Quality and Reliability Management - Assignment Example

?Running Head: Quality & Reliability Management Quality & Reliability Management [Institute’s Quality & Reliability Management Question # 1 Introduction Six Sigma as an influential business tactic has been there for more or less nineteen years and developed quite well within healthcare industry in the last seven to eight years. Similar to a ‘process performance development method’, Six Sigma is considered as a well-organized, methodical, dimension centric as well as information driven approach to lessen process deviation. This dominant management approach joins enhanced ‘metrics and methodology’ to decrease imperfections or faults or inaccuracies within processes and by this means supporting a market position of the company as well as boosting the fiscal effect on the end product (Chakrabarty & Tan, 1991, p. 196). In manufacturing, it is achievable to decrease or even remove the majority of human inconsistency via mechanization. Within healthcare industry, the provision of patient care is mainly a human process, and for this reason, the sources of inconsistency are usually complicated to recognize and enumerate (Black & Revere, 1988, p. 262). Six Sigma in Service and Healthcare Organisations The Six Sigma method functions very well within health care processes. Six Sigma ventures within health care industry concentrate on delivery of direct care, managerial sustenance and monetary supervision (Proudlove et al, 2010, p. 30). Six Sigma ventures can be carried out within the following health care procedures. Raising competence in X-ray room Decreasing turnaround period in arranging medicinal information Recuperating patient approval on ER Dropping bottle necks in emergency unit Dropping cycle time within a number of in-patient as well as out-patient investigative divisions Decreasing the amount of medicinal inaccuracies and for this reason improving patient security Boosting the precision of lab results Raising the precision of billing procedures and, as a result, decreasing the quantity of billing blunders Enhancing bed accessibility across a number of divisions within hospitals Decreasing the amount of post-operative injury issues as well as associated injuries Enhancing surgical competence Decreasing duration of stay in ER Decreasing inventory levels Enhancing patient list precision (Heuvel et al, 2005, p. 383) Critical success factors have a vital part in the execution of Six Sigma ventures in the health care industry. The heads in health care industry must think about the use of Six Sigma from the perception of recuperating the value as well as potential of existing procedures as well as the capacity of procedures to carry patient care along with security (Frings & Grant, 2005, p. 315). Using Six Sigma within a health care division is not simple, and if top executives are not involved, it is “almost certainly a formula for failure” (Anthony, 1995, p. 240). The use of Six Sigma must start with a broad outline of Six Sigma company policy for the top executive group, guaranteeing buy-in as well as dedication for the execution. Six Sigma venture supporters in charge for recognizing and controlling ventures should be cautiously selected. The choice of correct individuals is significant for the implementation of Six Sigma ventures. Once the Six Sigma infrastructure is classified with the assistance of a Six Sigma specialist with sufficient knowledge from service sector, guidance may start. The venture supporters should collect a fine summary of Six Sigma basics in addition to the abilities necessary for venture selection, project prioritisation, and venture scoping as well as project implementation. Possible Six Sigma ventures in a healthcare setting may link to functional procedures for instance, billing or workflow or they may entail medical process such as prescription management (Taner et al, 1988, p. 331). There are quite a lot of obstacles occurring in the way of health care sector for concern before the execution and exploitation of Six Sigma business policy. The first and leading challenge is the preliminary speculation within Six Sigma Belt System training. The nonexistence or complexity to get hold of the primary statistics on procedure performance is an additional key challenge at the time of implementing Six Sigma in health care sector. There will be a huge amount of information accessible in the health care sector; nonetheless, for the majority of the time these statistics are not immediately presented for its study. For health care industry, it is regularly a great effort to recognize procedures that can be calculated with respect to imperfections or mistakes per million prospects (Koning et al, 2006, p. 9). Another obstacle to Six Sigma exploitation within health care industry is the psychology of the labour force. It is significant to present suggestions by means of the business language instead of the statistical language. Following are some useful tips that should be taken into consideration at the time of selecting possible Six Sigma ventures within health care sector: Ventures must be aligned with crucial hospital concerns, patient care concerns in addition to strategic aims of the company Ventures should be practical to carry out from a resource and information point of view Aims of venture should be clear to every person linked with that venture Make sure that ventures can be finished on the dot Make certain that a ‘tollgate’ assessment should be carried out on each phase of the Six Sigma methodology Choose those ventures which have the capacity to show quantifiable developments