Quality Management of processes - Essay Example

Quality Management of Processes Quality management will help the company to control and manage product quality in order to meet the highest possible standards of the research and products. The main principles of quality management will include customer focus, process approach, continual improvement, approach to decision making and beneficial supplier relations (Principles of Quality Management 2005). Goal-based approach to management will be used during implementation stage This approach allows motivate and inspire employees creating a positive atmosphere and organizational culture.

Also, goal-based approach will help to avoid resistance to change and involve key researchers into quality control decisions (Dale 1994).The first step is to establish a strong feedback as an important element of any quality assurance process. Evaluation should be a continuous process and not just left until the end of the project. The results of evaluation processes should be discussed with the researchers, perhaps by means of completing a record of achievement and current strategies. To avoid adversely, it is crucial to involve key researchers into the process of quality control requirements.

A potential problem area in many institutions is the role played in it by middle management (Dale, 1994). They have a pivotal role because they both maintain the day-to-day operation of the project and act as one of its most important communications channels. They can often block change if they have a mind to or they can act as the leaders of teams spearheading the impetus for quality improvement. In this case, the quality control should be identifies as an important measure against possible pitfalls and mistakes caused by human factors.

The quality control should interpreted as a preventive measure which helps the research project to save time and resources caused by possible errors and poor quality (Christensen, 1997). A special attention will be given to such principles as process approach, continual improvement and quality approach to decision making. The very act of being involved in evaluation will assist in building up the workers' skills. It is important that the project uses the results of the formal monitoring to establish the validity of its programs.

It must be prepared to take the necessary corrective action if the customers' experiences do not meet their expectations (Dale, 1994). It can be an emotional experience and one that can take unexpected turns. What it does is to provide workers with motivation and the practical experience of the use of quality tools that are transferable to other situations. Cost of quality is relevant to the work performed and involves identifying and classifying work in terms of why it occurred and whether the cost of that work and the output were productive or non-productive in the pursuit of the organization's objectives.

Cost of quality data functions as a baseline and can be used to rank areas which contribute most to non-value added costs. The time required for quality control changes will take from 1,5 to 2 weeks. This time will be spent on quality standards improvements and process implementation, staff involvement and training. It is about ensuring that people have the training and skills required to make improvements and ensures that there is an organization-wide approach to the improvement of performance.

Factual approach to decision making requires that decisions be made on the basis of information and data. It ensures that data is available and decisions are informed by available information (Hobday, 1998). The new approach will not influence resource requirements but takes more time spent on design and product evaluation (Slack 2003). The quality control will cover research design and outputs, effective use of resources involved into the project and professional skills of researchers. Also, a special attention will be given to products and their benefits for the company.

Monitoring and evaluation will be key elements in strategic planning. It is a means of discovering what went right and wrong and using the information to improve things next time round, which in education usually means next year. The evaluation process should focus on the customer, and explore two issues: first, the degree to which the project is meeting the individual requirements of its customers, both internal and external; and second, how far it is achieving its strategic mission and goals.

If problems are identified there will be mechanisms to correct them immediately. References1. Christensen, C. (1997). The Innovator's Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.2. Dale, B G (ed) (1994) Managing Quality, 2nd edition, Prentice Hall, Hemel Hempstead3. Hobday, M. (1998). 'Product Complexity, Innovation and Industrial Organization', Research Policy, 26/6, 689-710. 4. Principles of Quality Management (2005). Retrieved 09 March 2007 from http://www.viva-it.com/ISOqualitymgmtprinciples.htm 5. Slack, N.

, Chambers, S. and Johnston, R. (2003). Operations management. Pearson Education Canada.