Business Skills All-in-One For Dummies

Chapter 3

Creating a Quality Organization

IN THIS CHAPTER

Understanding Six Sigma and its relation to other quality initiatives

Using various tools to implement a successful quality improvement program

Avoiding common pitfalls that can derail your efforts

A quality mind-set must be part of the corporate culture for a company to produce true quality products. Planning for quality must begin in the executive suite, and the entire organization must embrace quality to create it and deliver it to customers.

Not long ago, quality improvement efforts were the sole responsibility of a few selected individuals in an organization. Most manufacturing plants had a quality control department, and many times those departments were located far from the factory floor. Unfortunately, those responsible for quality acted alone and at times were considered a nuisance to the personnel responsible for doing the work.

By now, most companies realize that the quality mentality must be part of what happens in every department — not just manufacturing. In this chapter, we examine the evolution of a company becoming a quality organization. We introduce the tools necessary for building such an organization ...