"Quality is not responsible for quality" - a statement that turns heads and disrupts traditional assumptions. This powerful phrase highlights that quality management isn't solely owned by a designated department but should be a shared responsibility throughout the entire organization.
In this first episode of our two-part series on embedded quality, we delved into the evolution of quality management, from the classic principles of Total Quality Management (TQM) to the emerging Quality 4.0 concept. For this engaging session, we invited Quality/Product Integrity Expert John Blankensop to share his experience. John explained why traditional models are no longer enough and how aligning leadership, strategy, and process is essential for true organizational excellence.
This article is a summary of the webinar's key topics. To replay the entire session and gain immediate access to the practical tips shared, please sign up here.
The shift to Embedded Quality (or 'Big Q' as our guest speaker often refers to it) transforms organizations fundamentally. This evolution extends beyond processes to reshape mindsets and redefine organizational culture at its core. Embedding quality relies on 6 success factors, also the common areas where many organizations fail in their quality management implementation:
Watch the full webinar to better understand why these success factors are crucial and how they are connected to each other.
The first success factor of creating alignment also looks at alignment between stakeholders. Gaining executive support is essential for a successful transition. Leadership must recognize quality management as a strategic necessity that directly supports business objectives. Only then it can evolve from a reactive approach and its limited focus on managing results.
"The first step is awareness, communication and training. You have to start with helping leadership understand this idea of Big Q Quality Management. And you can't assume that if they've risen to a position of top leadership within an organization that they really understand quality management because in most cases they don't.''
With an experience of more than 40 years in quality, John Blankensop shared the importance of embedding quality and making a compelling business case.
"In all my years of doing this, I have never met a business leader who wants to purposely tank quality in their organization. But I have met several leaders who are absolutely clueless about what quality management is. While many say leaders only listen to the language of dollars and cents-and eventually you do need to help them understand the Big Q cost of quality dynamic-I believe before talking finances, you need to introduce them to the ideas of Big Q quality. Only then can you effectively present the value proposition: that we could literally reduce our total cost of quality by 50% if we shifted from being a reactive organization to a proactive and preventive one."
When addressing quality management integration, John used a powerful analogy: quality management is not simply a swim lane, it's the entire swimming pool. This perspective fundamentally changes organizational approach, revealing six distinct swim lanes: organizational quality management (leadership processes), customer requirements management, product/service design quality, supplier quality management, production process quality, and customer satisfaction/support. Each lane progresses through quality planning, control, and improvement phases, creating 18 interconnection points where specific processes and ISO 9001 requirements can be systematically integrated.
Additionally, each swim lane requires its own dedicated "swimmer", a process owner such as a VP of Supply Chain who assumes responsibility for quality management within their domain. Meanwhile, the quality organization provides support throughout the entire system rather than owning it. This matrix approach shifts ownership appropriately throughout the organization, reinforcing that "quality is not responsible for quality."
To illustrate this analogy, John also gave some real-life examples of how a proactive approach to quality management can drive organizational excellence and long-term success.
The webinar concluded with more examples, parallels between the embedded quality approach and how organizations would handle situations if quality would not be integrated, as well as answering questions from the live audience. Watch the session in full here.
The second part of our series explores technology's critical role as an enabler of embedded quality. Join us as we discuss the role and impact of digital tools and highlight how these can strengthen your quality transformation journey. You can register for free and share your questions, recommendations, or suggestions on topics you'd like us to cover. We're excited to build a community and grow together in quality management!