Soapbox-Alistair Manning explains why senior managers should be convinced of the value of quality

摘要

During a recent meeting with the managing director of a medium-sized organisation, I was startled to be told that "we did quality a few years ago, but it didn't work for us so we don't do it anymore". I honestly thought that times had changed, but it's clear that there's still a long way to go. Quality is about how business is done, so why do businesses still struggle to integrate the true value of quality into their organisations? When you mention quality to managers or business owners, 90% will respond with a (generally negative) comment about ISO 9001. The standard seems to be regarded as the only way to demonstrate quality, and its value has been dramatically reduced by inclusion in schemes such as pre-qualification questionnaires. The reason that purchasing bodies demand certification is because it acts as a filter; the result is that the standard has become known as a route for ticking boxes rather than providing value to organisations and their stakeholders.