Repositioning the Quality Professional
David Armstrong
Head of Profession
[email protected]
Introduction
The Problem Statements
From the Quality Profession’s Point of View
[…..My Problem Statement, in 1999, when first appointed as Quality Director!]
• We are a Profession that defines itself by an “outcome”….
• What do we do?
• Why should anyone understand what we do?
• We undertake a seemingly disparate set of activities on behalf of the Business and then
call ourselves Quality Professionals
• These may include, but are by no means limited to:-
• Configuration Control of our Organisations’ Business Management Systems
• Process Audits
• Managing Non-Conformance
• Root Cause Analysis
• Managing Certifications and Standards
• Collecting Metrics and Measures
• Undertaking Test and Inspection
• Supporting Supplier Selection
The Problem Statements
From the Outsiders’ Point of View
The ‘traditional’ Quality Professional fails to protect Reputation.
Success can no longer be defined by “Satisfied Customers” but by “Satisfied Stakeholders” that include Customers,
Suppliers, Local Communities, Employees, Shareholders / Trustees, Society
Does Society, the Media, Government see us as the “Authority” on matters affecting Governance, Operational /
Enterprise Level Risk, Reputation, Efficiency, Change, Improvement?
A New Approach:
Redefining the Profession
Q1: Is Management
Intent Defined ?
Q2: Is Management
Intent Fit for
Purpose?
Governance Competences
External focus:
Uses appropriate methods to establish customer/stakeholder needs/expectations and
views. Ensures that the organisation’s policies, processes and plans reflects these
needs. Evaluates risks, problems and potential solutions from a customer/stakeholder
point of view.
Internal focus:
Develops process management capability (ownership, definition, implementation and
improvement) across the organisation to deliver consistent results. Ensures the
organisation’s policies, processes and plans are effective in meeting stakeholder
expectations, removing variation, minimising operational risk and maximising efficiency.
Supports the senior management team in ensuring that the operational approach and
system of business management are continually assessed and improved.
A New Approach:
Redefining the Profession
Q3: Is ‘management intent’
effectively implemented ?
Process Assurance
Process
and
Product
Q4: Does it produce the
desired outcomes?
Product Assurance
Assurance Competences
Business (internal) Assurance:
Ensures the flow-down of customer and stakeholder requirements across the organisation. Uses
understanding of requirements management, process implementation and tailoring principles, risk
management and performance measurement to ensure effective planning and internal controls are in
place. Uses appropriate methods to ensure an effective balance of self assurance vs independent
assurance. Ensures management intent, as reflected in its policies, processes and plans, is effectively
implemented. Identifies risks, failures and non-conformances associated with customer and
stakeholder requirements, and ensures effective action is taken to resolve any issues and identify the
root causes.
Supply Chain Assurance:
Ensures appropriate methods are used to select suppliers and to ensure flow-down of customer and
stakeholder requirements to the organisation’s supply chain. Uses appropriate methods to assess
supplier performance and to identify risk, failure and non-conformance. Supports the organisation in
evaluating any problems and risks, and in the development of appropriate mitigation and solutions.
Ensures solutions are managed to closure.
A New Approach:
Redefining the Profession
Q5: Is there a culture of objective
evaluation?
Q6: Is there a commitment to
continually improve?
Improvement Competences
Gathering insight:
Uses appropriate methods to understand all stakeholder needs and to identify any changes to the
organisation’s context including changes to the market, customer requirements and other factors
impacting on the organisation. Uses benchmarking and other appropriate tools and techniques to
evaluate performance and improvement priorities.
Evaluating measures/ results:
Facilitates the development and use of appropriate measures of operational performance and
product/service quality across the organisation to ensure fact-based decision-making. Helps establish
priorities for change.
Implementing change:
Evaluates the nature and magnitude of change required (incremental, step change, transformational)
and how to achieve the required changes
through the development of the organisation’s people, processes, tools, technologies and/or
infrastructure. Identifies any issues associated with
the organisation’s culture with respect to achieving and sustaining the desired levels of operational
performance and product/service quality.
A New Approach:
Redefining the Profession
We must understand the context
in which we are operating:-
• Organisation Level?
• Delivery Level?
NB: Context Specific understanding is where
the unique requirements of the Sector /
Product / Service must be defined
The questions we ask
A New Approach:
Redefining the Profession
The Role of the Quality
Professional and the behaviours
they must exhibit to be successful
are at the heart of this Model
Leadership Competences
The quality advocate : Articulates a clear vision for quality as a strategic imperative that supports the organisation’s
broader aims and objectives. Develops and implements strategies to maximise the contribution
of the quality profession within the organisation.
The stakeholder
advocate: Acts as the conscience in the organisation, making interventions whenever necessary to ensure
customer and stakeholder requirements are addressed.
The systems thinker: Looks across business functions and hierarchies to promote a holistic view of the organisation
and its requirements.
The fact-based thinker: Promotes a culture of decision-making based on factual evidence and the measurement of
performance.
The quality planner: Advocates the principle of planning for quality to prevent potential problems with product and
service quality.
The quality coach: Develops knowledge of quality principles and capability in quality tools, techniques and
approaches throughout the organisation.
The quality motivator: Motivates and empowers others to take accountability for achieving and improving standards of
performance.
The quality collaborator: Works with all internal and external stakeholders to resolve issues associated with organisation
performance, and delivery of quality products/services.
A holistic view of our many different roles
Product / Service Enterprise / Organisation
• Project Planning • BMS
• Assurance Planning • Stakeholder Analysis
• Contract Standards • Corporate Requirements
• Certifications
• Project Surveillance
• Test / Inspection
• First Article Verification • Process Audits
• Non Conformance Mgt. • External Audits
• Op. Ass. Statement
• Key Performance Indicators • Key Performance Indicators
• Root Cause Analysis • Six Sigma
• Statistical Process Control • CMMi
• Lean
• EFQM
A Framework for Competency
Our Vision: The new profession
Appreciated for:
• Protecting Reputation
• Enhancing Reputation
• Improving Profitability
• Transforming at Pace
Through:
• Good Governance
• Agile Assurance
• Evaluation & Improvement
And when we have it right!
Our colleagues recognise us as…
Agents for change: Transforming processes, behaviour and culture.
Guardians: Protecting the organisation by identifying appropriate standards for performance and
providing assurance that they are being achieved.
Collaborators: Working with leaders and managers to develop the culture of excellence and
improvement.
Leaders: Creating, managing and improving the organisation’s systems of governance to
maximise efficiency and effectiveness.
Progressive: Understanding the realities of managing organisations in dynamic environments.
Holistic: Looking across the organisation’s functions and hierarchies to advocate a broad process,
and customer and stakeholder-centric view of the organisation.
Professional: Qualified by our professional institute, the CQI, and bound by a code of conduct.
How you can help
For this to move from “intent” to reality”:
• Promote this Framework throughout your Organisation
• Ensure that your Quality Function develops their Knowledge, Skills and Experience in the
areas of:
• Governance
• Assurance
• Improvement
• Assess the Competence of your people in terms of their abilities in :-
• Each of the three areas of responsibility
• Working at the Product / Service Delivery Level and at the Organisation Level
• Exhibiting the right behaviours to effectively engage and influence the Organisation
• Support the CQI in delivering its Charitable Aims.
