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VOL. 96 No. 2... Circulated to people interested in improving their products
and processes. 
ISO-9000 Survey:
In a study examining forty Colorado firms, Managers were asked what they had
learned from the ISO-9000 registration process. The respondents indicated they
had learned:
 about the
importance of teamwork
that everyone,
including top management, had to understand that ISO-9000 is a framework for
quality
that many
skills had to be acquired to manage a large project over an extended period
about the
importance of cooperation and patience
that
information must be shared
Lessons Learned
Learned: (%)
Teamwork is needed 32.5
How to manage a major project 27.5
People make systems work 27.5
The framework is most significant 25.0
The process is worthwhile 25.0
Cooperation and information sharing are needed 17.5
Patience is needed 12.5
Nothing new or significant 10.0
Total commitment is important 7.5
About quality & total quality management 7.5
Change is difficult 7.5
Note: Respondents could give more than one response.
Training Is An Investment Not An Expense
Successful quality leaders believe in and invest in people. They know
employees are their most important asset.
They give their employees the resources they need to do their work. Training
is particularly essential because it improves people's knowledge and skill
level. Training helps employees understand how they can implement quality in
their daily work.
Successful leaders involve their employees, at all levels, in setting
direction, making decisions, and solving problems. They give employees the right
to fail.
This can inspire them to do things they didn't know they could do.
Is Your Quality
Program Dragging?
To see if your quality program is dragging, take the following quiz:
Yes Maybe No
1. Is there a clear, strategic direction
for your quality program? ____ ____ ____
2. Is top management visibly and
explicitly involved? ____ ____ ____
3. Does middle management support
the quality program? ____ ____ ____
4. Do employees understand the
business process and how their work
contributes to it? ____ ____ ____
5. After employees are trained, do they
have an immediate opportunity to use
their newly acquired quality skills? ____ ____ ____
6. Are the teams supported and their
recommendations constructively approved
so that they can experience success? ____ ____ ____
7. Are the teams given staff assistance
when needed? ____ ____ ____
8. Do teams receive personal
recognition for their achievements? ____ ____ ____
9. Does the company's environment
support the quality program? ____ ____ ____
10. Are there visible benchmarks
for teams to strive for? ____ ____ ____
11. Has the program been evaluated
against established standards (e.g.
Baldridge Award or ISO-9000) ____ ____ ____
12. Are employees encouraged to
continue improving quality over the
long term? ____ ____ ____
Scoring:
Score your company's quality program by giving 0 points for each "No" answer,
1 point for each "Maybe" answer, and 2 points for each "Yes" answer.
- 0 - 12 Points: Acceptance and implementation of the quality program
hasn't occurred. Much needs to be done to get the program going.
- 13 - 18 Points: The quality program is off to a good start, but
there are some important omissions in its implementation.
- 19 - 24 Points: The quality program is doing well, but there is
always room for improvement.
This newsletter is free to all who desire it.
You can copy it or quote it as long as you state us as the source.
To add or subtract your name from the newsletter's FAX list, call PQA at
(519)-667-1720.
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