Total quality theory tqm

CHAPTER I: BASIC PHILOSOPHY OF QUALITY

We are practically in the middle of the last five years of the 20th century and the times that run are certainly increasingly difficult for any organization, as we approach the third millennium, due to the process of accelerated change and global competitiveness that the world is experiencing. where the liberalization of economies and free competition come to characterize the environment of inexorable coexistence for the business sector.

In this context, companies have to continue assuming the role that corresponds to them to contribute to the growth and development of the country, achieving greater efficiency and providing quality products and services. Today more than ever there seems to be a very broad consensus regarding the urgent need for companies to perform well competitively.

Until a few years ago, the protectionist system in our country, as in other Latin American countries, had prevented us from assessing the harsh conditions of international competition and the higher levels of demand from customers and consumers, who demand higher quality products, an opportunity in deliveries, reasonable prices and excellence in service. The harsh reality that began in the eighties and the effects of globalization in the nineties, is suddenly waking up all organizations and forces them to search eagerly for new strategies to successfully adapt to growing competition.

It is precisely in this environment that Total Quality is vigorously and revolutionary projected as a new business management system and a leading factor for the competitiveness of companies. The concept of quality, traditionally related to product quality, is now identified as applicable to all business activity and all types of organization.

The successful companies in Peru and the world are those that have been applying the Total Quality strategy in one way or another; And many others based on this strategy are changing their way of thinking and therefore of acting; in fact, they are redesigning the entire organization both physically and spiritually to focus it on customers, and make it efficient to meet and satisfy them.

Many of our companies, while recognizing the importance of quality, are not sufficiently prepared to accept the new challenges that it brings and to put its principles and techniques into practice. Perhaps one of the main drawbacks is the lack of a practical methodology to support them.

In the session corresponding to this first working day, we will present a review of the general concepts and principles on which the philosophy of Total Quality is based. We hope that the initial speech complemented with the theoretical-practical instruments of the following days will guide the reader's way of thinking, and that as this speech penetrates his mind, it will be possible to apply it to his concrete reality, or It will help to direct total quality processes already started.

1.2 CONCEPT AND EVOLUTION OF QUALITY

Concept

An essential condition to ensure the implementation of a Total Quality strategy consists in clearly defining and understanding what this concept means. In other words, the managers of an organization that intend to implement Total Quality as a strategy to compete have to know exactly what they mean when they talk about quality, or to improve the quality of the product or service, they have to know how to divide the global quality manageable improvement projects and how to measure product quality.

In practice, as Ricchard J. Schonberger, one of the experts in this field, puts it, “… quality is like art. Everyone praises it, everyone recognizes it when they see it, but everyone has their own definition of what it is »

Dictionaries provide us with a first basis for the formation of this theoretical framework. One of the definitions that we find in the Little Illustrated Larouse tells us that Quality is the quality of a thing. Another meaning from the dictionary is that quality means a way of being of a person or thing. In these definitions, quality is implicitly conceived as an attribute, property or characteristic that distinguishes people, goods and services, which is already an interesting approach to the concept of quality applied to organizations.

The international standardization body, ISO, in its standard 8402, has defined quality as the totality of characteristics of an entity that gives it the ability to satisfy explicit and implicit needs.

The standard specifies which entity is an organization, call it a company or institution, product or process. Complementing this definition, we will say that the explicit needs are defined through a contractual relationship between Clients and Suppliers; while the implicit needs are defined according to the conditions that prevail in the market.

The elements that make up the needs are basically: security, availability, maintainability, reliability, ease of use, economy (price) and environment. These needs, except for the price, are defined by translating aspects and characteristics necessary for the manufacture of a good product.

Quality Evolution

In general, it can be said that the concept of quality and its application, until reaching the current state, has had the following evolution:

1. Quality control focused on finished products Statistical control of processes Total Quality Control or Total Quality.

The first stage started with the industrial revolution consisted in the inspection of finished products, classifying them as approved or rejected. The latter had to be subjected to reprocessing if possible or simply eliminated.

In this traditional conception, quality is normally associated with a production chain and is often seen as a competitor to other business priorities such as reducing costs and reducing productivity. To increase productivity, quality had to be sacrificed. Another problem with this traditional concept of quality is to focus on correcting mistakes after the fact; This check-and-fix philosophy not only allows for bugs, but also incorporates them into the system. Our experience as Customers is that too many times we end up buying the errors that result from checking and fixing later. Many times there are more chances of buying defective goods and services than perfect ones. But if that happens to us as Clients, the question isWhat will ours say? .

The last problem with this approach is that it is very expensive to fix things that have gone wrong. Well, the more you try to improve with traditional quality, the more expensive it is. Traditional quality is somewhat imprecise, we all think about it in different ways, it occupies a secondary place before other objectives such as productivity. Not only does it allow errors, but it incorporates them into the system through the philosophy of check and fix later. This way of doing things costs companies a lot of money and makes them lose Customers.

The second stage, started in the first half of this century, consisted of the development and application of statistical techniques to reduce inspection costs. With this approach, it was possible to extend the concept of quality to the entire production process, achieving significant improvements in terms of quality, cost reduction and productivity. The advantages that Statistical Control offered allowed to extend its application to other areas of the organization; However, it was noted that although this method tremendously improved the company's results, it was insufficient to face the growing competitiveness.

This is how Total Quality Control and the idea of ​​Continuous Improvement were born, as a way to be successful in the journey towards excellence, that is, to achieve Total Quality. This concept was born in the 1950s in the United States, but it was in Japan where it was fully developed and applied, introducing important and new concepts such as:

• Quality means satisfaction of customer needs and expectations The conception of internal customers and external customers The responsibility of the management in quality Quality should not only be sought in the product but in all the functions of the organization Participation of personnel in the permanent improvement of quality The application of principles and tools for the continuous improvement of products and services.

1.3 UNDERSTANDING THE MEANING OF TOTAL QUALITY

The concept of Total Quality, originated from the expanded concept of quality control (Total Quality Control), and which Japan has made one of the pillars of its industrial renaissance, has made it possible to standardize the concept of quality by defining it based on of the client and thus avoiding diversity of points of view as happened in the traditional conception. This is how Quality becomes total.

Quality is total because it includes each and every one of the aspects of the organization, because it involves and commits each and every one of the people in the organization. Traditional quality tried to fix quality after making mistakes. But Total Quality focuses on getting things done right the first time. Quality is built into the system. It is not an afterthought and the so-called acceptable quality levels are becoming increasingly unacceptable.

Complementing what has already been mentioned, we must say that Total Quality is to meet the requirements agreed with the client and exceed them, now and in the future, we must start by being exact with the requirements or specifications. With this conception of Total Quality the imprecision of the past is overcome, not only does it tend to be exact but also measurable. Another change that is obtained as a result of this conception is the word Customer. Customers are no longer just the ultimate users of the goods and services we sell, now the term is broadened to include the idea of ​​Internal Customer, the people in the organization to whom we pass our work. With this concept obviously everyone in the organization becomes someone's customer; moreover, it acquires a dual character of being a Client and a Provider at the same time.

Perhaps to better understand the concept of Total Quality, it is convenient to start by saying that the objective of any organization, work group, area or job or even the individual, is to generate a product or service that another organization, another area or another individual, whom we call, also called User or Consumer. Some prefer to call Customer when it comes to a tangible product such as a car and User when it comes to a service, such as health or repair service. In our case we will call Customer, whether it is a product or service.

It should be noted that the term product refers to the result obtained from a process or an activity. Therefore, in general terms, this result can be a tangible product (for example, assembled or processed materials), or an intangible (for example, knowledge or concepts) or a combination of these; Product is work performed by a job or workstation. It is also the product of the result of a consultancy, or an educational service, etc., in general of all those activities where the result obtained is not perceived as a tangible product.

