Operations Management For Dummies, 2nd Edition

Chapter 13

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 mindset 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 whole organization must embrace quality to really 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 actually had what they called 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 actually doing the work.

By now, most companies realize that the quality mentality must be part of what happens in every department — not just manufacturing. (See Chapter 12 for details on traditional quality-assessment tools.) In this chapter, we examine the evolution of ...