Articles Tagged with ''American Society for Quality (ASQ)''

I recently had a discussion with a business leader about quality management systems (QMS), their purpose, and importance to the core business infrastructure. Inevitably these types of discussions leads to whether a QMS is a “bureaucracy.” 

Computers have been used to automate manufacturing processes and tasks for many years. Until the 2010s, product assembly was centralized. Over the course of this decade, however, companies have been nudging organization-wide systems toward decentralization. 

Most organizational leaders know that quality makes them more competitive and yields improved bottom-line results. They know what they need to achieve—product and/or service quality—but many organizations struggle with how to consistently yield the quality they seek. This is where ASQ can best provide assistance.

Organizations in the medical device industry are in the process of gaining—and maintaining—their European Union Medical Device Regulation (EU MDR) compliance certifications. 

A  process flowchart is a powerful tool for sequencing each activity in a single process. This time-tested method allows everyone in the organization to be on the same page—or, more specifically, the same map. However, if you want to dig deeper into a process to determine inefficiencies and opportunities for improvement, consider a tool ideal for a more comprehensive scope than the classic flowchart. 

At the individual level, failure isn’t always a welcome event but it is recognized as a path to growth, innovation, and change. Prior to engaging in a particular endeavor, you can look at potential areas of failure and examine possible consequences. If the activity doesn’t involve death, divorce, or disaster—and with a little internal and external encouragement—you will go for it.

Almost 30 years ago the Construction Industry Institute (CII) researched the “Costs of Quality Deviations in Design and Construction,” and concluded that, “The average cost of rework on industrial projects exceeds 12%.” Design deviations accounted for about 80% of the increased cost and construction deviations only 20%.

"Quality improvement will result from people improving their processes and from management improving the system," says Thomas Pyzdek, ASQ Fellow.