Quality Systems should be gradual and not for the sake of change.

At this stage, decisions should be

taken on the objectives to aim for, the changes that are needed, the types of
performance measure to be used, and who should be responsible for what. Also, a
determination should be made of the availability of resources or data, the possible
implications of the actions and the contingency measures to be taken when
something goes wrong.
Do
Implementation of the plan should follow with the involvement of everybody. This
will include training in scientific methods, survey of the customer’s needs and
expectations, identification of core processes, collection of statistical information,
understanding of process control and variation, identification of projects with
improvement objectives, formation of project teams and communication of resulting
successes. At this stage, small-scale implementation of any planned change will
take place and resulting data will be collected.
Check
Checking how the plan is evolving is an important part of the cycle. This involves
measuring and observing the ‘effects’ of any change or test carried out at the do
stage, analysis of results, feedback and revie w. Using actual data, deviations from
original expectations should be evaluated and investigated.
Act
Corrective action can follow, based on the lessons learned so far. A study of the
current situation should be made, standardizing any improvements and properly
documenting any good new processes and innovative ideas. The review at the
checking stage can be used as a learning process, so that knowledge is built into a
new plan. Planning requires prediction; the result of any change at the action stage
can enhance the ability to predict in the future. The Deming cycle of Planning,
Implementation, Checking, Action, (New) Plan is thus ready to start again. This
should never stop.
SAQ 1
(a) What are the differences between Kaizen and Innovation?
(b) What is a PDCA cycle ?

2.9 JURAN ON QUALITY

Dr. Joseph Juran was one of the first persons to incorporate the involvement of people
within quality. Juran’s point was that organizations were well aware of the aspects of
quality control but did not know how to manage for quality. The ideas for which he
was best known are:
(i) Top management involvement.
(ii) Placed emphasis on training process supervision and operators.
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 (iii) The application of Pareto principle. Concepts of Total
Quality Management
(iv) The project-by-project approach to quality improvement.
Juran places more of the quality responsibilities to middle management and quality
professionals. The role of upper managers is restricted to guidance and policy making.
Management for quality is done by the use of three managerial processes – planning,
control and improvement which are three members of Juran’s Quality Trilogy model.
2.9.1 Quality Trilogy Model
The model is shown in Figure 2.10.
Quality Plan
• Who is customer? Process
• What are his needs? to
• Convert needs into specifications Transfer Operation
• Develop and optimize product
• Establish new operating
conditions
Set

New Level of Quality

Negative
Influences

Degradation of No Quality Control

Quality Level Present?

Quality Improvement
Schemes Apply Yes

Higher Level of Quality

Figure 2.10 : Sequence of Events in Quality Trilogy Model

Quality Planning
The important aspects in planning for quality are
(i) Identifying the customer and needs.
(ii) Translating the customer’s needs into a language that every employee of
organization can understand, and develop a product.
(iii) Optimizing the product by developing and optimizing the process.
(iv) Once operating conditions have been established and proved as optimal,
transferring the process to operate. Cost considerations play important role in
planning.
Quality Control
Control is the process of detecting and correcting adverse changes. Changes occur
inadvertently due to effect of negative influence on the set level of quality. It is
crucial to take action when standards are not met in the from of audits, control
limits etc. Juran states that the majority (80%) of the current quality problems are
the fault of poor management rather than poor workmanship on the factory floor.
Only a process in control is predictable and amenable to further improvement.
Quality Improvement
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Quality Systems Juran believes that improvement can be realized by organized procedures and
priority. To achieve a breakthrough, Juran suggests the following steps:
(i) Accept the responsibility for making improvement. Management must be
involved.
(ii) Understand the universal sequence of events for making the improvements.
(iii) Apply the universal sequence to actual company problems.
2.9.2 Achieving Quality through Breakthrough
Juran emphasizes that quality results can be attained by making a breakthrough. A
breakthrough indicates a “beneficial change” from status quo. Such a change is needed
for overcoming chronic quality problems. The organization often are busy in fire fighting
to overcome sporadic quality problems but would be immensely benefited if chronic
quality problems are removed. But quality does not happen by accident. It has to follow a
sequence of plan. Juran dictates the following steps by which this universal breakthrough
sequence is to be carried out in an organization.
Proof of the Need
Appropriate level of management should be convinced of the significance of the
quality issue which will require a new approach. The top management easily
understands a proposal in terms of money. For example, the problem of waste
should be converted into money lost in order to provide a proof to the management,
i.e. the management must acknowledge that a lot of waste is being generated under
the current practices of operation.
Project Identification
The only way of achieving a breakthrough is by converting chronic problems into
specific projects. The project provides a way of separating budgets and facilities
to conduct experiments. In order to correctly identify project, prioritizing is done by
pareto analysis (discussed in Section 2.6.3).
Organization for Improvement
This stage requires that clear responsibilities are established for three levels of
activities :
(i) Guiding improvement programmes that are done by a team of upper
managers.
(ii) Project-by-project improvement.
(iii) Analyzing each project.
The Diagnostic Journey
The diagnosis involves discovering the causes of defect by proper experimentation,
data collection, interpretation of results and finally testing any theories. Errors are
bound to occur either from operator side or management side or both. Juran
categorizes them as :
(i) Inadvertent errors if these are unintentional and unpredictable; beyond the
realm of operator awareness.
(ii) Those errors arising out of lack of knowledge are technical errors.
(iii) The last one is willful errors so called because operator makes intentionally
and persistently and is aware of making the errors but ignores.
Remedial Action
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 For problems arising due to operator controllable error, Juran suggests the Concepts of Total
remedies, some of which are as follows : Quality Management

