QUALITYWORLD J A N U A RY 2 0 1 2 w w w. t h e c q i .

o r g

JANUARY 2012

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GRASS RootS to GReen ShootS Where is the Quality Profession today?

Contents
January 2012 | Volume 38 | Issue 1
Cover istockphoto

Regulars
02 Editorial 04 News Reactions to the Lfstedt report and quality of care tops the national healthcare agenda 08 CQI Conference Highlights from the day 10 Letters Your views 12 Soapbox Mike James examines far-reaching changes to ISO 9001 14 Policy Simon Feary on the importance of forward planning 16 Standards Sue Brand on the importance of quality in residential care homes 18 The Lifelines Interview Howard Kendall on his journey to becoming a customer services expert 44 CQI Members Area Member of the month and CQI news 46 Focus On Retail 47 Helpdesk How important is whistleblowing to quality? 48 Tools of the Trade How to network effectively for career success 50 Resources Book reviews, useful websites and top tips 52 Careers How to make the move into a career in quality 56 Back Chat Changes to European energy management standards and footballer Maradona embraces quality

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Features
20 26 Analysis: Cover story | Paul Simpson looks back at the origins of the quality profession to ask whether it is still relevant today Insight | The North London Gas Alliance of National Grid and Skanska discuss the customer service improvement tools at the heart of their organizations Systems | Robert Gibson investigates the best techniques for engaging staff in quality Technical | David Hutchins explores the different ways quality professionals can keep up-to-date People | QW speaks to three quality consultants about the methods which help them survive in the freelance world

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Editorial
Guy Goodwin
A happy New Year to you from all at the CQI. Not for the first time in recent years, that exhausted phrase has real meaning for us here in the UK. Lets face it, 2011 wasnt great for UK plc. Unless your surname was Middleton and you had quite a big do in April, there really wasnt much to commend it, what with gadget-looting rioters, kamikaze euros and growth rates as impressive as a Mexican cactus. As the gloomy months drew to a close there were even predictions aplenty that it was only going to get worse and worse in 2012. One commentator (Have I Got News For You), looking towards the impending new year, humorously remarked that what such a limping, debt-ridden country needed was a bankruptcy-inducing sports event! Cue much audience laughter. But, sarcasm aside, maybe it is? Maybe the two Olympic Games are just what we need to raise a national smile and to get us motivated again. Maybe the two With no get-out clause or Olympic Games are options for government U-turns, just what we need the money will be spent, the to raise a national infrastructure in place and well smile and to get us have no choice but to get on motivated again with the show, no matter what is happening offstage and no matter how over budget the Games finally become (see page 7). The parallel Im trying to get at is with quality. In times of economic difficulty, quality is more important than ever. Its how we move forward, improve, innovate and survive. But is that how the profession is perceived or is quality taking a back seat? This January issue looks at the development of the profession and offers insight into the quality career today, with inspiring examples of best practice and industry know-how. In our cover story, QWs new editorial chair, Paul Simpson, delves into the history of quality and asks what we can learn from the past. I hope all our readers learn something of value from these pages.
The views expressed in QW are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the CQI. The advertising of courses, events, products and services in this publication does not imply that they have CQI endorsement. Reproduction of QW in whole or part without permission is strictly prohibited. Qualityworld t: +44 (0)20 7245 6676 F: +44 (0)20 7245 6788 E: editorial@thecqi.org twitter: @Qualityworld Editorial Editor Guy Goodwin Senior journalist robert Gibson Editorial assistant Ozge Ibrahim Senior designer ricky Elizabeth Editorial adviSory panEl Catherine Bithell, Vince Desmond, Carol Long, Stephen Munden, Paul Simpson, rose Viggiani, Jim Wade advErtiSing Tom Culley redactive Media Group 17 Britton Street London EC1M 5TP T: +44 (0)20 7880 6205 E: tom.culley@redactive.co.uk SubScriptionS t: +44 (0)20 7245 6686 E: info@thecqi.org 12-month subscription fees uK: 72 Europe: 92 rOW: 110 Qualityworld is published by the Chartered Quality Institute 2nd Floor north, Chancery Exchange, 10 Furnival Street London EC4a 1aB T: +44 (0)20 7245 6722 F: +44 (0)20 7245 6788 E: info@thecqi.org www.thecqi.org

Print and distribution by Warners Midlands Plc, www.warners.co.uk ISSn 13528769. Vol 38, issue 1. Circulation 1 January to 31 December 2010. anC: 10,115

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News
editorial@thecqi.org
HEALTH

Quality of care tops national health agenda

Ozge Ibrahim NHS hospitals and doctors will be judged against 60 goals which will assess the quality of care, in a move designed to save thousands of lives. The health secretary, Andrew Lansley, unveiled the new system to assess success in the healthcare service, based on the quality of care that patients receive, not just the speed of treatment offered. The goals will replace the previous system of targets, brought in under the Labour Government, and will be used to define overall success in the NHS. The benchmarks include a commitment to preventing unnecessary early deaths, a pledge to enhance the quality of life for people
HEALTH AND SAFETY

with long-term conditions and a drive to ensure positive experiences for patients when using the NHS. Patient surveys will be used to measure the quality of care. Lansley

Benchmarks include a commitment to preventing unnecessary early deaths

said patients will be asked: Was the service and experience you had good or not? Of bereaved relatives, he said: We will ask them, after a suitable passage of time, what was their loved ones experience of care and how well were they looked after towards the end of life?

Children will also be surveyed about their experiences for the first time, to measure their individual experiences of care. The framework is also designed to improve maternity services, increase the number of people who can access an NHS dentist and help older people to recover independence after illness. In other news, ministers announced that privately run nursing homes could be forced to open their accounts to government inspectors, in a move to help prevent a repeat of the collapse of care home company Southern Cross. Lansley said that plans are being considered for new regulations that would provide much greater transparency about the financial security of providers.

Review is healthy for business

Robert Gibson A review of health and safety legislation which aims to reduce the burden on businesses has been published. Reclaiming health and safety for all: An independent review of health and safety regulation, was commissioned by the Government and chaired by leading risk management specialist, Professor Lfstedt. Published in November, it made a series of recommendations aimed at simplifying health and safety legislation and reducing the burden on businesses. These included: proposals to exempt from health and safety law self-employed people whose work activities pose no potential risk of harm to others; giving the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) responsibility for directing all local authority health and safety and enforcement activity; and that the HSE commissions research on consolidating core health and safety regulations to provide clarity and savings for business. Chris Grayling, secretary of state for the Department of Work and Pensions, said: Professor Lfstedts report is an important step in the Governments ongoing efforts to put common sense back into health and safety. But changing the health and safety culture for good will take a sustained effort from all of us. The Government has committed to working quickly to ensure that the reports recommendations are implemented. On 24 January 2012, the CQI, together with the IIRSM, will be hosting a breakfast panel event at which the review panel chair, Professor Lfstedt, will speak alongside other panel representatives including Sarah Veale, head of equality and employment rights for the TUC, Neil Carberry, director of employment affairs at the CBI, and Andrew Miller, MP. Places are limited at this free-toattend event. For more information or to register, please email: training@thecqi.org

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 Innovation

The worlds first paper bottle of wine has been developed by an environmentally friendly packaging company, GreenBottle. The bottle works by combining a paper outer with a thin plastic lining to keep the wine fresh. The company is in talks with supermarkets and wine producers to make it available in the UK this year.

News iN brief
Innovation funds for all The new chairman of the Governments innovation funding agency said it must work to change a perception that it only favours large businesses. Phil Smith, CEO of Cisco in the UK and Ireland, said the Technology Strategy Board needs to do a better job of communicating broadly, adding that smaller companies who have been helped by research have remained hidden.

MoD vows to tighten processes after spending 564m on consultants

Robert Gibson An internal audit at the Ministry of Defence (MoD) exposed exorbitant levels of funding control which led to nearly 600m of its equipment budget being spent on outside specialists and consultants. Figures obtained by The Guardian under the Freedom of Information Act, show that since 2009 the MoD spent 564m buying in technical support for teams running the departments biggest engineering and procurement project. The audit report highlighted a catalogue of flaws in the way defence contracts were awarded in breach of government guidelines. It warned that control of the MoDs funds appeared to be poorly developed or non-existent and that contracts were not adequately scrutinized before being approved. The report said that officials made little effort to ensure that contracts provided value for money. In 75% of cases, contracts were awarded without any competition. In 2006, the MoD spent 6m on technical support, before a new, less stringent system was introduced in April 2009 for handing out contracts to third parties. The spending has increased dramatically since the introduction of the Framework Agreement for Technical Support (FATS), which allows senior defence staff to hire outside help without seeking authorization from a minister. The MoDs audit report said: There were significant weaknesses identified in the submission of business cases to the FATS team for scrutiny and approval, prior to replacing a contract. An MoD spokesman said: As a result of that report we are tightening the approvals process to ensure proper scrutiny of spending under this framework. Defence secretary, Philip Hammond, told the BBC: The MoD has a culture of sloppiness around financial discipline and management controls. However, he added: It [the MoD] has a quarter of a million people; you cant turn it on a sixpence. The culture is changing.

0000

DEFENCE

Scottish health officials recalled a batch of Lloyd Grossmans Korma Sauce linked to two cases of botulism in the country. Spores of clostridium botulinum, which cause the illness, are normally found in soil and can get into food products via contamination of farmers fields. Botulism is a serious paralytic illness but cases in the UK are rare.

Curry sauce recalled over health scare

Improving the quality of Indias tea

Indias largest tea producing state, Assam, aims to boost tea production quality measures. It will now be mandatory for tea manufacturers to have their produce certified by a third party. From April, tea growers and factories will have to adhere to price-sharing standards, stipulated under the Tea Making Control Order, or face penalties from the state.

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News
editorial@thecqi.org

Raising the
Hot off the press

standaRd
A new standard will help organizations to demonstrate that they have robust antibribery policies, practices and systems in place, according to the BSI. The introduction of BS 10500 - Specification for an antibribery management follows a number of bribery cases across the world in relation to tenders and contracts, and the introduction of the UK Bribery Act 2010.

ENvIroNMENt

Double boost for energy efficiency

Ozge Ibrahim Householders in the UK will be offered 150 to insulate their homes as part of a programme to improve energy efficiency and bring buildings up-to-date. Households taking up the Green Deal should save money on their energy bills within two years as the policy comes into force, according to Chris Huhne, the energy and climate change secretary. The mechanism eliminates the need to pay up front for energy efficiency measures. Instead it provides assurances that the cost of the measures should be covered by savings on electricity bills, according to the Department for Energy and Climate Change. The scheme will be partly funded by energy firms, which must contribute 1.3bn a year. The firms are then expected to earn the money back via energy bills. However, the plans were criticized by environmental think-tank,
MEDIA

In the news
Chinese international food safety certifications increased to over 5,000 in 2010 more than doubling the 2,233 recorded in 2009. According to a report by the ISO, 5,575 food safety management systems standard certifications of ISO 22000:2005 were awarded in China in 2010. The latest figures account for almost a third of the 18,630 certifications awarded during the year. The standard sets the requirements for food safety management systems which are needed to demonstrate an ability to control food hazards, such as contamination.

Green Alliance, which said the loans would need to be well below commercial levels to offer a reasonable pay back, adding that businesses would be unlikely to offer such rates. Huhne also announced funding of 10m for local community energy projects and a 20m boost to the existing public sector energy efficiency loan scheme. The Local Energy Assessment Fund will be managed by a number of networks and administered by the Energy Saving Trust. It will be run as a competition between 200 community organizations such as parish councils, voluntary associations, development trusts and faith groups. The Green Deal was published as part of the Annual Energy Statement to Parliament last year. A separate government report showed that on average homes will be cheaper to heat and light in the future if these efficiency savings are undertaken.

Inquiry hears hacking can improve quality of press

Ozge Ibrahim Hacking into phone conversations can be justified if it is in the public interest, a leading journalist told the Leveson Inquiry last month. The evidence of David Leigh, a journalist at The Guardian, raised a controversial question for the panel, over whether the practice is vital for the quality of a free press. Although The Guardian uncovered the tabloid hacking story, Leigh volunteered that he himself had hacked into voicemail messages in the past. In his defence, he said that hacking was a legitimate technique used by him on just one occasion with regards to an investigation of bribery and corruption allegations which were successfully substantiated by voicemail hacking. As such, he said that hacking could sometimes serve the public interest. This argument supports a wider position adopted by the quality press at the inquiry; that broadsheet newspapers are capable of self-regulation but that the tabloid press is not. Whether the inquirys recommendations are able to make such a distinction remains to be seen. The media is currently regulated by the Press Complaints Commission, but as a body largely made up of media industry figures, it has been widely dismissed as a self-regulating body. The first part of the Leveson Inquiry is due to conclude in September 2012.

Under development
ISEAL Alliance, the global association for social and environmental standards, is developing a new code of good practice that aims to make assurance a more effective tool to support social and environmental impact. Details of the first consultation on the draft code are available at www.isealalliance.org

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ENERGY

AUDITING

UK economy to Auditors warn of poor budget exceed carbon planning in 2012 Games targets
Guy Goodwin Ozge Ibrahim The UK is on target to meet its carbon emission targets, according to the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC). Emissions in the UK must be cut by at least 80% on 1990 levels by 2050. The Governments Carbon Plan, which sets out progress to date and assesses the next cost-effective step, reveals that UK emissions have already been cut by more than 25% on 1990 levels and should exceed the 34% target set for the first 15 years under the Climate Change Act. Meeting the requirements of the carbon budget of a 50% cut in emissions by the mid-2020s will not have any additional cost implications during this parliament, according to the DECC. Chris Huhne, energy and climate change secretary, said: To the public and businesses at home, the Carbon Plan shows that the gradual rebalancing of the economy away from carbon is achievable, and in the long run, highly desirable.
EMERGENCY SERVICES

The budget for the London Olympics will not cover unforeseen costs because the planned contingency funding was too low, the National Audit Office has warned. The spending watchdog argued in December that while the venues for the Games were on time and largely complete, not everything is rosy, as a doubling in estimated security costs meant there was a real risk that more taxpayer funding would be needed. The news followed a government statement that an extra 271m would be needed for security guards, raising overall security costs for the Games to more than 1bn. If all the remaining financial risks identified by the Government materialised, the NAO warned that only 36m would be left in the budget, allowing little leeway for unexpected costs. Amyas Morse, head of the NAO, said: In my view, the likelihood the Games can still be funded within the existing 9.3bn public sector funding package is so finely balanced that there is a real risk more money will

be needed. The Government said an estimated 23,700 security staff would be needed during the Games, more than double the initial estimate of 10,000, and that the security budget was likely to rise from 282m to 553m. At the time of the bid in 2005, the estimated total public cost of staging the Games was 2.4bn. This was increased to 9.33bn in 2007. The Olympics is set to be one of the UKs biggest security tests a 64-day operation covering 34 venues across Britain.

