Productivity and Quality Improvement Techniques
The Relationship between Productivity and Quality
There is no direct correlation to the number people a business employs and its level of productivity or the resulting quality of its products. Companies that strive to innovate will consistently try and advance overall performance through a variety of different techniques.
Quality and productivity have a symbiotic relationship that has traditionally been thought to be mutually exclusive. The key to successful implementation of productivity and quality improvement techniques is to advance both goals simultaneously though the same comprehensive initiatives. Leading edge companies recognize that too often a productivity increase is accompanied by a decrease in quality. Conversely, a commitment to superior quality results in a decline in production.
By recognizing and employing methods that increase both quality and productivity, a business can gain a substantial edge over its competitors that will usually result in enhanced profitability.
Techniques for Improvements in Quality and Productivity
Planning and Prioritizing: More effective use of time enhances both the amount of work completed and the quality of the work as well. Even senior management personnel will often enter the workplace with only a vague sense of daily priorities. Extended business
planning and prioritization provides a clear and concise view of required tasks and their relative importance.
Delegation: Especially for business owners, job delegation is extraordinarily difficult. However, by assuming that initiatives can not be successfully accomplished by anyone else, the owner or manager diminishes their own effectiveness through an excessive work load.
Form Workgroups: Groups that complete projects from design through implementation are generally more efficient and produce a higher quality of wok than compartmentalized single task workers. By involving the workgroup in the entire process, there is a greater tendency to take ownership in the final result.
Improve the Process: Evaluate the practices for the entire business while looking for methods that will streamline and optimize procedures and actions.
Encourage Healthy Lifestyles: Managers and employees who are unhealthy, stressed or sleep deprived have substantially lower performance quotients than their healthier counter parts. Educating employees about the importance of nutrition can provide greater efficiency and better quality control.
Devise a System of Performance Measurement: Too often businesses do not provide a clear manner of assessing and defining specific standards for quality and productivity. It is important that every employee understand the metrics of the company relative to their own position. By clearly illustrating goals and objectives, employees can monitor the success of the company as well as their own performance.
Embrace Technology: Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software provides a host of interactive modules designed to enhance business productivity and quality. By encouraging deep interdepartmental communications and exchanges of information, the comprehensive customer experience is seamless and more effective.
In either a service or manufacturing environment, advances in machinery, communications and transportation must be continually evaluated to identify opportunities to increase production. Modern equipment usually produces a higher quality and a more professional end result.
Improve Training: Advanced training provides opportunities for managers and employees to learn the latest techniques in developing efficient, leading edge services and products. Many vendors and manufacturers offer a variety of training sessions for specific aspects of their industry. Training should be ongoing and cover the entire spectrum of the business process.
The Goal of Better Quality and Higher Productivity
Discovering productivity and quality improvement techniques is a process that continues in perpetuity. By utilizing a number of proven methods for enhancing performance, the twin goals of greater productivity and better quality can be accomplished simultaneously.