(i) One should not give orders to other and both should take orders from the
situation.
(ii) Establish accountability. Find out who the worker is and who did the job.
(iii) Provide assistance to workers in identifying defects from operator’s side.
(iv) Reassign work by separating critical work from rest.
(v) Improve communications among workers and supervisors to promote the
mutual interests and understanding.
(vi) After the problem is diagnosed, a proper choice to solution should be
considered. The best method of doing this is to quantify for each alternative
the cost to organization.
(vii) Practice preventive maintenance.
(viii) Practice open communication and feedback between different departments.
Quick access to procedures, instructions, policies, keywords, specification
etc.
(ix) Establish clear responsibilities for quality-oriented decision.
(x) Practice sampling instead of 100% inspection.
(xi) Separate problems using Pareto principle.
Resistance to Change
There is a resistance to change. Juran recommends certain actions to overcome
the social and culture factors.
(i) Provide Participation : People who are affected by the change should be
allowed to participate both in planning and in execution of change. This
provides opportunity to evaluate merits as well as impact and threat to
current beneficial practices. Participant should be treated with dignity so that
favourable social climate is developed which makes change more
acceptable.
(ii) Provide Enough Time : In order to absorb and evaluate the merits and
demerits of change, adequate time must be allowed. Conducting a small
tryout of the yet-to-incorporate change reduces risks and provides the
needed proof to the advocates of change as well as those giving resistance.
Holding the Gains
The final step in a breakthrough sequence is to hold the gains achieved so far.
Operating forces must engage in control activities when out of control situations
occur. The methods of doing this are
• establishing new standards and making it known to operators of what is
expected from them from now on,
• training of operator so they know what exactly has been changed, and
• establishing a new system of control consisting of early warning signals,
techniques for analysis of data and rules for decision making and reporting.
When a breakthrough in new level of performance has been achieved and gains have
been held as the new standards, the sequence of event is ready to start again.

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Quality Systems
2.10 CROSBY AND QUALITY TREATMENT
Philip B. Crosby was first to popularize quality for top management. He claimed that all
quality improvements pay for themselves, i.e. that quality is free. Crosby’s most important
contribution has been the development of a 14-point programme of quality improvement
and zero defect concept.
2.10.1 Zero Defect Concept
The zero defect concept has two meanings which are explained below.
Defect-Free Product
This concept has value as a long- range objective, since it implies the need for
never-ending improvement. The concept rejects the idea that we can relax our
efforts short of perfection. In contrast, if defect-free product is viewed as a
short- range objective, it becomes counterproductive by shutting off efforts to reach
attainable goals.
Zero Defects as a Slogan
In this meaning, the term is adopted as a kind of banner, which motivates the
company to improve quality. In its best usage, this is comparable to adopting an
appealing brand name to help sell a product. If the drive is well conceived (i.e., a
“good” product), then a good brand name is assured. If the drive is ill-conceived
(e.g., an attempt to solve the company’s quality problems by pressurizing the work
force), then it will fail no matter how clever is the slogan.
2.10.2 The Four Absolutes of Quality
Crosby provides the following four absolutes regarding quality.
Quality Means Conformance, Not Elegance
Quality is the conformance of a product or a service to requirements. The definition
of quality can never make any sense unless it is based on exactly what the
customer wants. As a consequence, the management has the following three tasks
to perform.
(i) Establish the requirements to be met and communicate them to all employees
of organization.
(ii) Provide appropriate tools and techniques, and the necessary training in them.
(iii) Provide continuous support and management.
The System of Quality is Prevention
Before carrying out the operation, it is beneficial to identify all opportunities for
error. At least a contingency plan can be drawn up so that if the problem really
occurs, the damage is controlled and restricted to minimum possible. Inspection is
inevitable. But a company that relies on mass inspection of the final output cannot
achieve progress.
The Measurement of Quality is the Price of Non-conformance
The price of non-conformance (PONC) indicates the costs involved with doing
wrong things – rejects, reworking, warranty costs etc. The sum costs of such
actions amounts to 20-40% of the total operating costs. This is the reason why
Crosby stressed that quality is more of a management function rather than a
technical operation. When management realizes the damage done, it is prompted to
apply professional quality functions, prevention efforts and quality education to
bring down the loss. This cost of effort is called the cost of conformance or COC.
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 Thus, a company whose products and services are rated as of high quality is paying Concepts of Total
a very low price of non-conformance. Quality Management

