There is no disputing the fact that most consumers, individuals, or businesses, would rather have quality over quantity in products any day of the week. However, with that said, there are times when the cost outweighs the benefit of quality, so they settle for what they consider to be second best. It is also one of the reasons why many businesses lose customers to the competition.
Perhaps competitors have found ways to offer higher quality items at costs consistent with inferior and often imported, mass-produced products. The good news is that there are things you can do to maintain the high standards your company is renowned for while reducing costs to consumers.
The Intersection of Quality Control and Quality Management
One of the main reasons why so many companies struggle to maintain high standards in quality is because there seems to be a break in the relationship between Quality Control and Quality Management.
They have one team on Quality Control and another team altogether on Quality Management which can often lead to friction for a number of reasons, the first being lack of communication.
Perhaps a cloud-based platform where both teams have input and can access all pertinent information would reduce the friction caused by ineffective communications.
This is something you can see at work on the https://www.etq.com/platform/ website. Another, even more, the interesting solution would be to merge the teams under one umbrella of Quality Control Management, for example.
Also Read: Why Video Content Is Important For Your Business?
Let’s Dig a Little Deeper
The concept of merging QC with QM can help mitigate any tensions caused by management making the rules and QC tasked with ensuring adherence to policies and procedures that are often unrealistic. With both teams merged on several levels, Quality Management can get a hands-on look and feel at what Quality Control has been trying to communicate.
At this point, it is easier to get both teams on the same page with the intent of speeding up production while maintaining high levels of quality. The little quirks can be ironed out, so to speak.
Or, put another way, management is concerned with keeping costs low while mid-level QC team leaders seek to keep quality high. This is often a stumbling block to speeding up production.
Also Read: 11 Online Work from Home Ideas that Require No Investment
Quality and Speed Can Join Forces!
One way of looking at the issues arising from the separation of QM and QC is that it is virtually impossible to ramp up production if unrealistic expectations keep production lines running slower as inspections look for issues that have nothing to do with quality. Here again, quality managers are often business admin graduates who have never worked production or assembly.
Conversely, quality control is often comprised of workers who may have amazing ideas on how to ramp up production without quality suffering. A team made up of individuals from both disciplines can offer ways to keep quality high even if the output is doubled.
No matter what industry is involved, communication is key to improving the relationship between upper and mid-level administration. Get the two on the same page and watch how fast you can blow that competition you were so concerned with out of the window.
By working together, it is possible to find ways to maintain high standards of quality at a reduction in production costs even if speedier production cannot be achieved.
