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| Tuesday, April 18, 2006 |
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08 Dec 2003
Courtwell Consulting - The Star
Information on control systems
Quality control
08 Dec 2003
Courtwell Consulting - The Star
Information on control systems
In discussing implementation of quality control systems, it is important to note the need for inter-dependence of team members.
There should be regular meetings between staff of a department and between departments, as this surely promotes total quality management throughout the organisation.
There should be an agenda to the meetings, and training programmes should include instruction on the tools used for measuring and recording total quality management.
Examples are:
Fishbone charts and Pareto analyses, used for analysing problems;
Brainstorming to devise solutions;
Gantt charts and flow-charts; and
Tally charts and histograms, which monitor progress.
Pareto analysis offers a simple but powerful tool for separating significant items in a mass of data. Vilfredo Pareto was an Italian economist who observed that 80% of the wealth in his country was owned by 20% of the people. He then noticed that in many situations 80% of the outcome seemed attributable to 20% of the causes, and this observation is known as the Pareto principle. So, for example, it is possible that businesses may earn 80% of their income from just 20% of their product lines. Brainstorming is another common technique for reaching creative solutions to problems and involves members of the solution-finding groups building and developing each other's ideas. Gra-dually the most promising ideas are opened up and unsuitable options are left behind. Gantt charts are used to define timetables among different divisions so that operations staff do not have to wait idly for others to complete a preceding task, one of the most useful and straightforward methods for planning and scheduling work. It is named after the person who first developed it, and quite simply displays tasks, identifies who is responsible for what, and gives an idea of the overall time scale. Flow charts are useful for planning new procedures and also for clarifying existing procedures and identifying areas of waste. The use of Tally charts and Histograms enables organisations to monitor success.
Information provided by Jonathan Smith of Courtwell Consulting at 011 327-6428 or via e-mail at services@ courtwell.com
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