However, for the purposes of Total Quality, the term service has been defined as the result generated by activities in the interface between the supplier and the client and by internal activities of the supplier, in order to meet the client's needs. Let's see for example, in the case of the Toyota Company, customer satisfaction is classified into two aspects: product and service. When they refer to the product they mean: quality, reasonable cost and timeliness in delivery. On the other hand, the service for this company means the communication and the permanent contact with the client, as well as the attention, that can be developed even perhaps to recreational activities destined to the clients; Likewise, it is part of the service to keep all the merchandise in contact with the client,post-sale follow-up to verify the degree of satisfaction with the product, and the entire set of interrelationships or activities to capture the voice of the customer and better satisfy them. Other companies include as part of the service the so-called "pre-sale service" designed to make known the benefits of the product and the image of the company to people who are not customers, who may be, but not necessarily.

From the point of view of Total Quality and accepting the ideas set forth in the previous paragraph, the concepts of product and service are not separated, either the product includes the service, or both aspects (product and service) must be planned separately and simultaneously to to better satisfy the needs and expectations of the client.

In a simple way we can say that in the expression Total Quality, the term Quality means that the Product or Service must be at the level of satisfaction. the client's; and the term Total that said quality is achieved with the participation of all members of the organization. Total Quality involves a series of innovations in the area of ​​business management that has spread throughout all the countries of Europe and America, applying not only to manufacturing activities but also to the service sector and the public administration. Today, in Peru, there are many organizations that have been successfully applying this new strategy.

Total Quality means a paradigm shift in the way of conceiving and managing an organization. One of these fundamental paradigms and that constitutes its reason for being is constant improvement or continuous improvement. Total Quality begins with understanding the needs and expectations of the client and then satisfying and exceeding them.

1.4 STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE OF TOTAL QUALITY

Total Quality is a strategy that seeks to guarantee, in the long term, the survival, growth and profitability of an organization, optimizing its competitiveness, through: the permanent assurance of customer satisfaction and the elimination of all types of waste. This is achieved with the active participation of all staff, under new leadership styles; The strategy being well applied, it responds to the need to transform the products, services, processes, structures and culture of the companies, to ensure their future.

To be competitive in the long term and to achieve survival, a company will need to prepare with a global approach, that is, in international markets and not just in regional or national markets. Well, being excellent at the local level is no longer enough; to survive in today's competitive world you have to be on the world stage.

Successfully adopting this strategy requires the organization to implement a process of permanent improvement. The essential aspects for the application of this process will be presented in the second session.

1.5 TOTAL QUALITY AS A NEW BUSINESS MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

Total Quality constitutes a new business management system, insofar as its concepts radically modify the characteristic elements of the system traditionally used in Western countries. These include:

• The values ​​and priorities that guide the management of the company The logical approaches that prevail in the management of business activity The characteristics of the main management and decision processes The techniques and methodologies applied The climate understood as the set of the perceptions that people have about relationships, personnel policy, environment, etc.

The new approach to quality requires a total renovation of people's mentality and therefore a new corporate culture; since among other aspects it is necessary to put into practice a participative management and a revaluation of the personnel not applied in the traditional administration modes.

1.6 REFLECTIONS FOR THE READER

In order to help the reader identify opportunities for improvement, we present below a set of reflections that we consider important, the same ones that we have adapted from Jaime Rojas' book on the application of Total Quality.

• Is your organization prepared to satisfy customers against the best competitors? Does the products and services you offer respond to the true needs and expectations of customers? Are you eliminating all types of waste to have competitive costs and adequate profitability ? Is the time of your development cycles for the development of new products or services and those of operation, delivery and after-sales adequate? Is your staff highly motivated and actively participating in the improvement of processes? Have you managed to develop reliable suppliers? How far are you currently from Total Quality?

CHAPTER II: THE IMPROVEMENT PROCESS TOWARDS TOTAL QUALITY

2.1 BASIC PRINCIPLES FOR THE ACHIEVEMENT OF TOTAL QUALITY

1. QUALITY IS THE KEY TO ACHIEVING COMPETITIVENESS.

With good quality it is possible to capture a market and stay in it.

1. QUALITY IS DETERMINED BY THE CUSTOMER.

It is the client who qualifies the quality of the product or service offered; Hence, quality should not be taken at its absolute or scientific value, but rather a relative value, depending on the customer.

It is necessary to accurately identify the changing needs and expectations of customers and their degree of satisfaction with the products and services of the company and those of the competition.

Keep in mind that customer expectations are given in terms of product or service quality, timeliness of delivery, quality of care, reasonable costs, and safety. Do not ask yourself about the quality of the product or service you offer, ask your client, he is the one who says what to do, how or by when.

You cannot force the Customer to buy the product we want at the price we want. An organization improves towards Total Quality when external and internal customers feel that it is consistently meeting their requirements for quality, timeliness, cost and service.

1. THE PRODUCTION PROCESS IS THROUGHOUT THE ORGANIZATION.

Production process is not the entire production line itself, but the entire company.

Those who do their job well lubricate the process, those who do it poorly create bottlenecks in the process.

1. THE QUALITY OF THE PRODUCTS AND SERVICES IS A RESULT OF THE QUALITY OF THE PROCESSES. THE SUPPLIER IS PART OF OUR PROCESS.

Quality begins with the supplier, he is part of our process, he must be considered as part of the organization.

Quality begins with the demand (from our clients) and will culminate with their satisfaction, but the production process begins with the supplier; Therefore, this should be considered as part of our production process, extending to Total Quality training actions.

1. INTERNAL SUPPLIER-CUSTOMERS CHAINS ARE ESSENTIAL.

Each individual in the organization becomes aware that they have one or more internal customers and one or more internal suppliers. Creating supplier-customer chains within the organization. Internal suppliers who must be kept informed of how we want their work delivered to us and what needs to be corrected.

In this chain that is generated by this awareness of internal suppliers and internal customers, the supplier who does not ask his customer about the quality of the work he delivers is as responsible as the customer who does not inform his supplier about something that it is being delivered badly done.

1. QUALITY IS ACHIEVED BY PEOPLE AND FOR PEOPLE.

This requires, among other things, a constant training and training program.

1. ESTABLISH THE MENTALITY OF ZERO DEFECTS.

This has the purpose of eradicating waste, in all forms as it occurs, eliminating activities that do not add value.

"Zero defects" consists of having a systematic attitude towards non-error. We owe the common use of the phrase to err is human. It is not about going after subordinates because they make mistakes, as that would kill their initiative. What it is about is to awaken the conscience of not being wrong. Under the concept of ZERO DEFECTS, the tolerance limits will disappear, since they enshrine the error.

Total Quality promotes the elimination of all types of waste present in:

- Inventories.

- Equipment not available due to damage or maintenance.

- Personnel dedicated to repetitive or ineffective tasks.

- Papers and excess paperwork.

- Excess reports and meetings.

- Inventories of work in processes between offices.

- Unnecessary internal controls.

1. THE COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE IS IN THE REDUCTION OF ERRORS AND IN THE CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT.

The real competitive advantage is in reducing errors or improving processes; therein lies the cost reduction. With the result of «Lower Costs» you can:

• Lower prices to customers Improve company profits Improve product finish Or all of the above at the same time.

1. THE PARTICIPATION OF EVERYONE IS ESSENTIAL (COLLECTIVE CONSCIENCE).

Reducing errors will only be possible with the participation of each and every one of the members of the organization.

1. QUALITY

It is first and foremost a managerial responsibility. managers must be leaders. capable of involving and committing staff in improvement actions.

1. IT REQUIRES A NEW CULTURE.

In the concept of Total Quality "everyone thinks and everyone does"

2.2 MODALITIES OF IMPROVEMENT

Within the Improvement of a company two main modalities are distinguished: Continuous improvement and innovation or Radical Improvement.

a) CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT

They are incremental contributions that are achieved with the participation of all personnel, motivated by a challenge of permanent improvement, known by the Japanese name of Kaizen.

b) INNOVATION OR RADICAL IMPROVEMENT

It refers to radical contributions or large changes made sporadically by specialists in the respective topics. An example of this modality is called "Process Reengineering"

Radical improvement is the responsibility of Senior Management and is achieved with important changes and technological innovations that entail large investments, while incremental improvement, Kaizen, is a process of continuous renewal carried out through small steps that serve to perfect existing standards., being in charge of all levels of the company.

