{"id":11244,"date":"2023-06-29T08:57:07","date_gmt":"2023-06-29T15:57:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.qad.com\/blog\/?p=11244"},"modified":"2023-06-29T08:58:41","modified_gmt":"2023-06-29T15:58:41","slug":"5-key-strategies-for-putting-quality-first-and-designing-it-from-the-start","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.qad.com\/blog\/2023\/06\/5-key-strategies-for-putting-quality-first-and-designing-it-from-the-start","title":{"rendered":"5 Key Strategies for Putting Quality First and Designing It from the Start"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”11245″ img_size=”full”][vc_column_text]We all know that quality isn\u2019t free. But if you want to pay for it at the lowest possible cost, you build quality in from the beginning.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When you identify a quality issue during production, you\u2019ve already invested in that nonconforming product. You\u2019ve got to decide whether to scrap it or invest more money in reworking it to reclaim your original investment. Worse still is when a defect goes undetected until it\u2019s out in the marketplace \u2014 not only are you paying to correct the issue, you\u2019ve taken a major hit in customer satisfaction and brand reputation.<\/span><\/p>\n

As I mentioned in a <\/span>recent article<\/span><\/a> in <\/span>Quality Digest<\/span><\/i>, prevention is cheaper than playing quality catch-up. So why doesn\u2019t everybody do it? Because designing quality from the start requires a combination of the right employees using the proper tools and processes in a corporate environment that teaches, expects and fosters investment in the upfront design process.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here are five key strategies for designing quality from the start, along with the tools, steps and environment needed to make it happen.<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Design for Extreme Prevention<\/span><\/h2>\n

Extreme prevention<\/span><\/i> means exactly what you\u2019re imagining: Taking prevention to the next level. It starts with gathering the brightest, most experienced \u2014 and most skeptical \u2014 minds together to brainstorm all possibilities before the actual design process begins. This means involving stakeholders from across the company, including engineering, manufacturing, procurement, quality, maintainability, serviceability and sustainability, plus key suppliers. And don\u2019t forget those senior operators, who likely know more about the process than everyone else.<\/span><\/p>\n

Remember, the goal here is prevention. You naturally think about potential product failures that end users might experience, but don\u2019t ignore possible problems in the design, manufacturing and supply chain processes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Empower your design team with reviewing and documenting customer requirements and stakeholder concerns, then creating a comprehensive list of requirements. Those should include all aspects of the product\u2019s life cycle, including dimensional characteristics, performance, durability, assembly, maintainability, serviceability, sustainability and <\/span>sourcing<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Next, the cross-functional team should define the failures and risks of the product and process design so those can be resolved before production even begins. By addressing these risks upfront, the team can design the product and the manufacturing processes to prevent failures before they even occur. Victory!<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Leverage Knowledge From the Past<\/span><\/h2>\n

One of the best ways to prevent quality issues is to learn from previous missteps and successes. By gathering and using knowledge from past projects, your team can avoid repeating the same mistakes.<\/span><\/p>\n

Documenting this knowledge is crucial for retaining intellectual property and facilitating future design improvements. For example, having witnessed the failures of using Excel to manage foundational failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA), Ford Motor Company requires suppliers to document and maintain a foundational FMEA using a software tool \u2014 that\u2019s how much the automaker values documenting institutional knowledge of failures and risk.<\/span><\/p>\n

Documenting that knowledge does the following:<\/span><\/p>\n