Quality objectives iso 9001

Introduction

Through my consulting and auditing career I have been collecting "the best and the
worst" samples of management systems and QMS documentation. Among those
collectibles, here are a few examples of the worst documented quality objectives that I
have seen thus far:

• "...to deliver exceptional values through trust of the people around the world"
• "...conduct business better, simpler, faster"
• "...quality is paramount and all our employees are committed to quality"

Regretfully, these "quality objectives" are straight from the documentation of some of the
organizations and professionals with whom I have worked. How companies could
measure performance against such "objectives" is anybody's guess. I may be overly
sensitive to vague and uncertain goals because I've had several bad experiences with such
"objectives" in the past. When I grew up in the former Soviet Union, day and night Soviet
propaganda tried to fool us. They would say that everything was getting better and better,
while we all knew that it was not true. Since then, I have been unable to figure out how
one could say that something is getting better or worse--or even exists--when there is
nothing to compare this "something" with.

The interesting "objectives" quoted above resemble dreams, not objectives. There is
nothing wrong with having dreams. Often measurable accomplishments start from
dreams. These dreams might include making a computer user interface more intuitive,
engineering a care that requires less fuel, automating documentation systems, etc. The
problem is that many organizations stop at dreams and don't make quantifiable progress
that is significant for employees, stakeholders and other parties.

If we agree that starting from a dream is a good beginning, let's see how we can translate
a dream into a measurable objective. Element 5.2 of the ISO 9001 standards, among
others, requires "...enhancing customer satisfaction..". Committing to such a program in
the QMS documentation is a good idea because the standard requires it and because-
obviously-satisfied customers are the customers that continue paying the bills. However,
it's not good enough to simply state this dream within the quality objectives
documentation because "customer satisfaction" cannot be accurately measured. I worked
with companies for example that established their customer satisfaction targets to 87, 97
or whatever percent. What those percentages meant-my apologies-I have no idea. Simply
speaking, even collecting satisfaction surveys can be far too subjective. If a customer
marks 87 today, she can mark 76 tomorrow.
Fortunately, there is an alternative way to translate customer satisfaction objectives into
"measurable specifics." Since we all are "professional" customers we can confidently say
that to make a customer happy, one needs very little. Simply give your customers:

• What they asked for,

• When they want, and
• Give it to them for the price they believe is honest.

These qualifications are more specific and may in summary represent a meaningful base
for measuring customer satisfaction.

Quantifying Quality Objectives

If we agree that the three objectives above leading to customer satisfaction are a good
start, let's see how we can quantify them.

• "Give them what they asked for" may be quantified by identifying the number of
product returns with the reason for return labeled as "wrong part" or anything
similar.
• "When they want it" may be measured through variance between actual delivery
date and the target, or requested delivery date.
• "The price they believe is honest" may be expressed as variance between our price
and the average of compatible products. This data can be obtained through
periodic competitive price surveys.

Responsibility: Anybody Could Have Done It...

Now that we have developed a list of quality objectives and know how to measure them,
we should consider perhaps the most important attribute of any task: accountability.
Remember the story about those three guys, Everybody, Anybody and Nobody? When
hell broke loose and Everybody knew what needed to be done, Anybody could have done
it, but Nobody did.

The moral of the story is simple: if you need to get something done, make a particular
person, not a committee or a function responsible for it. When something needs to be
accomplished it shouldn't be handed over to "collective responsibility." Since every
company wants to achieve its objectives and goals, every company can start by assigning
specific responsibilities to specific employees, depending on their expertise and authority
within the organization. For example, the most appropriate person to oversee and report
delivery accuracy is most likely the Shipping Manager. The most appropriate person to
report on customer retention is the Customer Service Manager; the most appropriate
person to report on pricing would be the VP of Marketing, etc.

Review Frequencies
Now that we have identified our objectives and associated responsibilities, we need to
define practical frequencies for the review of each objective. These reviews, or
performance appraisals, are usually conducted by management or delegated to lower
tactical forums. Top level management reviews are conducted monthly, quarterly or
annually, while tactical reviews on departmental levels may be conducted daily, weekly,
monthly or quarterly.

Setting Practical Quality Goals

There is a saying: "Be careful what you wish for - you just may get it!" If this is true and
we wished we could deliver our products to our customers all the time and every time it
could come true! Unfortunately, this wisdom is not for everybody. Some time ago I
worked with a company that took an opposite approach. When I interviewed the Order
Processing Manager and examined their records, I learned that their delivery accuracy
was somewhere around 60 percent with delays of up to 30 days.

What are your goals in improving delivery?" I asked.

"Reach 80 percent," the manager replied. "How often do your customers want shipments
on time?" I asked.

"All the time," she replied.

"Why is your goal not 100 percent then?" I asked. "It will de-motivate employees to miss
the goal most of the time," she answered.

It was very thoughtful of the manager and the entire organization to be concerned with
their employees' moral and motivation but contradictory to the company's policy to "meet
or exceed customer expectations." Do we stop aiming at the center of the target when
we're shooting darts even if we do not hit the center every time? Sometimes I wonder
why some organizations apply different standards to their employers, service providers
and suppliers than to themselves... Wouldn't it be fair to try to be 100 percent on time
when we deliver products when we ourselves expect our employer to be on time with our
monthly or bimonthly paychecks?

Afterward

By using the simple approaches addressed in this paper, you may develop a powerful
quality management tool that will allow your business to assess its performance
characteristics based on data and not feelings. As a matter of fact, my most successful
clients developed and started using full-blown Balanced Scorecards to manage their
quality, business and other objectives. Such scorecards may include financial, quality,
environmental, process realization and other business systems.

As an old Chinese saying goes, a three-year journey starts from the first step. I hope this
information helps other professionals realize how measurable objectives, their target
values and their periodic reviews will lead their companies to achieve their business
goals. Aim high, do not be afraid of missing targets (sometimes) and good luck in
reaching your measurable quality objectives and goals.

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