The Cause of Error, the First Law of Quality, Zero Defects, and You
by David C. Crosby
Many managers in the manufacturing business don't understand quality management or quality control. That's bad. Many managers with a quality management title don't understand quality management or quality control. That's worse. In most companies the quality department spends its time managing defective product rather than preventing defects. That's awful. There is no escape ... lousy quality will kill your company.
Virtually all quality problems are management problems. That is, problems are actually caused by management. In most cases, problems are not caused by something that management does, but by something that management does not do. If a manager recognizes the cause of error and takes action to eliminate that cause... and... if that manager understand the First Law of Quality, a Zero Defects operation is possible.
All errors can be traced to one or more of three basic causes: Attitude, Ability, and Built-in problems. Attitude and Ability are somewhat under the control of management. Built-in problems are totally under management control.
Attitude
An attitude is a way of thinking. It's a habit. employees come to
you with a complete set of attitudes. Some good, some awful; some
you can change, some you can't. The important thing about attitude
is that each employee must have the right attitude about his or her
job and the product -- a quality attitude. New employees should
attend an orientation program to learn about your product and the
quality standards that must be met. They should leave that orientation
with a feeling of pride in their new job.
One point that should be made during the orientation is that we humans have a dual attitude about quality. That is, work done for us must be perfect. Work done by us can have a few mistakes. After all, we're only human. But ... we would not buy a new car with a few defects. We would not excuse the dentist for drilling the wrong tooth, etc., etc.
Ability
Before you hire someone, they should demonstrate the skill you need.
If you send someone off for training, they should demonstrate their
new skill. If someone does not know how to do the job right each and
every time, you must train them.
Built-In Problems
Almost every process has a built-in problem or two that will cause
a defect or give the operator a bad time. You may not know about your
built-in problems, but your employees do. They wrestle with them every
day, and they think that's the way you want it. You must find and
fix each problem. How do you find them? Ask your employees, "What
prevents you from doing your job right every time? Tell me and I will
fix it." Make it interesting and fun, "Get the bugs out of
your job." One warning: if you are not going to fix the problems,
don't ask.
This law determines the level of quality you will produce. Quality can range from awful to perfect: This law is the reason you now receive the level of quality that you do. Here it is:
We're talking about your Performance Standard How often should each job meet the quality standards? How often should each job be done right. If you accept 5% defective, that's what you will get. Your people know exactly what you will put up with.
Your Performance Standard
What is your performance standard? Can you state it clearly and
precisely so everyone understands? Your Performance Standard should
be Zero Defect. No mistakes, no errors, no goofs. If the quality standard
calls for three thousands, plus or minus a half, every part must meet
that standard. If it doesn't, you must take corrective action ...
attitude, ability, built- in problems. You must be certain that each
employee understands that Zero Defects is the company Performance
Standard. You can't say Zero Defects and do something else, or the
First Law of Quality will bite you.
If you are the head of the company, every manager of every department must understand that your performance Standard is Zero Defects. Accounting, Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, and the rest. They must adopt the Zero Defects Performance Standard and communicate that standard to each and every employee.
Improve the attitude and ability of each employee, get rid of the built-in problems and make your personal Performance Standard Zero Defects.
About Dave Crosby: Dave is president of The Crosby Company in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. He founded the company in 1981 to market consulting services and computer software for quality management. Starting his quality career in 1958 as a tester, he has worked at just about every job in the quality profession. He served as Corporate Director of Quality for RCA, and held similar positions with General Instruments, Interpace, and Portec. He was awarded the Outstanding Civilian Service Medal by General W. C. Westmoreland for his contribution to the U.S. Army Zero Defects program. His most recent book is NBS Quality -- How To Reach Zero Defects Without all that BS!
Finishers' Management, February 1996