Quality Objectives are business targets for the value and performance of products and/or services which aim to ensure adherence to the company’s Quality Policy. Quality objectives are typically set by managers, supervisors, or a person-in-charge. Both quality objectives and quality policies are standard requirements of ISO 9001:2015.
Failure to set and/or follow quality objectives can lead to substandard products and services, inefficient processes, and communication breakdown among teams.
This article will briefly discuss (1) what quality objectives are; (2) examples of quality objectives; (3) what to do when you fail to meet quality objectives; (4) a mobile app to set, document, and communicate quality objectives to teams; (5) quality objective templates you can download, customize and use.
Quality Objectives Examples
Quality objectives vary greatly depending on the industry, company, product, or service. Here are a few general examples:
- Increase total sales by 10% from Q1 to Q2
- Decrease failed customer resolutions by 20% by the end of the month
- Ensure 100% availability of product for all store branches
- Ensure that customers will not wait more than 5 minutes to be served
- Have at least 3 people trained for every task in the process
What to do When You Fail to Meet Quality Objectives
Every now and then, a team will fail to meet their quality objectives. When this happens, it’s important to know what can be done in order to do better in the future. Here are some things teams can do to better their chances when they fail to meet quality objectives:
- Document the data
Make sure to have complete documentation as this will prove useful in determining what went wrong so the right adjustments can be made. Be thorough and include details such as the personnel involved, dates, numbers, incidents, and other notable information.
- Assess your resources against the quality objective
Sometimes, not meeting the quality objective is a mere symptom of failing to set an attainable one. Assign a person or team to reassess the viability of meeting the set objective considering the resources provided (equipment, time frame, materials, personnel, etc). Depending on the findings, adjustments can be made by providing additional resources, introducing a new process for efficiency, or scaling the quality objective down to make it more doable.
- Know your team’s skillset
Most managers and supervisors fail to capitalize on their team’s individual talents. Take time to know each member’s strengths and weaknesses so you can distribute them effectively and maximize team performance.
- Perform a Root-Cause Analysis to pinpoint the reason for failure
Numerous internal and external factors may contribute to failure. Performing a root-cause analysis can help teams find the main cause of failure so corrective and preventive measures can be formulated against it.
- Create an A3 Report to refine your approach
The A3 Model is a problem-solving technique that aims to identify, understand, and resolve problems in a business setting. It utilizes the PDCA Methodology (Plan-Do-Check-Act/Adjust), helpful for optimizing your approach in order to meet your quality objectives.
Mobile App to implement and accomplish quality objectives
Once S.M.A.R.T Quality Objectives have been set, the person-in-charge must ensure that they are clearly communicated among teams. Additional measures such as internal audits help ensure that no steps toward meeting quality objectives are taken for granted. From the formulation of quality objectives, to their communication and implementation, iAuditor makes everything easier, faster, and more efficient.
Convenient data collection
- Collect data from the field anytime with your phone or tablet, even while offline!
- Use the collected data to formulate S.M.A.R.T Quality Objectives, or gather data to find the cause of failure
- Save and secure your information with unlimited cloud storage
Generate and share Quality Objectives instantly
- Immediately share the completed Quality Objectives Template to teams and stakeholders for instant implementation and visibility
- Easily customize our pre-made Quality Objectives Templates or create your own to fit your business needs
- Export your Quality Objectives Template in a variety of formats including PDF, DOC, and CSV
Manage teams better
- Assign and track corrective actions to team members in real-time
- Easily communicate updates and changes to quality objectives through the app
- World-class 24/5 customer support to assist you with your iAuditor queries