The ideal Improvement is one that effectively combines continuous improvement and innovation, it is the best way to ensure the future success of a company. However, we must point out that the application of Total Quality means a radical change in the mentality of people, and the holistic conception of the organization and the improvement processes that characterizes this approach has a fundamental role for innovative purposes; Thus, not only does it favor innovative capacity, but it also reveals where it is necessary to innovate, because optimization work has reached its limit. In this way, Total quality is decisive for innovation that also becomes global, taking root in the company with the additional ingredient of participation.

2.3 THE CONTROL CYCLE FOR IMPROVEMENT

Quality improvement and assurance is based on the Control Cycle, which is made up of the following four phases:

• PLAN: Activity that determines what should be done, what is the goal and how it can be achieved DO: It means transforming current processes in order to improve their performance, according to plan CHECK: Determines the degree of fulfilling the planned activities and performance goals. DO: It means making adjustments to the new procedures and standardizing them, in order to guarantee that they are always applied.

The continuous execution of the Control Cycle guarantees the permanent improvement of the performance of the organization's processes.

2.4 ACTIVITIES TO START A PROCESS TOWARDS TOTAL QUALITY

For the implementation of Total Quality there is no model that can be copied. In principle, each organization has to design a methodology according to its own reality.

As part of any improvement process towards Total Quality, actions such as: the development of leadership activities and the commitment of the highest executives of the organization, staff development, customer focus, development of suppliers, quality planning, daily work improvement, quality assurance, cost reduction program, etc. Taking as a basis the recommendations of the experts in this field, our experience and the empirical evidence itself, we allow ourselves to point out that in general terms to put this process into practice it is convenient to divide it into the following phases:

PHASE I: DECISION MAKING

It consists of seriously analyzing whether there is a willingness to do whatever is necessary to properly undertake and maintain said process; since once started it should not be discontinued as it generates mistrust and frustration.

It is necessary to be aware of the efforts it will take to overcome resistance to change. On the other hand, managers have to dedicate time and resources, guide administrative management, accept all concepts and principles such as: teamwork, new leadership styles, have a clear definition of quality, etc.

It is necessary to be aware of what it means to undertake a process towards Total Quality and the benefits that derive from it.

Once the decision has been made, a Plan must be drawn up to start this process. This Plan must be integrated or form part of the Strategic Plan of the organization. Likewise, once the decision has been made, a basic organization that will be in charge of developing the quality actions must be defined in parallel to the Quality development plan. As part of this organization, a Quality Committee or rather a Quality Council chaired by the highest manager of the organization will be included. then the Quality Committees by Areas and Improvement Teams depending on the size of the organization. The need to hire the services of an External Advisor should also be taken into account. The quality plan must define a pilot area to initiate the improvement processes and also foresee actions for the recognition of personnel.

PHASE II: PREPARATION OF THE SCENARIO AND PROMOTION

To begin this stage, it is assumed that there is already a Plan in which all the actions to be developed have been broken down. Some of the recommended actions at this stage are: develop an intense program for the dissemination of the concepts and philosophy of quality to internalize it in people as a means of achieving their involvement and commitment. The vision should be developed. mission, policies and objectives of the organization, which will be disseminated among all staff during the dissemination and promotion of quality actions.

It is convenient in this phase to carry out a Quality Diagnosis of the organization, considering aspects such as poor quality costs, organizational climate, level of customer satisfaction, identification of critical processes, clarity and precision in terms of strengths and weaknesses.

In this phase, it is necessary to launch a vigorous Personnel Training and Development Program. The development of pilot projects will be tested.

PHASE III: IMPLEMENTATION OF IMPROVEMENT PROCESSES

In this phase, the improvement processes will be started with the participation of the improvement teams, who by this time have been sufficiently trained in improvement techniques and problem solving.

If the improvement process is showing its fruits, it is necessary to motivate the staff with recognition actions. The training aspect should include the application of the ISO 9000 series standards.

PHASE IV: CONSOLIDATION AND INTERFUNCTIONAL OPTIMIZATION

In this phase, the improvement processes will continue to be developed and training in more advanced quality techniques will continue. Systems and procedures will be developed based on ISO 9000 standards. Improvement processes will continue, maintaining and perfecting strategic management. The foregoing is not definitive or absolute, it will depend on the dynamism and progress that each organization has achieved. Without entering into controversy with the foregoing, an operational methodology that an organization in our country has been following where we have had the opportunity to participate and provide advice consists of the following actions:

1. Decision making: situational analysis; analysis of quality approaches in the world; Analysis of experiences and achievements obtained by other organizations Design, structuring and approval of the total quality management plan Implementation, at the level of a pilot area Expansion to the entire organization Evaluation and follow-up Corrective actions, assurance measures and continuation of strategic management. Development of assurance and auditing actions for accreditation purposes.

CHAPTER III: LEADERSHIP FOR QUALITY

3.1 IMPORTANCE

Total Quality requires improvement of products, processes, machines and all aspects of the organization. But above all of the people and the work team, which must meet the objective of generating satisfactory products or services for the client. The question that immediately arises is then who is going to generate or create the team environment, the synergy that is required?

The key element is the leader, who provides the foundation for a good implementation of Total Quality, as Stephen Covey says:

1. Deming tells us that 85% of quality problems are due to deficiencies at management levels and that therefore only they can solve them. Leadership is one of the primary elements of the quality process. Without good leadership, the culture change it requires is not possible and consequently we will never achieve the quality, opportunity and cost objectives that the market demands of us.

3.2 MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE LEADER

The main challenge of a leader is to get all the individuals that make up the organization actively participate in the achievement of the institutional objectives, integrating from many "I" a "WE". This "US" is the one that will form the work team that will achieve the institutional mission. Therefore, the main responsibility of the leader is first of all to define a Vision and a Mission, making them internalize throughout the organization. Based on this Vision and this Mission, it defines a quality policy and objectives to be achieved.

You will achieve these objectives to the extent that your collaborators WANT, KNOW AND CAN make their knowledge and skills available to the organization.

• "THEY WANT." It means that they are motivated to make their knowledge and skills available. KNOW. It means that they learn those knowledge and those skills. "CAN." It is that the leader creates the right environment for everyone to work in harmony, so that each and every one of his followers can effectively develop their role.

3.3 CONCEPTS ASSOCIATED WITH LEADERSHIP

Administration In the traditional style, Administration is defined as the achievement of organizational goals through the work of others (individuals or groups). Direction The action of guiding or leading an individual or group towards a specific goal.

Leadership Ability to exert influence over the individual or group through communication, guiding and motivating them to achieve a specific goal.

3.4 LEADERSHIP AND POWER

Power is what allows the leader to exert influence, so it can be said that there is a close relationship between leadership and power. Theoretically there are several ways to conceive, identify and classify power. But in general, power has two main aspects: the one that comes from the organization, called legitimate power, and the one generated by the leader himself due to his capacity.

Legitimate power is a power of position, that is, it is given by the position it holds within the company, in the Organization Chart. The second aspect is the power generated by the very force of the person and that gives him an ability to influence others.

Personal Power is more important because it is based on the capacity of the leader and the recognition of the group, this recognition maintains its power and commits it to serve its followers. This personal power is what will ultimately make people achieve the desired results.

3.5 DEFINITION OF LEADERSHIP FOR QUALITY

Total Quality requires a different administrative style, which promotes the participation of the staff in continuous improvement. An appropriate definition is:

»A management style that gives people the training, responsibility, authority, guidance, feedback, support and motivation necessary to self-control and continuously improve their work, so that they can meet the needs and expectations of the external and internal clients »

In the traditional style of administration, the Chief is in charge of thinking and planning, giving orders, making decisions and assuming all authority and responsibility, that is, all power.

In Leadership for Quality, the boss works according to the clients and the needs of his collaborators.

These needs, according to Dr. William Byhami (from the book "Zapp") are:

• Key objectives, values, and performance measures Training in specific skills Adequate resources Give feedback, motivation and recognition.

