nonconforming products

Not passing on nonconforming products means that after completing processing in the current process, employees must inspect and confirm product quality. Once defective products are found, the machine must be stopped immediately, defective products must be intercepted within the current process, and defective product handling and preventive measures must be completed within this process. This process must ensure that only qualified products are passed on, which will be rejected by the next process or the "customer."

Prevent Four Misconceptions

1. The Omnipotence Theory

"Obtaining the quality system certification certificate is the passport to the international market" was widely spread in the 1990s. For a time, enterprises adopting the GB/T19001 standard to establish quality systems and obtaining certification became fashionable, and promotional advertisements insisted on using the phrase "awarded the certificate." Public opinion exaggerated the functions of the quality system, making it a universal tool, elevating the work originally focused only on product quality stability and reliability to a matter of whether the enterprise could participate in international competition, increasing pressure on enterprise quality management departments. This over-expectation also laid the groundwork for the later emergence of the "uselessness theory" of quality management systems.

2. Certificate-Only Theory

With the progress of reform and opening up, the liberation of thought and pursuit of wealth made people more eager to seize immediate opportunities for instant gains. In enterprise management, people focused more on immediate results and neglected fundamental management work. This impatience led many enterprises to adopt a short-sighted management style, reflected in their attitude towards quality management systems as the "certificate-only theory."

3. Uselessness Theory

It is often heard that some criticize quality management systems as useless and a waste of resources; others criticize the GB/T19001 standard as lacking specific solutions and being an empty standard. Because many critics lack a comprehensive understanding of quality management theory and practice, these views are understandable but difficult to agree with.

4. Obsolescence Theory

Many enterprises, after obtaining quality management system certification, do not continue to consolidate the system or implement continuous improvement, but instead seek novelty and higher standards, hastily introducing management concepts and methods such as Six Sigma and excellence models. It must be emphasized here that the quality management system based on the GB/T19001 standard is an indispensable cornerstone of enterprise management. Only when the quality management system is solid will the enterprise be secure. Remember, a cornerstone never becomes obsolete!

Learn the Five Major Tools

1. Statistical Process Control

Statistical Process Control (SPC) is a quality management technique that applies statistical methods to evaluate and monitor each stage of a process, establishing and maintaining the process at an acceptable and stable level to ensure products and services meet specified requirements. It is used to ensure continuous stable and predictable processes; improve product quality and production capacity; reduce costs; provide a basis for process analysis; distinguish between special and common causes of variation, guiding whether to take local or systemic measures.

2. Measurement System Analysis

Measurement System Analysis (MSA) data is obtained through measurement. Measurement is defined as assigning values to specific things to represent their relationships regarding special characteristics. This definition was first given by C. Eisenhart. The assignment process is defined as the measurement process, and the assigned value is the measurement value. MSA is used to determine whether the data used is reliable, evaluate new measuring instruments, compare two different measurement methods, assess measurement methods with potential problems, and identify and resolve measurement system error issues.

3. Failure Mode and Effects Analysis

Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) is a formal structured procedure used to analyze failure mode data from current and past processes to prevent these failure modes from recurring in the future. The model aims to enable easy, low-cost modifications to products or processes to mitigate the crisis of post-modification; find measures to avoid or reduce potential failures. Its advantages include identifying design reliability weaknesses and proposing countermeasures; using experimental design or simulation analysis to improve inappropriate designs in real-time based on requirements, specifications, and environmental conditions, saving unnecessary losses; effective FMEA implementation can shorten development time and costs; initially focused on design technology, but later also applicable to manufacturing and inspection engineering; improves product quality, reliability, and safety.

4. Advanced Product Quality Planning

Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP) is part of the quality management system. Product quality planning is defined as a structured method used to determine and establish the necessary steps to ensure a product satisfies the customer. The goal is to promote communication with everyone involved to ensure the required steps are completed on time. Effective product quality planning depends on top management's commitment to the goal of customer satisfaction. Product quality planning is a structured approach.

5. Production Part Approval Process

Production Part Approval Process (PPAP) specifies general requirements for the approval of production parts, including production parts and bulk materials. The purpose of PPAP is to determine whether the supplier has correctly understood all customer engineering design records and specifications, and whether their production process has the potential capability to meet customer requirements at the specified production rate during actual production. The goal is to confirm that the supplier correctly understands all customer engineering design records and specifications and has the potential to consistently meet these requirements under the required production rate conditions during actual production.

Eliminate Six Types of Waste

1. Waste of Waiting

The waste of waiting in quality management work mainly includes the following situations:

(1) Waiting for instructions from superiors.

(2) Waiting for reports from subordinates.

(3) Waiting for contact from the production site.

2. Waste due to poor coordination

In quality management, poor cooperation and coordination cause work stoppages and waste, mainly in the following situations:

(1) Poor coordination of work progress.

(2) Poor coordination in implementing leadership instructions.

(3) Poor coordination in information transmission.

3. Disorderly waste

Lack of clear quality rules, systems, and processes easily leads to chaos in work, which is well known. However, disorderly waste caused by ignoring orders, not following rules, and acting according to personal will is even worse.

