Dr. Demings Fourteen Points of Quality Management
World renowned statistician, Dr. W. Edwards Deming, developed fourteen essential points for any company to improve its quality management system. The principles that form the basis of Deming’s system add crucial elements in developing, deploying and measuring an effective quality management system.
1. Create an atmosphere of trust, mutual respect and understanding. This means that top management must take responsibility for creating a corporate culture that values quality and respects the people who are implementing the quality control processes. Employee participation must be encouraged, enabling each individual voice to be heard.
2. Foster true teamwork and collaboration. The goal of creating a culture of collaboration can be accomplished by assigning tasks to inter-functional teams and incorporating a blend of project management, total quality management and more traditional approaches.
3. Establish a customer-centric focus. Establishing a customer-centric focus should be a core part of your quality management program. This means understanding the needs, wants, and priorities of the customer before implementing any changes to processes, procedures, or products.
4. Encourage continuous improvement. Quality management systems should always be looking for ways to improve. This can be done by leveraging data and analytics to identify areas of improvement and by developing processes to monitor and respond quickly to changes in customer demand or industry trends.
5. Develop and utilize effective metrics to measure progress. Quality metrics should be developed to measure progress toward achieving quality management goals. These metrics should be used to guide decision-making and to assess the performance of teams and individuals.
6. Embrace data-driven decision-making. Quality management systems should be data-driven in order to make informed decisions. When data is leveraged effectively, it can be used to identify areas of improvement, suggest solutions, and measure progress.
7. Work to eliminate waste and bureaucracy. Quality management systems should work to reduce waste, bureaucracy and bottlenecks and maximize efficiency. This should be accomplished through streamlining processes, automating manual tasks, and eliminating inefficient practices.
8. Leverage a culture of innovation. Quality management systems should encourage innovation by enabling and empowering employees to be creative and think outside the box. This should be done through providing the necessary resources and support to ensure that employees have the opportunity to develop and implement innovative solutions.
9. Create transparent communication channels. Quality management systems should promote open and transparent communication. This should include providing timely and accurate updates to both customers and employees in order to ensure that everyone is on the same page.
10. Develop robust processes and procedures. Quality management systems should develop and document robust processes and procedures in order to ensure consistency and standardization. This should include developing guidelines and standards and making sure they are implemented and followed.
11. Standardize processes and technologies. Quality management systems should standardize processes and technologies, as this helps to ensure consistency and reduces the chance of any errors occurring.
12.Ensure the right tools, training and support. Quality management systems should be supported by the right tools and resources. This should include providing employees with the necessary tools and training to ensure they are equipped with the skills and expertise needed to be successful.
13. Utilize technology to its fullest potential. Quality management systems should leverage technology as much as possible. This should include leveraging AI and automation in order to streamline processes and to reduce manual tasks.
14. Make continual improvements. Quality management systems should be continually looking for ways to improve and should strive for continuous improvement. This should include leveraging data and analytics in order to identify any areas that can be improved upon and to ensure that progress is being made.
By abiding by and implementing the fourteen points outlined above, companies can ensure that their quality management systems are running efficiently and effectively. This will not only enable them to provide better quality products and services, but it will also help to ensure customer satisfaction.