within value, expenditure and timeliness constraints (Revere et al, 1988, p. 109) Conclusion Even though outstanding companies have utilized Six Sigma for quite many years with enormous accomplishment, its implementation within healthcare division is in its early years. Properly executed, Six Sigma clearly creates advantages with respect to laboratory and prescription inaccuracy lessening, better patient care, and so on. A number of the booming applications of Six Sigma within health care have shown a drop of inventory expenditure for surgical requirements, drop in time-span of stay at ER as well as a progress in patient approval (Nakhai & Neves, 1984, p. 670). The triumph of Six Sigma is quickly rising, all advertising the effect of this influential as well as precise investigative methodology. The researchers think that Six Sigma as a business policy permits health care division to distribute a justly top-notch facility to patients. According to their view, “the application of Six Sigma in health care industry will continue to grow, especially here in Europe over the next five years or so. As with all improvement strategies all it takes is a couple of brave leaders willing to take the right course and confront resistance to core issues once and for all” (Nakhai & Neves, 1984, p. 672). Question # 2 Introduction More or less 900,000 businesses in 170 nations have implemented the ISO 9001 Quality Management System standard. This is an astonishing figure “given the lack of rigorous evidence regarding the standard’s effect on organizational practices and performance” (Terziovski et al, 2003, p. 583). Executing a quality management system that matches to ISO 9001 involves documenting functioning processes, guidance, in-house appraisal, and remedial practices. It as well needs that processes to develop current systems be executed. The eight Quality Management Principles support ISO 9001, which are integrated within the requirements of the standard, and can be useful to perk up organizational performance, support ISO 9001: (1) client focus, (2) control, (3) participation of individuals. Fourthly, process approach, (5) system approach to administration, (6) persistent enhancement, (7) accurate approach to decision making, and (8) equally advantageous dealer relations links. ISO 9001 Standard The ISO 9001 standard can be used in “any type or size of organization, from small family businesses to the world’s largest corporations and government institutions” (Tsim et al, 1986, p. 246). It offers a planned yet flexible outline for a consumer centric quality management system that drives performance enhancement. The functioning of ISO 9001 can offer business with quantifiable enhancements within their general business performance, efficiency, and competence. The standard includes every phase of an organization’s practices, together with categorizing its main procedures; explaining functions as well as tasks its strategies and aims, in addition to documentation constraints (Biazzo & Bernardi, 1995, p. 261). It as well includes the significance of accepting as well as meeting customer obligations, communication, capital needs, guidance, manufactured goods and process scheduling, plan processes, acquisition, manufacturing and service, scrutinizing and measurement of goods and procedures, customer approval, in-house appraisal, management assessment, and development procedures. Many companies that have applied a quality management system have appreciated cost savings via enhanced process efficiency and competence. There are as well a number of other benefits together with enhanced worker as well as client pleasure, resulting from better described as well as executed business courses. A number of the direct advantages attained by ISO 9001 certified companies are: 1. Encouraged employees, who appreciate their jobs and the way their work have an effect on excellence, 2. Enhanced product as well as service value and more contented clientele, and 3. Enhanced administration as well as functioning procedures, resulting in “less waste (both time and materials)” (Buttle, 1984, p. 940), improved efficiency, competence as well as expenditure savings Among the mainly accurate pragmatic studies that observe how execution of the ISO 9001 quality management standard have an effect on employers’ results and practices, were mainly carried out with United States manufacturers. Plants that implement ISO 9001 naturally raise their rate of creation expansion. Others discover ISO 9001 documentation to be linked with consequent irregular proceeds beside a host of economic metrics together with stock costs. Different research attempts find advantages strongest between small companies as well as among those with an unpretentious degree of scientific assortment, and ‘early adopters’. Implementing ISO 9001 makes plants to decrease waste production and contaminated chemical discharges implies that adopting the quality management standard has helpful ‘spill over’ outcomes that can develop environmental management practices (Russell, 2000, p. 659). ISO 9001 implementation improves employee efficiency as well as employees’ concentration to detail, but obstructs employee modernism. Interestingly, no previous research studies the way ISO 9001 value model have an effect on product or process value or workforce. In the same way, even though outside the area of ISO 9001, various studies of events discover that economic performance, as calculated by stock value along with operating earnings, develops once businesses win a excellence honour. Researchers compared ISO 9001 adopters’ economic performance with their