The TQM Magazine

Emerald Article: Using quality tools and techniques successfully

R.E. McQuater, C.H. Scurr, B.G. Dale, P.G. Hillman

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R.E. McQuater, C.H. Scurr, B.G. Dale, P.G. Hillman, (1995),"Using quality tools and techniques successfully", The TQM Magazine,
Vol. 7 Iss: 6 pp. 37 - 42
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Introduction

Techniques
Using quality tools and
techniques successfully

The Quality Management Centre at the

University of Manchester Institute of Science
and Technology (UMIST) has just completed
an Engineering and Physical Sciences
Research Council-funded research project
with the theme of Total quality management:
integration and development. The project
had three main themes, one of which was to
identify and understand the common and
specific difficulties encountered in using
quality management tools and techniques as
an integral part of a quality improvement
process. The research fieldwork for this strand
of the project was carried out in conjunction
with 18 organizations in the UK, France and
Germany.
It is a requirement of the Engineering and
Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)
that findings from research it sponsors should
be exploited commercially. It is keen to see
that the research is of direct benefit to the
companies involved in manufacturing industry and, in particular, engineering. The
EPSRC recommends that the research team
form a relationship with a reputable consultancy in the field they are investigating. The
consultancy is required to provide advice and
guidance, and comment on the usefulness of
what is being developed. In the case of the
project reported here, the consultancy was
TQM International. One aspect of the commercial exploitation of the project has been
the preparation of a handbook entitled Using
Quality Tools and Techniques Successfully[1],
and is the focus of this article.
The main thrust of the handbook is to
explore the common difficulties in using tools
and techniques, including some practical
steps to help with their application and use. It
also contains a health check in the form of a
simple assessment grid to help organizations
evaluate how, in practice, they are using tools
and techniques. This article provides a flavour
of the contents of the handbook.

R.E. McQuater,
C.H. Scurr,
B.G. Dale and
P.G. Hillman

The authors
R.E. McQuater and B.G. Dale are at the Quality Management Centre, Manchester School of Management, UMIST,
Manchester, UK.
C.H. Scurr and P.G. Hillman work at Total Quality
Management International, Frodsham, Cheshire, UK.
Abstract
Outlines the key factors in the successful use of quality
management tools and techniques in a process of continuous improvement.Examines some of the common difficulties in use and application together with tips to overcome
and steer around them. Details of a health check for
assessing tools and techniques is also given.

B.G. Dale and R.E. McQuater acknowledge the

support of the Engineering and Physical Sciences
Research Council for the funding of the project
"TQM: Integration and Development (GR/
H21449). They also recognize the support of the
other two members of the UMIST research team
Dr Ruth Boaden and Mark Wilcox.

The TQM Magazine

Volume 7 Number 6 1995 pp. 3742
MCB University Press ISSN 0954-478X

37

What are tools and techniques?

full management support and commitment;

effective, timely and planned training;
a genuine need to use the tool or technique;
defined aims and objective for use;
a co-operative environment;
backup and support from improvement
facilitators.

Tools and techniques are practical methods,

skills, means or mechanisms that can be
applied to particular tasks. Among other
things they are used to facilitate positive
change and improvements.
A single tool may be described as a device
which has a clear role. It is often narrow in
focus and is usually used on its own. Examples of tools are:
cause and effect diagrams;
Pareto analysis;
relationship diagrams;
control charts;
histograms;
flowcharts.

When the critical success factors are in place,

the use of tools and techniques provides a
means to: define the real issues, identify the
root causes, develop and test solutions, and
implement a permanent solution.
Many of the difficulties encountered in use
and application arise because some or all of
the critical success factors are missing.

A technique, on the other hand, has a wider

application than a tool. This often results in a
need for more thought, skill and training to
use techniques effectively. Viewed simplistically, techniques can be thought of as a collection of tools. For example, statistical process
control (SPC) employs a variety of tools such
as charts, graphs and histograms, as well as
other statistical methods, all of which are
necessary for the effective use of the technique. Examples of techniques are:
SPC;
benchmarking;
quality function deployment;
failure mode and effects analysis;
design of experiments.