Fire crews barred from saving lawyer

Robert Gibson Senior fire brigade officers have been criticized for their fundamental adherence to a policy which stopped them from saving the life of a lawyer who fell down a disused mineshaft. A fatal accident inquiry into the death of Alison Hume revealed that Strathclyde Fire and Rescue Service refused to use a winch to pull her to safety because its policy was only to use the equipment to rescue its own staff. Ms Hume fell down the mineshaft in July 2008, near Galston, in Ayrshire, Scotland. Eight hours after the fall, she was eventually pulled out by a police mountain rescue team but died later in hospital, having suffered hypothermia, broken bones and a heart attack.

stats focus

89% of all emails are spam* 42% of schools in England improved between Ofsted inspections from 2011 to 2012** 4,000 post offices hit by computer glitch over Christmas***
Source: *Forrester Research **Royal Society of Arts ***Post Office

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Transformation, improvement and resilience

John Lewis, Dyson, Green & Blacks just some of the names which graced the pinnacle of the quality calendar for 2011, the CQI Conference. And those were just the speakers; among the delegates were quality professionals from Morrisons to MITIE, the AA to AirTanker, and Siemens Energy to Saudi Arabian Airlines. There was something for everybody, as CQI members and contacts from across the globe descended on Londons Inmarsat Conference Centre, in the heart of the City. The theme was Transformation, improvement and resilience and the programme promised a balance between strategic business thinkers and quality practitioners from both the public and private sectors. Chair for the day, ITV News economics editor, Daisy McAndrew, summed up the mood when she said: People are a huge part of this theme; its not just about process. I spend most of my time talking about doom and gloom; businesses folding; jobs going and consumer confidence dropping; so this event is very refreshing. Its great to hear everybody talk things up, trying to think about how to make businesses better and how to improve the customer experience. The day began with a working breakfast hosted by the BSI, which explored how standards are viewed and how they can be best promoted to organizations. Delegates mingled among the sponsors stands, including headline sponsor, NQA, and associate sponsors, JAM recruitment and Gael. Andrew McMillan, the former head of customer service at John Lewis, kicked off the main proceedings with an entertaining presentation on making quality count, the value of giving your business a personality and his six steps to success (define; measure; communicate; lead; reward; recruit). He said: The challenge at John Lewis was could I deliver a consistent experience for the customer every time? The default reaction is a customer service training programme but it fundamentally wont work its about getting it right on the inside. That will give you long-term sustainability because its about loyalty and advocacy. The delegates began the day as they meant to continue, posing some tough questions for Andrew. Lively debate characterized the day, starting at the breakout sessions, where Jo Causon, CEO of the Institute of Customer Service, and Derek Bishop, managing director of Culture Consultancy, led a panel session on the relationship between customer

care and quality (read Jos thoughts in the QW feature on page 33). Daisy McAndrew said of the session: A lot of people, including myself, care very passionately about good customer service. I rant about bad customer service on social networking site Twitter all the time, but its also important to recognize what makes good customer service. Elsewhere, Clare Lissaman, director of Ethical Fashion Consultancy, and Graham Randles, principal consultant at LRS Consultancy, raised the question: does quality equal care? Both sessions provoked a strong audience response and the debate carried on into the breaks and lunch. Ian Watson, MCQI CQP, quality and safety assurance manager at Ministry of Defence contractor, AirTanker, said: I came to find out how many managing directors have actually got qualifications in quality?

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Top left: CQI CEO, Simon Feary Bottom left: Co-founder of Green & Blacks, Jo Fairley. Below: Co-founder of the Lean Enterprise Research Centre at Cardiff University, Professor Peter Hines

Everybody is preaching quality, but are they actually doing it? We hear the buzz words; transparency, continuous improvement, but will it stop at the senior management level where they are more concerned about the finances? Quality isnt an easy subject to talk about but I think Andrew McMillan showed that if you can talk about it in laymans terms, you can get the point over and actually improve things. Daniel Ashford, MCQI CQP, quality manager at RM Education, which supplies software, services and systems to schools, said: Ive been in a quality role for about 10 years but just being part of a quality organization doesnt necessarily expose you to quality professionals in other industries. So Im at the conference to get involved with the wider profession. Its about hearing other peoples experiences of quality.

Next on stage was Jo Fairley, cofounder of the chocolate phenomenon, Green & Blacks, who talked about delivering business assurance through quality. She revealed her pioneering business, launched in the early 1990s in the midst of the last recession, grew from a backroom operation into a global ethical brand, by focusing on innovation, quality and customer service. Professor Peter Hines kicked off the afternoon session with an interactive session on his 20 years experience as a consultant and his work as co-founder of the Lean Enterprise Research Centre at Cardiff University. He stressed the importance of inspiring staff towards future improvements, even when the focus is on managing fire-fighting issues today. Another popular session focused on the difficult balancing act between risk and innovation, led by David Straker,

Peter Merrill, author of Innovation Generation, and Paul Sloane, author of Destination Innovation. Elsewhere, other delegates opted for the alternative session, on Improvement in the Public Sector, led by systems thinking expert, John Seddon, and licensing and quality assurance manager for the National Police Improvement Agency, Stephen Walker. The programme ended on a high note, with insight from Sir Richard Needham, former government minister and senior independent director at Dyson, who addressed a whole host of themes around encouraging innovation and improving the UKs position in this area of the world market. For many attendees, it was the first time they had met so many quality professionals from other industries and the day left a lasting impression. David Appleyard, MCQI CQP, group quality process manager at the geophysical services company, CGG Veritas, said: Its the first time Ive attended a CQI conference and I thought the speakers were excellent. Ive really enjoyed talking to new people and learning from their experiences. There are some great ideas about customer service and customer satisfaction which could work well in my organization. As the conference drew to a close, CQI CEO, Simon Feary, commented: It was a truly great day. The calibre and range of speakers gave everyone enormous food for thought and inspiration. At a time when dismal news is dominating the political and economic agendas it was so refreshing to hear how quality approaches work and translate into business success.

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Letters
The Handy Guide to Quality proves an online success
Some of our favourite member comments from the CQIs LinkedIn group on the CQIs Handy Guide to Quality video

Write to the Editor, QW, 2nd Floor North, Chancery Exchange, 10 Furnival Street, London EC4A 1AB. E: editorial@thecqi.org F: 020 7245 6788

I think this video would make an ideal introduction at any conference, workshop or training course on quality as it introduces the various quality concepts, which can then be expanded to suit the objectives of the session and the business involved. It is a good ice-breaker to quality. When many non-quality people think of quality, there is a perception that quality = audits and bureaucracy this video helps to present a different focus of quality. Well done CQI. Trevor Fossey, ACQI In my opinion, the video has a message, is entertaining and can be used as a facilitator for further discussion. Given some of the comments and requests for usage in this thread, it has certainly hit a market audience. Teresa Folkes, ACQI

As I watched the video I could see how it touched on most things that I would want to convey to this audience, whether they are shop floor operatives or new managers. It is very lighthearted and ideal in that context. Graeme Newell, ACQI I will add the video to our website soon. Anything that explains quality in a simplified fashion is welcomed. Andrew Wilcock

Most of my clients and contacts are not quality professionals, so it is great to have something fresh to send out via social media that is light-hearted but which still conveys an important message. Rebecca Russell, MCQI,CQP You can access the Handy Guide to Quality at: www.youtube.com/user/ CQIwebmanager

DILBERT

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Letter of the month

what is quality?
This is the question we asked people taking part in a couple of Knowledge Cafs we held in support of World Quality Day, a slight misnomer considering it went on for five days. A Knowledge Caf, not to be confused with a World Caf is, in the (slightly paraphrased) words of creator David Gurteen, a group of people having an open and creative conversation that helps to surface and share their knowledge, leading to a deeper understanding of issues resulting in action and tangible outcomes. The tangible outcomes dont take the form of meeting actions (there are no minutes), but result in people going away and researching or perhaps doing things in a different way. What is of primary importance is finding a deeper understanding. Our reason for facilitating this conversation around that question was derived from the feeling in the quality and management system department that the rest of the company doesnt understand what modern quality management is all about. We feel that they see quality as writing and controlling documents and carrying out audits. By having the conversation, we wanted to try and gauge the level of understanding around quality, partially to help develop an education programme to bring everyone to a common, more modern understanding of quality. There was also the hope that perhaps people might go away with a greater understanding of what quality means. Attendance was voluntary, although our director did work to encourage one or two people. The sessions did not all go as intended. For a start, only one person turned up to the first planned session. Perhaps not surprising given we planned it for a Monday morning, but it would have been nice to have company. It did, however, prove that peoples view of quality is largely as we expected. The second session was better attended and the conversation was quite animated at times. I got the feeling that, certainly for the

If your letter raises an interesting issue, you could win a selection of publications on quality themes people who attended, the broader concept of quality was reasonably well understood and while the conversation did wander off topic for a while, we did come back to that nagging question: what is quality? And, as a bonus, there is growing recognition that the Knowledge Caf is a tool we can use in other areas to help develop the hymn sheet that we can all sing from, which must be a good thing to enhance quality. mark harbor, mCQI, CQP, via email

Supply chain ethics

As a consumer concerned about the practices of our high street stores and their supply chain ethics, I was very pleased to see QW covering this topic in the November issue. In particular, Clare Lissamans article Fashioning an Improved Supply Chain, revealed the effects of the industry on the developing world. I was also interested to read the piece on Andreas Kratz and his role within Fairtrade International. I think it is up to businesses in all fields to take the initiative to address not only their own social responsibilities,
Quote of the month

but the ethical standards of their supply chain. Perhaps we as quality managers should be the ones looking at the Social Accountability Standard SA 8000, to check whether our own companys practices are squeaky-clean and then applying the same criteria to our suppliers. Rosie Banham, mCQI, via email

would personally like to thank the CQI organizers - please organize another event next year. mark Braham, mCQI, CQP

Letters to QW should:
Be concise Not be overly personal Not be libellous Not be commercial The editor reserves the right to edit or reject letters as he sees fit

A day of quality

World Quality Day was a very good day and I met old friends and networked with some new. It was a very informative and enjoyable event, I

Its crucial that the Care Quality Commission is fully resourced to inspect and regulate the care system
Michelle Mitchell, charity director at Age UK
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ANgelo gilARdelli

Soapbox
ISO 9001:2000 a defining moment
In 2000, there were far-reaching changes made to ISO 9001. These changes were based upon an extensive ISO user survey but were also made at a time of widespread criticism of the standard and the third-party certification industry. The resulting changes proved to be a defining moment, resulting in a clear before and after following the changes. Prior to 2000, ISO 9001 was purely a conformity assessment standard; however, following the changes which were rooted in key quality management principles, the standard became not only a conformity assessment standard but also a framework for managing and assessing organizations against accepted management best practice. In fact, given that now more than one million organizations in over 150 countries use the standard to manage their key value creating processes, it makes it arguably the most influential piece of business management literature which has ever been written. Uncovering an organizations selfknowledge These changes not only raised the bar for the companies using the standard but also for the third-party certification industry who conduct the independent assessments. The art of good assessment is asking good questions. By being able to answer the questions, an organization learns more about itself. If it cant answer them, it finds fundamental problems that need solving. In either case, the organization becomes more self-aware and is therefore better able to adapt and change. But being able to ask good questions means assessors have to become bilingual; they need to be able to speak both the language of the shop floor and that of the boardroom. Assessor competence defines the certification industry. Assessors not only need to understand the industries they work in and the businesses they assess but they also need to be able to apply this knowledge in a way that unlocks the intrinsic value in the assessment process. How we add value? Independence and transparency are of pivotal importance to the certification industry; as providers of certification we add value through structured and measured questioning, known as Socratic questioning. This provides assurance to our clients, their customers and wider stakeholders in society. This is not the same as consultancy which strives to add value through the provision of expert advice.