3.6 CHARACTERISTICS OF THE LEADER

Much has been said about the characteristics of the leader, especially to associate him with the demands of the century that we are living. The main characteristics that a leader must have to achieve Total Quality are:

• Have a vision of the future. (To motivate their followers) Be dissatisfied (Permanent desire to improve) Be very realistic. (Not based on assumptions but on concrete facts) Be Proactive. (Promote change, be innovative) Know how to risk. (Not being a mere continuator of events) Being Creative (Imagining new possibilities) Being committed. (With his organization, his work team and with each of the individuals he leads) Knowing how to share Leadership. (Generating leadership in others. Knowing how to delegate according to the maturity of your followers) Being a Motivator for Common achievement Have High Self-esteem (Knowing how to value and have security, without losing humility) Have sensitivity to correct mistakes Know how to listen to your external and internal customers and suppliers.Be a permanent student. (Be the example) Maintain an «Ethical conduct»In any circumstance to enjoy the trust and respect of others Be energetic (To transmit energy to others)

3.7 LEADERSHIP STRATEGIES.

According to Bennis and Nanus, the core of the truth about Leadership is that leaders manage and personify four areas of competence or four basic strategies:

1. The management of attention through vision. Leaders are the most results-oriented people, creating a "vision" of what they expect. If this vision is conveniently transmitted to your collaborators, it produces a great feeling of confidence. The leader operates on the emotional and spiritual resources of the organization, on its values, commitments and aspirations. Use of communication. The ability to transmit and project that vision to the entire organization is essential. Build trust. It is a measure of the legitimacy of leadership; It cannot be ordered or bought, it must be earned. Deployment of the Self. Knowing how to value yourself, trust yourself without allowing your ego or image to interfere. Without losing humility.

3.8 MAIN ACTIVITIES TO ACHIEVE LEADERSHIP FOR QUALITY.

• To become a permanent student of the philosophy, methodologies and techniques of Total Quality. Practice and permanently disseminate the principles and values ​​of Total Quality. Develop and raise the level of self-esteem of your staff. Gain the trust of your collaborators. Listen to them and respond to them with empathy. Develop and maintain the focus on customers. Promote the process approach, training its collaborators in the correct execution of their tasks. Promote and develop the creativity of its collaborators, involving them in problem solving, prior Training in the respective methodologies. Developing the self-control capacity of its collaborators. Carrying out follow-up and getting involved in the improvement process. Empowering. Encouraging teamwork. Supporting collaborators and giving them recognition.Drive change towards improvement.

3.9 ACTIVITIES OF THE MAIN AND / OR MAIN MANAGERS IN THE QUALITY PROCESS.

• Get adequate advice Train adequately in Total Quality Plan quality, establishing the Master Quality Plan and a basic organization to put it into practice Establish and disseminate quality policy and objectives Promote a culture of quality, defining and spreading vision, mission and new organizational values ​​Develop leadership capacity in middle management and supervisors Establish the quality system Carry out periodic evaluations or Quality System Audits Determine and approve the strategic objectives of continuous improvement to be carried out each year, as well as other actions aimed at achieving better levels of excellence and competitiveness.

3.10 QUESTIONNAIRE FOR SELF-DIAGNOSIS OF LEADERSHIP.

With the purpose of generating Leadership skills, we present an 8-point exercise to do a self-diagnosis, determine in what grade it is and from there begin the respective improvements. It is suggested to consider for each item a scale of 0 to 5 points and then take it to a scale of 100% at most.

1. Degree to which I have defined the roles or roles of my collaborators Degree to which I have personally explained to those who report to me what they have to do and when, how and where they should do it Degree to which I have established well-defined organizational patterns Degree The degree to which I have determined effective communication channels The degree to which I know what motivates my collaborators to work more efficiently The degree to which I encourage open and direct communication with everyone and each other The degree to which my collaborators are encouraged in the moments that need me as boss, partner or support. Degree in which the place is found for the qualities of the work of the people. If you comply 100% with each of these points, you would be at the optimal level. If not, a plan must be made to overcome the deficiencies.It is recommended that you periodically evaluate this Plan, measuring progress and making the necessary corrections.

CHAPTER IV: ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE FOR QUALITY

4.1 WHAT IS ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE

When talking about organizational culture we must say that organizations, like individuals, have a personality, they can be rigid or flexible, unfriendly or helpful, innovative or conservative. These characteristics make up what we call the culture of the organization.

We define organizational culture as the set of values, beliefs and principles shared among the members of an organization. This set of characteristics is what differentiates organizations.

According to J. Camppell there are seven characteristics that, when combined and coupled, reveal the essence of an organization's culture:

1. Individual Autonomy. The degree of responsibility, independence and opportunity that people have in the organization to exercise initiative. Structure. The set of levels, norms and rules, as well as the intensity of direct supervision of the management. Support. The degree of help and friendliness shown by managers to their subordinates. Identity. The extent to which members identify with the organization as a whole rather than with their group or field of work. Performance Reward. The degree to which the distribution of awards to staff is based on criteria relating to worker performance. Conflict Tolerance. The level of conflict present in the relationships of colleagues and work groups, as well as the willingness to be honest and open to differences. Risk Tolerance. The degree to which workers are encouraged (encouraged) to be aggressive, innovative, and take risks. Each of the seven features can be represented by a horizontal line that moves from left to right. The minimum (low) intensity with which each characteristic occurs is located on the extreme left, and the maximum (high) on the right. When evaluating the organization from all these characteristics, a complete profile of it is obtained. Thus, the culture of the organization is a composite image, formed by these seven characteristics. The profile or image is the basis of the feelings of shared meaning that the members have regarding the organization, of how things are done in it and the way in which they have to act.

These characteristics can be combined and thus obtain highly different organizations.

The aforementioned characteristics are relatively stable and permanent in time, like the personality of an individual, so that the organizational culture is durable in time and relatively static in its propensity to change. This allows us to visualize, an additional element, the challenge of modifying the organizational culture.

4.2 STRONG AND WEAK CULTURES

A strong culture is characterized by the organization's core values ​​being firmly accepted and widely shared. The more active workers are who accept core values ​​and the greater their adherence to them, the stronger the culture.

A strong culture has a very profound influence on the behavior of its members and shows a high degree of community of ideas and feelings. Examples of this are religious organizations, sects and Japanese companies.

This kind of culture shows great consensus among workers regarding the goals and ideals of the organization; From this unanimity of purpose, cohesion, fidelity and organizational commitment originate, and these in turn decrease the propensity to leave the company. A strong culture increases the congruence of behavior, in this aspect it can act as the formalization that the regulations represent. With a great formalization prediction, order and coherence are achieved; a strong culture achieves the same without the need for written documents. Therefore, we have to see in formalization and culture two paths that lead to the same destination.

The stronger the organizational culture, the less management has to worry about establishing formal norms and rules to predict staff behavior. It is clear then that there are organizations whose cultures are "strong" and "solid", that is, deeply rooted and others in which, due to different circumstances, the opposite occurs.

According to Shein, the strength or weakness of the organizational culture depends on several factors:

1. Stability of the members of the organization; Homogeneity of the management team; Time that the founding team has worked together; Intensity of the experiences shared by the group; Types of group learning mechanisms.

4.3 CREATION AND COSERVATION OF CULTURE

The primary source of an organization's culture is its founders. The founding fathers of an organization have always had a significant influence on the creation of the initial culture. They have a vision of what she should be. The small size that characterizes any new organization makes it easy for them to impose their vision on all members. Since the founders have the original idea, they are also often prejudiced about how to achieve the goals.

The culture of an organization results from the interaction between:

1. The biases and assumptions of the founders and what the first members, whom the founders hired, later learn from their own experience.

It is evident that founders usually have strong personalities and clear points of view on how to do things and treat people, and this probably explains why there are so many cases in which the footprint of the founder remains present and is the basis of the culture, even many years after his death.

Once a culture is established, there are practices within the organization that preserve it by giving members a series of similar experiences.

Culture is transmitted to workers in various forms, the most powerful being stories, rituals, material symbols, and language.

The stories contain a narrative of facts about the fundamentals, the important decisions that affect the future of the company. They base the present on the past, also offering explanations that legitimize current practices.

Rituals are repetitive sequences of activities that express and reinforce the core values ​​of the organization, the goals of greatest importance and that indicate who are the essential people and who are expendable.

