Quality Assurance in Organizational Context - Research Paper Example

Quality Assurance in Organizational Context Executive Summary This assignment is about investigating a quality assurance system being used in an organization. These include determining how quality assurance and other set of standards like ISO 9000 and 14000 is being applied to the selected organization and how quality oriented operational processes like M.R.P, Six Sigma, and other can be introduced to the organization. The result of the investigation suggests that the selected organization has no quality assurance in place and mostly relying on traditional practices. Examining a part of the organization (Area C) reveals the quality-related problem in the reporting system which is creating unnecessary delay in the progress of the construction work. Moreover, the investigation suggests that nothing is being done to rectify the problem and the company management as well as concerned employees are not aware or interested in any quality assurance system. Since persuading and convincing a company is definitely not easy, the recommended solution is temporary adoption of Six Sigma so that management and employees, who are unaware of its power, experienced it direct. Table of Contents Contents Contents 3 1. Introduction 1.1 General Introduction As an engineering student taking an introduction module in quality assurance, I was given an opportunity to write a report about the possible application of quality assurance in a particular organization. The selected organization is a new and small construction company with several on-going projects which at present is having some difficulty in project progress reporting which is causing delays and disintegration in the quality of work. As evidenced by the result of the small survey conducted (see Table 01), the organization has no formal quality assurance system in place thus requiring identification and fresh implementation of appropriate QA system. Shown below is the part of the organization that requires re-evaluation and potential implementation of a particular quality assurance system. Figure 1.0 – Part of the organization in study (Area C) 1.2 Aim and Objectives The aim of this study is determine how quality assurance is being applied in the selected organization and how existing operational processes can be improved by appropriate quality assurance management. The following are this study’s objectives: Find an operational process or quality assurance currently being used in an organization. To understand the various aspects of quality assurance and quality assurance management concepts. Understand the ways that quality assurance can be applied and evaluated in different organizations. 2. Problem Identification As shown in Figure 1.0, the particular part of the organization which this study labelled “Area C” for reference purposes depends on the quality of information and operational processes to ensure timely completion of the project. The timely and accurate flow of information, from the construction manager to the project engineer (who will eventually implement project requirements) is dependent on the field inspectors’ project progress report. The cycle is very important as information coming from the field is vital to design modification, planning and work scheduling, material scheduling, and timely project completion. Note that the information required determining the course and current requirements of the project are coming from four different field inspectors which would enter important details in the organization’s reporting system in the IT Department. The problem actually arises when different inspectors enter their progress report into the reporting system at the end of every working day. Figure 2.0- Cause and Effect Diagram for defective project status reporting process resulting to delays in project completion (Idea taken from Schwalbe 2009, p.301) Note that this fish bone or Ishikawa diagram has four bones labelled training, computer network hardware (computer server running the computerized reporting system), computerized reporting system, and user’s hardware (workstation). The ‘head of the fish’ contains the effects of the issues labelled in the bones. Training is identified due to human factors involved in entering project details into the reporting system. For instance, more often than not, project field inspectors (who may be too tired from a day’s work in the construction site) cannot immediately recall their respective passwords and other login details such as user name or codes provided by the IT Department. Consequently, they would sit there trying to remember or wait for the IT Department’s representative (who is already out of the office heading home) to reset and re-enter their details into the system. If they can’t recall, the system locked due to repeated entry of wrong details, and the IT representative already went home, the field inspectors have no choice but to postpone entering the progress details to the following day resulting to several unnecessary complications. One of the major complications is the fact that the construction manager is unaware of the progress and cannot decide the correct activities for the day. If there are plan or design modifications required, the construction manager cannot bring the issue to the design department. Similarly, if there are additional materials required, the construction manager cannot make any requisition or ask the organization’s quantity surveyor to re-examine the bill of quantities. The bottom-line is delay in construction activities, additional cost, and ultimately delay in project completion. Another problem identified by this study is the single point of entry for progress details. There is only one computer workstation dedicated for the field inspectors. Given that one of them managed to logged-in successfully, the remaining three inspectors will have to wait for an hour or two before they can enter their respective project details. Moreover, it is very likely that they will postpone the entry on the later day since the company is not paying overtime on such kind of work. In addition, field inspectors do not have the option to come early from site because they are required to evaluate the progress when all activities for that day are complete. This difficulty in progress reporting can result to several quality related problems. For instance, since identified construction site problem such as shortage of material or revisions in the plan will not be reported on time, the next day work will be a waste of time and money. More importantly, since there is no material and activities will be halted, that particular part of construction will be exposed to various contaminants (ex. exposed reinforcing bars, unfinished construction joints, etc.) Another problem is the computerized reporting system itself since it lacks