Used in over 150 countries, ISO 9001 is arguably the most influential business management literature which has ever been written
The role of accreditation Transparent and credible governance of certification bodies through the accreditation process needs to remain at the heart of independent assessment and certification. It is central to stakeholder confidence in ensuring the competence of assessors and the impartiality of the decision-making process is maintained. The speed and growth of ISO 9001 certification coupled with the evolution of management systems standards have also required changes in the accreditation process changes which are reflected in todays accreditation system. ISO/IEC 17021: 2011 the standard for certification bodies ensures that the regional or country-specific accreditation bodies assess the certification industry against a consistent standard. It has also extended the competence requirements to encompass all staff engaged in the certification process. ISO/IEC 17021 has clear benefits for certification bodies that are looking to set themselves apart through their transparency, expertise and independence. For these reasons ISO/IEC 17021 offers tangible, consistent benefits that translate into increased trust and confidence for all stakeholder groups. The modern firm One of the changes in the modern business world has been the breaking down of traditional organizational boundaries from vertically integrated companies to whole industries

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characterised by outsourcing, thereby creating global supply chains. When ISO 9001:2000 was revised, one of the key changes was the use of more generic language in order to extend its use into service activities as well as manufacturing. This change, particularly in industries which are highly concentrated and where there is a high degree of specialization, has meant that customized versions of the ISO 9001 standard have become more attractive. Rather than point to any deficiencies in ISO 9001, sectorspecific versions designed for the automotive, food and aerospace industries are a testament to the management principles that underpin the standard, supported by its acknowledged capability to solve quality problems. Business benefits There have been numerous independent studies demonstrating the benefits of implementing ISO 9001; one of these is a recent article published in a prestigious peer-reviewed academic journal from Harvard Business School (www. hbs.edu/research/pdf/09-018.pdf). The article encapsulates some of the key organizational benefits for ISO 9001 certification and states that: ISO adopters have higher rates of corporate survival, sales and employment growth. Looking to the future The revision process for ISO 9001 is just beginning and will be subject to a number of different influences including the latest ISO users survey and the inevitable tension in the voting phase between those who want radical change versus a more evolutionary approach. Personally, given the minimal nature of the changes in 2008, I think there needs to be some meaningful change. Otherwise, come 2015, the standard will not have significantly changed in 15 years. This could mean that it lags so far behind todays modern business practice that its relevance could be called into question. With agreement on the common structure and text for future revisions on all ISO management systems standards, there is room for speculation about likely changes for the next version of ISO 9001. For instance, acknowledging the fundamental purpose of all management systems standards (currently numbering in excess of 40) whether quality, environment, health and

safety, etc, is to prevent things from going wrong. Therefore, if prevention is to become the defining purpose of an ISO 9001 management system, this must inevitably lead to the consideration of risk; not, I might add, a risk management system which focuses solely on risk, but the systematic control of risk through the management system, which is subtly different. There is another area that links into the changes in modern organizational design, specifically the emergence of demand networks which more accurately describe the operation of what are commonly referred to as supply chains. The collaborative, interdependent nature of the way in which these relationships are managed should be addressed in the updated version of the standard. Finally, the common text and structure defines the need for an organization to consider any changes relative to both its external and internal environments. This will focus the organization and its relevant certification body on the alignment of its quality objectives within the overall strategic goals. Summary In order to remain the valuable business system that it currently is, ISO 9001 needs to continue to evolve, ensuring that organizations of all sizes, complexities and location see a clear connection between their strategic objectives and their QMS. It is not just about meeting the requirements of a standard to get certification; it needs to be embedded in everything that the organization does. The 9001:2000 update was the most significant evolutionary step to date. Internal and external QMS stakeholders eagerly await the direction the next ISO 9001 update will take. Robust and relevant services and products that inspire confidence and drive organizational resilience, competitive advantage and growth are the real value in independent assessment. With that goal in mind, the certification industry, through innovation, independence, training and the technical expertise of assessors, represents a valuable service to the business world and society at large, both today and into the future
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Mike James is managing director at Lloyds Register quality Assurance (LRqA)

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Policy
Striking the right balance
Despite the economic forecast, 2012 should be a good year for the UK. It is the year of the Queens diamond jubilee and the London Olympics, both of which offer hope that the economy will be boosted by tourism and the associated benefits. However, the deep-lying financial problems which damaged the private and public sectors in 2011 show no sign of abating in 2012. While this is grim news and cannot be ignored, the challenges for those organizations which pride themselves on quality are fascinating. There were definitely lessons to be learned from 2011; a year of considerable discontent. As unemployment soared there were the riots, then, as we approached the end of the calendar, public sector workers began a series of UK-wide strikes. Such unrest is common during economic downturns and you only need to look at Greece to know that the situation can quickly escalate. While economic pressures on the Government continue to stack up, such public protest will continue to pose a threat to UK plc this year, but any organization that prides itself on quality should not fear the risks if the correct plans are in place. In November last year, tens of thousands of people joined rallies around the UK as a public sector strike over pensions disrupted schools, hospitals and other services. About two-thirds of state schools shut and thousands of hospital operations were postponed, as up to two million people went on strike. The prime minister described it as a damp squib but the TUC called it the biggest strike in a generation, strongly opposing plans to make its members pay more and work longer to earn their pensions. In reality, the disruption was considerable. In England, 62% of state schools were forced to close, which of course has a knockon effect on business as some parents were unable to work. The London Ambulance Service formally requested help from police to answer 999 calls and the South East Coast Ambulance Service said it was only responding to life-threatening emergencies. Discussions were held between the police and the Independent Police Complaints Commission about the increased risk that someone could die while being transported in a police van or being treated by police. NHS managers said that around 7,000 of approximately 30,000 routine operations were cancelled or postponed across the UK. Last year, some of these risks were handled more effectively than others. Home Office minister, Lord Henley, said border security was the top priority and contingency plans were in place as well as the army and police which were on standby to help out. Lord Henley told the House of Lords at the time: We started training additional staff in contingency in April and adequate resources are now available. Any staff deployed on the front line will have received training required to operate effectively. In contrast, education secretary, Michael Gove, admitted that changes were needed to give schools a better chance of staying open. At present, individuals are not obliged to inform their school that they intend to join the walkout until the day of the industrial action but Gove said the Government is considering changes to strike laws to give head teachers more notice. It is impossible to cover every eventuality so organizations must balance the risks against the costs of their contingency plans. For the Government, this means prioritizing key services such as A&E hospital departments, schools, emergency services, security and defence. Organizations must also consider the quality of their contingency plans. For example, will the soldiers who stand in for striking firemen be trained to operate the services resources? Will the temporary teachers teach or babysit? Which areas of the business must be protected in order to deliver to clients and maintain business viability? Returning to the major events of 2012 in the UK, new pressures and risks will arise as the countrys infrastructure takes the strain. Those with the right processes should be able to safeguard their core services without reducing the level of service to the customer. One thing is for certain; there will be plenty more lessons over the coming year
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Simon Feary is CqI CEO. Read his weekly updates on the CqI blog at www.thecqi.info

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Standards
Time to care about care standards
Every day we are reading and hearing in the press about the appalling treatment being given to our most vulnerable citizens, both in hospitals and care homes. For those seeking or commissioning residential care it portrays a depressing picture and it is difficult for them to differentiate between the homes delivering highquality care and those which should be avoided or closed. Running a care home is both challenging and onerous, particularly in this economic climate. For care staff to deliver quality outcomes 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year the management of the home needs to create an environment which is efficient, safe and tranquil. This can only be achieved if care home proprietors and managers have the necessary experience and skills to deliver this agenda. Some of the essential specialist skills and knowledge required to run a good care home include: complying with the legislation governing care homes which changes constantly; business planning; leadership and performance management; employment law; health & safety; all aspects of catering; environmental health; property maintenance; and the recruitment, induction, training, monitoring and development of all staff. The management and administration of the home needs to have transparent systems in place to record the daily needs of each resident, as well as effective communication systems in place to inform the staff of any changes to the care, treatment or living needs of individual residents as they change, possibly on a daily basis. It is essential for the home to be able to demonstrate that personalised, high-quality care is being delivered. An annual quality cycle needs to be at the heart of the organization to support strategic planning and provide comparative feedback on the homes care provision. It also enables the identification of performance gaps and cost/benefit assessments to be made. Regular feedback questionnaires to residents, staff and visitors need to be used on a regular basis to feed into the quality business plan. RDB is an independent accreditation company specialising in the assessment of care homes. The RDB Star Rating System was developed by the industry for the industry, in partnership with local authorities and the independent sector, to drive up standards in the social care sector and to give purchasers of care a reliable source of data upon which to base decisions. The RDB philosophy is to improve standards and promote confidence in the industry through local partnerships, cross-sector communication, co-operation and shared accountability. The partnership approach also gives local authorities the opportunity to promote Quality Providers through approved provider lists and access to European funding for staff training. The RDB model measures real care outcomes of care and services against a rigorous and comprehensive set of criteria, awarding providers a star rating of between two to five stars to reflect the standard of care they offer. Crowns are awarded for their property once they have achieved four stars in care. The RDB audit tool contains all the care standards relevant to a particular homes registration category, with the evidence used to assess the quality of their services. Ten pieces of evidence are collected to support each care standard and this is gathered from interviews with residents, staff, management and the homes documentation. Twenty five of the care standards that have a direct impact on the quality of life for residents are underpinned by quality assurance. The assessment takes between two to five days. Immediate action needs to be taken to ensure that society can be confident that when any of us becomes vulnerable we will be treated with dignity and respect by staff who are trained and skilled. I believe this can only be achieved when politics is taken out of care and the public are listened to and are given genuine choice as to how and where their care is delivered
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The management and administration needs to have transparent systems in place to record the daily needs of each resident

Sue Brand has run her own care homes for over 30 years and founded the RDB Star Rating system in 1997 to enable people to make an informed choice when purchasing care

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The Lifelines Interview Howard Kendall

Howard Kendall started out as a coding clerk and experienced the IT revolution first hand. He reveals his passion for providing customer services systems to global companies as part of helping to improve quality systems Words by Ozge Ibrahim
Ive never been one for qualifications, but I obsessively learn every day and I see myself as a life learner rather than a formal course learner. As chair of the BSI committee and ISO customer standards groups in the UK in the early part of the last decade, the best thing I think we did was to create the original template for ISO 2000, the first document in that series. I was responsible for the UK and international standards on complaints management, ISO 100002, and the customer service standard BS8477. The BSI also then commissioned me to write a book on the subject Quality Service, Competitive Business - setting the standard in customer service. My route to the BSI committee was perhaps not the most obvious. After leaving school with five O-levels, I started work as a computer operator at a large American manufacturing company, 3M. It was a generic job and at the time jobs in computers were pretty new. They needed people to operate the computers to produce printouts for other departments. Finding jobs as a computer operator was easy in the late 70s and early 80s, so I moved to the London Borough of Lewisham. This role as a computer operations shift leader was effectively about producing data for the council. But after a couple of years I realized local government was too constricting, so I moved to Citibank. The seven or eight years I spent there as a shift leader was pivotal and transformed me from working in computing to IT support, where I was effectively responsible for supporting everyone in the corporation that used IT. This was significant around that time because personal computers were starting to make an appearance. As a result, there was a big shift in power as users now had much more control. would carry out assessments on quality improvements before putting programmes in place to eliminate problems. Between 1985 and 1990, ISO 9000 was starting to really bite. There was a big push in those days to get the ISO 9001 badge on your wall. We applied that philosophy to the IT service sector. While I was at Prudential in the mid-80s, I met with a consultant from a small consultancy called Calyx

I see customer service as a method to help make companies more appealing and generally improve quality to their customers
This was the first time I set up a helpdesk and it was one of the first IT customer services points to come into existence. Users would typically have service-level agreements which had just been introduced. So working at the helpdesk meant being responsible for tracking who was experiencing problems with which services. It was essentially about flagging up what was going right and wrong. The quality aspect to my work grew very much alongside customer services. At Citibank, we used to have regular meetings where we who was working on a job with us and he invited me to come and join the company. That was another fundamental point that changed my life. I had been exposed to service quality and ongoing improvement in my last couple of roles and I saw consultancy and training as a way of spreading that knowledge and passion. I moved to Calyx and this was when I got hooked on the customer service desk and service philosophies. While I was there, I was mainly working within the financial services sector,

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Howards CV
1990 Set up the Helpdesk User Group 1986 Helpdesk trainer and consultant, Calyx Consultancy 1985 Service delivery manager, Prudential 1978 Shift leader and IT support manager, Citibank 1976 Computer operations shift leader, London Borough of Lewisham 1971 Coding clerk and computer operator, 3M

with banks and insurance companies, to advise them on IT service management (ITSM) strategies. I was also doing public training courses on subjects like service-level agreements, which involved talking to broad audiences. ITSM was always seen as the new dynamic kid on the block and as IT was relatively new in those days it got away with a lot of poor quality implementations. But the structures we put into place have helped gradually improve the quality of IT to major organizations. In 1990, I founded the Helpdesk User Group and it pretty much became my life. Now it is an organization of around 20 people which I chair. I would define it as a professional community group for people in IT customer service. Alongside the developments for what is really an industry support

group, weve helped develop a range of ways to help people get qualified. We have a range of certifications that you can qualify for, one of which is as a service desk analyst or manager. We also provide a Michelin star style system for service desks, which is a quality audit and improvement process for service desks covering companies like Barclays, Logica, facilities management company Sodexo, and more, which have all qualified. The systems are offered globally and weve got customers or partners in places like Qatar, the US, Saudi Arabia and Malaysia. Australia is likely to be next in certifying service desks. I enjoy helping people make service better in their organizations. Its about how to achieve improved standards and that doesnt just mean quality standards. Its also about organizational culture, helping people

get motivated and creating the right working environment. I recently won a lifetime achievement award, called the Paul Rappaport Lifetime Contribution Award, which is recognition of how far the ITSM and the service desk community has come over the course of the last 23 years. My aim for the future is to keep the Helpdesk User Group relevant and to expand its reach. Im keen to move into other geographies and one of the ways is through digital media, in particular through video channels. Weve just kicked off ITSM TV and Customer Services TV and we are looking to propagate that to become the YouTube for customer service and ITSM. Were currently working with people like the airline KLM and the Henley College and we are talking to all the big trade bodies like the Customer Service Network that have influence and expertise to offer, so that we can help raise the bar. What were aiming to do through the channel is offer short videos that can help people raise the big issues in a bite size format. A three minute video can be often more powerful than half-day training courses. I see customer services as a method to help make companies more appealing and generally improve quality to their customers. I have dedicated the last 20 years of my life to this, and I dont see myself stopping in the near future
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ANALYSIS
Quality in ProgreSS

The pursuit of quality has been with us for millennia. QWs new editorial chair, Paul Simpson, looks back at the development of the profession and asks if quality is still relevant today

Lessons for the future

Pauls quality timeline

c3500 BC Danish craftsmen reject poor quality parts in production of Viking boats

c3000 BC to support control of quality in pyramid building, the Egyptians invent measure of length, the Royal Egyptian cubit and a calibration system

c2000 BC in Ancient Mesopotamia the code of Hammurabi is established, in which failing to control building quality is punishable by death