The material symbols are the design and arrangement of spaces and buildings, furniture, executive privileges and clothing; that indicates to workers who is important, the degree of equality desired by management, and the kind of behavior (risk-taking, conservative, authoritarian, participatory, individualistic, social) that is deemed appropriate.

Language is used by many organizations as a means of identifying the members of a culture. By learning that language, members attest to their acceptance of the culture and, by doing so, help to preserve it.

4.4 HOW TO CHANGE THE CULTURE OF AN ORGANIZATION

The following suggestions are made:

1. Diagnose and recognize the elements of the prevailing culture, to seek their adaptation to the environment Reaffirm the values ​​and other valuable elements of the current culture and change those that are dysfunctional Make the main managers become positive role models, giving the guideline through their behavior Promote values ​​and principles consistent with a constantly changing environment Create new stories, symbols and rituals compatible with the new values ​​Select, promote and support workers who embrace the new values ​​to be implemented Redesign socialization processes so that they correspond to the new values ​​Change the reward system to favor acceptance of the new set of values.Replace unwritten rules with formal rules that must be adhered to. Seek advice from like-minded groups using worker participation and creating an atmosphere of high trust.

CHAPTER V: STAFF DEVELOPMENT

5.1 SELECTION AND INDUCTION

The process of converting ordinary people into excellent workers is facilitated if new hires are able to incorporate people who show skills and attitudes compatible with the change being advocated.

For this, the selection process should not only be limited to identifying specific skills and evaluating technical knowledge and experience that are required for a certain position, but also to finding people with:

• creative and leadership ability, versatility to perform more than one role, ability to work in a team, ability to communicate and interrelate and ability to improve and recognize mistakes, etc.

This way of proceeding, different from the traditional one, implies designing a more demanding but more interesting profile since it must contemplate aspects related to the values ​​of the company, oriented towards Total Quality. that have not been considered in the past, with exceptions.

In the context of Total Quality, it is recommended that the selection of new personnel be made preferably for positions at the operational level, and that the positions of greater responsibility be covered with promotions and promotions of the company's own personnel. It is important that managers participate in the interviews and ask questions that make it possible to appreciate the degree of identification with the desired attitudes.

Once the SELECTION is concluded, the INDUCTION process comes, which consists of making the new personnel know the main aspects of the organization's culture, such as: vision, mission, values ​​and quality policies.

This, if possible, should be explained by the top manager as organizations that have been implementing Total Quality processes usually do.

At this stage, the selected people should receive all the general information related to the company, about the quality process, their rights and duties, the specific functions and responsibilities of their position, the expected rotation of positions, etc. They should be introduced to who your co-workers will be, so that you get to know your internal customers and suppliers.

It is necessary to invest the necessary time in this Induction process so that the new worker gets involved and acquires the initial commitment and a favorable attitude towards Total Quality is obtained from him.

For a good Induction work, the company must organize and prepare in advance all the documentation that is required for this purpose, including audiovisual media, booklets, job rotation plan, etc.

The company must continuously improve the Selection and Induction process, evaluating its performance with indicators recommended by specialists in this area.

5.2 EDUCATION AND TRAINING

Professor Kaoru Ishikawa, one of the fathers of Total Quality in Japan, noted:

«Total Quality Control begins with education and ends with education. To promote it with the participation of all, it is necessary to give education in Quality Control to all the personnel, from the president to the operators. Quality Control is a conceptual revolution in administration; therefore it is necessary to change the reasoning processes of all employees. To achieve this, education must be repeated over and over again. "

It is necessary for the company to adequately structure its Quality Training Plan, aimed at all levels of the organization, whose objectives must correspond to the strategic objectives of the organization. The preparation of this Plan must be in charge of the body in charge of promoting and supporting the implementation of the Total Quality process, and must have the approval of the Quality Committee or Council, which exercises leadership throughout the organization.

The training objectives should:

• Explain what the Total Quality process is and what it consists of; Promote the adoption of quality culture values; Develop leadership skills and Skills for the assurance and continuous improvement of quality.

For the Training Plan it is necessary to have the participation of the Advisor (as explained above). The first training actions should be aimed at Senior Managers, having to cover topics such as the Philosophy of Quality, with emphasis on the strategic aspect, the topics of Leadership, Teamwork Techniques, Techniques for Structured Problem Solving and later others. more advanced techniques.

All must be trained in the philosophy, methodologies and techniques of Total Quality, but in the middle and operational levels the emphasis on the strategic level should be less; Rather, more attention should be paid to Improvement Techniques.

It is important that managers participate in the Training Program at the middle and operational levels.

Training in Total Quality should seek not only the acquisition of new knowledge but also the CHANGE of attitudes and behavior. It should be borne in mind that this is not achieved only with a few lectures, it requires permanent action in which learning is reinforced with practice linked to their own work.

For the training to be effective it must be theoretical-practical, use examples from the organization itself or similar, be dosed, train in what is going to be used and apply what has been learned in daily work.

5.4 CREATING AN ENABLING ENVIRONMENT

Through a good Personnel Training and Training Plan we can achieve that they acquire the knowledge and skills. However, this is not enough to get them involved. For people to adopt it, it is necessary to create the conditions that avoid demotivation and facilitate the performance of work.

Therefore, it is necessary, on the one hand, to physically improve the work environment, applying techniques such as the 5 ESES (5S); and on the other hand eliminate all the other factors that cause demotivation such as those referred to by Frederick Herzberg in his theory 'Hygiene and Motivation' and which refer to:

• Inappropriate policies, rules and procedures Inadequate treatment by bosses towards their collaborators and among colleagues Wages with lack of equity Job instability Inadequate control policies Fear and search for culprits Work overload Inappropriate performance evaluation Deficient processes and cumbersome. Rivalries and Favoritisms, etc.

The elimination of these factors although, as Herzberg says they do not motivate; However, their presence produces dissatisfaction and demotivation.

5.4 ACTIONS TO GENERATE MOTIVATION AND COMMITMENT

To achieve a real commitment and development together with the organization, the staff must feel sufficiently motivated so that they also know and can "want" to do so. Only then will true personal development be achieved.

Here are some actions to generate this motivation and commitment:

• Appreciation: It means making people important, offering them support, traveling to their jobs to greet them and appreciate their work, treating them by name, encouraging them in difficult times, thanking them for their efforts. Sense of Belonging: Making them work as a team will make them feel motivated and committed. Participation: To channel suggestions and improve their own work, as well as to solve problems. Delegation and Autonomy: This is one of the most effective ways to achieve a high degree of motivation and commitment. It means giving workers to improve processes. Recognition:It is based on the principle that there must be a difference between those who strive to do things well and those who do not. In this way, the worker's attitude of improvement is valued and his behavior in favor of quality is reinforced.

CHAPTER VI: STAFF PARTICIPATION AND TEAMWORK

6.1 WHAT IS TEAMWORK?

Under the expression of teamwork, it is customary to encompass forms of collaboration that cover a very broad spectrum; from mutual help between two section heads who collaborate on an issue that affects their units, through a Quality Circle, to the joint work of a Board of Directors.

Difference between Team and Group.

• A Group is defined as a collectivity of people with a common characteristic, such as co-workers, Library readers, Club members, etc. A Team is a group of people with a common mission or objective that works in coordination with the participation of all members under the direction of a leader to achieve collective interests. Example: a racing driver's team of mechanics, improvement team, etc.

The mission of a team is not limited to a specific task, it also refers to general objectives such as the performance of a complete process or the development of new products.

When you think as a team and not individually, each person is concerned not only with doing their job well but with others doing the same. In this way, if you see that someone has problems, you provide help because you want the job to go well for mutual benefit.

Teamwork at all levels of the organization implies that people base their relationships on trust and mutual support, spontaneous communication, understanding and identification with the objectives of the organization. Teamwork requires skills to communicate, collaborate, understand each other, and think with others.

When true teamwork occurs, the following behaviors are obtained:

• Help is offered to colleagues without their asking for it. Ideas are requested from others, giving them credit and recognition. Work is done together to improve products, processes and problem solving. Suggestions are accepted and constructive criticism is made.

