Off-the-shelf, canned, "just add water" quality solutions cannot generate the level of human commitment within the organization needed to succeed.This quote is by Peters and Austin and appears in their book A Passion for Excellence: The Leadership Difference published by Warner Books in 1986. After placing this quote in my signature file, it occurred to me that just placing this quote there might not work well since the quote is not given in a sufficiently supporting context.
On reflection, I found this quote to be very appropriate of the stage of quality improvement we are now in. To many of you I am sure that ISO 9000 is of the nature of a "Off-the-shelf, canned quality solution" and I thought it would be worthwhile to present my thoughts on this idea.
When I was asked to head up the company's implementation of a quality program, I already had an interest in the software development process. I had been reading books and articles about "how software was done". There were many prescriptive documents that told me "how software was done". Funny thing was, they didn't agree. The best known of these methods is the SEI Capability Maturity Model which is documented in about 500 pages. My hopes for a consensus or easy solution were destroyed.
Then, I went to a seminar given by the University of Massachusetts Small Business Development Council on ISO 9000. (This same seminar is being given again next month.) This seminar was like a revelation. I realized that quality is not about using a particular method or following some canned program. Quality is about commitment and communication. These are the foundation of ISO 9000. First, the organization must make the commitment to improve and become the best that it can be. Then, the organization must communicate the information that every one needs so that they can fulfill their commitment.
The beauty of ISO 9000 is that each company (and group within a company) is free to decide for themselves how best to achieve quality. The company and its employees can implement a system that fits into their culture and works for them. They don't have to follow IBM's, HP's, or Microsoft's program. All that ISO 9000 requires is that certain requirements be met. Basically, these requirements simply insure that both the company and outsiders can satisfy themselves that the company truly has a quality system that is working.
Because the quality system must be "from the employees", there is another problem that may occur. As long as the employees think the quality program is an "off-the-shelf, caned" system, something that others implement, not much progress will be made in improving quality.
Please take a minute to think about what affects the quality of what you do and what you would like to do to improve that quality. Then, review the procedures that are on-line to see if they match what you do and what you think should be done. If they don't satisfy you, do something to change it. An ISO 9000 organization must adhere to its documented procedures. These procedures are your power to make that improvement.
Peters and Austin, A Passion for Excellance: The Leadership Difference, Warner Books, 1986.