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uality has been evolving for as long as people have been on this earth and as quality professionals we are all standing on the shoulders of giants, to quote Sir Isaac Newton, a famous exponent of quality control. One of the earliest examples of quality control is from a Danish mine from around 3500 BC which produced flints used in the construction of Viking boats. Excavation work uncovered tools that were rejected at the mine, an example not just of the physical sorting of good from bad, but also the application of quality thinking, as the craftsmen were electing to stand the internal costs of rejecting the flints before they were sold to travelling merchants and transported to Sweden. So, leaping forward five and a half millennia, how far have we really come? Almost on a daily basis our news is taken up with examples of poor quality. It can be the recall of physical

products including contaminated food, unsafe cars, spontaneously combusting TV sets and medical devices that are more likely to kill you than prolong your life. In the brave new world of the service economy, the same tell-tale signs are there that we have failed to learn these lessons and apply them. From missold endowments in the 1980s to the latest announcements that HSBC has been fined 10.5m for providing inappropriate advice to the elderly and vulnerable, the control of the quality of financial services remains poor. Our finance sector is largely charged with being responsible for the current recession, the worst crisis since the Great Depression, as banks sought turnover and market share without considering the risk of lending money to people who did not have the ability to pay it back. The fallout from the initial collapse in 2008 is still with us and may, by all accounts, take another decade to resolve. Where in all this is the lesson for quality professionals in the field of quality control? Paul Moore, HBOSs

former head of group regulatory risk, explained in a memorandum to the Treasury select committee: I told the Board they ought to slow down but was prevented from having this properly minuted by the CFO. I told them that their sales culture was significantly out of balance with their systems and controls. Moore was later dismissed by HBOS and they continued on apace until the crash in 2008 that almost claimed the bank. Moore won his unfair dismissal case but faced a gagging order. There are many quality controllers working in manufacturing, for-profit and not-for-profit service industries, who face similar dilemmas on a regular basis. So how did we get here? Lets start with the development of statistical quality control. Walter Shewhart joined the Western Electric Company in 1918 at a time when industrial quality control involved inspecting finished products and removing defective items much like our Danish craftsmen. This had evolved

1100-800 BC Zhou dynasty introduces a standardized system of measuring equipment

200 BC Archimedes assesses quality of King Hieros crown and runs down street naked shouting Eureka!

618-907 AD Tang dynasty passes laws requiring traceability of manufacture to the original craftsman

1300 Edward I of England institutes testing by officers of Goldsmiths Guild in London leading to subsequent hall-marking of precious metals

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ANALYSIS
Quality in Progress

from the time of the companys founding in 1872 when individual artisans checked their own work. In the 1880s the company was supposed to produce 48 telephones and transmitters a day to satisfy the growing demands for longdistance conversations but sometimes whole shipments were rejected. In 1924, Shewhart transformed quality control by introducing the control chart to monitor the companys processes and, where required, took action to prevent quality problems occurring in the first place. The control charts were used to distinguish between special cause and natural variation and were used to predict final output from the performance of a process. If process measures remained within pre-set limits then the idea was that it would consistently deliver a good product. A proponent of Shewharts approach, William Edwards Deming, was later credited alongside Joseph Juran with helping the Japanese recover from the Second World War. It is less well reported that Deming continued work

previously started by Homer Sarasohn and was the second choice to continue this work after Walter Shewhart. What is not contested is that Deming lectured hundreds of engineers in statistical methods at the request of the Union of Japanese Scientists and Engineers and that, with his encouragement to improve quality, help reduce costs, and improve productivity and market share, Japanese management took his lectures to heart and developed their systems around his principles. Deming returned to the US and further developed his work until it was rediscovered back in the US in the 1980s when Ford asked him to help them learn the lessons he had taken to Japan 30 years before. They were shocked with his message. Instead of telling them the secret tools and techniques of successful Japanese businesses, he told them that the solution lay with the leadership of the company. He taught them that management is responsible for the system and the system is responsible for 85% of quality problems.

A little under 100 years on from Shewharts change of approach we have measures aplenty, yet these measures do not consistently deliver good performance. The service sector again provides some examples. Successive governments have saddled the NHS with targets to drive performance, including the much vaunted waiting time but all that has generally happened is that inventive administrators develop workarounds to hit targets and earn their bonuses rather than investigate and understand the causes of variation. Measures do exist for relevant aspects of the Health Service. Not to put too fine a point on it, mortality rate following surgery is an indicator we can all relate to and these can be standardized to allow for the condition of patients before going for surgery. One figure for any one hospital at a point in time does not provide comprehensive information on performance, but a consistently lower or higher rating than an equivalent hospital or trust is significant and

1400s Johann Gutenberg invents a process for making printing type in quantity and with precision

1500-1600 Shang dynastys handicrafts industry introduces quality and management controls

1699 Sir Isaac Newton becomes Master of the Royal Mint introducing milling and engraving on coin edges to prevent clipping

1700s James Lind solves problem of scurvy in sailors with controlled experiments forerunner of sampling and statistical quality control

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should lead to investigation, to either eliminate causes of poor performance or to establish best practice and enable it to be shared. In the same way, investment in high-quality care can reduce an individuals stay in hospital by an average of 13 days through avoiding post-operative sepsis. The consequent impact on patient wellbeing, total cost of treatment and availability of beds is obvious. So whether it is the much decried work of Frederick Winslow Taylor in the early 20th century, Shewharts statistical quality control, todays application of Lean thinking or ISO 9001s requirements captured in clause 4.1, the drive is the same for quality professionals to understand in fine detail how processes work, how they are resourced and what prevents them working as intended. Certification to the latest edition of ISO 9001 now stands at over one million certificates world wide and there are hundreds of certification bodies and multiple accreditation bodies. The

degree of dissatisfaction expressed in the media with the effectiveness of certification indicates that the approach is not working as intended

He taught them that management is responsible for the system, which is responsible for 85% of quality problems
and that the application of ISO 9001 to all sizes and types of organization has been replaced with multiple sector schemes for automotive, aerospace and medical devices to name but a few. The infrastructure to support quality

management standards development is being replicated across these sectors and into other areas of management systems including environment, health and safety and information security. The accreditation industry grows in parallel with conformity assessment and has its own clubs, meetings, governance, requirements and standards. For many, this standards-compliance approach was not enough and in the 1980s groups of interested organizations came together to separately produce the Malcolm Baldridge national award and model (USA) and EFQM Excellence model (Europe), to reflect a more total quality approach. At around the same time, the Six Sigma programme at Motorola was described as a programme for reducing variation and waste, leading to significant improvements in profitability. From Shewharts days, quality has progressed from this end-of-line sorting of good from bad through tools such as his statistical quality control later championed by W Edwards Deming,

1802 as the industrial revolution gets underway, Marc Brunel introduces new machinery and production processes based on quality principles

1880 American Society of Mechanical Engineers is one of the first standardizing bodies, attempting to address a toll of 50,000 fatalities a year from pressures systems explosions

1890s Frederick Winslow Taylor, in the US, further develops concept of division of labour and work design

1901 Sir John Wolfe-Barry asks the Institution of Civil Engineers to form a committee for standardizing iron and steel becomes the Engineering Standards Committee

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ANALYSIS
Quality in Progress

Joseph Juran and others to become todays quality assurance, total quality, business excellence, Six Sigma and Lean programmes. This range of tools and techniques has mushroomed, to the point that quality professionals test one another on first meeting with verbal acronym jousting. The winner is the one who can tell their DMAIC (define, measure, analyze, improve, control) from their seven wastes, and who can distinguish between their ISO 9001 and 9004 and can translate a Cp index (process capability) into a DPMO score (defects per million opportunities). Again the question is so what? If even one of these tools and techniques was effectively implemented then we would have true quality and the headline disasters that fill our news media and which claim both careers and companies would not be with us. The fact remains that too few leaders understand the concept of a strategic approach to quality and customer satisfaction. But surely, as quality professionals, we are just as much to

blame as we dumb down the work we do and convince these leaders that we can do ISO in three months and will implement Six Sigma or Lean in a six-month programme following that. A software package is not Six Sigma in the same way that a 5S housekeeping audit is a million miles away from the strategy of employee involvement and process optimization that Lean thinking encompasses. We are in an era when multi-million pound fines for misselling are seen as a price for being in business and todays share price is the only important measure and where fabricating a CV to get a job is a sign of initiative and terms and conditions of sale are there to protect us from our customers. so what next? We have to start with where we are now. If we are lucky enough to be working in an organization that has good performance and is generally satisfying customers, we can make some evolutionary changes and develop the

strategy. If we work for an organization that doesnt get quality then the task is harder as we will need to take a hearts and minds approach, starting right at the top. The good news is there is sure to be some low hanging fruit to demonstrate the various benefits of a quality approach. Whatever we do we must make sure that we give an accurate picture of the amount of work involved to make a significant impact on performance. Whichever quality model you choose, they all require the same approach of embedding the knowledge and skills needed to deliver quality. If you want to adopt Lean thinking you have to understand it involves all employees understanding how to make their own work better. If you want to do a good job of Six Sigma, employees who will take part in variation reduction will have to understand the tools needed to analyze sources of variation and how to eradicate causes of variation. Even for one of the most maligned approaches, an ISO 9001 compliant

1906 International Electrotechnical Commission is formed and is responsible for developing world electrical and electronics standards

1918 Dr Shewhart joins Western Electric Company Inspection Engineering Department at Hawthorne and implements control charts

1919 first general meeting of Technical Inspection Association held in London

1946 the first Commonwealth Standards Conference held, leading to the International Organization for Standardization

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quality management system, people at all levels of the business will have to understand both the letter of the requirement and the meaning of the principles that underpin the standard before embarking on the programme, to understand their business processes and manage them in a way that assures and ensures quality. We have to continue to be able to see products and services with the customers eyes and translate those into internal requirements for our organizations to meet. We then have to stubbornly champion these requirements and ensure they are consistently met throughout the functions. There is no hiding place. Control of quality is essential for sustainable success. We need to ensure that our organizations consistently deliver the products and services our customers pay for, recognizing that we will be constantly under pressure for efficiency. Our colleagues may seek crash-diet quality when only re-education and a sustained quality

programme will provide results (or weight loss) that will last. So we need to protect the principles of quality management and convince our peers that true changes in quality performance are only achieved by hard

We need to build the profession through constantly educating and training ourselves
work and sticking to the task and not allow them to cherry pick the easy bits to do. We need to be able to use the microscope approach to dive deep into forensic detail of processes and work

with our colleagues to concentrate on controls critical to quality. We must then stand back and use a wide-angle lens to consider all aspects of product design, marketing, sales, planning, manufacture/service provision and strategy that all together make up quality and lead to satisfied customers on whom a sustainable business depends. We need to recapture the spirit of the Danish miner five and half thousand years ago. The easy thing would be to think in the short term and let sub-standard products out to the market. Whether that is the yield at the mine or todays city bankers bonus based on their employers share price, the brave and ultimately right thing to do is to think long term in order to achieve and implement a sustainable quality approach. We need to build the profession through constantly educating and training ourselves and others and by basing our decisions on fact and the long-term sustainability of the organizations that employ us
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1950 William Edwards Deming invited to lecture to members of the Union of Japanese Scientists and Engineers

1986 Motorola develops Six Sigma

2007 IQA becomes the Chartered Quality Institute, having gained its Royal Charter the previous year

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INSIGHT
better training

OMER SATISFACTION U ST C AR ANTEE

GU

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Improving business performance through staff training can improve your customer service record, as demonstrated by National Grid and Skanska on its North London Gas mains replacement programme. Ozge Ibrahim reports
ustomer engagement is what the North London Gas Alliance, a partnership between National Grid and Skanska, is all about, according to customer services manager, Jayne Burder. It is this emphasis on building positive relationships with customers which has helped transform the Alliance so that it now exceeds the benchmark standards set by energy regulator, Ofgem. National Grid owns the electricity transmission network in England and Wales and operates the entire transmission system throughout the UK. National Grid also own and operate the gas transmission system and a gas distribution business across the heart of England. The North London Gas Alliance employs a total of 2,000 people, of which roughly 1,500 are manual labourers. It is across this network of pipelines that Jaynes employees serve both domestic and industrial customers. The customer service department embarked on measures to improve its reputation roughly five years ago. Frequently achieving ratings of five out of 10 on Ofgems ratings in assessments, improvements were required. Jayne began planning for

changes and brought in measures to educate employees on the importance of communication and customer satisfaction. She set about writing a business improvement plan, including bespoke training modules and specially tailored customer training sessions. The benchmark for Ofgem was eight and the Alliance has now exceeded that by almost reaching nine. Jayne says: Each year we try to broach different subjects in our customer service training sessions. In the first year we looked purely at attitudes and behaviour. Subsequently weve carried out training around communication. This year, however, its more about inclusion, diversity and respect for the customers we serve and the people we work with in our teams. Acting for change The work carried out in the training sessions was largely to change the attitudes of employees, with the aim of creating a more customer-focused approach. Jayne has adopted a host of creative methods to train her staff to improve customer services performance. A team of actors from a company called Centre Stage School of Performing Arts has been enlisted to help teach best-practice customer service methods through fun games,

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INSIGHT
better training

mock scenarios and role playing. Most recently the drama group hosted a Family Fortunes style game for staff which was based on the popular TV game show. Jayne works with the group and explains the messages she wants staff to take away from the workshops before Centre Stage write the scripts and programmes. She explains: We make it a fun experience for the guys, but there is always a strong message from which they need to learn. Another technique to ensure better customer engagement and effective communication methods with customers involves the use of a customer information vehicle, or a fun bus as it has come to be known. Jaynes small team drive the bus out to major projects where they become the human face of the Alliance and its work. Jayne says: Its another way of communicating our work and what we have to do. Complaints are managed by a different department but Jayne says she still keeps a tight rein on customer feedback. I get an incredible amount of feedback from customers, and I have constant business improvement and change plans. Monthly team talks and briefings look at how to resolve problems and challenges such as how to approach the homes of customers where children are at home without the parents. There is constant affirmation, with high performing staff being rewarded with the equivalent of a gold star. Jayne explains: If the customers write in letters about our employees, we call them bouquets. It does a lot for morale and the guys strive to get a nice letter; you can see their pride when they receive one. The feedback from customers is used in individual training and professional development work. Each employee is told their scores following each job or project, taken from customer feedback cards. For example, if a member of staff scores nine out of 10 for their communication skills, or eight out of 10 on professionalism and then seven out of 10 on the level

of advance notice given to a customer before work starts, processes will be revisited in training to improve this score next time.