6.2 BENEFITS OF TEAMWORK

• It encourages the search for better ideas and increases the commitment to put them into practice. It generates identification of people with the principles, values ​​and interests of the organization and priority of collective objectives over individual ones. It generates collaboration, trust and solidarity among colleagues. Develops multifunctional skills Facilitates Delegation of authority and autonomy Eliminates unnecessary controls, reduces rework and corrections Facilitates training in methodologies and techniques for quality and productivity improvement Eliminates cross-functional barriers and promotes feedback and support between people that handle different disciplines.

6.3 MODALITIES OF TEAMWORK

The most common forms of teamwork are:

6.3.1 Quality Council.

He is responsible for establishing the directives for the implementation of Total Quality, approving the plans and providing the required support.

6.3.2 Primary Groups

Responsible for designing, implementing and improving processes at the level of a specific area; It is made up of the Head of the area and a certain number of workers who report directly to him.

6.3.3 Improvement Teams

They are teams appointed by the company to carry out a specific improvement project for the company.

6.4.4 Quality Circles

They are permanent teams of volunteer workers with similar functions to the improvement team that, applying quality control techniques, solve problems in their area or in their jobs.

6.4.5 Assurance Committees

They are teams made up of representatives from the different areas that influence the good performance of a process. Its function is to ensure the SATISFACTION of the clients and take corrective and preventive actions to avoid dissatisfaction.

6.4.6 Self-Directed Teams

They are teams of people responsible for a complete operating process. Members share many of the responsibilities traditionally assigned only to bosses.

These are the most common modalities. But in practice, each company adopts the form of teamwork that best suits the characteristics of its organization.

6.5 ORGANIZATION AND IMPLEMENTATION OF TEAMWORK

To put work teams into operation, they need to be properly organized. In general, a team must be made up of a manager, a Facilitator, the leader and the members. In some cases the leader may be the manager.

• The manager is the sponsor who promotes the formation of the team. Identifies the team's needs and provides administrative facilities The Facilitator is generally an external advisor and is not properly part of the team, but must participate in meetings and is the one who is in charge of training in Total Quality tools and techniques such as leadership skills, teamwork, etc. The leader is the one who directs the team. She is the person with the most experience and the most committed to the company. He must coordinate the meetings, ensure the attendance of the members, coordinate the documentation, define the action plan, seek the participation of the members in an equitable manner and seek consensus in the decisions. The team members are people involved in the projects of improvement.They must be knowledgeable about the details of the process to improve. They have to be interested in making efforts to improve it, participate in all meetings, attend punctually, and contribute their intelligence, experience and creativity.

6.6 BASIC RULES FOR THE OPERATION OF A GOOD EQUIPMENT

• Avoid competing among team members Avoid manipulation Know how to listen to each other Avoid getting defensive Make sure everyone participates Synchronize the actions of the members while participating in the meeting

CHAPTER VII: APPROACH TO CUSTOMERS

7.1 VISION TOWARDS THE CUSTOMER

The identification of the clients of an organization should begin by finding out WHERE the external clients are and WHAT are their needs. From there create an obsession to meet and exceed their needs and expectations. Permanently raise the level of satisfaction to achieve their loyalty, which must be measured in terms of how customers return to acquire products and services, and the recommendation they make to others to acquire them.

To satisfy customers it is not enough to eliminate the reasons for dissatisfaction or complaints, it is necessary to assume a proactive attitude that leads to identifying the quality attributes that have an impact on satisfaction and delight your customers.

These attributes must be included in products and services, and in all interactions with them. Customers must perceive that in the products and services they purchase, there IS a COST-BENEFIT relationship that is favorable to them.

A first aspect for a customer focus is to define and disseminate the vision of the organization oriented to customer satisfaction. The definition of this vision corresponds to the Senior Management of the organization.

As an example we present the vision of a prestigious company dedicated to transportation.

The focus on customers will define quality policies.

These should guide customer relationships.

Specialists recommend that we take into account the following aspects:

• Deployment of the requirements to the areas involved Information provided to customers regarding products and services and how to interact with the organization Facilities for the customer to express their suggestions, complaints and claims Attention to complaints Measurement of customer satisfaction, warranties, etc.

Let us bear in mind that in most of the leading quality companies:

Becoming a philosophy and way of life of the staff that sustains their obsession with the client.

After the vision and policies related to external clients are established in writing, it must be adequately disseminated and explained.

This work should be done in the process of induction of new personnel, in training actions, in boss-subordinate relationships, in work meetings, at work stations, at points of sale and customer service, etc..

But the most important thing is to SECURE YOUR APPLICATION.

7.2 IDENTIFICATION AND SEGMENTATION OF CLIENTS

To satisfy the needs and expectations of both external and internal customers, it is necessary to fully understand them.

This knowledge mainly involves:

• Identification and segmentation of customers Identification of the quality attributes of our products for customers Achieve compliance of these attributes by customers and obtain their performance assessments from them.

In most organizations there are two types of external customers:

1. End users. What are those who consume or use the product or service. Intermediate Customers. Those that make the product or service available to the end user.

The decision to acquire the product or service is made by the End User, but the Intermediate Customer is of vital importance for their satisfaction.

For an organization to get to know its customers accurately, it is necessary to carry out a segmentation into homogeneous groups, since not all have the same needs and expectations.

To identify and segment customers, it is convenient to proceed by answering questions such as:

• Who are the customers of our products and services? Who are the end users? What is their distribution by age, sex, schooling, income, etc.? When do they use our product? What is their geographical distribution? How do they use our products and services? How do they use them ?, etc.

It is advisable to use marketing strategies for segmentation using factors such as size, economic capacity, among others.

After segmenting customers, their present and future needs and expectations must be identified. It is also necessary to identify the degree of customer satisfaction with the company and with the competition; for which the Benchmarking technique must be used.

Benchmarking is a technique that allows measuring the quality of products and services at the level of internal and external customers. Above all to compare the organization with our competition. Determining the strengths and weaknesses.

It is important to consider that in the study of customers, both old and new, as well as those who were once customers and stopped being, to find out the reasons why they were captured by the competition.

It is essential to see the client as what HE IS and not as we want him to be. When identifying the client's needs, it should be taken into account that sometimes these are not manifest and therefore are not explicit. Presenting a great challenge for the organization that must transform these needs into products and services.

On the other hand, the company must have an effective system that allows it to know, in addition to the negative aspects in relation to quality, the quality attributes that truly satisfy it, that is, positive aspects of quality. This means knowing how to listen to the voice of the customer.

7.3 THE VOICE OF CUSTOMERS

For this, you can make combined use of different techniques such as:

• Focus Group sessions (groups of customers with similar characteristics) Customer satisfaction surveys (by phone or by visiting) Customer observations when using the product Observations received from support service personnel Market studies Competitor analysis Analysis of complaints, claims and suggestions.

Studies to know the voice of customers should not be carried out in isolation or sporadic, but should respond to planned and systematic actions.

All this will allow us to know:

• The quality attributes that are important to your customers The ratings given to your company by customers with those attributes The comparison with the competition The complaints about the attributes

With the information provided by customers, in all its aspects, the company will be in a position to plan the quality of its products and services. This process consists of coordinating and establishing everything that needs to be done to achieve customer satisfaction.

In this regard, Dr. Juran, points out that this process establishes the goals for quality, develops the means to achieve them. He adds that planning for quality consists of a fairly standardized set of steps that can be summarized as follows:

1. Identify both external and internal customers. Determine the needs of customers. Develop the characteristics of the products in relation to the needs of customers. Establish goals for the characteristics of these products and develop a process to meet the goals of the products. Check that the process is capable of operating under operating conditions.

