Strategic Quality Management Implementation Framework, Phases

Table of Contents:-

• What is strategic quality management?
• Implementation Framework of SQM
• Five Phases of Strategic Quality Management
• Quality Statements

What is strategic quality management?

Many perspectives exist for defining strategic quality management (SQM). Although Garvin introduced the term and elaborated on it in terms of five elements, he needed to provide a concise definition. Juran defined SQM as a systematic approach to establishing and achieving quality goals throughout the company. The British Standards Institution (BSI) standards describe it as a management philosophy and set of company practices to optimise an organisation’s human and material resources to achieve its objectives effectively. Both these definitions are broad and emphasise only the importance of the management process in achieving organisational goals.

They must describe the fundamental elements and how they synergise to achieve quality improvement goals and objectives. In this regard, Juran’s definition also needs to be revised despite including the attainment of quality goals. The British Standards Institution (BSI) also used Total Quality Management (TQM) instead of strategic quality management. Both terms can be used interchangeably as long as they recognise the strategic importance of quality and quality planning.

In this context, one can acknowledge the strategic value of quality, as Garvin did in implementing quality improvement strategies, and interchange the terms “total” and “strategic” in this paper. Alternatively, one can define SQM by incorporating all the significant and distinct perspectives of the quality gurus mentioned above.

Strategic Quality Management Meaning

Thus, strategic quality management can be defined as a comprehensive and strategic framework that links profitability, business objectives, and competitiveness to quality improvement efforts. It aims to leverage the organisation’s human, material, and information resources to enhance products or services, and continuously deliver customer satisfaction.

This definition outlines the essential elements required and underscores the need for the management process to achieve quality improvement goals and objectives.

Strategic quality management involves establishing an organisation’s quality objectives and charting the course and means for attaining these objectives. It entails making necessary arrangements, meeting TQM program requirements, and practising overall control.

Implementation Framework of SQM

The implementation process of SQM is depicted in the following image:

The senior management (leadership (LDE)) of the organization must initiate quality initiatives with robust strategic quality planning (SQP), encompassing design quality, speed, and prevention (DQSP). People participation, partnership (PP&P), and fact-based management (FBM) must function cohesively as a system, addressing well-defined and well-designed processes and planning for new products or services with zero defects as the standard.

Additionally, attention should be directed towards employee and supplier involvement, participation, training, and education, as well as rewards and recognition, ensuring a quality work environment, performance evaluation, and progress tracking based on reliable information, data, and analysis. Benchmarking and competitive analysis, with a significant focus on Continuous Improvement (CI), are essential to satisfy Customer Focus (CF) and ensure customer satisfaction.

The successful implementation of this framework based on these seven core concepts should yield notable core values, such as customer satisfaction and tangible operational and financial performance results, including reductions in cycle time, absenteeism, and increased market share. In essence, the framework depicted in the image must be a results-oriented process.

Five Phases of Strategic Quality Management

The fundamental nature of SQM is to ensure continuous assessment of internal and external quality changes and adjust the competitive approach based on this assessment. Based on this concept, five phases involved in SQM are identified as a continuous process, as depicted in the image below:

Phase I: Phase I marks the beginning of SQM, during which the firm establishes its quality mission with the manufacturer’s involvement.

Phase II: Phase II involves the development of a quality profile, considering the quality mission and external environment, including competitors’ and customers’ perceptions. This concludes with the declaration of a quality policy.

Phase III: Phase III lists or modifies long-term and annual quality objectives.

Phase IV: During Phase IV, efforts are made to incorporate quality at the design stage.

Phase V: Phase V entails the development of the SQM system, representing the entire SQM process. The results obtained after Phase V are compared with the desired global performance. This comparison determines the need for further refinement of the current SQM process. Phase V is considered the core of SQM, and the survey conducted in this regard revealed that the industrial world has a long way to go to achieve the expected results of this phase.

Quality Statements

Quality statements are integral to the concept of quality. The essential components of quality statements include vision, mission, and policy statements, which are necessary to study to fully understand the aspect of quality management. Quality statements articulate the organisation’s vision, mission, core values, concepts, and quality policies. Once developed, they are periodically reviewed and updated. These statements form a part of strategic planning. Each award-winning organisation invariably has a vision and mission statement outlining what quality is and how to achieve it.

Vision Statement

It is a concise declaration of an organization’s expectations. It represents the ideal state that an organization aims to achieve continuously. Visions are enduring, inspirational, and fully shared within the organization, such as, for example,

Indian Overseas Bank	We grow with people
IBM	Service
Apple	Computing for the masses
Disney theme park	Happiest place on earth
Southern Railway	We care

Successful visions guide decision making. The desired goals revealed by the vision provide the criteria for effective decision-making. Some organizations strengthen the significance of the vision statement by incorporating it into the uniforms or badges of employees and official letterheads.

For example, Customers receive what they order without non-conformities, on time, in the correct quantity, booked and billed on time. People enjoy their work. The organization makes a profit.

Successful visions are timeless and inspirational, becoming deeply shared within the organization, such as IBM’s service, Apple’s computing for the masses, Disney theme park’s The Happiest Place on Earth, and Polaroid’s instant photography. These shared visions usually emerge over time. Ideally, visions are elevated to a cause.

Mission Statement

The mission statements explain the following:

1. Who are we?
2. Who are our customers?
3. What do we do?
4. How do we do it?

This may run to a paragraph and describe the activities of the organization. It also provides a clear statement of the aim for the employees, projected customers, and suppliers.

For example, to meet customers’ transport and distribution needs and to be the best at moving their goods on time, safely, and damage-free – A Railway Company.

At [Organization Name], we bring out and enlighten youth’s hidden technical skills and abilities with high-quality technical education and proper discipline – A Technical Institution.

Quality Policy Statement

This directs all employees in the organization on how they should provide products and services to customers. It is drafted by the Chief Executive, with employee feedback, and finally approved by the Quality Council.

Some characteristics of the policy statement may be highlighted:

1. Quality first, always.
2. Fulfill the needs of the customers.
3. Excel in competition.
4. Continual quality improvement.
5. Utilize the entire human resource.

A quality policy declaration for an institution is required per ISO 9000. Some examples of statements that include vision, mission, quality policy, and core values are given below:

1) Mody is a quality company. Quality is the primary business principle for Mody. It means providing all our customers with creative products and services that satisfy their requirements completely. Quality is the concern of each employee at Mody Corporation.

2) Delta has a clear corporate vision. to be the benchmark company in the chemical industry through superior performance, exhibited in the following ways:

1. Acting on established principles of excellence in environmental safety, health, and welfare.
2. Satisfying the aspirations of its customers.
3. Utilizing all resources efficiently and effectively.
4. Continually improving processes.
5. Maintaining sustained values for customers, employees, suppliers, and all stakeholders.
6. Promoting an ethical environment of trust, respect, and transparency – Delta Company.