(1) Disorder caused by low quality of quality management personnel.

(2) Disorder caused by not following rules.

4. Waste due to dereliction of duty

Waste due to dereliction of duty is the greatest waste in quality management. One form of weak responsibility is perfunctory work. This waste mainly results from weak responsibility, low quality, and poor work quality, but unclear management assessment and responsibilities mean it is not constrained or supervised.

5. Inefficient waste

Inefficiency means low or no work efficiency. Compared to the high efficiency required in quality management, the hidden waste caused by inefficiency is very large; work that one person should handle requires two or more people; tasks planned to be completed are repeatedly delayed.

6. Waste of quality management costs

Quality management costs are an important part of enterprise quality costs. Quality management must be conducted according to "principles," which in enterprise quality management specifically refers to "goals, indicators, and plans." By establishing, executing, assessing, and improving plans, tangible cost concepts and waste phenomena can be most directly addressed.

(1) Plan preparation without basis.

(2) Careless plan review.

(3) Incomplete plan implementation.

Avoid the ten major mistakes

1. Lack of foresight

Lack of foresight leads to excluding quality from strategy, making enterprise goals and priorities unclear, and the role of quality in the enterprise hard to understand. To succeed through effort, enterprises need to change their mindset and create an environment of continuous quality improvement.

2. Not customer-centered

Misunderstanding customer wishes and lacking proactive service awareness means that although some improvements are made, no added value is provided to customers, leading to failure in quality management.

3. Insufficient contribution from management

Surveys show that most quality management failures are due to management rather than technical reasons. All quality management authorities agree that the biggest obstacle to quality improvement is the lack of senior management contribution.

4. Training without purpose

Many enterprises spend a lot on quality management training, but many do not achieve fundamental improvements because too much training is irrelevant.

5. Lack of cost and benefit analysis

Many enterprises neither calculate quality costs nor the benefits of improvement projects. Even those that calculate quality costs often only consider obvious and easy-to-calculate costs (like warranties and training fees) while completely ignoring major related costs such as sales losses and intangible costs from customer loss.

6. Unsuitable organizational structure

Organizational structure, measurement, and rewards are neglected in quality management training and promotion. If an enterprise still has cumbersome bureaucratic layers and closed functional departments, no amount of quality management training will be effective.

7. Quality management

A bureaucratic institution is formed in quality management activities, usually delegating quality management authority to a certain quality privileged individual.

8. Lack of measurement and incorrect measurement

Lack of measurement and incorrect measurement are other reasons for quality management failure. Improper measurement encourages short-term behavior at the expense of long-term performance, with improvements in one department causing losses in another.

9. Insufficient rewards and recognition

Strategic goals, performance measurement, and rewards or recognition are the three pillars supporting enterprise quality improvement. Changing concepts and paradigms requires significant behavior changes, which are largely influenced by recognition and reward systems.

10. Imperfect accounting system

The current accounting system bears much responsibility for quality management failure. It distorts quality costs and fails to clarify their potential impact.

Practice the thirteen core values

1. Quality first

Quality is the life of an enterprise and the foundation of everything. For an enterprise to survive and profit, it must adhere to the principle of quality first, consistently providing customers with satisfactory quality products and services to remain invincible in fierce competition.

2. Zero defects

Zero defects is guided by the philosophy of abandoning the inevitability of defects and establishing a no-defect mindset. It requires all personnel to "do the work correctly from the start and get it right the first time," aiming to completely eliminate work defects through quality management activities.

3. Source management

Quality management should focus on prevention, eliminating hidden defects at the source. This not only ensures quality but also reduces unnecessary problems, decreases change frequency, and improves overall work quality and efficiency of the enterprise.

4. Customer first

Modern enterprises are in the hands of customers. For our enterprise, putting customer needs first and wholeheartedly serving customers is essential. The enterprise must establish a "customer first" service philosophy, prioritize serving customers, think from the customer's perspective, and respond promptly to their needs.

5. Meeting Needs

Quality is the unity of objective inherent characteristics and subjective needs satisfaction. Quality is not about what the enterprise says to itself, but whether it can meet customer needs. Only by satisfying customer needs will customers be willing to pay, and the enterprise can achieve profitability.

6. Top Leader Quality

The words and actions of the top leader of an enterprise receive special attention from all employees from beginning to end. His understanding, views, and attitude towards quality largely determine the quality of employees' work. The top leader should ensure that the enterprise's quality goals align with its business direction and comprehensively promote quality work.

7. Full Participation

Modern enterprise quality management requires full participation. It is not just the responsibility of one person, a few quality management personnel, or the quality management department alone. It requires close cooperation among various departments and the joint participation of all employees.

8. Continuous Improvement

Continuous improvement of overall performance is an eternal topic for enterprises. Continuous improvement is a principle and foundation of quality management and part of quality management. Quality managers should continuously and proactively seek opportunities to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of enterprise processes and continuously improve the quality of work.

9. Fact-Based Decision Making

Quality management requires respecting objective facts and speaking with data. Real data can qualitatively reflect objective facts and quantitatively describe them, providing a clear and explicit intuitive concept, thereby better analyzing and solving problems.

