We recently gave a talk on the process focus topic as set out in one of the ISO 9000: 2000 principles which says: "A desired result is achieved more efficiently when related activities and resources are managed as a process". Some of the aspects raised in said talk are the following:
The ISO 9001: 2000 standard has within its requirements the following:
The organization must:
- identify the processes necessary for the quality management system and their application throughout the organization, determine the sequence and interaction of these processes, determine the criteria and methods necessary to ensure that both the operation and control of these processes are effective, ensure the availability of resources and information necessary to support the operation and monitoring of these processes, carry out the monitoring, measurement and analysis of these processes, and implement the actions necessary to achieve the planned results and the continuous improvement of these processes.
The organization must manage these processes in accordance with the requirements of this International Standard ».
One of the most widespread practices to meet this requirement is to make a block diagram showing the sequence and interactions of these processes or in the other forms allowed by the certifying entities, such as a process file, a matrix, etc..
If the goal is to achieve more than ISO asks, top management has many things to do. To support this principle in question, companies must go beyond what is required and make a change in their paradigms, the main one being that the only way to manage companies is through the functional and pyramidal structure that Adam bequeathed to us. Smith back in 1776. We clarify that we are not saying that a company must change the organization chart in order to comply with ISO, but what it must change is its way of looking at problems in isolation or focused on one department, ignoring another of the ISO principles, the systems approach.
When the functional issue is raised, those involved in the problem generally point out a series of drawbacks that they suffer today, due to how the structures are conceived, but that is indifferent to ISO and its principles. If the company has problems, if the communication is not fluid, if there is slowness in the execution of the processes, if the problems are not truly solved with a customer focus, then the way in which it has been working must be questioned. This is not ISO, it is common sense, even more survival.
Let's analyze in perspective, each of the recommendations that the ISO 9001: 00 standard gives us
- The mere identification of the processes does not solve the quality problem, if there are interdepartmental barriers that permanently hinder their good performance. Once it is clarified how the organization works, it will be necessary to eliminate activities that do not add value or to join those that are scattered throughout the organization and that are the cause of problems. Companies organize themselves vertically and their processes flow horizontally, a typical example that reengineering showed us. source of problems. The power struggle between production, sales, marketing, etc., keeps them permanently at odds,forgetting that the problem is not within the company but with competition and the search for customer satisfaction. Sales recognizes how difficult it is to translate customer needs into production. Developing a culture of service within the company is a good help and this is what is known as "Internal Customer - Supplier", which some national companies are applying, through negotiation processes, including an input to the process of Six Sigma that Motorola bequeathed to us.To ensure that both the operation and the control of these processes are effective, many times it requires a change of command, it requires strong leadership, and it is not just about documenting the processes, but not doing The principle of continuous improvement (kaizen) is valid, be it incremental or radical, as needed.The best control is self-control, we do not share the principle that staff, if left alone, will make mistakes, when it is clearly proven that 85% of the problem is due to process or product design, a managerial responsibility., delays, problems could be eliminated only if those responsible for the processes had the correct information at the right time they need it, and we are not talking about having the quality manual, procedures or instructions, it is about transmitting the voice of the client, because we often hear "nobody told me anything". Other necessary resources are having robust designs, ensuring quality in design and not in inspection, in process control and not in quality control at the end of the line.the measurement and analysis of the processes, using the appropriate statistical techniques, to establish the real capacity of the process that later allows it to be controlled and maintained with a variability affected only by common causes. Use histograms, correlations, design of experiments, analysis of Failure Mode and Effects, studies of the Deployment of the Quality Function and understand the use of the different control charts, be these productive or administrative processes. «Give me serenity to accept those things that I cannot change, courage to change those things that I can and wisdom to find the difference ». Says a sentence that Dr. Deming reminded us of. If we do not understand the concept we will fall into errors of the third type, solving the wrong problem.The answer to this sentence are the control charts that allow us to distinguish by means of its limits when a process is affected by normal causes that we must accept or by abnormal causes, which we must change by controlling the variability measured by means of the standard deviation. Very few recognize that the enemy of any process is variability, and few know how to measure it, the less they will be able to control and reduce it.the less they will be able to control and reduce it.the less they will be able to control and reduce it.
The focus of the latest version of ISO comes to confirm and rethink many of the teachings of the true parents of quality and is thus established in its principles, but each of them must be adequately "instrumentalized" so that there is no in the mere philosophical field of good intentions, although for them gray hair is needed as well as desire.
Unfortunately, in section 8.2.3 of the Standard, compliance with section 4.1.c, which recommends “determining the criteria and methods necessary to ensure that both the operation and control of these processes are effective,” is not clear, despite some certifiers. they raise it within their technical requirements.