earlier peers and found their performance to be better. These research attempts are constant with a constructive selection outcome; however, they do not recommend any fundamental advantages linked with ISO registration (Sampaio et al, 1984, p. 40). Companies that adopt a quality management system that matches to ISO 9001 characteristically develop the credentials of functioning systems, instruction, and practices for remedial measures. A business trying to implement ISO 9001 should appoint a recognized third-party assessor to check that (1) on paper processes are there for all important functions, (2) teaching, examining, in addition to other methods are prepared to guarantee that written methods are pursued, and (3) processes for incessantly recuperating other processes have been adopted. The second condition has inferences for workers’ guidance, inducements, and range of managerial level decisions. The rate of adopting ISO 9001, together with forming methods, filing, and deploying and appointment of third-party auditor relies on the extent as well as complication of the function (Poksinska, 1984, p. 500). For products as well as services for which it is complicated to differentiate advanced from lesser value, there is small encouragement either for clientele to pay an additional payment, or for businesses to spend in, higher superiority. Companies can gain from ISO 9001 certification in such state of affairs. Above all, if ISO 9001 certification is more lucrative for higher quality companies, ISO 9001 can hint consumers that implementers possibly puts high quality. If certification provides convincingly differentiated higher quality goods as well as services, certified companies should notice a raise in demand, which would as well give rise to bigger unit sales and total proceeds. ISO 9001 certification can increase compliance to provide financial support for quality, which generates an inducement for executives to invest in recuperating product or service quality. If certification educates executives to cost effectively improve value beside aspects customer observes as well as values, such companies should as well notice a raise in unit sales as well as the entire income (Casadesus & Karapetrovic, 2007, p. 110). ISO 9001 implementation can as well assist executives find out the way to decrease expenditure. Under standard financial assumptions, a profit maximizing business sets cost as a mark-up on marginal cost. To the level, that adoption facilitates them to know the way of dropping their marginal costs, certified businesses should decrease their costs. Keeping all other things constant, these lesser costs should convert into improved unit sales as well as proceeds. Whether premium businesses are more prone to implement ISO 9001, the standard develops implementers’ value, or costs, both situations generate the same forecast: ISO 9001 certification will boost sales. Without a doubt, a number of industrial consumers make use of ISO 9001 certification in their selection standard for prospective contractors, considering that it more or less assures that their goods will constantly meet their design requirements. These situations show that such income boosts will be goes along with steady or deteriorating operating costs - in that way, raising earnings, which indicates that ISO 9001 standard must be linked with better likelihood of firm’s continued existence. “Adopting ISO 9001 might lead to improvements in occupational health and safety in a variety of ways. In the process of formally documenting procedures, for example, managers can identify and eliminate hazardous practices and add safety precautions. Moreover, by fostering more focused attention to detail, ISO 9001 adoption can reveal new win-win opportunities to improve quality or efficiency and occupational health and safety that were previously obscured by indirect and distributed costs and benefits. Additionally, processes that provide warning signals and prompt corrective action can forestall serious accidents. Finally, routine auditing and corrective action procedures required by ISO 9001 to address” (Wilkinson & Dale, 2002, p. 287) organization system malfunctions promote ‘root-cause analysis’ that can recognize challenging working conditions that might otherwise ‘precipitate’ not just quality malfunctions, but job-related wellbeing as well as security concerns. Departments charged with controlling quality often deal with wellbeing as well as security, and businesses are increasingly adopting incorporated management systems that include all these concerns. Job-related wellbeing as well as protection can be enhanced by utilizing the applications of constant enhancement linked with ISO 9001 standard. For instance, workers who are familiar with the way to find out root causes of quality concerns as well have the expertise to classify root causes of security concerns. Conclusion ‘ISO adopters’ had far lesser organizational failure rates as compared to comparable companies within their industries. Sales as well as employment develop considerably fast post-certification in businesses that implemented ISO 9001 than at matched firms (Bamford & Deibler, 1993, p. 69). Total payroll and yearly income for every worker raised. Question # 3 Introduction Quality function deployment (QFD) procedures have long been acknowledged as a potentially priceless means in flourishing product expansion. QFD methods offer a methodical way for transforming market potentials and client requirements into specific product requirements that engineers as well as scientists can utilize for plan, development, and growth (Wasserman, 