Measuring for quality

Adapted from Total quality management, a How-to Program For The High-
Performance Business, Alexander Hamilton Institute

Applying measurements properly in order to maximize quality is a task that requires

attention and discrimination. To begin with, keep in mind that managers and employees
may be suspicious of any attempt to measure their output. They’re afraid the information
will be used against them.
Five principles will help you to use measurements effectively.
1 Use multiple measures. The Total Quality approach encourages you to track numerous
measures. For example, cutting training programs will have a short-term positive impact
on operating profit. But what about the long-term effect on the cost of quality?
2 Measure for feedback. The first person to be informed of a measurement is the owner
of the job involved. Measurements should be designed to help workers do their job, not
simply to monitor them.
Many Japanese companies provide workers with accurate measures of their productivity,
but pass on to managers only the aggregate measure, emphasising that production is a
team effort. Managers can use the aggregate measure to improve systems without
individual workers being pressured to increase their productivity.
3 Let the task owner design the measurement. The person doing the job usually knows
the best ways to measure the quality aspects of what he or she is doing. Enabling those
people to participate in designing the measurements helps to assure that they will be
willing to track it and will be interested in the resulting feedback.
4 Make sure the measurement is used. Keep in mind that the process of measuring is a
cost. It’s not an activity that produces anything. There is no point in measuring for its
own sake. Regularly review the parameters you measure and ask how the measurement
contributes to quality. If it doesn’t eliminate it!
5 Measure the right thing. Measurement is like a spotlight. It turns your attention to the
item measured. Always ask: are we measuring the things that are important to our
business. A good rule of thumb for cost-effective measurement is to try to make an
approximate measure of the most important factors. Precise measurements, unless
required, are more expensive. Measuring the wrong thing distorts a company’s emphasis.
 Collection sheet for measuring QMS

DEPARTMENT_____________________DATE_______________________________
COMPLETED BY____________________TITLE_____________________________
OPERATION ANALYZED

WHY IS THIS OPERATION BEING MEASURED?

____CONTROL _________PLANNING
____SCREENING _________FEEDBACK
WHAT IS THE OBJECTIVE OF MEASUREMENT
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
___
WHO IS THE CUSTOMER OF THE OUTPUT OF THIS OPERATION?
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
___
WHAT ARE THE THREE MOST IMPORTANT CHARACTERISTICS OF THIS
OPERATION TO THE CUSTOMER?
1______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
___
2______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
___
3______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
___WHAT MEASURES POINT TO CUSTOMER SATISFACTION FOR EACH
CHARACTERISTIC?
1______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
___2___________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
______3________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_________HOW IS THE DATA FOR EACH MEASURE
COLLECTED/COMPILED?
1______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
___2___________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
______3________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
________HAVE EASIER OR MORE EFFICIENT MEANS OF DATA
COLLECTION BEEN CONSIDERED?________YES________NO
DESCRIBE_____________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
__