10. The Next Process is the Customer

As an employee of the enterprise, you should not only consider your own convenience when working. You must clearly understand the requirements of the previous process, fully identify the requirements of the next process, promptly understand feedback information from the process, treat the next process as a customer, and often consider how to satisfy the next process customer.

11. Planning Awareness

Rule awareness refers to the inner consciousness of taking rules as the guideline for one's actions. Everyone in the enterprise must establish rule awareness, respect rules, and if the rules are unreasonable or even incorrect, we can or should strive to change them. Internally establish rule awareness, learn, follow, supervise, and implement rules.

12. Standardization to Prevent Recurrence

When a problem occurs, it must be solved, and it must be ensured that the same problem does not occur again for the same reason. After solving the problem, standardize the solution, update operating procedures, and implement the SDCA cycle.

13. Respect for Humanity

Many times, quality work requires communication with people. For sustainable development and quality improvement, enterprise operators must fully respect the staff engaged in the work, allowing employees to feel the meaning and value of their work. Happy work can better provide customer-satisfying work quality.

24 "Military Rules"

1. Document Preparation

When preparing documents, focus on "who will use it" rather than "who will see it."

2. Emphasize Character

Work should emphasize character. Chinese-style management should pay attention to the character of Chinese people.

3. Layered Auditing

Enterprises with more than 100 people should implement QSB management and establish a layered auditing system.

4. Early Planning

Many tasks fail because of poor early planning. The "P" in the PDCA cycle is very important.

5. Employee Value

One of the leader's responsibilities is to prevent your competitors from discovering the value of your employees.

6. Problem Analysis

If your grasp of the problem is not precise enough, it is because your analysis of the problem is not thorough enough.

7. Team Characteristics

A first-class team values character first, morality second, and ability third; a second-class team values ability first, morality second, and character third.

8. Lean Production

Lean production means using the least resources to achieve the best combination, realizing production that is good, fast, and economical.

9. Standardized Operations

To make the company's processes more standardized, the best way is to optimize forms and establish templates, solidifying standardization.

10. New Leader Taking Office

Managers should not rush to make changes or reforms upon taking office. The most important thing for company development is steady inheritance and continuity.

11. Problem Solving

To solve problems, a team must be formed (usually an 8D team). The "three" in "drawing inferences about other cases from one instance" is very important.

12. Office Location

The team office should be located on the workshop floor. The weakest link of the enterprise is where the leader/manager's office should be set.

13. Work Instructions

Work instructions should involve frontline employees to be close to actual operations and reflect the principle of full participation. The worst is copying in the office.

14. People-Oriented

Enterprise management is management of people, focusing on continuous improvement around 4M1E, where "people" have the greatest room for improvement and are the core element.

15. Building Trust

As an employee, you must be convinced that there are no incompetent people around you, only people placed in the wrong positions. If you think there are, it is just that their positions are not correct.

16. Work Methods

The quality system focuses on effectiveness in meeting customer requirements and continuous improvement, while work methods should focus on their guidance and operability, that is, implementability.

17. Continuous Improvement

The essence of the system is to achieve continuous improvement. The key method is to continuously find improvement breakthroughs (such as special improvements through project initiation), treating every bottleneck problem as a project.

Most companies place great importance on procedural documents. Many system personnel devote much effort to editing these documents. In fact, procedural documents are just textual descriptions of processes, and very few people actually need to use them. Editing documents is far less effective than improving forms.

19. Value Employees

Frugality is a virtue, but if applied to employees' vital interests, it can cause the greatest waste. The result is that your experienced colleagues will leave one after another, and most newly hired employees will also choose to leave after mastering their skills.

20. Execution is Competitiveness

For most Chinese manufacturing enterprises, execution is the core competitiveness. Many poorly managed companies do not lack innovative thinking or talented people, but rather lack execution. Therefore, as a company manager, you should constantly emphasize execution, execution, and more execution.

21. Cultural Fast Food

This is an era that values fast food culture. Few people are willing to accept lengthy education in enterprises, especially frontline employees who make up the majority of the workforce. At the same time, this is also an era that values efficiency. Therefore, we should strive to transform fast food culture into cultural fast food.

22. Personnel Training

80% of complaints occur in process manufacturing, and 60% of those are due to improper operation by employees (especially new employees). Therefore, in the four stages of personnel training (explanation - demonstration - trial operation - follow-up verification), training should not only be a formality in the early stage but should also emphasize targeted training and subsequent follow-up verification.

23. Implement QSB

To implement QSB well, during the initial introduction, it can be rigidly applied as a tool. However, during formal operation, QSB should not be treated as QSB but as part of your own system. It must be digested and absorbed, transformed into your own thing. Ideally, all documents and record forms should no longer contain the letters QSB.

24. Every Employee is a Small System

What is a system? This is a very abstract concept. I have always taught my colleagues that adding your job responsibilities and work content together is a system. If you do your job well and thoroughly, you meet the system's requirements. Every employee forms a small system, and all employees together make up the company's system.