2007, p. 61). However, in spite of QFD’s extensive account of accomplishment, businesses have not yet come close to making it work at its maximum potential for improving either product growth or other business procedures. QFD Support for Businesses Possibly, most essentially, management has to be familiar with the worth of the QFD procedure goes far ahead of the ultimate work product. Actually, the majority of the advantage of QFD is in the procedure of passing by the exchanges intrinsic within a group environment. To its core, QFD offers a methodical technique of optimizing exchanges (Armacost et al, 1994, p. 74). These can go well further than the scientific exchanges needed in planning a product; indeed, optimizing exchanges is ‘significant’ to the pledge of every significant business concern. However, since QFD has been restricted to the central concerns of product growth, and because product growth experts usually do not involve themselves within an actually incorporated method with the bigger business concerns adjacent to product growth. Businesses have not yet started to apply QFD to other divisions of the business, for instance, construction, supply, service, employing, and guidance (Kahraman et al, 2006, p. 400). To initiate a flourishing product, one needs to do a number of things accurately apart from having the accurate product. One has to make a number of smart choices regarding which individuals to appoint, how and when to make or purchase some specific elements, how best to service the innovative product, and so on. However, at the point where the venture group associates transfer their awareness away from the manufactured goods itself and onto the several other critical concerns, they must take care of the launch of new product, something astonishing takes place. “The very same people who have meticulously worked through a product definition process – whether with QFD or another methodology – turn around and make, gut decisions.” “It is like wearing a life jacket on the QEII all the way across the Atlantic and then roaring through Manhattan on a motorcycle without wearing a helmet” (Akao & Mazur, 1984, p. 26). A product development group occasionally has to think about more than just the instant client - the individual or business that makes the acquisition. They should consider the customers of the customer. For example, a business might trade a system for to the government for checking exhaust discharges, however, those instruments will be utilized by workers in gas stations, garages, as well as car dealers - and controlled by individuals with altering levels of expertise. They, consecutively, have clientele of their own, individuals who get their cars as well as trucks in to be checked. “Merlin Gerin, the electrical engineering arm of the French Schneider group, has been very successful in identifying not only its customers’ customers but the latter’s needs; Merlin Gerin designed its low-voltage power switches, for example, to be particularly easy to install, adjust, and maintain” (Prasad, 1998, p. 229). These characteristics have made the business extremely admired with electrical gear sellers as well as their clientele, the installers, who have influence on a huge part of the market. In order to create a well-developed product, a designing team has to know what it is exactly that they are designing, and what the customers will anticipate from it. QFD is a systematic approach to design supported by a direct understanding of client’s aspirations, together with the incorporation of commercial efficient groups. It consists of transforming client’s aspirations into design description for every phase of the development of product. Eventually, the objective of QFD is to transform usually biased excellence decisive factor into un-biased ones that can be computed, as well as calculated and which can afterwards be utilized to design as well as create the product. It is an approving approach for finding out how and where priorities are to be given during product development. The aim is to utilize un-biased processes in raising features all the way through the development of the product (Kwong & Bai, 2003, p. 622). QFD is a technique for creating a design quality targeted at fulfilling the customer and afterwards converting the client's requirements into design objectives and most important quality assurance points to be utilized all the way through the production segment. QFD is a method to assure the design excellence while the product is still within the design phase. When suitably applied, QFD has showed the drop in development period by ‘one-half to one-third’. The three key objectives in adopting QFD are: 1. Prioritize vocal as well as unspoken client desires and requirements. 2. Switch these needs into technological traits and requirements. 