Unleashing Quality to Support Industry 4.0

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Confused as to what Quality 4.0 is? It is time to unleash Quality from its bonds of Control and Assurance and build a future for Quality that supports Industry 4.0. AI and Automation are nothing more than the evolution of technology that need proper quality focus to keep them from being disruptive factors to achieving Zero Defects in process output. When only about 15% of organizations believe that quality is a priority for executive management, reembracing Quality as a cultural imperative can bring substantial improvement to a company’s bottom line financials. The solution is simple. It is the implementation of the solution that is the challenge.

While many companies say they are committed to Quality, organizational structure and behaviors may tell a different story. Quality doesn’t just happen, we need to take the initiative to comply with requirements, prevent errors and improve processes to achieve sustainable long term results. These are behaviors. The inclusive adoption of behaviors across all departments creates a culture. A Culture of Quality and its supporting behaviors under the support of top management is what will achieve long term sustainable financial results.

Sustainable results and cultural change cannot be achieved or at best will be short lived if management is not engaged as a believer, promoter and participant in a culture of Behavior Based Quality (BBQ). To do this, top management must set clear company performance objectives and cascades those objectives down into the organization. Every department is tasked to define and contribute to their part of those objectives, whether it is direct cost reduction or indirect contribution to reducing overhead and SG&A costs and expenses. Through monthly Management Reviews, everyone holds everyone accountable to do their part. Department managers are supportive in the use, training and sharing of Quality tools with other departments and do not rely on others to do the work for them. As mentioned, top management sets timely performance reviews and participates by acknowledging issues (positively), requiring follow-up to assure issues are addressed and participates and or leads in recognizing successes.

With a culture of Quality, an organization can flex with changes in process technologies to meet the needs of Industry 4.0. AI and Automation can create disruption to processes if not thoughtfully planned for. Under a culture of BBQ, these disruptive factors will already have been planned for, thus allowing a company to evolve quickly with technology. For those inevitable disruptive events that were not planned for such as a product failure or supply chain disruption, a culture of Quality will allow a quicker remediation because the ability to handle disruption is in fact part of the planning process.

BBQ will help you manage disruption when: You have a strategy for Quality; Company objectives are established and cascaded to each department; All cascaded objectives are measured and reviewed by management frequently; You take corrective AND preventative actions when targets are not being met; You continuously strive to make improvements; Disruptions are managed just like other metric performance issues; Critical disruptions are assigned task teams from all affected departments to perform RCA and PA; Executive management supports and mentors with positive support and recognition while participating in metric reviews.

When Quality behaviors are like breathing (you don’t think about it), then the BBQ is working, and the impact of disruptions will be minimized, and your Quality 4.0 program will successfully support Industry 4.0!