While usually associated with manufacturing and service activities, ISO 9001 should be considered equally as effective as a management system for education and training programs. If we consider the desired outcome (learning), education and training is just another form of service; the product is the knowledge, skill and/or ability that is achieved by the program attendees. As with other services, the delivery of education and training incorporates the processes of design, development, verification, validation, delivery, subsequent correction and ongoing improvement. Therefore, when we try to apply the requirements of ISO 9001 to education and training activities, we find that it aligns exceptionally well with generally accepted practices.
A fundamental objective of any quality management system is to ensure that customer needs are met. In order to define these needs as they relate to education and training, we must first define the primary customer of this service - the program attendee. I’ve used the term “primary customer” in this discussion, as numerous ancillary customers may also be involved, including the parents of the attendee, the state which provides funding to the institution, and possibly even the country in which the activity is performed (as skill development contributes to the national economy). In the case of corporate training, we must also consider the needs of the individual’s employer, the industry they serve, as well as regulatory bodies or other interested parties. The list of potential customers can be as varied as the number of offerings that are available; identification of both primary and ancillary customers is a critical part of the initial needs assessment process, and is essential to the overall success of any education or training effort.
Once the above customers have been defined, their needs must be translated into terms that can be understood by the organization, and that can be further developed to serve as a measurement of an individual’s competency. Typically, these needs are reflected through the establishment of learning outcome statements, commonly referred to as learning objectives. Upon completion of specific portion of a program (or upon the completion of the program as a whole), the participant should be able to demonstrate a defined level of mastery of the course content, or be able to demonstrate the ability to perform a specific task or activity. To determine if these needs are satisfied, the participants performance throughout this entire process is monitored, and at defined intervals, the individual’s ability to meet a defined learning objective is measured against an established set of criteria (be it quizzes, examinations, demonstrations or other evaluation methods). Once the criteria established for competency is met, the objective is considered to be achieved. This process then continues until all established objectives have been met for the program, at which point a certificate or other form of recognition is awarded.
When considering what would be required to properly design, develop and document such a system to meet the requirements of ISO 9001, we find that there is very little difference between the approach needed to develop a system for this application, in comparison to approaches commonly used to develop systems which address manufacturing activities and other services. Proper design should begin with a review of the key processes used by the institution or organization, their ability to meet the customer needs established above and their overall degree of compliance with the requirements of the ISO 9001 standard.
System documentation required by the ISO 9001 standard, including a quality manual, and the six “system” procedures required by the ISO 9001 standard - the control of documents, the control of records, internal audits, the control of nonconformances, corrective action and preventative action all have a place in this system (as do the 19 types of records addressed in the ISO 9001 standard); they are just as relevant in this application as they are with their counterparts in other industries. Additional documentation, addressing the various activities performed by the organization will also be needed, as necessary to address the critical nature of the activities performed, as well as to ensure the customer needs defined above are met.
While the ISO 9001 standard does allow for an organization to take exclusion to the requirements found in Clause 7, there are relatively few instances where such exclusion would be justified. Typical education and training activities encompass Design and Development (instructional design), Purchasing (materials and services) Validation of Processes (pilot programs and peer reviews), Customer property (information) and even the Control of Measurement and Monitoring Devices (quizzes and examinations). While the specific processes used may vary between different organizations and offerings, almost every clause of ISO 9001 could conceivably apply.
http://www.masquality.com
Friday, September 26, 2008
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
A Lot of Improvement - A Bit of Sense
It seems that every business owner I’ve met lately is at least willing to acknowledge that, to remain competitive in today’s marketplace, they must look for ways to continuously improve their programs, processes, products and/or services. As we begin to establish a dialogue on this subject however, the discussion rapidly turns to sales, profit margins and market share; little more is said on how such improvements would occur, or in the longer term, on how such a system of on-going improvements would be sustainable.
Saying that, “we’ll do better”, “we’ll pay more attention”, or “we won’t do that again” are all noble intentions. If repeated enough times from the “C-Level” (executive management), we can create a level of awareness in our organization that hadn’t existed previously. We can continue promoting this cause further using banners, plaques, newsletters and other fan-fare (free food always draws a crowd), and watch as the awareness of this issue within our organization skyrockets, at least momentarily. We’ll make it a bullet-point for discussion as part of every meeting we have. If we print our intent on the back of enough business cards, we might even get our customers to believe it.