the necessary contingency measures for such situations (forgetting password, password reset, absence of IT representative in hours of reporting, etc.). For instance, there is no pop-up messaging system to remind users to save their password or a system that send log-in details to field inspectors personal e-mail accounts. Moreover, there is no internal organizational policy that requires an IT representative to stay within the vicinity after working hours or return to office whenever there is a problem with the reporting system. Similarly, there is no provision for additional workstation considering the amount of time each field instructors will consume entering project details. Coupled with insufficient speed in processing and amount of computer memory, entering progress details becomes a significantly a time-consuming process which can affect the quality of construction work. The issues presented in the fish bone diagram can be remedied by applying quality assurance principle that will be discuss below and depending on the organizational commitment to quality such cost enlarging activities can be eliminated. 3. Quality Assurance 3.1 Applicability of Quality Assurance in the organization Before any quality assurance is introduced to the selected organization, the management should realize that quality policy for any organization requires total commitment and will to maintain the quality system. First, the selected construction company may be introduced to the principle of ISO 9000 Quality Management System which according to Owen & Maidment (1996) includes a management structure that will clearly identify the responsible individuals for quality control at every phase of the operation (p.8). From this point, the organization can proceed with the identification of areas that need to be improved to maintain quality. In this case, Area C will be the area of concern where a particular operational process directly affects the quality of the organization’s end products. The following are suggested step in developing a quality assurance program for the organization. Primarily, the construction company should develop written quality assurance policies and plan that acknowledged the company’s philosophy toward quality. Moreover, it should show the commitment of the company and all its employees to produce quality work and abiding by the control measures the company employ (Rounds & Segner 2011, p.364) Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA Cycle) to ensure consistency in delivering high quality products. PDC is a quality improvement cycle ensuring continuous improvement in the organization towards total quality (Kelada, 1996, p.61). In the case of Area C and issues identified using the fish bone diagram, PDCA ensure that every time an issue emerged, appropriate actions will be taken immediately so that operation can return to normal or better than it was before. Make sure that the emphasis to quality assurance is on production, construction management methods, procedural approaches, and reporting so that quality is embedded in the production system rather than repair or defect rectification (Harris et al. 2006, p.10). The establishment of quality assurance system in the selected organization will require a Quality Control Coordinator or QCC to carry out monitoring, record-keeping, statistics, and other functions that may required in the future. Assigning a QCC will ensure that all operational processes (not only in Area C) follows the appropriate quality assurance procedures (Ratliff, 2003, p.5). 3.2 Current Application of Quality Assurance in the organization As mentioned in the introduction section, the construction company is not yet considering or implementing any formal quality assurance system. The reason is that management is not very keen on implementing one (see Investigation section for details) and most of the employees are not aware that such system can improve the quality of their work and products. Contrary to common organizational practice today, what the company has is a control system that identifies defects and appropriate rectification of products rather than defect prevention or quality control. The result of the investigation conducted by this study suggests that the primary reason why the company is not taking any move toward total quality is the hesitation of top management to support such endeavour. Secondly, hiring additional personnel and equipment is an added cost and therefore not a priority for the company. 3.3 ISO 9000/ 14000 implementation in the organization Since the company do not have even one quality management system, the discussion here will focus on the advantage of adopting both ISO 9000 and 14000 QAS. These quality management systems have their respective guiding documents in implementing quality assurance systems. The ISO 9000 family of standards for instance is mostly intended for quality management systems that the selected organization in study can use to sustain their success. On the other hand, they also need ISO 14000, since organizations, particularly a construction company, are not working in a vacuum and need to protect people and the environment. For instance, all organization must adopt procedures that minimise damage to the environment such as reducing the effect of air pollution or water contamination (Morris 2004, p.1). Similarly, with all the digging, hammering, material mixing, welding, adhesive application, dust, garbage, and waste disposal, the construction company to the environment and to some extent to the health and safety of employees as well. In terms of appropriate quality assurance system for the organization, Six Sigma may be recommended since it’s about customer satisfaction (Tennant, 2001, p.98) that this organization specifically need. According to Basu (2008), is an extended Total Quality Management system with additional options for training and development. More importantly, Six Sigma principles are aimed toward perfection and elimination of waste, smooth operation flow, high level of efficiency, and quality assurance (p.4). Clearly, Six Sigma can eliminate the problems in Area C and may influence the whole organization in the long run. 4. Investigation Aside for theoretical review and analysis of the issues involved in Area C, this study managed to conduct an actual investigation of the organization regarding quality assurance systems and implementation. The method used was qualitative interview with participants coming from workers in Area C and the IT Department. Table 01 contains the summary of survey results which will be discussed here. According to those working in Area C, the problem with entering daily progress report has been in existence for years now but nobody is taking action regarding it. The responses given by the participants suggest that the management is generally not interested in expanding the network