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mental certification,for example,now applies to about
<br /> ,a! 1 I II' li 0 0 #i.:,—•4tli 1 60,000 U.S.companies,up from a few hundred a decade
<br /> v E 1 € before,says Doug Older,owner of Techlogic,a quality
<br /> I "III. M 11 CI II., t consulting firm based in Isle,Minn. Quality Magazine
<br /> reports that businesses will spend 10 percent more in 2004
<br /> on quality testing equipment,software,and services than
<br /> - = .; #.;.1 : ! „ 1,„0 • , - , --. - - ,a '`' they did in 2003.The magazine also notes that the rise
<br /> i : ,, , ,.ti comes on the heels of a 14 percent increase over 2002.
<br /> { ' 1; �; 1 One reason why:international competition,which is
<br /> ' j. :.""h**46 ", .. spurring more companies to earn quality certifications.
<br /> 1k,,‘1.4.0100r, Currently,ISO certification in other countries far out-
<br /> ' i r ' :; �� paces that in the United States. "Unless a company is
<br /> , geared to that global mentality,it's going to be left behind,"
<br /> �� 1 .i -� 1 ' ' '- Older says. "Quality demands are going to keep going
<br /> y;' 11' . ,€ up;they're never going to be lower.• "
<br /> t How do you know if your company would benefit
<br /> . iititiowOMMONSOOMMINOWommimittoo
<br /> t.• 1 1 from a quality management system,and which one should
<br /> 1 you choose?That's where it pays to do some homework.
<br /> BEHIND THE LETTERS
<br /> ;1' ' What do systems such as ISO 9000,TS 16949,QS 9000,Six
<br /> Sigma,and Malcolm Baldrige have in common?They're
<br /> , t ' , i
<br /> # all tools for helping companies get organized and track
<br /> C ! j and control businesses processes and their outcomes.
<br /> ' I 1 i
<br /> Ik § "Most companies have 50 percent of[a quality program]
<br /> �.: N.
<br /> °: _` in place and they just don't know it,"says Anne Ochs,
<br /> r ' , - principal of Quest Analytical,an Edina-based quality spe-
<br /> I
<br /> \ , I ' cialty firm. "A lot of manufacturing training and pro-
<br /> -, duction is by word of mouth Joe teaches Sam,who teach-
<br /> r ,\ es Alice,and the original process gets lost as each person
<br /> l changes it or misses a step."
<br /> w, Ochs adds that quality program implementation forces
<br /> I",••• '"4.. companies to identify the good 50 percent,as well as the
<br /> other half that's missing,by systematically constructing,
<br /> following,and reviewing a business operation plan.It
<br /> \' P
<br /> requires the input of company employees in codifying
<br /> production and workflow standards so that everyone
<br /> .4. 0 agrees on best practices."Once you've defined your
<br /> processes and you've controlled them, then you can
<br /> improve them,"she explains."Until you've defined and
<br /> started to measure them,it's hard to realistically improve."
<br /> VI," The good news is that by following one of these proven
<br /> F \ t•c
<br /> t systems,you don't have to reinvent the wheel—you can
<br /> °' merely adapt a system that works with your own busi-
<br /> fc ness model.Choosing one system over another depends
<br /> on such factors as a company's industry affiliation and
<br /> regulations,business goals,customers,and size,but the
<br /> '., ; 1 -I underlying principles of following and reviewing clear
<br /> ® -. business plans and procedures,are much the same.
<br /> ISO 9000:A SOLID FOUNDATION
<br /> That said,many consultants and companies advise start-
<br /> ing
<br /> with an ISO 9000 system as a foundation.The Inter-
<br /> national Organization for Standardization(ISO),a Gene-
<br /> va,Switzerland-based nongovernmental network of the
<br /> national standards institutes of 147 countries,is responsible
<br /> for the largest body of quality management standards.
<br /> WINTER 2004 I MINNESOTA TECHNOLOGY 11
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