We do what we can now to try and satisfy the customer and its working
Health and safety measures All staff must attend a compulsory Stop for Safety Day once a year between September and November when a total of 16 sessions are carried

out. Throughout the day staff will attend four workshops, one of which is focused on customer relations. This year, the customer service element looked at communication and respect for customers and each other. A training session involving representatives from the police and fire brigade also made presentations on safety practices in the workplace. The training included a double session on creating and maintaining an injury free environment which highlighted unsafe practices. The training also looked at how to avoid hitting cables belonging to other utilities when carrying out drilling work. The focus on customer service paid off last year when the Alliance made it to the final three in the customer focus category at the London Excellence Awards. This category assesses sustainable customer values and looks

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at a whole host of customer delivery planning and techniques from asset management, service design and comments and complaints procedures to the use of technology to enhance overall performance. The Alliance is not resting on its laurels however, and hopes to further improve its practices. One of the ways to ensure continuous success in this area involves mentoring and educating staff on all areas of their work. Jayne says mentoring is a regular practice, and forms part of professional development processes set out by the Alliance. All staff working out in the field have a team score card, which is controlled by managers and superiors. For anyone who isnt performing in any area of their work, we put them on performance improvement plans. They are mentored and monitored to assess in which areas they need to develop.

Mentoring is carried out by fellow team members and supervisors. Skanska are very big on development, according to Jayne. Maintaining for the future A large part of the work carried out by the Alliance involves working on replacing ageing gas pipelines. This work is part of National Grids on-going programme to replace gas and service mains in its distribution areas across the country. The alliance is currently 13 years into the project and every year National Grid provides it with approximately 400km worth of mains to work on. As part of its work to improve communication and foster positive relations with its customers, all residents living on a particular road receive a letter to say there is forthcoming work. Then, two weeks before the work starts, one of the site engineers must deliver

an information pack which is designed to give customers more in-depth information about the work. On the day the work commences, every household on the street gets another knock on the door from staff before the work starts. Jayne says: Theres constant faceto-face communication with the public. But before customer satisfaction levels went up, customers were complaining that they werent fully informed of when work was commencing. The men would turn up in the street and start digging holes and customers would come out and ask what was going on. One of Jaynes biggest challenges for the future involves working with Londons local authorities and Transport for London to secure work permits before her staff can carry out mains replacement work. Her work involves holding forums with representatives from local authorities to establish plans to help communicate the companys plans. Recently, we held a series of forums. We invited all the representatives from the local authorities, about 500 people, including the managers, where we talked about our scope of work for the year, what we need from them, and what we are trying to achieve. The local authorities are our customers too because they are in the local area. Ive designed a community engagement plan and on certain larger projects we are looking at the wider customer base such as hospitals, schools and community centres, she says. Jayne visits customers in an effort to create positive relationships. We try to work around our customers as much as we can. For example, in the case of schools where we need to isolate the gas supply, we also need to take into consideration that the school needs to feed the children. In these cases, our staff will go in and meet with the head teacher beforehand. Well agree to turn the gas off after theyve made the school lunches. We do what we can now to try and satisfy the customer and its working. Our workforce and its attitude, together with their skill and professionalism, is first rate now.
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SYSTEMS
STAFF ENGAGEMENT

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EnGaGinG thE woRkfoRcE

Convincing your organization that quality matters is a challenge the quality professional has faced for many years, but do other professions hold the key? Robert Gibson investigates
the MitiE ethos According to the client services division at MITIE, in order for team members to be engaged in delivering a quality service they first have to have a unified vision of what quality means

he future of the quality profession will depend largely on the success of those within it to engage their colleagues in the goals of a quality approach. In todays climate, nobody is saying this is going to be easy but through inspirational examples in other sectors, the battle weary should not lose faith in their targets this year. But for those quality professionals in organizations which are filled with experts working disparately, what is the best way to show them that quality is not just another bureaucratic boxticking exercise, but a device that will benefit them and the business? Two clear examples of best practice are MITIE, the strategic outsourcing and energy services company, and the Institute of Customer Service (ICS). When exploring the different attitudes and approaches these organizations take, one similarity is strikingly obvious. The people tasked with engaging staff making sure they buy in to the motto, the strategy, the vision have one thing in common: boundless enthusiasm, passion and belief in quality.

The leaders of the business are instrumental in ensuring that our values are at the heart of everything we do
to their company. McDonalds, Pret A Manger, Pizza Express, Jamies Italian and Roux all have a different perception of what quality is. The problem is that none of them are wrong, nor are any of

them necessarily right. For MITIE, this is the difficulty that the term quality can create, even for tangible products. Where service is concerned, the struggle to create and embed a shared definition can be even trickier. Debra Ward, managing director of client services, says: We realized early on in our development that we do not deliver a tangible product or service that is easily measured in terms of output. Our success is measured through the quality of interaction with our team members, and how we create a guest experience that is relevant to a customers culture and environment but still steeped in five-star service. This can only be achieved through the recruitment, training, development and retention of a team that lives and breathes the MITIE-wide values of people plus passion and the ethos of creating exceptional, memorable experiences. But as well as investing heavily in accredited training programmes, MITIE constantly reinforces the importance of shared goals within the organization. A shared vision of quality is essential to ensure that team

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SYSTEMS
STAFF ENGAGEMENT

Case study

Channel 4

MITIE was recently successful in its bid to provide and improve facilities management at Channel 4. Through staff engagement, the team was able to communicate the goals and importance of quality from the very start of the project. With a small team of outsourced suppliers providing all facilities management services, the in-house team wanted to ensure the level of service and quality was not compromised in the transition period of mobilizing the contract. as part of a channel-wide cost saving exercise, some services experienced a reduction in headcount and the team wanted to ensure service to the customer was not impacted. This included frontof-house, switchboard, post room, cleaning, pest control, engineering, security and landscaping, while catering was outsourced to other suppliers. It was crucial that all service lines worked with a unified vision and three areas of focus were identified to start the improvement process, with the aim of maintaining the service to the end user: communication between service provider management; communication between the teams; and the communications

channels from the bottom up. Weekly management meetings with the heads of all service lines were arranged to act as a forum for raising issues and sharing bestpractice. Job shadowing between services was then set up for all team members to experience the overall service, from post room to security, to identify how their roles affect the results and how they could work more effectively together. Initial results show that the different service lines are far more

integrated and willing to help each other, with their new-found knowledge of what each role entails. There are now fewer jobs being escalated to management, the number of outstanding jobs recorded by the helpdesk has decreased and further improvements to increase efficiencies have been identified. More joined-up service level agreements and targets have also been developed as a result, so all of the teams are now clearly focused on the same goals.

members at all levels, across all client locations, have an understanding of the direction they need to be heading in, not only to further their own personal development, but also the business, says Debra. Our ethos has become our acid test the team at all levels have to ask themselves: Is this exceptional? Is it memorable? The answer to these two very simple questions guides and governs the teams actions and behaviours, whether that is how they look before their shift, reflecting on the calibre of a potential team member, auditing their service or reviewing a proposal.

Debra says: Having a vision is the start; ensuring everyone in the business lives and breathes this vision is how the client services team embeds quality service. Effective communication is imperative in any company. Our client services hold the Investors in People accreditation, which requires every team member to know the vision, mission and strategy of the business. The leaders of the business are instrumental in making this happen and ensure that our values are at the heart of everything we do. We have several avenues of communication, recently utilising social media as a way

of making internal information available in an open forum. As well as monthly operational meetings, in 2008 we developed a communications team of six people from different contracts who were able to promote our unified vision within their own teams. As the business has grown so has this function, which now has in excess of 37 team members sharing best practice and ideas around innovation on a monthly basis. So quality professionals in other sectors might look at how they engage the leaders in their business, but just as importantly, that quality is frequently repeated on the agenda during team

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communications and meetings. When MITIE conducted a team survey, 95% of staff agreed that it consistently delivers its ethos. Debra explains: The client services senior team knows that for all of us to be successful, each and every team member must not only understand the ethos, but also want to be part of delivering it. Making them part of it is all about celebrating the individual and the collective successes, as and when they occur. The results are evident when MITIEs figures for staff retention are examined; in 2010, turnover stood at just 2%. Debra concludes: We realized engaging the team in quality, in any organization is relatively simple share the vision for quality, create and communicate what the quality standards are, celebrate when the team

If someone says to me tick these four boxes, I am not going to be particularly engaged
delivers it and never let anyone else in your team settle for anything less than your own vision of quality. But why should I care about quality? Another organization with a wealth of experience in the engagement of staff is the Institute of Customer Service. Twice a year, the Institute releases its UK Customer satisfaction index, based on a representative sample of 26,000 adults surveyed over the internet, which is the national measure for customer satisfaction in the UK. According to Jo Causon, chief executive

at the ICS, quality plays a major role in an organizations ability to deliver consistently high standards to the customer. Again, the importance of communication is stressed, but the focus on output in particular could offer a valuable reminder for the quality profession as a whole. Jo says: We all come to work to do a good job and most of us want to satisfy our customers so its about motivating staff and reminding them what your organization is about. When you are trying to engage your staff in quality, explaining the impact it will have on the output, or end product, can be better than focusing on the process all the time. For the Institute, the approach to communication is crucial: If someone says to me tick these four boxes I am not going to be particularly engaged, Jo explains. If someone says to me this quality issue is important because it has an impact on the delivery of the service or the quality of the product, then I will think about that in a more rounded way. For me it is about talking the language of the customer. If staff realize that quality will make the outcome better for the customer, they are more likely to buy into it. If there are consistently defects with the product or the process then that is going to constantly be an irritation to your internal or external customers. But if you can remove those defects then your staff can actually get on with doing the things they believe are important in their everyday job as well as being more innovative. MITIE and the ICS both credit their success and the success of their members respectively, with following a logical strategy to engaging staff. But as many QW readers will be aware, the reality is an uphill struggle and a constant battle against misconceptions and confusion. Jo says: One of the challenges is that people can see quality as a hindrance, for example, they might say: you are stopping me from doing my job. The way around this, Jo adds, is that when you are thinking about the language and the tone you will use to

communicate quality, remember that it is about explaining why you are doing something and the positive impact it will have. In order to define quality you have to tell your colleagues what quality means in their particular part of the process. Its about giving a tangible example of what quality looks like and why its important to the customer. But its about the boardroom too. You have to walk the talk, so the CEO must demonstrate to the staff how the organization is living the customer experience and the role that quality plays in this. There is a direct correlation between customer satisfaction and engaged employees, she says. A key aspect is the consistency of the delivery so quality is critical in helping to deliver a positive outcome for both internal and external customers.
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Five top tips For engaging staFF in quality

1. Define what quality means for your organization and your vision. 2. Decide how you can measure the results in order to prove that it works. 3. Engage your leaders by talking in their language their buy-in is crucial. 4. Communication regularly reinforce the vision in person, at all levels, and share positive feedback, rather than focusing on just the negative. 5. Talk the language of the customer. Explain why quality is important to the customer in terms of the end product or service provided.

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TECHNICAL
quality professional

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There is much that quality professionals can do to keep their skills and knowledge up-to-date in order to help their clients or organizations thrive, but, as David Hutchins explains, first they need to understand the environment around them

Quality and the Quality professional

T
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here are a multitude of opinions as to what exactly a quality professional is. I know that we have the designation Chartered Quality Professional but even for those of us who are fortunate enough to carry that title, we must continually ask ourselves are we really a quality professional? OK, we have the label but we in the profession find it hard to agree on the definition of the word quality, let alone the scope of the profession itself. And, depending on which quality professional you speak to, you are likely to get quite different answers to the question, what can be achieved if a quality based business strategy is put into place?

preference of the so-called quality professional to one or the other depends very much as to whether he or she is from the eastern countries or the West in general. For the former, quality is primarily achieved through concentration on empowerment and in the latter on compliance. Conceptually, they are profoundly and fundamentally different and the real quality professional should have a very clear understanding of the differences. One way to do so would be to study the People and Quality units in the new CQI qualifications, but here follows a very brief explanation. Conformance Conformance is founded on one or more of a number of standards. The most widely accepted of these is the current version of ISO 9001 and a family of related standards which, when introduced together, might form part of what is often referred to as integrated

management systems. The majority of western quality professionals will be very familiar with these. The philosophy behind them is based on the belief that compliance with the clauses in these standards is sufficient to ensure that the management system of an organization is such that the quality of its products or services is assured and that the outputs of such systems will be consistent and predictable. This seems good. Customers like predictability and consistency. They also want customer satisfaction as well, since this is also a premise of such an approach. It could appear that all is well, but this might not be the case. empowerment This is based on a concept which was first articulated by the late Professor Kaoru Ishikawa in Japan, which, in my own words, means: Our approach to quality is based on the premise that each individual is the expert in his

approaching quality There are two distinctly different approaches to quality and the

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TECHNICAL
Quality Professional 0000

or her own job. Quality is achieved by galvanising the collective thinking power of all of the organizations staff, in the process of continuous and neverending improvement, at a rate equal to or better than any competitor. This is widely known in Japan as Hoshin Kanri and embraces Japanese total quality control. It can be seen that it produces very dynamic systems which, when well designed, will significantly outperform those based on the compliance approach. Dr Deming referred to this as the new philosophy. Using the empowerment approach, car giant Toyota, from a labour force in Japan of some 40,000 people, has over 2,600,000 improvement suggestions every year, of which over 96% are implemented. Questions for quality The questions therefore for the western quality professionals are: Am I aware of this difference? How well do I understand the principles and practices of both? Have I studied the empowerment approach in sufficient detail that I could assist an organization, either as an employee or as a consultant, to revise its system and embrace the relevant principles? Do I understand where and when quality circles, based on the Kaizen approach, might be implemented? Do I understand Hoshin Kanri? What is Hoshin Kanri? (If I had to explain it here in this article then it would be QED!) The only way to fully understand this would be to leave the office and visit those organizations that are managing in this way. Compare their results with those who have depended solely on the compliance approach, and only then form an opinion. If you do not understand this then ask yourself, am I really a quality professional? Do I really have the right to advise others or be opinionated, particularly if I am deficient in this knowledge?

