Although we should be focusing on quality all twelve months out of the year, it is nice to have a recognized international dedication to something so important and relevant in today’s global environment. ASQ (American Society for Quality) and others have been spreading the word about November’s World Quality Month for some time now and have really raised awareness. While Pro QC is offering 10% off audits in China and Taiwan throughout the month, we also wanted to share a few ideas for incorporating quality into everyday life. It just makes sense that a broader focus on quality would positively impact those issues that we as quality professionals (and many others) worry so much about. Talk about root-cause analysis… Top 5: Everyday Quality Multi-task less and focus more Even though we may feel as if our expertise at multi-tasking is unparalleled, the fact is that we need to keep it under control or the compromise is most certainly quality. Effective planning, down to the mundane daily details, will keep your mind focused. The more focused you are, the more likely output will meet or exceed expectations. Check your work Life is very busy… But, it doesn’t mean we can’t squeeze in a few extra moments to double check our work or even reconsider bigger picture strategies or activities. A second look, or thought, increases the likelihood of quality output… no doubt. Spread the word If everyone is talking about quality, then our expectations will likely increase as well. Quality should not be used as a marketing position, but rather as a way of life within the organization (corporate culture). Everyone should be talking about it, and it should be fun! Support quality as a consumer Don’t justify purchasing something that you know fails to meet your expectations. Use your monetary resources to make purchasing decisions that support companies passionate about what they do and the consumers they serve. These are the companies more likely to actually incorporate quality methods successfully! Don’t compromise on personal and professional development Each day, we make decisions. We make decisions such as which tasks to work on, what to eat and how we’re going to entertain ourselves. All of these decisions contribute to our personal and professional development and shouldn’t be taken lightly. Spending quality time with family makes us better individuals… learning a new skill that will help us contribute to the greater good makes us better individuals. Compromising on our daily decisions for whatever the reason may be, should be avoided. Set goals (priorities/aspirations)… follow them (employing metrics is great for the OCD or general QA crowd)… modify as necessary whenever improvement is identified (corrective action).