3. Manufacture and present a quality product by concentrating totally on customer satisfaction (Govers, 1996, p. 577). From the time of its beginning, QFD has helped to alter the way a number of businesses: Design innovative products Design product constraints Find out procedural traits Manage the manufacturing method Record previously functional product requirements The initial step in a QFD venture is to find out the market sectors that will be analyzed in the process and to categorize who the clientele are. The group afterwards collects data from clientele on the wants they have for the product or service. Not each and every product or service needs are identified to the client, so the group is required to record needs that are ordered by organization or authoritarian principles that the product is obliged to follow. Having a clear idea of how clientele rate the opposition can be a great competitive benefit. During this phase of the QFD procedure, it is an excellent plan to inquire clientele how the product or service rates in comparison with the competition. “There is remodelling that can take place in this part of the House of Quality; additional rooms that identify sales opportunities, goals for continuous improvement, customer complaints, etc., can be added” (Lu, 1986, p. 43). “The technical descriptors are attributes about the product or service that can be measured and benchmarked against the competition. Technical descriptors may exist that your organization is already using to determine product specification, however new measurements can be created to ensure that your product is meeting customer needs; as the team defines the technical descriptors, a determination must be made as to the direction of movement for each descriptor” (Bouchereau & Rowlands, 1994, p. 13). “The relationship matrix is where the team determines the relationship between customer needs and the company's ability to meet those needs. The team asks the question, ‘what is the strength of the relationship between the technical descriptors and the customers’ needs?’ Relationships can either be weak, moderate, or strong or carry a numeric value of 1, 3 or 9” (Bergquist & Abeysekera, 1996, p. 272). Conclusion Malfunctions of QFD methods usually start from a basic misinterpretation of the methods themselves and of the value, they can suggest. The reality is that even though QFD has been there for over twenty-five years and has been used in a number of industries, QFD methods are not well known - even by the majority of businesses that are aggressively attempting to implement them. A large number of organizations that have tested with utilizing QFD for product growth have discarded it without a systematic experiment. Question # 5 1. Introduction This manual explains the quality systems pertinent to the goods manufactured by this company. The Quality Manual supports the implementation of a process approach at the time of expanding, executing, sustaining, and recuperating the efficiency of a quality management system, to improve customer approval by performing according to the requirements of the client. It further highlights the significance of the following: Accepting as well as meeting client and dogmatic needs The necessity to think about procedures, with respect to added value. Acquiring outcomes of procedural performance as well as efficiency, and persistent upgrading of processes supported by objective capacities (Hoyle, 2007, p. 182). 2. Responsibilities Each member of management is responsible for executing as well as sustaining the quality structures and practices within their relevant areas of power (Cianfrani & West, 2009, p. 98). The company guarantees that all employees doing or validating work have enough freedom as well as power to carry out the essential duties. This influence can be created within functioning practices along with additional documents shedding light on these activities. The management meets client, dogmatic and legislative requirements by: A reputable Quality Policy Reviews by the management Guaranteeing accessibility of capital Training of human resources Corresponding the Quality aims and dimensions Meetings as well as assessments about new products 3. Businesses Processes Every bit of productive work is designed and started in line with the company's procedures. In addition, any particular “documents agreed for individual contracts” (Melnyk & Christensen, 2000, p. 76) (such as agreement conditions). Work information is given by the pre-decided agreement requirement in addition to any documents referenced therein; on the other hand, work is carried out in line with generally acknowledged codes of work place. 4. Quality Management System The company has a reputable Quality System; it is recognized, executed and sustained; and shows the way it meets dogmatic needs and the way company guarantees conformity by in-house appraisals. The company also has a system in position to re-examine, assess, and concentrate on customer approval via a course of persistent development (Gitlow, 2000, p. 201). 4.1 General Requirements The processes required for the Quality Management System have been recognized The company has verified criteria as well as systems essential to guarantee that both the process as well as the control of these processes are successful Executives guarantee the accessibility of capital as well as information required to sustain the functions and checking these processes, together with the development of suitable departments to deal with definite tasks as component of the Quality Management System. Systems to scrutinize, assess, as well as analyze these processes have been created. Execution of required actions to get intended outcomes, retain the efficiency and constant development of these processes. Other processes may be included to the process flow as new goods and / or dogmatic requirements are established. The company guarantees controls on outsourcing of processes that may “have an effect on product quality” (ASQ Quality Management Division, 2006, p. 192). 