If you are not sure then ask yourself: would you be happy to be operated on by a surgeon who refused to keep up-to-date on best practices in his profession? I think not. Currently, the USA, UK and the rest of Europe are rapidly losing ground in the economic struggle, to countries such as China, India and others who have adopted an empowerment approach. A fundamental question for the quality professional is: can the western world afford to continue to support a system that no longer works?

Ask yourself, would you be happy to be operated on by a surgeon who refused to keep up-to-date on best practices in his profession?
So, is it possible, even with a change of approach, for our industries to get us back into the top group? Yes, of course we can. Just look at Japan. Following the Second World War it was totally devastated and in a far worse state than we are now. It is an island country, just as we are. Only 2% of its land mass is habitable and the country has virtually no natural resources of any kind so it has to import almost everything, convert them into products and then sell them back to the people from whom they bought the materials in the first place. On that basis, who has the superior system, them or us? There is no argument but we can change.

Keeping up-to-date The mark of a true professional is someone who is prepared to stand up and say there is a better way and be prepared to face the consequences no matter how scary that might be. Ask yourself: Is what I am preaching really right? Am I really sure? The population of Easter Island was wiped out due to the stubbornness of the chiefs. Might we not go the same way if we refuse to face the facts and implement change? Seeing is believing. Check out what eastern countries are doing in their schools to teach quality and participative approaches to children of just 10 years old. In late November 2011, there was a quality circles convention held in the City Montessori School in Lucknow, India, where a total of 3,800 students and teachers from over 25 countries came together to demonstrate the application of quality circles in schools. This convention takes place every year somewhere in the world and there are many other conferences on different aspects of quality. I was present at the event in Lucknow and frequently attend such conferences, at my own expense, in order to stay up-to-date. It is rare to see another Brit at any of these events so where do our so-called professionals do their learning? Promoting quality It is also important to consider how we can promote ourselves in our organizations. If you have something powerful to say, with anecdotal evidence to support it, then you could be on to a winner but make sure that you research some good examples and that you are able to convey what the message is. For example, in 1987, Short Brothers in Belfast were owned by the British Government and losing the equivalent of 30% sales revenue a year and had been making substantial losses for 15 years. Margaret Thatcher, the then British prime minister, told them that

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Some doS and dontS

Do build up a portfolio of anecdotal evidence to support your arguments. If these are from direct personal experience then make sure they are verifiable. If they are not then make sure they are really true. Nothing will destroy your credibility more than unverifiable information. Dont ever exaggerate. As soon as you are found out, you will lose all credibility. Dont assume that because they do things one way in your company that it is the best way, even if the company has a good reputation. There are always better ways of doing things so benchmark, benchmark, benchmark. Microsoft looked like it was totally impregnable once but look what happened when Steve Jobs came on the scene. This can always happen. Do keep up-to-date with your learning. There are many ways you can do this. Attend conferences whenever you
either they made themselves profitable and found a buyer or they would be closed down. As a consequence, Short Brothers implemented a Hoshin Kanri based approach, with project by project improvement at all layers, including quality circles of the workforce. They achieved an annual profit of 15m and 45m in the following two years, before being purchased by Canadian company, Bombardier. A similar example is VSEL in Barrow, the manufacturer of Nuclear Submarines, which is now owned by BAE Systems. In both cases, due to the nature of the business it had the full range of compliance related standards but was losing money. If these examples do not provide a positive reaction then, in the words of Dr Juran, pray that things get worse! So how are you doing? How to assess your own work is a tricky question to answer, other than to suggest that you conduct personal self-assessments. Assessing the value of your own premises is critical. Judge yourself on the extent to which your work that year has honestly, directly and positively impacted on the economic and market share-related performance of the businesses with which you have been

can, read Qualityworld and if you can get them, also read Quality Digest and Quality Progress both from the USA. If you hear of a company that claims to have made great achievements try to visit them there is nothing like firsthand experience and also the credibility of being able to say that you have seen it. Attend CQI branch meetings, even those outside your own area. Meeting and discussing issues with friends and colleagues is not only informative, it is also stimulating. Finally, remember the words of Professor Ishikawa: Quality begins and ends with education. Never stop learning; never think that you know it all. There has never been an end to humanitys creativity and what might appear the centre of the universe today will probably be old hat tomorrow. Good luck.

associated, either as a consultant or as an employee. Do not overlook the supply chain and remember, they are only an extension of your own business processes
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David Hutchins is an academician at the International Academy for quality and is a visiting fellow at Kingston University where he is helping to develop a new masters degree in quality. He has written many books including the popular Hoshin Kanri, as used by the Gatwick Airport Authority.

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PEOPLE
FREElAnCinG

QW speaks to three consultants on how to survive as a freelance consultant in quality

GoinG solo

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MEET ThE CONSULTANTS

Marilyn Dyason Marilyn is an independent business adviser and leadership coach Sharon Shutler Sharon specializes in auditing, risk-based quality management, validation, supply chain assurance and corporate social responsibility David Straker David is a consultant and runs the knowledge-sharing website www.syrce. com

Why did you decide to go freelance/become a consultant? Do you miss working for an organization and being part of a team? David: Working as an engineer I had my head in the weeds all day and, although I enjoyed the work, I yearned for something where I could take a broader view. I moved into quality as a kind of first step in that bigger direction. I started with software quality (Id been a software engineer), then moved to business quality, business change and general business consultancy. It was hard work I studied not just for the IQA qualifications but also a couple of masters degrees along the way. To be able to add value, you need a strong knowledge base. For me it was absolutely the right decision. Yes, I sometimes miss being an integral part of a team. But at the same time, Ive always been quite independent and never a follower, so the consultants life works just fine. Sharon: I eventually became a consultant or freelancer in 2010 after working in various roles in the health care, medical devices and pharmaceutical industries for nearly 17 years. After holding managerial and senior managerial positions for a number of years, it was not an easy decision to

resign from a well-paid, full-time role in quality with a team of 11 people, but it certainly was the right decision. In hindsight, I miss being part of a permanent but developing team with a common goal. However, I have not missed the politics, bureaucracy and issues like redundancy that are often associated with large organizations.

I sometimes miss being an integral part of a team but at the same time Ive always been quite independent so the consultants life works just fine
Marilyn: Yes, I was concerned that I would miss working in a team but increasingly my role as a senior manager in the criminal justice system was developing a wider focus, both within the service and outside it. Increasingly, I was spending time bringing together companies from all

sectors and industries wishing to share and learn best practice. My greatest success was in getting all the different agencies and partners in the criminal justice system working together as a supply chain to achieve a common customer related goal. Seeing the administration of justice through the eyes of the witness created a totally different mind-set and understanding of the relevance of customer satisfaction to justice and enabled us to completely re-draw the key processes to focus on the needs of witnesses. With this experience under my belt, my work was increasingly taking me away from my day job towards a more consultative role. This included working with the HM Courts Inspectorate in Belfast implementing the Good Friday agreement and advising on new processes and procedures in criminal justice systems internationally, and I began to want to spend more time in a consultative role, so the transition was gradual. Although it was a really hard decision at the time because I really enjoyed my day job, I knew the time was right and the opportunity was there to take the plunge and develop further my partnerships with businesses in an advisory role. How do you win business? David: By first listening. Then asking questions. Then testing. Then making

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PEOPLE
FREELANCING

proposals that show concern and (I hope) understanding. I start an engagement with a discovery period where I do not take the initial brief as gospel but go around and listen to as many people as possible, whilst also reading back what is available. I can then develop or revise the initial proposal. Ive been lucky enough to not have to chase work cold. My network has always come up trumps. Ive also got enough repeat business to keep me going. Sharon: I have only won sustainable business through relationships or personal recommendation resulting from people who know me from within the industry or from the CQI. Cold calling has been a shortlived and disappointing experience. Life is good when relationships are good and successful businesses are almost always based on functional relationships. Also, I run my business on the Quaker Business Model (www. quakersandbusiness.org.uk) which many of my clients find refreshing. Essentially, when applying this model, one does not undersell ones worth but also does not bargain for the best possible deal just because other consultants are able to win such contracts. The basis of the model is to accept a piece of work for what you truly believe it is worth financially and not to be greedy. It is important, however, to never undersell ones experience and knowledge and to hold to a minimum daily threshold payment. Marilyn: Because I am a small company my business comes mainly from word of mouth customer experience. The secret Ive found is to address the burning issue in the organization. Often, its a case of persuading the company of the benefits of your intervention, this requires focusing on their goals and competitiveness problems, not pushing any particular tool or technique that may be the latest fad. Being clear about the outcome and what you are

being asked to do as well as how it will be measured, helps to clarify the thoughts of the person employing you as well as becoming an essential part of evaluation. Results are essential to demonstrate to any potential customers the value that I can bring as a consultant. It is my experience that people want to do their best and enjoy their work but their efforts are often thwarted by barriers and issues that get in the way. I see my role as stripping back these problems to release the potential in people a role I enjoyed in my previous career. I also like to see change happen as a result of working with a team and it is important to me in working in a consultant role that any change brought about can be sustained and the learning built upon. I would never feel happy to walk away feeling the job is done unless this happens, so these elements are still important in my new role. Hiring a consultant is a big commitment in terms of people resources and any changes need to stick and be liveable and workable and translated into actions. I try to give people a toolkit as well as knowledge to equip them to do this. How do you network? David: By always looking to help people in my network, so when they think of me they feel good. And one day, if I want something, maybe someone from the network will help. But I never treat it this way help should be offered and never demanded. Sharon: With the exception of my connections with the CQI and excolleagues/contacts, my networking has essentially been through the professional networking site LinkedIn. One of my first tasks following the launch of my business was to ensure my LinkedIn account was up-to-date. I have also benefited from my role as an Advisory Council member for the CQI and interest in technical writing, eg as one of the authors of a Supply Chain

Risk Management Guide (www.pqg. org). Marilyn: Im fortunately often asked to speak at conferences or lead seminars and have published papers which are very case study based. I think attempting to change the culture in the criminal justice system has always given others hope! They think if they can do it, why dont we give it a try. Ive won some interesting business through this route, including designing and leading a seminar on supply chain management for a Russian Steel company and developing a balanced scorecard for the Ministry of Finance in Singapore. Joining organizations as an associate, for example, the National School for Government and an Ambassador for Excellence with London Excellence and as a speaker for the CQI brings opportunities to network, and opens up new avenues, for example, as an executive coach which I would not otherwise have thought about. What is the difference between working from within an organization as a quality manager and working externally as a consultant/contractor? David: Internally, you are either treated as one of the guys or a bit of a bother. Sometimes you want to be one and you get the other. Being a quality manager can be such a different job in different places. When you are an external consultant, more important than winning business is keeping it. Once youre through the door, you have to prove yourself every day, because they can show you the door any day. Being an external consultant keeps you sharp and focused on value. Internal and external its two sides of the hill. Both have grass. Both are green. In other words, Ive found them equally enjoyable and interesting. Internal and external consultants often envy one another, for the independence or stability. But in the end, you do similar things.

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Look before you Leap

QWs TOP TIPS ON GOING SOLO
1. Keep on learning. To be able to add value, you need a strong knowledge base. 2. Be honest with yourself. Do you prefer the structure and security of employment over the riskier freelance path? 3. Plan ahead. Life as a freelance quality professional is a lot easier if you already have a good client base from which to build before you take the plunge. Use your contacts and nurture them. 4. Sustainable business is key. Dont promise more than you can deliver; you wont win friends or customers. 5. Listen to your clients. Being flexible with your approach is vital as each client will have different challenges. 6. Communicate. If youre going it alone, make sure your family is fully on board with the financial implications this may have for the first few years and the impact on the time you have with them. 7. Network, network, network. Exploit as many social media channels as you can. LinkedIn is an obvious and very useful resource. 8. Work it. Once youve won a new project, youll have to prove yourself every day until successful completion. 9. Be thick skinned. As a consultant, you may be the first to be blamed when things dont go right at first. Getting senior management buy-in is key. 10. Join up. Sign up with as many relevant organizations as you can and attend events. The CQI branches are a great way to meet fellow quality professionals who will help you keep up-to-date and extend your network.

Sharon: The main difference between working within an organization and for oneself is that of security, both financial and personal. The regular salary payment at the end of each month is sorely missed and personally one has to become even a little more tenacious when disappointments are experienced

without having a colleague to share them with. Also, when working freelance, you quickly realize that there is only one of you dealing with the diverse demands of each day, varying from tax calculations to switching from one clients needs to the next within a moment.

