The ASQ Global State of Quality

SPOTLIGHT REPORT

Quality Training and Competencies

People, process, and technologythese are the three components of any work that gets done in an organization. The characteristics of these three components individually as well as the interaction between them, is what defines the success of that work. While process and technology are obviously critical, people are often the focus of any significant change or improvement effort. For many organizations that have evolved the quality management system from being simply compliance-driven to one that is focused on creating customer value, a large part of the success was attributed to the people having the required competencies to meet or exceed performance expectations. According to The ASQ Global State of Quality Research: Discoveries 2013, there is a wide range of practices related to quality training and competency development that organizations can utilize to support the continuous improvement of the quality process itself.

Five interviews were conducted to gather more detailed information from organizations that completed the Global State of Quality Research and showed high levels of maturity in terms of how quality training and competency are implemented and deployed throughout the orga-nization. Of these practices, there are two that all five interviewed organizations share:

1. Quality training is provided to all staff. This does not mean that the same type of training is provided to everyone, but specific quality training to support specific competencies is. Figure 1 supports the notion that as the use of the quality process matures (moving

from compliance to strategic asset) the more likely the

organization is to provide quality training to all staff.

2. Quality metrics are linked to quality training courses

to make a stronger correlation between training and

quality performance.

Quality Training and Competency Practices

At Huawei, there are specific competency models and

qualifications for each job role and level within the

role for quality professionals. To earn a promotion, an

employee must show they are meeting the competency

requirements for quality, according to Lokendra

Kulshrestha, head of operations and quality. Similar

programs exist at John Deere, Navegao Aliana,

Mrdter Metall, and Sundyne.

Hans-Peter Pichler, management system manager at

Mrdter Metall said, There is a detailed job description

with specific competencies for every person that will be

working on quality-related activities. The competency

model provides the foundation for competence metrics

specific to the employees role and function, which are

then written into the employees goal and development

plan(s). All the interviewees made it very clear that the

job description, competency model, and performance

plan must all exist and be integrated to maximize the

potential impact on the quality system.

Figure 1: Percentage of organizations that provide quality-related training to all staff

20%15%

28%23%

46%

a compliance activity

a mitigation activity

a tool to fix problems/issues

a proactive continuous

improvement activity

a strategic asset and competitive

differentiator

The quality process is mainly ...

n=2,183

S p o t l i g h t R e p o r t | 2

Along with ensuring competency for staff performing

specific quality-related work, more generalized quality

training opportunities are provided to a wide range of

employees, both internal and external (organizations

using the quality process as a strategic asset are 2.5

times more likely to provide quality training to suppliers).

At Sundyne, Michael Wright, the quality assurance

manager, explained, All employees are required to

have a basic understanding of the quality management

system. The continuous improvement program requires

every employee to complete basic training on core

problem-solving tools and quality terms. All staff

members are provided basic quality training as part of

the new-hire onboarding process. On an annual basis,

Navegao Aliana identifies training needs through

its survey of training needs (STN). This survey pinpoints

areas of development for employees and focuses on

the continuous learning of the workforce. As employees

move through their assigned training programs, they

are asked to report back to continually improve the

courses. Specifically related to quality training, according

to quality supervisor Quelen Fraga, the organization,

seeks to disseminate as much information as possible.

Therefore, the whole company received training on

dynamics and communication.

At John Deere, according to Robert Gull, senior quality

analyst, training is established as part of the annual

performance review process. Employees meet with a

manager and discuss gaps, goals, and five-year plans.

Based on that discussion, a competency development

road map is established and the employee may decide to do job shadows, classroom training, or work with a subject matter expert (SME). The development efforts are individualized to meet both the organizations broader needs and employees own development road map. Various types of quality training, linked with the road map, are provided approximately each quarter. Providing ongoing training emphasizes the organizations commitment to keeping employees informed and up to date. This has been one area that is without cutbacks. We have a strong focus on training and development of employees and havent made any cutbacks, Gull said.

Providing a wide range of opportunities for quality skill development also can be seen in organizations that have a more mature view or use of the quality process within the organization. Figure 2 shows the percentage of organizationsby the main use of the quality processthat provide three advanced types of quality-related training to employees. The graph clearly shows that as the main use of the quality process moves from compliance-driven to a strategic asset, the percentage of organizations providing this training also increases. In addition, the interviewed organizations incorporate this quality-specific training with a large, more balanced set of performance excellence training. These may include: leadership development, communication and collaboration, safety, customer experience, and process management.

In short, these five interviewed organizations embed quality into almost all training, at all levels, for all employees. They are striving to tightly integrate quality

Figure 2: Percentage of organizations that provide each type of quality competency/training to quality-specific staff

50%

a compliance activity

a mitigation activity

a tool to fix problems/issues

a proactive continuous

improvement activity

a strategic asset and competitive

differentiator

The quality process is mainly ...

n=2,183

Analyze quality metric data for trends and potential issues.

Use quality metrics to strengthen decision making throughout your organization.

Identify areas of opportunity for performance improvement using quality metrics.

45%58%

68%77%

32% 36% 38%52%

76%

46% 44%60%

77%84%

The ASQ Global State of Quality

SPOTLIGHT REPORT 1:

Quality Governance and Management

Contact Information for ASQ and APQC:

Laurel Nelson-Rowe, CQIA Managing Director, ASQlnelson-rowe@asq.org

Travis Colton, CMQ/OESenior Consultant, APQCtcolton@apqc.org

training into all aspects of employee development, and actually measure how quality competency development can impact operational performance. For example, at Huawei, impact is measured through five different methods:

1. Business transformation through benefits realized after successful implementation in terms of speed of execution

2. Risk reduction and process compliance

3. Continuous improvement through cost savings and people certified

4. Customer satisfaction via a lead through competi-tion score

5. Quality certification through compliance and noncompliance

For the interviewed organizations, supporting people is a critical success factor to the implementation of the quality management system as a whole. Training is provided to a wide range of employees; quality competency is linked to job profiles, organizational need, employee goals, and performance metrics; and advanced quality skills are taught to those directly involved in the quality process. Through the development of people, these organizations have created a mature culture of quality, where decisions are made using quality data and tools to ensure quality performance.

For more information about the ASQ Global State of Quality Research, visit globalstateofquality.org.