system or upgrading the existing hardware. Moreover, they are critical to suggestions concerning modification of the existing reporting system as this would entail additional cost. Particularly in computerized reporting, responses from field inspectors suggest that they do not have any training at all. In addition, they were told of the procedure but there work was never coordinated with the IT Department. The IT Department on the other hand has no idea about the difficulties being experienced by the field inspectors as well as the delays occurring in the automated progress report for the construction manager. Similarly, there is no indication that the IT Department is proposing any hardware or software upgrade as well as plans to modify the existing reporting system. As expected, the construction manager insists that he should get a timely report otherwise he will lose control of the construction activities. According to the survey, the construction manager is receiving the daily report two days after its supposed submission. Apparently, he can only take appropriate actions the next day which is not only late and costly but detrimental to customer relation. In general, the result of the investigation is very informative and considering the issues involved in Area C, the result can help this study determine the appropriate quality assurance system for this part of organization. The table below shows the survey summary: Table 01- Survey Result Summary Survey Result Summary Survey Questions Construction Manager Field Inspectors IT Department Representative Comments Is there any formal quality assurance system in this company? No No No What do you think is the reason? Top management says it’s not a priority right now No idea No need Is management interested in Quality Management System? No No No What is keeping you from entering the progress report on time? Slow computer, cannot log-in, no help from IT IT Department says due to RAM Is there any plan to upgrade the computer network? No Is there any training provided to field inspectors regarding the reporting system? No No Is management aware of the problem? No No No Are you interested in any quality assurance system? No No No Do you agree that a timely report is critical? Yes Yes Yes 5. Analysis of Results Using the data from Table 01, it will be safe to assume that this company does not regard quality assurance as an essential part of their operation. In terms of applicability, construction companies are the most in need of quality assurance system since they often deal with quality craftsmanship, sound construction, and the environment. The investigation result suggests that the problems in Area C are being ignored while the resulting delays are considered part of the company operation which management has no intention to rectify. The problem in Area C is the result of poor planning and total disregard to quality. For instance, the field inspectors and the construction manager himself is experiencing this difficulty for the past several years but nothing has been done. Particularly, the construction manager, who is supposed to be the first person to be concern about the quality of construction work, is not doing anything to rectify the problem. Similarly, the field inspectors seems contended with the way things are and do not have plans to ask management for action. Although aware of the problems, the IT Department is similarly ignoring them and have no plans whatsoever. In general, application of quality assurance system is more than required in this company as despite the critical nature of their, management and employees do not have any idea that poor quality products can destroy their company. In terms of quality assurance applicability (Six Sigma), the compatibility and benefits may be demonstrated by the chart below. Existing Organizational Set-up without Quality Assurance With Quality Assurance System: In terms of appropriate quality assurance system for the organization, Six Sigma may be recommended since it’s about customer satisfaction (Tennant, 2001, p.98) that this organization specifically need. According to Basu (2008), is an extended Total Quality Management system with additional options for training and development. More importantly, Six Sigma principles are aimed toward perfection and elimination of waste, smooth operation flow, high level of efficiency, and quality assurance (p.4). Clearly, Six Sigma can eliminate the problems in Area C and may influence the whole organization in the long run. 6. Conclusion Application of an appropriate quality assurance (Six Sigma) system is possible. In fact, the investigation shows that the organization badly needs such system to survive. Quality issues in Area C may be reduced or eliminated by applying the principles of Six Sigma particularly its emphasis in training and development, smooth level of operation, and high efficiency. In general, if management permit and finally give their full commitment to the principles of quality, the construction company may begin the initiative and continue improving until they reach the level of total quality. 7. Recommendation The result of the investigation and analysis of the results suggest that the selected organization is not in quality assurance system primarily due to cost and ignorance of the benefits of adopting and implementing one. Clearly, before any adoption and implementation can be made, management should be educated of the advantage and benefits of quality assurance system not only in terms of smooth operation and high efficiency but customer satisfaction. This study recommends the temporary adoption of Six Sigma and let management see the enormous benefits it can bring to the company. Similarly, let the employees of Area C experienced the advantage of smooth operation, high efficiency, and timely reporting. 8. References Basu R., 2008, Implementing Six Sigma and Lean: A Practical Guide to Tools and Techniques, Butterworth-Heinemann, United Kingdom Harris F. McCaffer R., & Edium-Fotwe, 2006, Modern Construction Management, Wiley-Blackwell, United Kingdom Kelada J., 1996, Integrating Re-engineering with Total Quality, ASQ Quality Press, United States Morris A., 2004, ISO 14000 Environmental Management Standards: Engineering and Financial Aspects, John Wiley & Sons, United Kingdom Owen F. & Maidment D., 1996, Quality Assurance: A Guide to the Application of ISO 9001 to Process Plant Projects, IChemE, United States Ratliff T., 2003, The Laboratory Quality Assurance System: A Manual of Quality Procedures and Forms, John Wiley and Sons, United States Rounds J. & Segner R., 2011, Construction Supervision, John Wiley & Sons, United States Schwalbe K., 2009, Information Technology Project Management, Cengage Learning, United States Tennants G., 2001, Six Sigma: SPC and TQM in Manufacturing and Services, Gower Publishing, United Kingdom Read More