CHAPTER VIII: RELATIONSHIP WITH EXTERNAL SUPPLIERS

8.1 MAIN DIMENSIONS OF THE CUSTOMER - SUPPLIER STRATEGY

The existing bibliography and the empirical evidence itself recognize that the client-provider association can be expressed mainly in the following dimensions:

1. Development of new products: The company must ensure that the supplier provides support in the development of a new product, adapting the characteristics of the provisions and providing useful suggestions in relation to processes, technologies, etc. Technology: In this regard, the exchange of information is important to facilitate the industrialization process for both parties. Costs: The company and its suppliers must coordinate the development of cost reduction programs, within the framework of the continuous improvement process. Training:The buyer must promote and support the development of training and training actions in aspects related to quality and the continuous improvement process, as well as provide technical assistance to its suppliers; In order for them to meet all the requirements and to establish trust in the customer-supplier relationship. Logistics: In this aspect, it is about achieving just-in-time deliveries, reducing stocks both by suppliers and by the customer. This requires flexibility in production processes and improved reliability to guarantee the provision of goods and services in the long term and an adequate response capacity. Information:A system should be established that allows timely and effective communication between customer and supplier, facilitating coordination of production schedules as well as arranged deliveries and billing. Investments: As the union between the buyer and its supplier is consolidated, it is possible that the client company makes certain investments to improve the materials and other supplies of the supplier, with the full confidence of the parties involved. Process control: The union that is achieved between the client and the supplier allows, and is also necessary, to know and carry out inspections of the supplier's processes; and the buyer can even participate as a guest in the supplier's quality system audits.Long-term plans: The association between the client and its supplier allows both to establish common strategies and improvement objectives within a long-term perspective. In this sense, the people in charge of purchasing have the task of promoting and facilitating this exchange and developing a key role as coordinators. This strategy should lead to reducing the number of suppliers for each type of material or component that a company buys.

8.2 ACTIVITIES OF AN ORGANIZATION IN RELATION TO ITS SUPPLIER

We mention below the main activities that are recommended to carry out to consolidate a partnership or union strategy between an organization and its supplier:

1. Segmentation, evaluation and selection of the best suppliers: With reference to the selection of suppliers, Dr. Ishikawa points out that this should begin with the request of samples from a large number of applicants. One aspect to highlight in the approaches of this expert is that he never refers to price. The objective is to progressively reduce to a minimum the number of suppliers for each type of input or service required, establishing with them a long-term relationship of mutual convenience and loyalty.From the point of view of Total Quality, it is considered that the supplier must meet three important requirements: a good product, a good quality control system, and a good leadership or management system.The supplier must demonstrate the ability to integrate technological innovations and be aware of the obligations regarding: price, timeliness of deliveries, etc. and in addition to respect for the secrets of the company Development of a Communication Improvement System Visits to suppliers' facilities Invitations to selected suppliers to get to know the company Evaluation of suppliers under ISO 9000 Standards Establishment of a system for measuring the performance of Providers Involvement of providers in problem solving and process improvement. This action implies committing the supplier's personnel to the improvement teams in charge of eliminating the problems that arise with regard to the handling of the inputs and in advising them on the best use of them.Support in the implementation of certified quality to eliminate inspections at the reception Extension of the Total Quality and Certified Quality program to all suppliers Establishment of a just-in-time delivery program

The performance of these and other activities must be developed progressively and in correspondence with the stages of the improvement process towards Total Quality. In other words, they must be properly planned and of course agreed with the provider.

It is important, on the other hand, that the supplier understands the philosophy of the client company and that this in turn studies and understands the philosophy of its suppliers.

In all of this, it is important to bear in mind that the supplier, duly stimulated and supported, can make an irreplaceable contribution of creativity and technological innovation in the supplies of his competition and can work actively to reduce costs continuously. For this reason, a company must share with its suppliers those experiences that are related to the process of improvement towards Total Quality.

CHAPTER IX: BASIC TOOLS FOR PROBLEM RESOLUTION

9.1 DATA COLLECTION SHEET

The Data Collection Sheet also called the Registration, Verification, Check or Collation Sheet. It is used to gather and classify information according to certain categories, by recording and recording their frequencies in the form of data. Once the phenomenon to be studied has been established and the categories that characterize it have been identified, these are recorded on a sheet, indicating the frequency of observation.

The essential thing about the data is that the purpose is clear and that the data reflects the truth. These collection sheets have many functions, but the main one is to make data collection easy and perform it in a way that can be easily used and analyzed automatically.

In general, the data collection sheets have the following functions:

• Distribution of variations in variables of the articles produced (weight, volume, length, size, class, quality, etc.) Classification of defective articles Location of defects in parts Of causes of defects Check verification or maintenance tasks.

Once the reasons for collecting the data have been established, it is important to discuss the following issues:

• The information is quantitative or qualitative. How the data will be collected and in what type of documents it will be done. How the information collected will be used. How it will be analyzed. Who will be in charge of collecting the data. How often it will be analyzed. Where it will take place.

A useful sequence of steps to apply this sheet in a Workshop is as follows:

1. Identify the monitoring element. Example: the number of machine failures. Define the scope of the data to be collected. Following the previous example, the data collection sheet can be used to verify all similar machines Set the periodicity of the data to be collected (hourly, daily, weekly, etc.) Design the format of the data collection sheet, according to the amount of information to be collected, leaving a space to total the data, which allows to know: the start and end dates, the probable interruptions, the person who collects the information, source etc.

It should be noted that this instrument is used both for the identification and analysis of problems and causes.

9.2 PARETO DIAGRAM

It is a tool used to prioritize the problems or the causes that generate them.

The name Pareto was given by Dr. Juran in honor of the Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto (1848-1923) who conducted a study on the distribution of wealth, in which he discovered that the minority of the population owned most of the wealth. wealth and the majority of the population owned the least of the wealth. Dr. Juran applied this concept to quality, obtaining what is now known as the 80/20 rule.

According to this concept, if you have a problem with many causes, we can say that 20% of the causes solve 80% of the problem and 80% of the causes only solve 20% of the problem.

Procedure to develop the Pareto chart

1. Decide the problem to analyze.

Select the problems to be investigated (Example: Defective objects.) - Decide the types of data to analyze and how to classify them (Example: type of defect, location, process, machine, etc.) - Define the data collection method.

1. Design a table to count or verify data, in which the totals are recorded Collect the data and perform the calculation of totals Create a data table for the Pareto chart with the list of items, individual totals, accumulated totals, the percentage composition and the accumulated percentages. Rank the items in order of quantity by filling in the respective table. Draw two vertical axes and one horizontal axis.

Mark on the left vertical axis with a scale from zero to the grand total (number of accumulated items). Then mark the right vertical axis with a scale from 0% to 100%. Then divide the horizontal axis into a number of intervals equal to the number of classified items.

1. Construct a bar graph based on the quantities and percentages of each item. Draw the cumulative curve.

For which you must mark the accumulated values ​​(Accumulated total or accumulated percentage) in the upper part, on the right side of the intervals of each item, and finally connect the points with a continuous line.

1. Write any necessary information about the diagram (title, units, etc.) about the data (time period, total number of data, etc.)

To determine the causes of greater incidence in a problem, a horizontal line is drawn from the right vertical axis, from the point where 80% is indicated to its interception with the accumulated curve. From this point draw a vertical line towards the horizontal axis. The items included between this vertical line and the left axis (of accumulated quantities) constitute the causes whose elimination solves 80%

of the problem.

9.3 THE HISTOGRAM

The histogram illustrates how often related things or events occur. It is used to improve processes and services by identifying patterns of occurrence. It is a very powerful synthesis instrument since a glance is enough to appreciate the trend of a phenomenon.

The histogram is used to:

1. Obtain clear and effective communication of the variability of the system Show the result of a change in the system Identify abnormalities by examining the form Compare the variability with the specification limits.

Elaboration procedure

1. Gather data to locate at least 50 reference points Calculate the variation of the reference points, subtracting the data from the minimum value from the maximum value data Calculate the number of bars to be used in the histogram (one method is to extract the square root of the number of reference points) Determine the width of each bar, dividing the variation by the number of bars to draw Calculate the interval or the location on the X axis of the two vertical lines that serve as borders for each barrier. Build a frequency table that organizes the reference points from the lowest to the highest according to the boundaries established by each bar. Create the respective histogram.

The easiest to understand histograms have no less than 5 bars and no more than 12.

According to the graph obtained, we can see different types of histogram: normal, bimodal, broken teeth or comb, cut and distorted.

9.4 CAUSE / EFFECT DIAGRAM

It is one of the most useful techniques for analyzing the causes of a problem. It is often called a "fishbone diagram" or Ishikawa diagram.