5. Management Responsibility 5.1 Management Commitment Management signifies the significance of this Quality Management System and guarantees the customer as well as dogmatic needs are decided and are met; “company’s top executives complete this with the goal of enhancing customer satisfaction” (Wilson, 2009, p. 111). Standard advice from clientele, contract review, in addition to new product evaluations certifies that these needs are met. 5.2 Quality Policy The management ensure that the quality policy: Is conveyed as well as recognized in the business Incorporates an assurance to act in accordance with needs, uphold and persistently develop the efficiency of the quality management system. Offers a structure for establishing as well as reviewing quality aims along with customer satisfaction “Is appropriate to it objectives, and is reviewed for suitability” (Grimes, 2002, p. 123). 5.3 Quality Objectives The quality objectives have been set on pertinent tasks and are known in the Quality Management System. These aims are assessable and results are reviewed and regulated to guarantee that general objectives are constant with the quality policy. 5.4 Quality Management System Planning Quality Management System planning is done to go along with the criteria of ISO as well as to classify quality objectives. The reliability of the Quality Management System is upheld when alterations are designed and executed by management review and consent (Waddock et al, 2007, p. 65). 6. Resources Resources are given by the company to make sure proper functioning, continuation and persistent development of the Quality Manual system. Resources considered necessary for dealing with dogmatic needs, client requirements, human resources, infrastructure, working environment, process apparatus, equipment, and records are granted. The purpose of these resource requirements is done in management review conferences, agreement reviews; product reviews, and training appraisals. Classification of these requirements is done by means of customer response, in-house checks, and scrutinizing / assessing activities. 6.1 Human Resources All workers have satisfactory knowledge, education and learning to make certain they can carry out their tasks as it influences product quality. The company will give guidance, and assess its efficiency, or the efficiency of other actions taken, to guarantee human resources meet the necessary competency. Proper accounts of expert documentations, teaching, training, expertise and familiarity are maintained (Froman, 1997, p. 76). 7. Product Realisation The company plans the product realization via regulations, endorsements, scrutinizing and setting values to avoid issues that may arise at some point in “order processing, manufacturing and shipping” (Westcott, 2005, p. 132). These processes will be formed, listed, designed, and executed in controlled environment in a way suitable to company’s mode of operations. Work directives, representing the necessary examining as well as assessing commands, substantiation, checking, and scrutiny criteria Maintaining records of conventionality to give proof that every need of the procedure as well as products have been considered Improvement of “process control and plans for key characteristics as required by the customer” (Westcott, 2005, p. 139) Product values, agents’ samples as well as figures as suitable Quality aims linked to the manufactured goods Provision of capital needed 8. Measurement, Analysis and Improvement The company persistently scrutinizes, assesses, analyzes, sustains, and develops processes to show compliance to the needs manufactured goods and uphold competence of the quality management system. This process takes account of (1) client approval, (2) in-house appraisal, (3) process (4) manufactured goods, (5) persistent development, (6) corrective measures, (7) preventative steps, and (8) power over ‘non-conformities’ Every quality system process will be checked, and calculated when appropriate. These measurements exhibit the capacity of the process to reach at intended outcomes. This will be attained by means of the in-house appraisal program in addition to the assessment process. In addition, persistent progress practices will be recognized at some stage in the in-house appraisal process. Appendices Appendix A: Definitions Customer Satisfaction: It is the level of contentment given by the commodities (or services) of a business as determined via the amount of persistent clientele. Efficiency: It is the level of performance that explains a course that needs the minimum level of efforts to generate the maximum outputs. Quality Manual: It is a document describing the business’s targets for handling the quality system. It incorporates strategies for every division of the business influenced by the quality system. Quality System: it is an aggregate of the business deeds, inducements, arrangements, strategies, processes, practices, funds, tasks, as well as the infrastructure needed in planning and executing TQM. Appendix B: Quality Policy ‘To manufacture goods of high quality and ensure that they carry out their planned function without fail so that the company sets quality benchmark for other businesses operating in the same industry.’ Appendix C: Organisation Chart Appendix D: Delivery Process Every delivery will be sent through the carrier mentioned by clients. Hence, possibility of loss shall transfer to consumer on delivery of goods by the company to the delivery service. In addition, the company shall be allowed for partial consignments against consumer commands. Appendix E: Index of Management Procedures Number Title AB-01 Management Commitment AB-02 Quality Policy AB-03 Quality Objectives AB-04 Quality Management System Planning AB-05 Resources AB-06 Human Resources AB-07 Product Realisation AB-08 Measurement, Analysis and Improvement Appendix F: Management Forms 1. Documentation Review Form 2. Form for Quality Objective Planner 3. 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