Marilyn: One of the greatest challenges [of being a freelancer] is understanding the culture of the organization you are working with when you have a comparatively short time to sow the seeds of change, hoping in time they will influence culture change. Often, it is not clear that your tools and techniques will

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FREELANCING

transfer to different environments where they have been successfully applied. The secret is in adapting them to fit the organization and solve their competitive problems. Another challenge is persuading top managers away from the expectation of a quick fix to a problem. This doesnt mean you take forever, it just means that your intervention has to be focused and effective. The benefits lie in seeing people overcoming often deeply entrenched problems and barriers and many becoming ambassadors for change themselves.

of ones consultancy, particularly if the freelancer is a little more of a financial risk-taker than the partner! Also, expectations for travelling to meet clients and time away from home significantly increase and come at shorter notice. One of the greatest challenges has been setting up a business during a recession you really do have to convince your clients of your worth prior to signing any contract under such circumstances. Marilyn: Bidding for large projects or those with potential for growth means having a multi-disciplined team of associates at the ready. The procurement-decision process can take some time and requires a significant amount of investment in terms of time and energy. Determination and resilience are definite qualities required to maintain motivation, especially when bids for work do not yield fruit. What has been your greatest success as a self-employed quality professional? David: I had a great time a few years ago working with Oakland Consulting in Toulouse, training Airbus engineers to be consultants. They lapped up the Six Sigma, but the fun was teaching them soft skills. Thats where Ive gone as a professional. I did all the TQM stuff, but the real challenge is in the people side of things. Im also enjoying working with my current client, where my contract keeps being extended, which is a nice sign that they like me. I achieve by staying proactive. I also keep studying. As well as collecting qualifications, I read nonstop (hooray for Amazon!) and write, both for Qualityworld and myself. Sharon: The past year has not been easy but I have been able to embrace projects such as the review of the updated PQG packaging guideline (PS9001:20011) and develop a role as a project manager for IRCA (www. IRCA.org) regarding the launch of a new certification scheme for

Bidding for large projects or those with potential for growth means having a multidisciplined team of associates at the ready
What has been your biggest challenge as a self-employed quality professional? David: When you get into a setupto-fail situation where youre the fall guy for someone elses problems. You get called in and the situation is impossible. Do you leave immediately or take the money before they drop all the blame on you? But the kids are grown and I can afford to choose. In the past, Ive had to go where the work was, even if it wasnt very fulfilling. Sharon: An unforeseen challenge has been a recent move to Switzerland with my husbands promotion within the first year of establishing my business. Another challenge has been dealing with a partners expectations

pharmaceutical auditors. IRCA is also qualifying me as a training assessor to equip me to assess the adequacy of auditor training courses and the competency of auditors applying for certification. I consider the launch of the IRCA scheme for pharmaceutical auditors to be one of my greatest successes. This project has made me much more attractive to other clients, especially those who have an interest in auditing. I will shortly be employed by a very professional Swiss-based company called HGP as a senior consultant (www.HGP.ag) which offers expert support to the health care, pharmaceutical and medical device industries. Since I chose consultancy, life has had a rougher edge but more interesting ride. I am grateful for this experience that has helped me develop a stoicism that is required of a flexible and mature professional. Marilyn: A measure of success for me is to see the natural reserve in participants develop into a confidence in implementing quality tools and techniques from learning how others have gone about it. A few years ago I established a partnership programme that brings together companies from a wide range of industries and backgrounds to share learning and best practice. Membership of the programme is now worldwide and has resulted in some interesting partnerships between organizations which at first sight would seem a bit unlikely, including the police, a mobile phone manufacturer, a high-tech global giant and the NHS. The benefit to companies is exposure and learning about leading-edge practices without the need to employ consultants. So whilst I may be doing myself out of a job in the longer term, I feel I have been successful if I can influence companies in this small way to be more competitive
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Members Area
CQI member of the month
Steve roberts: quality manager at an aluminium heat treatment plant, recently addressed World Quality Day delegates on attaining customer satisfaction through innovation
member grade: MCQI CQP Local branch: Wolverhampton Current role: Quality manager at Alloy Heat Treatment, a privately owned sub contract aluminium heat treatment plant, based in the West Midlands. Previous roles: I started my career as a metallurgical technician in an iron foundry, then moved on to operations management in sub contract heat treatment. CQI activities: I was recently a speaker at a World Quality Day event entitled Customer Satisfaction through Innovation, hosted by the CQI in conjunction with Birmingham City University. Qualifications: MSc in quality management, Dip. Q Diploma in operations and industrial management, HNC in metallurgical studies. my masters degree in quality management which I achieved in 2010. Achievements: Passing my MSc in quality management at the age of 48, whilst simultaneously holding down a full-time job and helping to raise a young family. What Ive learned: I think that a robust quality management system, if practised honestly, is at the heart of good business management. The eight principles of quality management is not a bad place to start. I have a great respect for BS EN ISO 9004:2009 which provides a wider focus than BS EN ISO 9001:2008 and uses an extended model of a processbased quality management system, to manage the sustained success of an organization.

first steps in quality: Following my work in an iron foundry, I moved into quality management about 11 years ago when I joined Alloy Heat Treatment. I really got into the formal education side of the discipline by studying for and passing the CQI diploma in quality (assurance and management), which gave me the incentive to study for

CQI members news In brIef

Southern Manufacturing is hosting the Southern Manufacturing and Electronics Exhibition in Farnborough, Hampshire, on 15-16 February. Ian McKay, FCQI CQP, and quality manager for external engagement at BAE Systems, will be speaking. More than 6,000 trade visitors working across all major manufacturing sectors from the UK are expected to attend the event. Register for your free place at www.industrysouth.co.uk or email: dmiller@thecqi.org

MANUFACTURING AND ELECTRONICS

RISK MANAGEMENT On 28-29 February, the British Standards Institute is hosting a conference on information security readiness and the latest risk management techniques in Victoria, London. The conference will discuss the latest thinking on the information security management standard ISO/IEC 27001. Delegates who work across ICT/IT management, e-commerce, risk, BCM, governance and compliance and audit are invited to attend. For more information contact www.shop.bsigroup.com

MANAGING STRESS The Governments Health and Safety Laboratory is hosting a two-day event in Buxton on managing workrelated stress at an organizational and individual level. Day one will highlight key elements of the Health and Safety Executives management standards for work related stress and day two will focus on individual case management. The course, running from 7-8 February, is suitable for health and safety managers or HR professionals. For more information email: training@hsl.gov.uk

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Events
CQI brAnCheS Contact details and events listed at www.thecqi.org/community
JANUARY Branch events
Client satisfaction measurement for the professional industry Branch: CQI North London Date: 19 January Venue: Gensler, Aldgate, London Contact: M Rawal E: mayankrawal@aol.com Breakfast briefing: how can health and safety legislation and regulations work? Branch: CQI Date: 24 January Venue: Central London Contact: Training E: training@thecqi.org The annual branch debate - A career in quality Branch: Thames Valley Date: 24 January Venue: The Holiday Inn, Basingstoke Contact: Branch secretary E: TVBCQImail.aol.com

FEBRUARY
Developing a quality culture Branch: West of Scotland Date: 2 February Venue: Glasgow city centre Contact: Jeff Marven E: chair.west@ thecqiscotland.org Tale of two bridges Branch: Kent Date: 3 February Venue: Newsprint House, Kent Contact: Bernard Dawe E: bernarddawe@btinternet. com Visit to Aylesford Newsprint Branch: Kent Date: 9 February Venue: Aylesford, Kent Contact: CILT T: 01536 740 104 Fuel cells Propulsion systems of the future? Branch: East of Scotland Date: 14 February Venue: Heriot Watt University, Edinburgh Contact: Malcolm McKnight E: sec.east@thecqiscotland. org quality costs Branch: North London Date: 23 February Venue: Westminster Business School, London Contact: M Rawal E: mayankrawal@aol.com IEE wiring regulations technical aspects Branch: Kent Date: 29 February Venue: Bromley Central Library Contact: ET T: 01438 765 650 quality and the oil operators Branch: North of Scotland Date: 13 March Venue: Union Plaza, Union Wynd, Aberdeen Contact: Derek Scot E: sec.north@ thecqiscotland.org Special incident investigations with Mercedes Benz Branch: Kent Date: 22 March Venue: The Russell Hotel, Maidstone Contact: CILT T: 01536 740 104 Design and application of complex safety critical systems Branch: Kent Date: 28 March Venue: Burlington Hotel, Kent Contact: IET T: 01438 765 650

MARCH

Zero waste Branch: West of Scotland Date: 1 March Venue: Glasgow city centre Contact: CILT T: 01536 740 104 Student evening Branch: East of Scotland Date: 13 March Venue: Adam Smith College, Glenrothes Contact: Jeff Marven E: sec.west@thecqiscotland. org

QW ExprEss is the monthly e-newsletter from the CQI. A free subscription will deliver you fresh news, the latest courses, events and jobs direct to your inbox. To subscribe or for further information, please visit www.thecqi.org/qwexpress

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Focus On
Retail
he retail industry spans several sectors and is never out of the headlines for long. The attention is largely attributed to the fact that the health of leading high street retailers is used as a benchmark for assessing the financial state of the countrys economy. But while the high street is reliant on consumers, it is not only at the mercy of their spending whims; it can also be threatened by their behaviour literally. When large parts of the UK suffered from waves of rioting in August last year, the industry took much of the blow and some retail outlets in Britains largest cities are still feeling the pain from smashed up shop fronts and widespread looting. From food stuffs to electrical goods, supplying high quality and safe products remains one of the most important issues affecting the industry in terms of quality. But ensuring that the needs of the end user are met every time is a challenge for all those who work inside the industry and decide on regulation. Managing director at consultancy and training firm RQA Europe, Vince Shiers, says lengthy and complex supply chains and severe price competition means retailers and manufacturers have to meet the challenge of managing quality and safety through to the finished products with constrained budgets. One of the main areas of focus for Vince and his team is crisis management, which largely involves product recalls. For example, in the case of allergen labelling on food products, manufacturers and retailers must ensure they keep up-to-date with the latest regulatory requirements. This part of the industry experiences many recalls each year because food products are labelled incorrectly or with incomplete information. RQA uses the British standard for business continuity management, BS 25999, as a basis for its work on business continuity planning (BCP). However, standards are

not the only consideration. Vince says: Product recall planning has become more advanced in recent times with companies realizing that a recall plan is a necessity for business survival rather than a luxury. This has been taken a step further by the expansion of recall planning and crisis management planning in general to be considered more widely.

KEY FACTS

75% of fresh food sold in uK stores is raised or grown in the uK arcadia Group could close 260 high street stores over three years Global e-retail sales rose by almost 25% to 591bn in 2010

uSEFul linKS
www.bis.gov.uk www.brc.org.uk www.retailsearch.org www.rqa-europe.com

The popularity of social media has also impacted the RCPs work in crisis management but can pose further challenges to the retail market. News of product complaints and product recalls can be spread very rapidly via these new media, Vince explains. It is also worth remembering that comments on social media sites are generally not regulated and so what someone says about a product or a company doesnt even need to be true. While social media can have a negative effect, online retail sales are on the rise and popular sites are pushing the boundaries with new initiatives. Recently, online bidding and auction site eBay opened its first pop-up shop in London which allows customers to browse a range of products from various brands via mobile devices before buying from the website. Time will reveal the success of such schemes but for now the British Retail Consortium has called on the Government to ensure its policies help the high street as much as possible. It claims that by keeping generated costs under control such as business rates, abandoning the fuel duty rises planned for 2012 and reducing red tape to help revitalize export markets, the Government can help boost the health of the retail sector and ultimately the wider economy.

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over to the experts

the problem My boss says that whistleblowing

NEIL MELLOR Formal whistleblowing is a tool that has its place and should be used as intended. It is an effective system for those who may not otherwise have spoken up or who feel they are trapped in an environment where they believe that their concerns would not be heard or addressed. A whistleblowing tool often works well for mandatory requirements, which are generally found in safety or environmental disciplines, whereas quality is often more subjective and discretionary. True quality excellence can only be guaranteed by a culture that creates a good environment for quality to flourish. If personnel feel that they need a formal outlet to blow the whistle on quality issues then this tends to indicate a poor company attitude to quality. Most people would not bother to take the time to use this process unless they were really concerned; by which time it is likely to be too late. I would suggest that whistleblowing is not appropriate above the level of a suggestion box or an informal discussion with the person taking on the role of voice of the customer within that organization. Encouraging the use of formal whistleblowing for quality purposes may actually have a negative impact on quality by disengaging people and reducing quality improvement.
Neil Mellor, ACQI, is a quality and assurance manager at Vinci Bam Nuttall

is crucial for quality, but what are the pros and cons?
ADAM JONES Standing up for what is right should lead to better quality and whistleblowing must lead to effective change. Even then, quality, like beauty, is often in the eye of the beholder and there may be instances where the activity of a whistleblower decreases quality for the end user. If, for example, a company is in breach of health and safety laws when delivering a product or service to the customer, and by having to comply with the law their service or product becomes erratic, the customer may experience a decrease in quality. The question then becomes an ethical one for the customer: do you want to receive goods or services from someone who is acting illegally? Reflecting on recently well publicized whistleblowing events, some readers of the News of the World may argue that the quality of their Sunday has deteriorated without the weekly satisfaction gained from reading about who has been exposed doing what, with whom, and for how long. The phrase, a culture of whistleblowing, raises some interesting questions. If the culture is within our society in general, or just within an organization, it suggests that most people are turning a blind eye to illicit activity. Should moral and ethical considerations come before the need to think about quality?
Adam Jones, MCQI CQP, is a personal performance coach

IAN DALLING Open or anonymous whistleblowing tends to occur in dysfunctional organizations where employees are not aware of, or have no faith in the management system, to process issues of concern. Unjustified whistleblowing may also potentially occur where employees are ill informed or have a personal agenda, for example, if they have a grudge against the organization or are acting for personal gain. Whistleblowing, other than on the sports field, is unlikely to become a shared norm or value because it is not a cultural component. Whistleblowing is unlikely to occur within a just and fair culture where employees are free of fear. However, a new leader or manager with a bad reputation may bring about a sudden change in employee trust, inhibiting normal reporting. Cultures that strongly value loyalty may inhibit employees from whistleblowing, for example, professional people closing ranks. Whistleblowing can only be effective where there are external agencies with sufficient power, competence and integrity to act on the disclosed information to bring about positive actions and improvement while simultaneously protecting the whistleblower. The competence of quality managers must include integrity, as they act as the organizations conscience and often as agony aunts to employees.
Ian Dalling, FCQI CQP, is managing director of Unified Management Solutions

next months problem

If quality depends on good leadership, what are the specific leadership behaviours that promote good quality?
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medIaphotos