The Only Performance Standard is Zero Defects

The concept of zero-defect is based on the fact that any deviation from target
causes a loss. Hence, it is always cheaper to do the job right first time, on time,
every time. Only that management, which continuously strives to produce a product
free of any errors, meets the performance standard.
2.10.3 Crosby’s 14 Points for Quality Improvement
According to Crosby, quality is a never-ending process. Crosby laid down the following
14-points to assist in the establishment of a quality ethics.
Management Commitment
Quality should be the first agenda of all management meetings. Senior management
must demonstrate their commitment to quality by making clear how it is going to
deliver defect free products and service on time.
Quality Improvement Team
A quality improvement team will consists of people who will assist in the changing
of the system to enable quality to flourish. Its main task will be to
• change the attitude and practices of those who run the company,
• set up required educational activities, and
• coordinate the efforts of team members and upper management.
Measurement
A clear method of measurement for every part of an activity should be decided.
Once decision is taken, a level of reference is created, reasonable targets can be
set, progress can be monitored and comparisons can be made.
The Cost of Quality
The management needs to monitor the cost of quality and then treat it as a positive
item in the management process. If the costs are high, it indicates the returns
made by current quality practices are not favourable. Those processes accounting
for the maximum consumption of resources needs to be given prior treatment and
modifications.
Quality Awareness
People should be continuously reminded about the management commitment to
quality, training facilities. Crosby advocates the use of slogans or posters also as a
reminder to the workforce of importance of quality.
Corrective Action
Any corrective action must be executed only after analysis of past data or
determination of the cause so that the problem is treated permanently. The
organization must be wary of undertaking any corrective action, which takes the
form of reworking or replacement activity because it does not carry any value.
Zero Defects Planning
Proper planning is required for the concept of zero defect to be embedded in the
company culture. It will have to start with a zero defect commitment from the top
management. Crosby suggests the awareness training including the celebration of
“Zero Defects Day”.
Employee Education
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Quality Systems The subjects addressed during education process are concerned with the
company’s activities and ways of achie ving quality. A classroom environment,
where both workers and management participate, results in greater understanding
and break down barriers leading to collaborative work. Crosby states six elements
in the entire education process which is also referred to as 6 Cs.
• Comprehension (understanding of what is necessary, abandonment of the old
way of thinking and of outdated practices).
• Commitment (management-led dedication to cultural change).
• Competence (methodical and scientific implementation of improvement
process).
• Communication (complete cooperation throughout the production process,
including suppliers and customers).
• Correction (elimination of all causes of problems and prevention of new ones
arising).
• Continuance (never-ending effort for improvement).
Zero Defects Day
Crosby recommends the celebration of zero defects day to reward serious efforts.
This act will be a reminder of importance of quality and as a demonstration of
commitment towards zero defect principle.
Goal Setting
When it comes to quality, the ultimate goal is that of zero defects, and all
intermediate goals should move in that direction.
Error Cause Removal
The permanent removal of causes of error requires a team effort. The
identification of error is possible when a proper communication exists between the
members of team. Communication ensures sharing of knowledge and experience.
Each team member can contribute by submitting a defect cause removal proposal.
Recognition
Crosby considers recognition as a reference point to help the improvement efforts
in right direction. The recognition process needs to be planned carefully and
developed gradually. When an employee is decorated with a quality award for his
efforts, it must set an example to others and not rivalry.
Quality Council
The people who define the mission, visions, values and policies necessary for
managing the improvement process can be brought together in one group under the
name of quality council. A council serves a common platform where they exchange
their knowledge and the coordinated expertise can be effective in providing support
to quality improvement teams in their efforts towards elimination of hassle and
achievement of zero defects.
Do it All Over Again
TQM can happen if the effort is continuous. The process of learning, participating
and experimenting with new methods should never end process. The process can
gain speed and get embedded in the work culture when done again and again.

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