Quality!

Does it just mean unending flow charts, bug reports, performance statis tics or groups of people who speak about things like continuous improvement? Or worse, is it just a fancy buzz word that fascinates organizations on and off? Or does 'Quality' bring to mind images of a job well done? Of something well org anized? Of something predictable, repeatable and dependable? Organizations take all sorts of stands on Quality it ranges from having a view t hat Quality is a set of activities to be done by a Quality Assurance Team , to posi tioning quality as a core value and a key business differentiator. Wipro no doubt, falls in the latter category. Wipro s quality initiatives have cer tainly contributed to breakthrough improvements, to sound operations, and most s ignificantly, to growing the business. This lesson gives you a bird's eye view of how Quality operates at Wipro. You ll s ee How the organization s focus on quality gives Wipro an edge over the competiti on. How the quality function is organized within Wipro and the significance of t he group s structure. First things first. What difference does a focus on Quality make to the organiza tion? And, what s in it for the client? When clients evaluate software companies, they look for indicators that will ass ure them the software company has the means, the processes and the mechanisms to assure quality on a project. When it comes to the software company s quality focus, the client s first, quick che ck is to look at the company s certifications. But clients often seek deeper insig hts into the software company s ability to practice and deliver quality. And that is where Wipro begins to make a difference. When clients see that Wipro has a dedicated quality group and an evolved quality system such as veloci-Q, it assures them Wipro has commitment to quality at eve ry level. It tells them that they can expect nothing less than the best in class . It gives them the confidence of a job well done. A quality focus and a quality system not only build customer confidence but also enable Wipro to set better expectations with clients even before the start of a project. To illustrate. Consider a situation in which Wipro needs to respond to a client s Request For Proposal (RFP). With the support of the quality system, the team res ponding to the proposal Leverages past organizational learning, Looks up previous data, Assesses the needs and risks of the project on hand This sort of access to past learning and data makes the response to the proposal more accurate, appropriate and realistic. A sound, well thought through proposal gives Wipro a better handle on the projec t in the sales phase. And it gives the customer the confidence that their needs have been well understood and considered. In short, it's a win-win for everybody. Wipro s commitment to quality is encapsulated in its quality policy: Achieve custo mer satisfaction by providing defect free products and services on time.

The commitment is further demonstrated by the way the quality function is organi zed within the organization. The Quality function is a separate, distinct and de dicated unit. It has several sub groups and types of members, each focused on a different set of initiatives. The quality function participates along with project teams in assuring quality o n projects and contributing to continuously improving the quality of the deliver y function. It supports the project teams in creating and maintaining processes and standards that are aligned to the Wipro promise. The Quality group also enables knowledge-sharing, identifies tools and methodolo gies for improvement and works towards the certification of people and processes . This separate structure is significant in many ways as you will see over the nex t few pages. You've reached the end of this lesson. A quick summary of how quality is a business differentiator for Wipro. Wipro s focus on excellence in quality processes makes a large difference to the c lient because it results in better project schedule adherence, reduced error rat es, better estimation capabilities and minimized rejections. Thanks to the focus on quality, Wipro has been able to consistently deliver outputs to its customer s on time, on budget and in full conformance with specifications. Wipro focuses on continuous process improvement through process change managemen t, technology change management and defect prevention. The organization works to wards this through a separate and independent quality group. Close this window to choose another lesson.