Helpdesk

Tools of the Trade

DAVID STRAKER

Better networking

How to increase your chances of business success using different networking methods
Cross and Thomas recommend firm de-layering and diversifying to strike a better balance. They particularly suggest jettisoning the de-energisers, the 5% of people who cause 90% of your anxiety, to find instead the energizers who set a positive example and can ultimately help you. Give to get back I have always paid attention to my network, seeking to help others more than needing help myself. I use the principle of abundance: give freely and when you are in need, somehow help will arrive. This approach has worked well for me. You may, however, give much more than you get back in return, although there is always a feel-good factor when giving and from the gratitude of others. The social and psychological principle of reciprocation works in such a way that helping others creates an obligation to pay back those who help you. Hence giving legitimizes asking, although the size of the ask should be considered carefully when you want to sustain the relationship. Go electronic Social networking is one of the big phenomena of the modern world and it is worth at least getting onto LinkedIn if you are not already there you will be amazed at the people you know who are and it is worth linking with many of them. Theres nothing like re-awakening old acquaintances. It is worth joining discussions to find out more about other people before adding them as connections. Also, consider joining other new media sites such as Quora and Google+ to boost your online profile and networking opportunities. A smartphone will also help keep you connected. Use Skype or other messaging providers and make sure you keep up with emails and use filters to keep these manageable so you pick up the most relevant ones to you. Stay human While electronic systems help in ways only they can, nothing beats a faceto-face meeting, so do try to catch up with people in your network every now and again. Grab coffee, go to lunch or do business with them. When you do meet with them, try to listen more than you speak. Updating them on your situation is good but pouring out all your woes could have a negative effect. I studied psychology and it has helped enormously in getting on with others. I am a natural introvert and started my working life as an engineer. But increasingly, I have found that success is also about getting on with other people as much as possible. Dont stop networking Networking is not just something that you do when you want something. It is not only about emailing everyone you know to ask for favours. It is a constant, ongoing process. It means finding people, figuring out those who you want to stay in touch with and working to build and sustain the right relationships. In the looser, less hierarchical organizations of today, this approach is essential and many people succeed through relationships they have built with colleagues.
qw

etworking is considered to be a modern idea, but is in fact an ancient practice of sustaining a group of friends and acquaintances. Having a good network means you have people to turn to should the need arise, yet many of us pay scant attention to this part of our lives. A network can help you find information, get jobs, build a career and look after you when you are down or ill. Understanding the benefits A recent Harvard Business Review article, A Smarter Way to Network, by Rob Cross and Robert Thomas, identifies six benefits of networking, and explains that you should be able to access all of them from people in your network: information political support and influence personal development personal support and energy a sense of purpose or worth work/life balance. A major benefit of networking is finding work or getting promoted. Independent agents use their networks to find the next contract while people already in work seek mentors and advocates to help them climb the ladder. According to some reports, one third of all jobs come from people you know, a third are only advertised internally and the remaining are from standard job adverts. Im not sure of this because for many years, all the jobs Ive had have been through people I know. Analyze your network for the benefits you gain from it. Do you have the right balance? If not, you need to rebalance your network. In their article,

David Straker, MCqI CqP, is a consultant. He runs a knowledge sharing website at www.syque.com

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Resources
books, websites and top tips
book of the month
The Project Risk Maturity Model: Measuring and Improving Risk Management Capability by Martin Hopkinson, Gower, hardback (2011)

ISBN-13:978-0:566:08879-7

The author Martin Hopkinson has been a consultant and risk management practitioner in the governance of project management and risk management for more than a decade. What he writes draws heavily on the work of Hillson (who wrote the foreword), Chapman and Ward. He also compares PMI PMBoK, aPM PraM and uK Treasury Orange Book approaches to handling risks. If that sounds like this could be a text book, at times it is, but it is also a practical guide for assessing project risk management. The insights on proportional maturity requirements for the lifecycle stage, size and complexity of projects shows understanding of the real world. More than half the book is devoted to the questions in the maturity model, supplemented with Hopkinsons practical commentary, vignette case studies and hints for

those who wish to improve their practice. risk management is shown in its different modes to be a strategic tool for decision making, a commercial tool to refine options and a tactical tool for improving project planning and success. The key roles of project sponsor and other senior management runs through the book like letters in seaside rock.

The benefits in using risk management for improved reliability of estimates, schedules and delivery are consistently argued. The author also presents the need for stakeholder involvement and openness for overall success. However, the definition of stakeholder, users and suppliers excludes others who have a vested interest in the success or failure of the project and are often the source or solution for non-technical risks or opportunities. Quality professionals may find this a very useful tool to help embed a culture of risk management. There is one other point made that they might recognize: a valuable risk manager is not a generalist or inexperienced in the commercial world. The software supplied will take some of the administration out of using the risk maturity model assessment. It is a Qinetiq single licence (one machine, one user) based on access 2003 and must be installed to run.
Carol A Long, MCqI CqP, is an interim manager and agony aunt to many businesses

www.work.com
The uS-based website provides a how-to guide for all aspects of your business, from advice on money and finances to tips on website designs. It also offers a price comparison service on a range of business tools and office necessities, such as phone systems and online marketing resources.
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Sustainable Preservation: Greening Existing Buildings by Jean Carroon, wiley Books on Sustainable Design, hardback (2010)

a vision of innovation by
Stefan Lindegaar, a business consultant in Denmark

ISBN-13: 978-0470169117

This book appeals to me as an owner of a Victorian semi-detached home, concerned with the impact of my lifestyle and dwelling choice on the planets resources. The books author has an amazing eye for detail and a passion for historic architecture. This passion leaps from every page as each historic building upgrade is detailed to outline the potential of sustainable design to historic buildings. The approach of sustainable building preservation echoes the concept that new is not always better which transcends traditional notions of conservation, but it can be viewed simply as an extension of the useful life of each building. The natural fit of historic buildings to low energy improvements, such as LED lighting is one of the key highlights of this book, since most buildings were designed before electricity and electrical home appliances became part of everyday life in western society. The authors acute understanding of sustainable development is revealed by her

application of case studies that examines sustainability within the context of the preservation of historic buildings. The book emphasizes the social aspect of preservation as an invisible thread that connects the american psyche with its historic past in that the renewal of historic buildings not only optimizes the housing stock in local areas but also economically rejuvenates communities. The use of summary and technical illustrations eases the transfer of sustainable building concepts to non-technical readers.
Lowellyne James, MCqI CqP, is a qHSE manager at Capital Cooling. www.lowellynejames.blogspot.com

Companies need two kinds of people to make innovation initiatives successful. They need innovation leaders who focus on building the internal platform required to develop organizational innovation capabilities. This is work on the strategic and tactical level. Innovation leaders are often also involved as coaches and facilitators for the second group required for innovation, the intrapreneurs who turn ideas and research into new products and services. Intrapreneurs are much more operational minded and they are rare within most companies. Usually, about 10% of white-collar employees have an intrapreneurial mindset and skills that enable them to contribute in one or more phases of a process in which the goal is higher than incremental innovation. With some effort, you can train another 20-30% of employees within your company. There are a few ways to identify intrapreneurs. First of all, always remember that youre looking for people who can make things happen rather than people who have lots of ideas. Most organizations have tonnes of ideas, but lack people who can turn those ideas into reality. Look for people who reply in a constructive way that persuades you they can successfully deal with obstacles.
From The Future of Innovation edited by Bettina von Stama and Anna Trifola. Receive a 20% discount using the code G1DGV20 at www.gowerpublishing.com

want to be a reviewer?
to review for QW e: rgibson@thecqi.org

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Careers
your questions answered
I am interested in moving into a career in quality and would like some advice on the best place to start
Before embarking on a new career or considering a career change, it is important to consider opinions from different parts of the profession. Talk to any colleagues who work in the field and ask what is required to carry out the job successfully. Specialist recruitment agencies and sources such as the Governments Next Step guidance portal, available online, can offer good starting points and are also good resources. Quality is a fundamental part of every organization and therefore your role as a quality professional is pivotal to the success of a business. Skills and personal strengths are important when assessing how well you are suited to the particular needs of a role in quality. Lee Cartney, team manager for quality and manufacturing at JAM Recruitment, says: Meticulous attention to detail, capacity for innovation and a thorough understanding of the realities of working on the shop floor are all attributes required of professionals in this sector. When conducting research, you might notice that all quality professionals spend their time slightly differently depending on the organization they work for, but ultimately they all help organizations identify opportunities, risks and problems. The quality professional will facilitate successful implementation of improvement in order to help manage risks and solve problems. Most quality professionals move into the profession having spent earlier parts of their career in another discipline. For example, as discussed in this issues People article, Marilyn Dyason moved from the criminal justice system into quality consultancy. Once you gain this experience it is usually easier to move into different sectors or consultancy roles and apply your knowledge of the industry and other business functions. Lee said: While it is possible to study a degree in quality management, weve found that most of our candidates have worked as high-end manufacturing engineers for several years before moving into quality. Many then choose to accelerate progress by studying for specific quality qualifications, such as those delivered by the CQI. The future looks bright for quality professionals because in many areas quality roles are highly sought after and carry a great deal of prestige. For example, the automotive industry in particular is completely reliant for its survival on the quality of its products. Because quality management is so central to the success of business, it is not uncommon for quality professionals to progress to very senior positions, according to Lee.
SOPHIA TSIBIKAKI

people on the move

DR ISAAC SHEPS
Changes are afoot at Carlsberg. CEO of Carlsberg UK, Dr Isaac Sheps, will lead a Russian business belonging to the group, Baltika Breweries. Dr Sheps will also be responsible for Carlsbergs operations across Eastern Europe and will replace the current CEO of Baltika and SVP Eastern Europe, Anton Artemiev, who will continue as a member of the Baltika supervisory board. Senior vice president for Western Europe, Jesper Friis, will act as the interim CEO.

FRANCOIS BOUCHER

Secretary for the ISO technical committee number 176 and sub committee on quality concepts and terminology, ISO/TC 176/SC1, Francois Boucher, is to step down. The role of the secretary involves developing a vision and strategy for the committees while encouraging other countries to participate in its work. Mr Boucher is currently working as a standardization project manager for non-profit environmental services organization, Afnor.

IAN CUMMING

please email your career questions and job moves to editorial@thecqi.org

www.presentationhelper. co.uk www.thecqi.org

useful links

The national director for quality at the Department of Health, Ian Cumming, has been appointed chief executive for the North Bristol NHS Trust. Mr Cumming, who was previously chief executive of the West Midlands Strategic Health Authority and University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust, takes over from Ruth Brunt who steps down in April. The Trust specializes in neurosciences, plastics, paediatric burns, orthopaedics and renal care and employs more than 9,000 staff.

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Back Chat
insider gossip from the QUALitY indUstrY
energy management high on the global agenda
The European Energy Management Systems standard will be withdrawn in April. Work on a new European standard for energy audits is expected to be published later this year as part of development work on international standards. The standard, EN 16001, will be withdrawn by 26 April and any organizations already certified will be expected to use the international standard on the same subject, ISO 50001. Martin Fry, chair of the Energy Services and Technology Association, who has been leading the UK experts group which contributed to the production of both standards, said: The two standards are very similar and organizations already certified to the European standard will need to prepare to make the transition at the appropriate time. Martin led the UK delegation to a technical committee meeting in the US last year. The delegation discussed proposals to develop six standards to support the implementation of ISO 50001, which included developing the auditing standard, Energy Audits EN 16247-1. There are a number of sub-sections still under development on buildings, process and transport, which are expected to go out for public consultation this summer. ISO 50001 was drawn up to help manage energy consumption, beat rising energy costs and comply with greenhouse gas legislation. It was developed by energy management experts from more than 60 countries from across the world.

Quality
Hand of quality World Quality Day attracted some big names this year but you would have to go some distance to beat the uaE, where the star of the day was Diego Maradona. news that the legendary footballer had endorsed World Quality Day reached Quality Spy via an Indonesian news portal. The argentinian attended a Dubai hotel on 14 October for a grand ceremony to celebrate World Quality Day. as well as learning more about quality, Maradona, famous for his Hand of God goal against England, was honoured for his outstanding contribution to world football with a Knight Shield for Sports, awarded by The Emirates authority for Standardization and Metrology Cooperation. Maradona, who is currently in the united arab Emirates to coach al Wasl Football Club, was the star of the event, which was televised to 15 countries in the arab world. Cause for complaint Customer complaints can often prove to be highly embarrassing for the company concerned and the Henley School of Business has been compiling hundreds of them for a customer satisfaction survey. a contender for the most shocking complaint was from a customer who took issue with the delivery of a curtain pole, which the delivery driver had decided to put through the letterbox. When the customer returned home, they found that the pole had pinned their pet dog to the wall. In another incident, a utilities company received a call from a customer complaining about the exceptionally high quality of customer service. It was suggested that less money was spent on staff training and the savings put to reducing customer bills proof that some people will never be satisfied. Officially corrupt Global anti-corruption organization, Transparency International, has laid down a damning verdict on global public officials in its latest corruption perception index. The group says public outcry at corruption, impunity and economic instability is a clear message that more transparency and accountability is needed from our leaders, and the results of its survey show that public frustration is well founded. Of the 183 countries and territories which were assessed, new Zealand, Denmark and Finland topped the list as least corrupt, while north Korea and Somalia came last. The uK was ranked 16th with a score of 7.8 zero being highly corrupt and 10 very clean.

h Next mont sia QW goes to A lity f qua ssess a host o to a revisiting es, including issu ne year lity in Japan, o at qua isaster on from the d Fukushima. ibutions nd your contr i.org Se thecq to editorial@
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