Quality Management In Companies Research Articles

Competing values in software process improvement: a study of cultural profiles

PurposeThe purpose of the article is to investigate the impact of organizational culture on software process improvement (SPI). Is cultural congruence between an organization and an adopted process model required? How can the level of congruence between an organizational culture and the values and assumptions underlying an adopted process model be assessed?Design/methodology/approachThe competing values framework and its associated assessment instrument are used in a case study to establish an organizational culture profile of a software development business unit within the case company. The instrument is supplemented with a technique to produce culture profiles of texts such as process models like the Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) and the case company's quality management system. The different profiles are subsequently analyzed and compared.FindingsThe culture profile of the CMMI confirms previous research and depicts a result‐oriented, formalized, and structured organization. A comparison with the company's quality management system shows congruent culture profiles suggesting that the case company has succeeded in capturing underlying assumptions of the CMMI when updating the quality management system. The analysis also reveals the organizational culture profile of the business unit to be incongruent with the quality management system's profile. This disconfirms previous research claiming that congruence is a prerequisite. Further analysis reveals that actions were taken by managers in the case company to address the cultural challenges and successfully implement new processes. It is, therefore, concluded that cultural incongruence is not an insurmountable barrier to SPI. By comparing cultural profiles, some SPI implementation challenges become evident and that in turn allows for effective SPI management action.Research limitations/implicationsThe research is based on a single case study and that is sufficient to disconfirm existing research. Additional research is, however, needed to validate both the proposed text analysis technique as well as the proposed process for assessing and managing cultural challenges confronting SPI projects.Practical implicationsSPI managers are provided with a more complex view of organizational culture in which congruence is not a necessity. SPI managers can choose to compare culture profiles and decide how to address incongruences. To that end the text analysis technique is offered as a web service that allows for analysis of all text‐based process models and standards, and of internal process documentation.Originality/valueThe proposed culture management process, including the text analysis technique, is a cost‐efficient approach to analyzing and providing the basis for managing cultural challenges during SPI in a specific company. The process provides understanding and guidance in dealing with the specific challenges faced by software companies during SPI.

Analyzing the effectiveness of quality management practices in China

Abstract This study examines the effectiveness of different quality management practices in firms operating in China. Following March's framework, quality management practices are organized by two orientations—exploration vs. exploitation. We investigate whether exploitative-oriented quality practices are more effective than exploratory-oriented quality practices or vice versa in China. Data were collected from quality managers of companies located in seven areas in China. Structural equation models were used to assess the effectiveness of explorative quality practices and exploitative quality practices on multiple performance dimensions. Overall, exploratory-oriented practices contribute more towards most of performance goals than exploitative-oriented practices. We further explain the research findings from the national culture perspective in the sense that the current Chinese national culture profile is dramatically different from the traditional wisdom, particularly in power distance. The results provide an insightful guideline for quality managers to allocate scarce resources to make quality practices more effective in operations sites in China. It offers a new focus of launching quality management practices in a specific cultural environment.

The perception of software quality and testing in Czech software companies

The aim of this article is to introduce the survey results of the current state of testing and quality management in software companies in the Czech Republic. The article includes answers to questions about the view of quality management in these companies and their employees' level of knowledge of software testing as well as an analysis of these results and a proposal for solving the identified issues. Moreover it describes the current software testing education system and its characteristics as it has a direct impact on this perception.

Testing and long‐term monitoring within printed circuit board cleaning technology

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present the development and implementation of a system of test methods for determining the contamination level in cleaning baths and using this system for long‐term monitoring in printed circuit board (PCB) production.Design/methodology/approachA set of test methods was chosen that indicated the contamination of production cleaning baths in four chambers of an ultrasonic cleaning equipment filled with a commercial alkaline cleaner and isopropanol. By long‐term monitoring, the amount of mechanical impurities, residue‐on‐evaporation, pH and conductivity were measured. Depending on the contamination of the cleaning baths, the final contamination of PCB surfaces was predicted and the baths were replaced with fresh baths.FindingsA novel system for testing and monitoring the contamination of cleaning baths was developed and implemented. The sustainable compliance with the specification was assured in PCB production, thus, the final PCB contamination achieved was under 1.5/1.2 μg NaCl/cm2 as measured using the IPC‐TM‐650 test method. Quality requirements were fulfilled. This novel system was successfully integrated into the company's quality management system.Research limitations/implicationsThe set of test methods were used for an alkaline cleaner and isopropanol and for both a conventional solder and a lead‐free one. Because the course of bath contamination, monitored by the four test methods, was found to be proportional, further development should be focused on the issue – i.e. to determine if the “proportionality” would be universal for all types of PCB manufacturing.Originality/valueThe paper deals with a new approach for quality testing and assurance in PCB manufacturing. A set of test methods for monitoring contamination levels in production cleaning baths was implemented. This also supports process control and minimises the impact of cleaning processes on the environment (i.e. the production of waste from cleaning was reduced).

