Managing for Quality 405
• Capabilities of processes
• Capabilities of the management team
• Capabilities of the workforce
• Technology leadership
• Flexibility/agility of processes (i�e�, the ability to adapt rapidly to
changes in customer demands)
• Status of facilities
The relevant external parameters to be studied are:
• Customer satisfaction
• Strength of the distribution system
• Availability of new customers
• Strength of competitors
• Opportunity for diversication
• New technologies in the horizon
The key strategies for the important organizational parameters are selected
by the executive management in close consultation with operational manag-
ers, based on the gaps discovered between current status and the envisioned
goals� ...