We are fortunate to have the opportunity to talk to business leaders and managers about their goals for continuous improvement frequently. One thing that has been consistent in our conversations so far this year is an emphasis on quality. There is broad recognition that improving the quality of process outputs of every type is the best way to positively impact the bottom line as well as improve customer satisfaction and employee engagement.

Working with customers over the years has given us some insight into how quality gains can be initiated and sustained. Here are some simple yet important steps you can take.

Invest in Improvement Proactively

If you spent too much money and resources solving quality problems in 2019, now is an excellent time to get proactive and invest in three areas, technology, training, and resources. Quality management technology provides a structure for all opportunities for improvement. It makes it easy for your team to collaborate on projects and measure results. It becomes one source of the truth for best practices and the basis for controlled change.

Technology alone, of course, is not enough. Front-line staff also needs training on how to spot potential quality problems and what to do when they arise. They should be familiar with the language of quality improvement and feel empowered to speak up. In addition, all of the resources needed for each process should be available, up-to-date, and in good working order.

Correct Misaligned Incentives

In software circles, there’s a bit of a folktale about a company that gave quality assurance workers a bonus for every bug they found. They quickly realized that they could pay the developers to insert bugs into the code and still come out on top. I don’t think a scheme like that would last very long (especially after the developers started getting fired for writing bad code). Still, it is an example of the kind of misaligned incentives that are so common in business.

This is a good time to evaluate whether your performance metrics are in line with the quality results you want. Are workers rewarded for quantity over quality? Is top-line revenue the only metric that seems to matter? Is finding errors more encouraged than preventing them?

Engage Front-Line Workers in Solutions

When quality problems come up, most organizations turn to managers and executives for guidance. But, in reality, the people who are in the best position to uncover, understand, and solve problems are the people closest to the processes – front-line workers.

There are many benefits from switching to a bottom-up improvement paradigm. When workers are involved in problem-solving, they are more invested in the solution and more willing to go above and beyond to make sure positive change happens. They are also subject matter experts on their operations who can point out risks and help avoid unintended consequences.

Measure Thoughtfully

When trying to improve quality, it can be tempting to respond to every variance with gusto. However, not all deviation indicates the need for action. Some variation in process results is normal, while some are cause for concern. How can you tell the difference? Control charts are an excellent tool for sorting out signals and noise. They allow you to focus on trends and variation that likely has a special cause. This post has more detail.

Address Root Causes

Another common reaction is to respond to quality problems by addressing the most prominent symptom. However, this can create a patchwork of workarounds that contribute to an increased opportunity for error. A better approach is to search for the root cause of every problem and address issues at the source. One technique for doing this is called the 5 Whys. It’s a simple method of stating a problem and then asking why until the ultimate cause is uncovered. The number of “whys” will vary, but usually, five will get to the root cause that needs correction.

Celebrate Success

I always think of hockey goalies when I think about how we manage quality. A hockey goalie can successfully protect the goal a hundred times, but the one time he misses the puck, a red light goes off, and everyone boos. That’s a tough gig. Process operators should not feel like hockey goalies. Take the time to recognize success when things are going well. Create an incentive to improve process not just to avoid problems, but to reap the rewards of high-quality outputs.

There’s no silver bullet for quality improvement, but these steps will take you a long way toward setting the stage for success.