You are on page 1of 5

Problem Definition

The fundamental problem is management. Senior management lacks the policies and visible
support of a quality philosophy such as following a ISO 9000 uality System. !ven though
they have recently appointed "ank #olb to oversee their quality program$ which is a move in
the right direction$ there is still a lack of visible senior management support for quality.
The fundamental problem shows up in a number of symptoms such as putting schedule and
market share above quality and safety. It also shows up as a poor attitude about quality.
uality is viewed as an add on$ inspected in$ and is an impedance to doing their %ob. &roper
training is not viewed as a prerequisite to start a %ob which leads to unqualified people
performing processes.
This fundamental problem also creates an entire host of other problems. These problems$ as
stated in the case study$ include' lack of purchasing$ design$ and testing processes$ inspections
that are after the fact with out in(process controls or feed back loops. It also leads to a lack of
product tractability$ quality maintenance records of the equipment so improvement or
stabili)ation data is not available. *esigns are made on hunches ( there is no decisions based
on facts and data.
Problem Justification
&ersonnel had stated that the operator had %ust be transferred in without any formal training
and the on(the(%ob training was by an unqualified person shows proper training is not viewed
as a prerequisite to start a %ob which leads to unqualified people performing processes.
The operator was not around when the + manager did the testing demonstrates inspections
that are after the fact with out in(process controls or feed back loops.
The case states that there was no scheduled or preventive maintenance and they had recently
had ,- work orders to ad%ust or fi. a machine that was being used for something that it was
not designed to do. This shows a lack of product tractability$ lack of quality maintenance
records of the equipment so improvements can be made.
The plastic no))les were a rush order$ the heads had burrs on the inside rim and they %ust
increased the application pressure to make them fit. This shows that schedule and market
share above quality and safety. It also shows a poor attitude about quality and that quality is
viewed as an add on$ is inspected in$ and is an impedance to doing their %ob.
There solution to deal with the suppler of the substandard parts was to talk with the sales
person the ne.t time they came in shows a lack of good purchasing processes .
/arketing drove the design and the cans were not designed for manufacturing also shows up
as a poor attitude about quality and a lack of good design processes.
The designed was pressed into manufacturing without testing the effect of the contour$ shows
a lack of testing processes and that they put schedule over quality and safety.
#olb had a hunch what the problem might be but the designer did not feel that should be a
problem$ demonstrates that designs are made on hunches ( there is no decisions based on
facts and data .
Statements like 0even if it is a little off spec was tolerable$ we need market share now1 shows
a poor quality attitude and the schedule is more important.
The inspector had used only a sample of testing to find the eight re%ected cases but had no
way of tracking where they had gone shows a lack of in(process controls and a lack of
product tractability.
2ast$ the fact that "ank was sent down to this plant with out any real visible support and was
viewed as %ust another director without any more authority shows a lack of senior
management support for a quality philosophy. In short$ management is the problem.
List of Alternative Courses of Action
1. They could do nothing and continue to focus on getting the product out the door.
1. They could do nothing and continue to focus on getting the product out the door until the
demand stabili)ed the figure out what the best course of action would be.
1. They could perform a make3buy analysis to determine if they should off(load the
production to another company.
1. They could focus on the equipment with full time maintenance staff to keep the machine
up and running properly.
1. They could start collecting data on why and how the machine breaks down.
1. They can implement better design$ manufacturing$ and testing processes along with
ensuring training is a requirement to operate any process.
1. They can start to design for manufacturing and use facts to guide there decisions.
1. They can analy)e if this product fits strategically with their company4s goals and
ob%ectives.
1. They can do a cost3benefit analysis to see if they should invest in better machines.
1. They could start with senior management to manage the company by a visible quality
philosophy and take a long term view of their company where they empower the uality
director to institute quality programs that infiltrate the attitudes of all employees across
the company.
Evaluation of Alternatives

5lternatives ,$ while it may get product out the door it is not currently meeting the market
demand and does little$ if any thing$ to solve the problems.
5lternative - does not resolve the quality problems in the short run$ only gives the illusion
that improvements will come in the future$ and fails to put any plans in place to make
improvements or solve the problems.
5lternative 6 is a good thing to consider because it could provide an opportunity to remove
the problem and provide a quality product in the quantities needed. "owever$ it does take
time to perform the investigation and analysis that does not solve the short term problems.
One must also be careful that the selected supplier has the quality systems in place and the
off(loading of the work is not viewed negatively by the employees.
5lternative 7 is a good start but one would have to question if they need a full time staff to do
it or if a system could be set up that required a staff as needed.
5lternative 8 is also good but one needs to focus on the decisions they want to make then
design the data collection based on the required decisions.
5lternatives 9$ :$ and 9$ are good steps in the right direction but take time to do right.
5lternatives ; and ,0 are the foundation to starting to solve the fundamental problems.
Recommendations
"ank should engage senior management to provide visible support for a quality philosophy
that will change the attitudes across the company. Then "ank needs to start an awareness
campaign that will allow people to understand the cost of poor quality and the value of good
quality processes as part of this management support.
"ank then needs to focus on short run to get things under control. "e should start collecting
data on why and how the machine breaks down with a minimal staff required to keep the
machines running.
Once that is done he should work with senior management to verify if this product is a good
fit with the companies goals and ob%ectives and perform a make3buy analysis.
2ast$ "ank should focus on the implementing a quality system such as ISO 9000 where they
develop policies and processes for purchasing$ design$ and testing.

You might also like