Synergy-based approach to quality assurance

Product development and design as well as the efficiency of quality management system have a key influence in product quality costing. Therefore they should be closely integrated. It is suggested that the main obstacle in attaining better quality is th e so-called bad engineering, mostly caused by human shortcomings in design and quality management. The paper presents a novel opportunity to empower human activities in the framework of quality management system through the synergy-based approach to quality assurance. Finally, a methodology is proposed for the preparation of the company's quality management system for ISO certification.

Product Liability: Beyond Loss Control–An Argument for Quality Assurance

Companies should be diligent in examining the relationship of product liability claims and effective quality assurance programs. A review of the literature suggests there are many writings about the mechanics of a product liability case, but very little hard evidence to suggest that companies are saving money because of implemented quality initiatives. While liability in this arena is usually borne by an injury that is due to a defect in either design, manufacturing, or marketing materials, suits are generally filed under three broad categories: negligence, breach of warranty, or strict tort liability. Properly implemented quality assurance initiatives will serve a company by tracking all aspects of the operation, from design to packaging, in order to determine where waste and defects are occurring. The courts are looking for this documentation, as well as how negative discoveries are handled in a company's quality management system. Since the courts are looking beyond a simple defect to determine a company's methodology for handling problems, effective quality systems must exist to demonstrate the exercise of due diligence. They also serve as documentation controllers that disallow “smoking guns” (internal or external communiqué) from becoming financial liabilities.

Process improvement evaluation approach using flow diagrams

AbstractMaintaining company processes will afford optimum operation and enhance the company's quality management system. A vital part of maintaining processes is their periodic evaluation. An important part of the monitoring and evaluation process is the flow diagram. A detailed flow diagram is an important tool that affords ease in visualizing the total process and is an aid in locating problem areas. The evaluation of a process is broken down into 15 steps. These steps cover gathering pertinent information, such as problem symptoms from knowledgeable sources and carrying these through their route to potential problem areas to the problems, potential causes, and the root cause of the problem. Knowing the problems brings about the need to assess their impact on the process operation as well as what changes to the process are needed and what impact these changes will have on the product – its improved quality and cost – and other vital information, such as, production rate increase, competition status, and company image. With this information, the appropriate changes are made according to a process change action plan. The plan is executed, and the process is continuously monitored according to a monitoring and evaluation plan. The paper ends with conclusions. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

An Empirical Study of the Posturing-Implementation Gap in Quality Management

Existing studies show that top management commitment to quality is a major factor in determining the success of a company's quality management program. Many of these studies measure the commitment and success of a company's quality management programs using information from the company's own managers. This raises an important research question: Do managers make accurate statements about their commitment to quality and the organization's emphasis on quality? If not, then the conclusions drawn from existing studies that relied on these statements will he inaccurate. The aim of this study is to answer that research question using the textual data in annual reports and external measures of organizational emphasis on quality.Annual reports are a key communication vehicle used by senior managers to articulate important matters of the firm, such as their commitment to qualify and to its stakeholders. In this study, the textual content of 100 randomly selected annual reports of firms listed in Fortune's 1988 list of “America's Most Admired Corporations” was analyzed to measure their emphasis on quality. This measure was then compared against external measures of each organization's emphasis on qualify. The strong positive relationship between senior management's annual report emphasis on quality and external measures indicates that senior management's assertions about organizational commitment to quality appear accurate.

Self-assessment of all the health centres of a public health service through the European Model of total quality management.

The Basque Country Public Health Service has moved in the last years from considering quality as an attribute of patient care to thinking that all management can be subject to improvement. Consequently, its general management team has promoted and supported a self-assessment experience of all their centres by means of the European Quality Model. This strategy has been facilitated by the Basque Country Government, which has strongly encouraged total quality management in companies, and has created the Basque Foundation for Quality Promotion, a key institution in this whole process. A total of 26 centres of the Public Health Service concluded a self-assessment process. As the main result of this, different improvement areas were detected, and various necessary actions were implemented in the centres assessed. Advantages, troubles and future work lines to extend and improve the use of the EFQM model in the health sector are discussed.

TickIT And Consultants: How To Get ITWithout Them

The purpose of this paper is to show how a small, independent company's quality management system was successfully certificated to TicklT/ISO 9001, without the use of external management consultants. The TickIT certificate in question covers the entire business scope, including software development and maintenance (both of products and bespoke systems), large research and development contracts, consultancy and IT training. Not only was TickIT implemented successfully: the scheme lived up to its promise and continues to deliver measurable business benefits to the company. The main benefits include shortened lead times, higher productivity and business turnover, and increased market share. At the same time, human resources spent in QA have reduced since certification, and currently stand at around six per cent. However, despite avoiding the use of management consultants, it has become apparent in the four years since QA implementation began that a significant amount of heavy going could have been avoided if the organisation had taken advice at key stages. This paper identifies those stages and concludes that judicious and independent advice would have saved time and money.