Strategic Quality Management
Strategic quality management is an organization-wide process that encompasses all aspects of a business from the production and sales to the distribution and management of goods, services and solutions. It is the systematic evaluation and improvement of organizational performance and customer satisfaction. In essence, it provides an organization with a structured approach to improving their products and services, and their customer service.
The purpose of strategic quality management is to ensure that all departments are working together to maximize customer satisfaction by continuously improving product and service quality. Through this kind of quality management, organizations can develop and maintain their competitive edge. This is because customers who are satisfied with their products and services are more likely to buy their products or services again. Ultimately, this results in an increase in customer loyalty, which leads to higher sales and ultimately more profit for the organization.
To achieve strategic quality management, organizations need to develop and execute a quality assurance system. This system should include specific procedures and guidelines for operations, process management and resource utilization. These processes need to be monitored, inspected and evaluated on a regular basis to ensure that all the established standards are being met. Organizations may also need to consider implementing the use of quality tools such as quality assurance metrics, and quality control systems.
Once a quality system is in place, organizations need to continue to improve their processes by investing in and developing quality initiatives. Examples of quality initiatives that organizations can use include product redesigns, process improvements and organizational training. These types of initiatives can help organizations to maximize product and service performance, as well as customer satisfaction.
Organizations must also take into consideration the external environment in which they operate. It is important for them to consider the impact that external factors such as switching costs, industry trends and customs and norms may have on quality management. Organizations may also need to invest in new technologies and systems to be able to keep up with changing customer needs and expectations.
Finally, strategic quality management involves staff involvement. This involves ensuring that all staff understand the organization’s quality goals and objectives and are able to identify quality problems and make recommendations for improvement. It may also include training staff in quality management principles, tools and processes and encouraging them to contribute to the organization’s quality management efforts.
In conclusion, strategic quality management involves a holistic approach to improving overall organizational performance and customer satisfaction. It involves developing a quality system, investing in and developing quality initiatives, taking into consideration the external environment and ensuring staff involvement. By developing and implementing a strategic quality management system, organizations can help to ensure that all aspects of the business are working together to maximize customer satisfaction. Ultimately, this will lead to increased customers, more sales and larger profits.
