The quality indicators They are the tools and systems that a company has to measure the functioning of its processes. Although historically they have been quantitative, little by little new models appear that consider other more qualitative factors, such as competitiveness or consumer satisfaction..
However, these models must be quantifiable in order to be measured and compared. To understand the indicators, you must first see how they are used. In every organization there must be a quality management system, which ensures the quality of the company and is responsible for the administration of its controls.
Those in charge of making this system to measure quality have to design the different quality indicators, in order to carry out an exhaustive control of it. Thus, the product or service can reach customer expectations..
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According to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), a correct quality management system must have certain characteristics, included in the ISO 9001 Standard. Some of these characteristics are the following:
- They indicate a key and relevant activity. They have to be measurable.
- They are generally quantitative, although little by little there are more qualitative indicators.
- They must be able to be compared in time.
- They have to be reliable.
- They must be easy to use.
- They must be compatible with the other indicators, in order to be able to compare them.
- They have to be concrete and not lead to misinterpretations.
If we define the word quality in a generic way, it would be the group of characteristics that make an object satisfy a specific need.
In the business case, the idea that the customer has of the service or product is very important, depending on how he has satisfied the customer's need..
Therefore, it is very important to continuously monitor the company's products and services, in order to minimize errors and be able to provide the best product or service to customers..
The quality indicators serve to measure the different criteria that are considered appropriate, depending on which process you want to evaluate. For this, the following controls must be defined:
The plan defined by the company to measure quality must be very detailed and aligned with the objectives of the company. Several elements must be defined in this plan:
- The processes and systems to be measured to achieve error-free products.
- The characteristics that the product or service must have in order to guarantee its quality.
- The team of people who will correctly measure and verify the products and services.
- How the data will be collected, so that later changes and corrections can be made.
- The necessary training for workers to carry out inspections.
- Tests to verify that the product is of quality and has no faults.
Product verification can be done in three phases:
- Inspecting the incoming materials process.
- Inspecting the process during its development.
- Checking the finished products.
Finally, to achieve a successful evaluation it is necessary to apply a series of activities that will facilitate control:
Having an up-to-date inventory will make it easier to calculate many of the product indicators..
Calibration is used to compare the different qualities with a reference standard (or standard).
Having planned review and maintenance periods for material resources and products will ensure that there is a regular evaluation.
When selecting the most appropriate indicators for a process, the first thing to know is that they should be implemented in the processes that are most influential in the quality of the final product, in those that are most important for results or in those that are most weakened and below quality standard.
As for the quantity, there is no stipulated minimum or maximum number, so it is recommended to carry out those that are necessary to get a global idea of the process.
Other recommendations are:
- Take into account the opinion of the company's experts on the process, so that they determine how appropriate the chosen indicators are.
- Use indicators that are easy to understand.
- Place them in visible places, in order to motivate workers to reach them.
There are infinite indicators, below we will mention those that are very common in most organizations: market coverage, product effectiveness, sales level, customer satisfaction and competitiveness..
Coverage is defined as the amount of products available in relation to total market demand.
This indicator measures whether the customer has covered their need with the product. For this, subsequent evaluations must be implemented and obtained feedback the client's.
Sales are a mandatory indicator when measuring the quality of a product, so they are essential, as well as being easy to measure.
Here you should measure how satisfied the customer has been after the purchase. That is, if you have fully met your expectations or if, on the contrary, you have been disappointed.
To measure this, as well as for effectiveness, it is essential to conduct customer surveys, in order to generate feedback on your part and improve the process in question.
Measuring how competitive an organization is, how it stands in relation to its competitors and how it responds to market demand are issues to take into account when measuring quality.
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