Streamlining Quality Management Systems Using Lean
Quality Management Systems (QMS) are invaluable for improving business performance and customer satisfaction. However, a common complaint is that the administrative facets can be burdensome and time-consuming. Adding insult to injury, such perceptions undermine buy-in and potentially jeopardize the compliance so essential for QMS effectiveness. However, strategically integrating lean principles into quality management systems offers the ability to improve QMS performance while significantly decreasing the administrative effort needed to sustain a system. In this session, the following concepts will be covered:
A) Lean Systems and QMS Framework – This session details a three-part framework to efficiently and effectively incorporate lean principles into a QMS while preserving and enhancing risk mitigation:
i) Minimization – Processes are frequently inefficient. Incorporating such activities into a QMS results in the standardization and documentation of work that shouldn’t be done. Judicious streamlining eliminates unnecessary steps and minimizes the time and effort necessary to sustain a QMS. At the same time, an organization’s risk profile can be maintained and improved.
ii) Reusability – With minor revisions, many pre existing processes can be used to fulfill standard requirements. Be avoiding the need to create entirely new processes, corresponding efforts are significantly reduced.
iii) Primal/Dual Formulations – In the mathematics, optimization problems are often simplified by exploiting what are called “primal-dual” relationships. A similar idea can be applied to quality systems by redefining problems so that corresponding solutions can be greatly simplified.
B) Application – Specific examples for applying minimization, reusability, and primal/dual formulations are given along with a detailed explanation.Ultimately, by deploying the principles outlined in this session, attendees can significantly improve their QMS’s performance while radically reducing the effort required to maintain this system.
