Quality Measurement for Kosair's Childrens Hospital - Assignment Example

 Quality Measurement for Kosair's Children's Hospital Quality is the degree to which the inherent set of product or service characteristics meets customer expectations. Quality is something businesses pursue and customers crave for in products and services. Therefore the managers need to define what quality means to their organizations. Once this is done, they then have to strive to identify the tools and processes that are needed to improve the quality of the services and products. These tools and processes are monitored throughout their progress. There are however various tools and methods that managers can use to measure and improve quality of their performance in an organization (Deming, 1975). This paper seeks to identify and discuss two methods of measuring quality used by the Kosair's Children’s Hospital. The two methods of quality measurement adopted by the Kosair's Children’s Hospital are Statistical Process Control Charts and the Balance Scorecard. The Statistical Process Control Charts This is a quality control and measurement method that uses statistical methods. The method is often applied in order to control and monitor organizational processes. The process of monitoring and controlling will ensure that Kosair's Children’s Hospital operates at its full potential. When Kosair's Children’s Hospital operates at its full potential, it provides services that conform to the standards at the most minimum waste. The key tools used in this method of measuring quality include control charts, design of experiments, and emphasis on the continuous improvement of the services offered. The purpose of Statistical Process Control Charts is to resolve problems that undermine quality in the organization as well as measure the level of service quality. It is a method best for gathering information on quality and finding solutions. This method can be used for instance in the following circumstances: identifying the services demanding quality improvement, getting the baseline of the services, where the organization is currently on quality, whether the organization is making any difference with quality improvement methods used, whether the method of improving quality can sustain the services, and evaluating the service worth. Statistical Process Control Charts are methods or tools used in the Six Sigma. A Six Sigma is a program of quality seeking to eliminate or reduce the defects of a process of products or service. The Six Sigma is a standard deviation unit derived from mean. The quality measurement using this method results from analyzing, measuring, controlling and improving the process of improving quality. This method is used in such a way that the control charts represent the lower and upper control process limits. Each observance on the service quality is plotted on the chart. Hence, if observance of a process occurs outside the limits of control, the process is accordingly adjusted. The Statistical Process Control Charts enables variations within a particular process. The charts are then used to determine the variation causes to the process. The variations reasons in the process may be special causes and common causes. This will then be used to determine the quality of the process; hence the service quality is measured. This quality measurement method is used to understand the manner in which variations occur (Shewhart, 1939). Statistical Process Control Charts is valuable in measuring the quality of service offered to the clients. This is because the method allows for examination of particular parts of the service processes. Most specifically, this method examines the parts of the process that may conceal causes or sources of quality variations of service or product. This examination entails not just the subjective opinion, but an objective analysis. This method also allows the quality managers to determine the strength of each cause or source of quality variation numerically. After detection and measurement of these variations, they can then be corrected in order to improve quality of the products and services. In turn, quality variation corrections may probably minimize production wastes or service and product wastes, but extremely improve the quality of services and products that is offered to the customer. Statistical Process Control Charts, as a method of quality measurement, is advantageous over the other methods of measuring service or product quality. It emphasizes on the early detection of the quality variations and preventing them from occurring at an early stage. This is advantageous over other methods that seek to correct quality problems after their occurrence. Apart from significantly minimizing production wastes, Statistical Process Control Charts also reduce the required time of producing products or offering services. The method can also identify the service bottleneck and correct them as they occur. It also reduces patient waiting time as well as other significant sources of process delays in offering services to the customers. The method aims at eliminating wastes in the process. The application of Statistical process Control Charts involves activities such as: understanding the whole process in the organization, measuring the causes and sources of quality variations, and minimizing or eliminating these quality variation sources (Shewhart, 1939). In the process of measuring quality, the data collected from quality variation measurement is monitored with the use of the control charts. This is because control charts may be used to differentiate special sources of quality variations from the common quality variation sources. Therefore, applying this method is ensures a continuous improvement in the quality of the product by correcting both the common and special sources of variations to quality. A process capability is then performed on the organizational processes in order to predict the ability of the organizational process to conform to the expectations of the customers. Other activities may also be carried out so as to determine other sources of excessive quality variations witnessed in the services. After the sources of quality variation are quantified, they are practically and statistically eliminated significantly. Some of the methods that can be used to eliminate the quality variation sources may include: staff training; development of quality standards; and error proofing as well as changes to the organizational process. Hence, Statistical Process Control Charts are effective methods of measuring quality and can be used efficiently by the Kosair's Children’s Hospital. The second method of measuring quality in Kosair's Children’s Hospital is the Balance Scorecard. This is a tool which offers organizational view from a business process, financial, learning and growth perspective, and customer. Balance Scorecard measures quality in terms of revenues and in the interest of the stakeholders. The perspective of the customer in measuring quality identifies if the customers are satisfied with the services offered by the organization (Alexandris, 2004). On the other hand, business processes examines the effectiveness of the services and organizational processes in meeting the shareholder and customer requirement and expectations respectively. The manner in which an organization manages continuous improvement and change is examined by learning and growth processes of the organization. This method of measuring quality is used not only for measuring the service or product quality, but also for employees offering the services to the customers. This method of measuring quality is significant in that it consolidates quality and business measure at the same place. Therefore Kosair's Children’s Hospital will use Balance Scorecard to measure the quality of its services to its customers and even examine and/ or get the view of a “bird’s eye” of the organization (Kaplan and Norton, 1992). The Balance Scorecard is a quality measurement method can be used to measure quality in this hospital through its perspectives such as: financial, which identifies relevant measures of finances. This perspective helps in shaping the image of the organization to the shareholders in terms of quality; customer perspective, which focuses on the organizations image to the customers; internal process of the business, which identifies areas where the organization must excel in order to improve its service quality; and learning and growth, which identifies mechanisms of continuous improvement of quality of the services offered by the organization to its customers (Deng, 2012). Balance Scorecard as a method of quality measurement is all about choosing targets and measures. The method is designed to identify these targets and measures in order to improve the service quality. This method should be used to obtain the best results in cases where the patients raise complains on the quality of the services they receive in general. References Alexandris, A. (2004). Implementing the Balanced Scorecard in Greece: a software firm’s experience, Long Range Planning, 37(4), 347-362. Deming, W E (1975). On probability as a basis for action, The American Statistician, 29(4), 146–152 Deng, H. (2012). Quality Measurement, Journal of Quality Technology, 44(1), pp. 9-27. Kaplan R S and Norton D P (1992) The Balanced Scorecard: measures that drive performance, Harvard Business Review Jan – Feb pp. 71–80. Shewhart, W A (1939) Statistical Method from the Viewpoint of Quality Control. London. SAGE Read More