Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1503998
32 PCB007 MAGAZINE I JULY 2023 3. Assigning Responsibility Our conversation then shied away from the people side of quality and into the system that prompts it. Organization and communication are needed to maintain the documents needed to continue to shape the quality environment. It's important to know who is responsible for the upkeep of each document and when to ren- ovate them as they become outdated. ese documents should also have buy-in from mul- tiple leaders in the business. 4. Show Me the Data e final factor we defined is the use of data. Any company can "feel" that their quality system is robust and gets the job done. But at the end of the day, it's just an opinion. Where are the numbers showing the system is robust? Sta- tistics need to be the driv- ing force, regardless of the continual improvement made. It's what drives the "M" in SMART goals and shows strengths and weak- nesses. Data will drive the initia- tives worth focusing on. At the end of our probably too long conversation, my colleagues and I had mostly agreed that we were happy to be on the improvement side of the quality manage- ment system and not at the start. We concluded that it's incredibly empowering to be a part of a system that is always trying to revise itself, one in which the best advancements of today will be standard practice tomorrow. PCB007 Paige Fiet is a process engi- neer at TTM-Logan. and in the IPC Emerging Engineer Pro- gram. To read past columns, click here. debate, we agreed: Several factors must be in place when developing the improvement process of any quality management system, regardless of the workplace. 1. Strong Customer Interaction and Satisfaction e first accepted pillar in the improvement process is through customer interaction and sat- isfaction. Once we create the foundation of our quality system, it must be constantly updated through customer feedback. ey provide a hard look into what's lacking in your systems. Sometimes this looks like a process review or an update to an outdated training document. At other times, the customer can steer the direction into technology and material advancements. Whatever the case may be, a busi- ness is in business to make money. In most industries, the money is made by selling prod- ucts. Why not first listen to those buying the products? 2. Consider Company Culture e next agreement we made was that the quality management system should factor in the culture of the facility or company. Is it easy for all the employees to access docu- ments in the QMS? Are the employees look- ing to constantly improve the quality sys- tems around them? How are the employees able to communicate any ideas they have for improvement to leadership? How willing are the employees to not only present ideas for advancement but for them to follow through with said ideas? A business won't survive without employees (unless AI takes over the world, that is). So, a QMS needs to fit into the everyday culture such that it creates continual improvement at all levels of the business. Are the employees looking to constantly improve the quality systems around them?