Company Wide Quality Control

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Company Wide Quality Control (CWQC) is an employee-oriented quality assurance concept . It was developed by Ishikawa Kaoru and known in Japan from 1968 .

CWQC is the most advanced approach to quality in product management . Building on the work of Armand V. Feigenbaum , William Edwards Deming and Joseph M. Juran , CWQC is viewed as an extension of Total Quality Management (TQM) or Total Quality Control (TQC). Due to the similarity of the principles, it is difficult to differentiate between CWQC, TQM and TQC. Therefore the terms CWQC, TQM and TQC are sometimes used as synonyms.

definition

The basic goal of the CWQC is to align the activity steps of the product development process as well as all other work processes of the various operational areas in such a way that the customer requirements for the operational performance or the product are met. Employees at all hierarchical levels are included, which improves quality work throughout the company. The central element in Ishikawa's concept is quality, which is intended to make companies competitive in the market .

The concept of the CWQC can also be described as strategic quality management, in which quality is viewed as a controllable instrument that serves to achieve company-related goals, especially customer satisfaction. In contrast to the traditional approaches to quality assurance, the quality assurance concept does not include quality testing, but the company-wide production of quality through continuous improvement of all quality-relevant production processes.

Principles of the CWQC

CWQC is characterized by three basic principles:

  • Use of quality as a competitive tool
  • customer focus
  • Inclusion of all functional areas as well as all employees in the quality improvement process

Use of quality as a competitive tool

In Ishikawa's CWQC concept, quality is defined by him as a competitive parameter. This gives rise to his demand “quality first”. According to Ishikawa's approach, a company that operates with a focus on quality will increase its profits in the long term through internal cost reductions and market share increases. Whereas a short-term profit leads to a loss of profit and competition. Ishikawa justifies this connection as follows: "Improved quality increases customer loyalty and thus the company's turnover". Furthermore, quality improvements of the manufactured product lead to potential cost reductions.

customer focus

The decisive factor in customer orientation is the change from a manufacturing-oriented to a customer-oriented quality concept. The quality is defined by the customer and not by the company. Accordingly, the entire product creation process is customer-specific. Market research is therefore playing an increasingly important role.

Involvement of all functional areas and employees

The principle of customer orientation applies within the company, i.e. employee-related. Every employee in the subsequent process is seen as a customer. The so-called “the next process is your customer” principle serves to break down departmental barriers and facilitates communication and coordination of corporate activities on a horizontal level. A network of customer-supplier relationships is created that encompasses the entire company. In this way, the internal customer orientation serves to meet external customer requirements. The concept of the CWQC also includes elements of quality assurance, such as statistical quality assurance as well as elements of measurement and testing technology.

Subitems of the CWQC

Ishikawa's CWQC concept comprises three areas in which quality is used. With the help of static methods, data and facts are collected that serve for continuous improvement. It can thus be seen that quality is not a goal, but an ongoing process. Some points that make up the CWQC concept can be found in the extract from Ishikawa's concept list:

  1. Product quality is improved and uniform. Errors are reduced.
  2. The reliability of the products is improved
  3. Costs are reduced
  4. The [quantity of] production is increased and can be rationalized
  5. Unnecessary work and rework are reduced
  6. Techniques are standardized and improved
  7. Inspection and test costs are reduced
  8. Supply contracts are streamlined
  9. The sales market is enlarged
  10. The cooperation between the departments is improved
  11. Incorrect data and reports are reduced
  12. Discussions are conducted more freely and democratically [e.g. B. in the context of quality circles]
  13. Meetings are smoother conflict-free]
  14. Installation, repairs and maintenance measures on machines and equipment are carried out more efficiently.
  15. Human relationships are improved

Differentiation from TQM and TQC

Compared to the TQM concept, CWQC is a more employee-focused concept. The quality tasks are distributed to the entire company. According to Feigenbaum's TQC concept, the focus is on the product's production cycle. "Total" describes the process from planning, development, production to sales and service. Due to a misleading interpretation, the idea of ​​the employee-oriented concept spread in Japan instead. Ishikawa tried to correct this mistake by calling the employee-oriented concept CWQC.

Compared to Total Quality Control (TQC) according to Feigenbaum's definition, CWQC is a concept that is far more focused on customer orientation. Because the fulfillment of customer needs with regard to the manufactured product is the focus company-wide and for all employees. The aim is the constant improvement or production of quality at a low cost level.

use

Many of the thoughts of the CWQC are taken up in today's quality management. The study "Global State of Quality" by the American Society for Quality (ASQ) from 2016 showed that 36 percent of the companies participating worldwide see continuous quality improvement as a strategy and competitive factor. According to the report, quality and corporate success are always related to one another, but the financial impact cannot be represented due to the lack of measurement procedures.

Experts are convinced that quality as a competitive factor is decisive for the success of a company in today's age. So Paulo Sampaio, Professor of Quality Management at the University of Minho ( Portugal ): “For [companies] to be successful in the market, companies must be able to deliver quality at a high level and at the same time [...] develop their products in such a way that the expectations of the customer are exceeded . This is how companies continuously improve their processes to achieve excellence. "Grayson McClain, Director of Quality & Customer Experience at FedEx , agrees:" Our understanding of what quality means as a strategy has expanded. It is no longer limited to delivery admissibility and customer service, [...] but to the entire customer experience. [...]. "

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Jens Wonigeit: Total Quality Management - Basics and efficiency analysis . Deutscher Universitätsverlag, Wiesbaden 1994, ISBN 3-8244-0204-1 , p. 54.
  2. ↑ a b Jens Wonigeit: Total Quality Management: Basics and efficiency analysis . Deutscher Universitätsverlag, Wiesbaden 1994, ISBN 3-8244-0204-1 , p. 52 .
  3. ↑ a b c Jens Wonigeit: Total Quality Management - Basics and efficiency analysis . Deutscher Universitätsverlag, Wiesbaden 1994, ISBN 3-8244-0204-1 , p. 45.
  4. ↑ Stepan Jacobs (ed.), Helmut Krcmar: Conflict visualization in cooperative design. Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden, Aachen 1996, ISBN 3-8244-6380-6 , p. 19.
  5. ↑ Jens Wonigeit: Total Quality Management - Basics and efficiency analysis . Deutscher Universitätsverlag, Wiesbaden 1994, ISBN 3-8244-0204-1 , pp. 46-47.
  6. ↑ Ishikawa, Kaoru. on: projektmagazin.de
  7. ↑ Gerd F. Kamiske : Excellence is a quality not a program, QM on the wrong track? In: QZ. 49, 1, 2004, pp. 23-24.
  8. ↑ A. Baines, M. Fiegler: Think global quality of the future. In: QZ. 61, 12, 2016, pp. 42-45.
  9. ↑ A. Baines, M. Fiegler: Think global quality of the future. In: QZ. 61, 12, 2016, p. 44.