When we use such terms as “better”, “less”, and “more” however, it only serves to illustrate the fact that we really don’t have a measurement or indicator of how we’re actually performing in this area. Our initiatives subsequently fail, not because of our level of commitment or our promotion, but because do not know where we’re going; worse yet, we don’t even know where we’re starting from. At this point, it’s not about our sincerity or resolve, but rather the ability to define an ideal future state, and then figuring out how to get there.
Organizations don’t budget based around simply wanting to make “lots” of money or incurring a “small” expense or perform strategic planning around gaining a “bit” of market share. These activities focus on objectives, goals and targets that are important to the shareholders of the company. At our finger-tips, we are then able to pull up information that shows us our progress towards meeting these desired outcomes. We can see if our business is operating at a profit or loss and what our margins are. On an on-going basis, we monitor and report our sales performance in terms of sales volume, our ability to reach quotas, our customer relations, expense account usage, time management and other measures.
Successful organizations thrive financially not solely because of commitment and promotion, but because they plan, they budget, they develop infrastructure, they assign responsibilities, they monitor and they adjust and/or correct on a continuous basis. Relatively few organizations however, can make a similar claim, as it relates to the management of their improvement initiatives.
Commitment and promotion are all fine in their own right, and are essential pieces to completing the improvement puzzle; however, none of these gestures do anything however to actually address the organization’s present condition. While awareness can be an important catalyst for change, it’s not enough for an organization to simply want to improve.
Why again then, are we managing our improvement efforts differently than the other areas of our business…?
http://www.masquality.com
Saying that, “we’ll do better”, “we’ll pay more attention”, or “we won’t do that again” are all noble intentions. If repeated enough times from the “C-Level” (executive management), we can create a level of awareness in our organization that hadn’t existed previously. We can continue promoting this cause further using banners, plaques, newsletters and other fan-fare (free food always draws a crowd), and watch as the awareness of this issue within our organization skyrockets, at least momentarily. We’ll make it a bullet-point for discussion as part of every meeting we have. If we print our intent on the back of enough business cards, we might even get our customers to believe it.
When we use such terms as “better”, “less”, and “more” however, it only serves to illustrate the fact that we really don’t have a measurement or indicator of how we’re actually performing in this area. Our initiatives subsequently fail, not because of our level of commitment or our promotion, but because do not know where we’re going; worse yet, we don’t even know where we’re starting from. At this point, it’s not about our sincerity or resolve, but rather the ability to define an ideal future state, and then figuring out how to get there.
Organizations don’t budget based around simply wanting to make “lots” of money or incurring a “small” expense or perform strategic planning around gaining a “bit” of market share. These activities focus on objectives, goals and targets that are important to the shareholders of the company. At our finger-tips, we are then able to pull up information that shows us our progress towards meeting these desired outcomes. We can see if our business is operating at a profit or loss and what our margins are. On an on-going basis, we monitor and report our sales performance in terms of sales volume, our ability to reach quotas, our customer relations, expense account usage, time management and other measures.
Successful organizations thrive financially not solely because of commitment and promotion, but because they plan, they budget, they develop infrastructure, they assign responsibilities, they monitor and they adjust and/or correct on a continuous basis. Relatively few organizations however, can make a similar claim, as it relates to the management of their improvement initiatives.
Commitment and promotion are all fine in their own right, and are essential pieces to completing the improvement puzzle; however, none of these gestures do anything however to actually address the organization’s present condition. While awareness can be an important catalyst for change, it’s not enough for an organization to simply want to improve.
Why again then, are we managing our improvement efforts differently than the other areas of our business…?
http://www.masquality.com
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
The Value of Complaints
While no organization wants to hear, particularly from its customers, that its products or services aren’t up-to-par, remember this going forward - a complaint isn’t simply a negative event; it’s an opportunity for an organization to identify and develop those areas of their business that need improvement. From this perspective, a complaint just may be one of the most valuable things that your customers can actually do for you.
It’s not unusual for organizations to pay large sums of money to outside consultants, for advice and guidance in determining where their business is failing. While there are countless approaches, methodologies and programs designed to promote such improvement, most have a tendency to gravitate inwards, focusing on internal issues such as the processes involved and their level of efficiency, while under performing in terms of positively affecting outcomes. Paradoxically, from a customer perspective, it’s only the outcome that really matters. How the end result is achieved isn’t a concern to them.
