What keeps Quality Managers Awake At Night?

We recently asked some Quality Managers – what keeps them awake at night?  Overall, at the top of the list for Quality Managers is the responsibility for performance improvement – improving the quality and the systems and processes that deliver them and all the resources that support these processes.  That’s a very far-reaching responsibility that encompasses a variety of other factors like risk, corporate culture, employee impact, customer requirements and suppliers.  In every organization, there are times when there are glitches in the system.  We’ve identified some of the top issues that may concern a QM enough to keep him/her up at night, or even cause a nightmare or two. 

1. Recurring quality issues and product defects even total production shutdown (now that’s a nightmare!)
2. Convincing top management to integrate the Quality Management System (QMS) as a Business Management System and make the QMS part of the business’ strategic direction.
3. Unhappy customers – not meeting or exceeding customer expectations.
4. Keeping up with ever changing customer requirements as well as local, state and federal regulations.
5. Establishing and maintaining a customer-focused culture – from leadership down to temporary workers.
6. Implementing or transitioning to a new quality standard – where to even start?
7. How to reduce waste and increase efficiency?  Making sure the company is working as effectively as possible to keep up with competitors.
8. Unmitigated risks – have risks and preventative actions been adequately addressed from beginning to end?
9. No process ownership or accountability – processes defined by department managers and staff and then not following them.
10. Not ready or prepared for the certification audit (and what happens if there are findings or non-conformances?)
11. Not enough time or qualified resources to perform internal audits.

If any of these are keeping you awake at night, remember, you’re not alone and there are consulting companies, like simpleQuE that can help.  We listen, observe and assess to provide simple and effective solutions…and hopefully, a more restful night’s sleep.