The cause / effect diagram allows defining an effect and classifying the causes and variables of a process. It is an excellent instrument for the analysis of group work and that allows its application to topics such as the study of a case, determination of causes of the failure of an

electrical installation, etc.

It is made up of a rectangle that is located on the right and where the final result (effect or consequence) is written and which is reached by an arrow from the left.

Other dates are arranged like a fish bone on the largest, which is the spine. Oblique lines are represented reflecting the main influencing causes pointing to the main arrow.

Each main oblique arrow has other secondary arrows that indicate sub-causes and, as the analysis has deeper levels, the sub divisions can be expanded. In practice, to develop a cause / effect diagram, the model of the four or six Ms (4M, or 6M), or the 4P, is usually used, depending on the number of elements that can be included in the cause analysis.

Elaboration procedure.

1. Make a clear statement of the effect (problem), supporting data Draw the diagram of the fish skeleton placing the effect (problem) in a box on the right side Identify 3 to 6 major spines Draw the major spines as slanted arrows directed to the main arrow Identify first-level causes related to each major spine Identify second-level cause for each first-level cause Identify third-level causes for each second-level cause, and so on Identify potential root causes that allow you to reach conclusions.

To determine the causes, it must be supported by properly applying the Brainstorming technique.

9.5 DISPERSION DIAGRAM

It is used to study the possible relationships between two variables. For example, the relationship between the thickness and the resistance to breakage of a metal part or between the number of visits and orders obtained by a salesperson, or the number of people in an office and telephone costs, etc.

Scatter diagrams can be:

Positive Correlation

They are characterized because increasing the value of one variable increases that of the other. An example of direct correlation is advertising expenses and orders obtained.

Negative Correlation

Just the opposite happens, that is, when one variable increases, the other decreases. An example is the training given to staff and the reduction of errors that are achieved in the performance of their duties.

Nonlinear Correlation.

There is no dependency relationship between the two variables.

9.6 CONTROL CHART

They are used to study the variation of a process and determine what this variation is due to.

A Control chart is a line graph in which an upper limit (upper control limit) and a lower limit (lower control limit) have been statistically determined on both sides of the mean or center line. The center line reflects the product of the process. The control limits provide statistical signals for management to act, indicating the separation between the common variation and the special variation.

These charts are very useful for studying product properties, process variables, costs, errors, and other administrative data.

A control chart shows:

• Whether a process is under control or not. Indicates results that require explanation. Defines the system's capacity limits, which upon comparison with the specification ones, can determine the next steps in an improvement process.

9.7 ANALYSIS BY STRATIFICATION

This is an instrument that allows us to go from the general to the particular in the analysis of a problem. For example, suppose that a department or section is studying the production defects obtained in three work shifts. The collected data can be represented in a histogram or even taken to a control chart, obtaining a general appreciation, according to what the data reflects in these charts.

More useful information can be obtained by stratifying the defect data that are recorded in each work shift, and thus observe if there are differences from one shift with respect to another. This will serve as the basis for a more in-depth analysis, in the turn where the greatest dispersion of the data is recorded.

Another case can be for example the analysis on absenteeism. Thus, after having known and transferred to a graph the global trend, the most important causes are analyzed to determine their respective specific weight. It may be noted that absenteeism can be stratified by age, sections, work shifts, by day, week, month, year, season, sex, distance from home to work center, hierarchical level, etc. The result obtained will be a series of histograms or other graph, drawn by characteristic, that highlights the problem in each category or particular stratum.

9.8 THE QUALITY ROUTE

The Quality Path is a standard troubleshooting procedure. It is a kind of recount or representation of the activities related to the Quality Control Cycle: Plan, Do, Verify, Act (PHVA). It consists of the following seven steps:

1. Definition of the Problem Recognition of the Characteristics of the Problem (Observation) Search for the main causes (Analysis) Actions to eliminate the causes (Action) Confirmation of the effectiveness of the action (Verification) Permanent elimination of causes (Standardization Review of activities and planning of future work (Conclusions).

The first three steps correspond to the Plan action, the fourth step to the Do action, the fifth step to the Verify action and the sixth step to the Act action, of the Quality Control Circle. With step seven this Circle of Control begins again.

9.8.1 First Step: Defining the Problem.

This is the first step of the standardized troubleshooting procedure or Quality Path. We must begin by defining what we understand by problem.

For our purposes the problem is defined as the undesired result of a job, the deviation from a standard or performance norm, or the deviation from what it should be.

In this sense: the non-satisfaction of the Client, the results that do not agree with the objectives or goals or anything that deviates from the policies, represents problems for an organization.

Analyzing this definition we can see that to define a problem it is first necessary to know what is desirable, what the Client wants, in two words the "must be".

This leads us to recognize the importance of the objectives and the commitment of managers or Senior Management to define the objectives.

It will allow themselves, the Middle Managers, the Supervisors and the Operations to know the direction of the company and thus define their problems.

The activities that must be carried out in this first step are:

1. Knowledge of the guidelines, objectives and goals of the organization or study area Identification of priority problems, comparing the results obtained with the expected. For this you can use histograms, control charts or various charts, as well as the Pareto chart. It is advisable to use a Problem Selection Matrix, a technique that is currently widely used to assess and prioritize problems based on factors such as: importance, frequency, cost, accessibility, among others. Selecting a problem from among all the many problems that have been identified. The choice of this problem must be based on its importance (it must be much more important than any other) and the objective of improvement that is had: quality, availability, safety,the work environment, service environment, etc. Definition of those responsible for solving the problem. It can be a person, a team of people such as an Improvement Team or a Quality Circle. Development of a budget for improvement and a schedule of activities (Gant Chart) that allows us to plan what we want or need based on weather.

9.8.2 Second Step: Recognition of Problem Characteristics (Observation) Activities

1. Analysis and understanding of the problem. The time, place and context where the problem occurs as well as the many points of view must be investigated to discover the variation of the result.At this point, the determination of certain indicators of measurement of the problem is required in order to have an explanation or evidence More objective. Setting a quantitative goal of what is desired, from the previous point. The tools typically used in this step are the Pareto Chart and the Control Chart.

9.8.3 Third Step: Search for the Main Causes (Analysis) Activities

1. Thorough analysis of all the possible causes that may originate the problem, with the participation of all the people involved in the problem. That is to say, what is called the hypothesis of causes is proposed, for which a cause-effect diagram must be made, using the information obtained in the observation. From this Diagram determine the causes that seem to have a high priority of being the main ones. Test the most probable causes (hypothesis of causes), in order to verify and conclude with the determination of the causes that really have an impact on the This sometimes requires new information or new experiments. The tool used to verify the causes is basically the Data Collection Sheet.It is also recommended to apply surveys or other tools within a carefully designed plan.

9.8.4 Step Four: Actions to eliminate the causes (Action) Activities

1. Proposal of alternative solutions to eliminate the causes of the problem. It is necessary to distinguish here the solutions that only constitute immediate remedies from those that actually eliminate the causal factors. The advantages and disadvantages of each alternative designed should be examined, selecting the one that is most convenient. Design of measures for side effects, if necessary.

In addition to the tools presented in this step, the Diagram called "HOW" is usually used to formulate the solution alternatives, then in the Gant Diagram to program the implementation.

9.8.5 Fifth Step: Confirmation of the effectiveness of the action (Verification). Activities

1. Comparison of the results obtained with the implanted solution with those obtained previously, using histograms, line graphs, control charts or any other graph that is useful for this purpose. Measurement of the effect in monetary terms and compare with the desired objective.

This is a typical phase of monitoring the implemented improvements.

9.8.6 Step Six: Permanent elimination of the causes of the problem (Standardization)

Activities

1. Formalization of the new standards that reflect the improvement in manuals of: operation, procedures, specifications of new control limits, etc. Communication of the new standards to all who are involved Training and training of personnel Design of a monitoring system to verify the application of the new standards.

9.8.7 Step Seven: Review of activities and planning of future work (Conclusions).

Activities

1. Review of everything acted on, benefits obtained, experiments carried out, difficulties obtained, degree of participation of the people involved, costs incurred, tools used, etc. Preparation of a list of unsolved problems, including new problems that have arisen.

Definition of the new problem to be solved, and continue indefinitely with the quality improvement process.

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