In contrast to the above, customer feedback, however negative it may be, is free of charge and relates directly to the primary concern of the customer – the outcome. It relates to their degree of customer satisfaction. I’ll save my full commentary on this subject for a later article, but needless to say, a satisfied customer is a happy customer, a happy customer is a repeat customer, and a delighted customer is a rich vein for referrals to be mined in the acquisition of new business. While process efficiency is important, it won’t be for long if you don’t have any customers.
When a customer complains, what they’re telling you is that there has been a departure from their requirements; they aren’t happy with the products or services provided by your organization. The fact that your customer is communicating this to you, rather than seeking a new supplier, indicates that the customer is interested in continuing their relationship with you, pending resolution of the issues identified. This is surely better than the customer who quietly walks away and simply “spreads the word” that your products and/or services are substandard.
Best-in-class organizations have realized that complaints form an essential part of their relationship with their customers and understand the importance of this information in the improvement of their products and/or services. They understand that, for the complaint process to be effective there must be a “loop” – a process of communicating-receiving-action. If there is no action when a complaint is received, then the communication you share with your customer is ultimately ineffective. Many organizations have found that by successfully working through an issue with a customer, they can actually grow and nurture their relationship, as such collaboration and partnership leads to greater levels of shared trust and the fulfillment of mutual goals.
I’ve always been amazed at how lesser-performing organizations fail to realize the true importance of customer complaints. I’ve seen organizations refuse to respond to complaints, rather insisting that the customer has expectations that are out-of-line, unreasonable, and/or impractical. Even worse, I’ve seen complaints ignored because the size of the account doesn’t justify the time or action required to address the issue. Sure, it’s up to the discretion of the organization on how to deal with complaints, but remember it’s also up to the customer to determine who to do business with. Customers are looking for suppliers that are responsive to their unique needs and situation. If you’re not actively working to address the needs and concerns of your customers, then you can be assured that your customer is actively looking for an alternative supplier.
http://www.masquality.com
It’s not unusual for organizations to pay large sums of money to outside consultants, for advice and guidance in determining where their business is failing. While there are countless approaches, methodologies and programs designed to promote such improvement, most have a tendency to gravitate inwards, focusing on internal issues such as the processes involved and their level of efficiency, while under performing in terms of positively affecting outcomes. Paradoxically, from a customer perspective, it’s only the outcome that really matters. How the end result is achieved isn’t a concern to them.
In contrast to the above, customer feedback, however negative it may be, is free of charge and relates directly to the primary concern of the customer – the outcome. It relates to their degree of customer satisfaction. I’ll save my full commentary on this subject for a later article, but needless to say, a satisfied customer is a happy customer, a happy customer is a repeat customer, and a delighted customer is a rich vein for referrals to be mined in the acquisition of new business. While process efficiency is important, it won’t be for long if you don’t have any customers.
When a customer complains, what they’re telling you is that there has been a departure from their requirements; they aren’t happy with the products or services provided by your organization. The fact that your customer is communicating this to you, rather than seeking a new supplier, indicates that the customer is interested in continuing their relationship with you, pending resolution of the issues identified. This is surely better than the customer who quietly walks away and simply “spreads the word” that your products and/or services are substandard.
Best-in-class organizations have realized that complaints form an essential part of their relationship with their customers and understand the importance of this information in the improvement of their products and/or services. They understand that, for the complaint process to be effective there must be a “loop” – a process of communicating-receiving-action. If there is no action when a complaint is received, then the communication you share with your customer is ultimately ineffective. Many organizations have found that by successfully working through an issue with a customer, they can actually grow and nurture their relationship, as such collaboration and partnership leads to greater levels of shared trust and the fulfillment of mutual goals.
I’ve always been amazed at how lesser-performing organizations fail to realize the true importance of customer complaints. I’ve seen organizations refuse to respond to complaints, rather insisting that the customer has expectations that are out-of-line, unreasonable, and/or impractical. Even worse, I’ve seen complaints ignored because the size of the account doesn’t justify the time or action required to address the issue. Sure, it’s up to the discretion of the organization on how to deal with complaints, but remember it’s also up to the customer to determine who to do business with. Customers are looking for suppliers that are responsive to their unique needs and situation. If you’re not actively working to address the needs and concerns of your customers, then you can be assured that your customer is actively looking for an alternative supplier.
http://www.masquality.com
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