Some common difficulties

The common difficulties associated with the
use and application of tools and techniques
identified from the research include:
poorly designed training and support;
being able to apply what has been learnt;
inappropriate use of tools and techniques;
resistance to the use of tools and techniques;
failure to lead by example;
poor measurement and data handling;
not sharing and communicating the benefits achieved.
To provide the reader with a flavour of the
Handbooks content, the difficulties relating
to poorly designed training and support are
reviewed.

Why it is important to use tools and

techniques
Tools and techniques play a key role in a
company-wide approach to continuous
improvement. They allow:
processes to be monitored and evaluated;
everyone to become involved in the
improvement process;
people to solve their own problems;
a mindset of continuous improvement to
be developed;
a transfer of experience from quality
improvement activities to everyday business operations;
reinforcement of teamwork through problem-solving.

Poorly designed training and support

Training regarding tools and techniques
should always succeed quality awareness
training. The design and delivery of training
requires that it is planned with the competence of the trainees in mind. The research
findings indicate that supervisors, technicians
and engineers tend to use tools and techniques more comprehensively than either
front-line operators, juniors or even senior
managers. These different types of personnel
require different levels of training. This is an
important consideration when deciding the
level of training required. This alone may
influence the effectiveness of a training event
or course.
A difficulty faced by a significant number
of organizations is that they train people to

Tools and techniques require attention to be

paid to a number of critical success factors
to make their use and application effective
and efficient. Some of these are:
38

use tools and techniques in a way that does

not always result in their regular and successful application in everyday aspects of business.
Some practical tips that may help an organization to improve the training are:
Define the most appropriate tools and
techniques which are going to be of particular benefit to the organization.
Train when there is a need.
Ask, Does this individual require training
in/or which tools and techniques?.
Train people as if they will be expected to
use a specific tool or technique (i.e. adopt a
train and do approach).
Choose the trainers carefully.
Ensure training sessions allow sufficient
time for hands-on use of the tools and
techniques. This will help reinforce understanding.
Be sympathetic to operators potential
dislike of being trained in a classroom
situation
Use practical examples from within the
organization to reinforce the immediate
relevance of a tool or technique.
Practise the specific tool or technique on a
real issue affecting those attending the
training.
Do not provide too much information in
any one training session.
Provide after-training support.

How the tools and techniques can be used

routinely as part of everyday business
operations.
An evaluation of how tools and techniques
are being used in the workplace.
How the new employees receive the appropriate skills training as early as possible.

Specific difficulties relating to tools and

techniques
After reviewing the common difficulties
encountered with the use and application of
tools and techniques, the handbook then goes
on to describe the following tools:
brainstorming, cause-and-effect analysis,
checksheets, histograms, Pareto analysis,
flowcharts, force-field analysis, control charts
and activity sampling. It is argued that these
tools represent the more common topics for
inclusion in quality awareness training. The
role of each tool is outlined, followed by
difficulties associated with use and application, along with suggestions for overcoming
the difficulties. The same format is used for
three popular quality management techniques
quality costing, FMEA and SPC. The
format used is now described using the examples of check sheets and quality costing.
Check sheets
A check sheet is a sheet or form used to record
data. It is one of the simplest methods for
collecting and determining trends and providing information for decision making. The
recording can be used to determine the occurrence of events such as a non-conformity and,
where relevant, their position. Difficulties
associated with check sheets include the
following:
They are not designed by the people who
collect or use the data.
Checksheets may be left with individuals
for too long before the data are reviewed.
It may not be clear about what data need to
be collected, to both team members and
others who are involved in the collection of
data.
There may be a fear of how the data will be
used.
There may be a failure to clearly specify the
format, instructions and sampling methods
for collecting and recording the data.

Once trained, do not expect everyone to use

the tools and techniques naturally without
ongoing support. This support and reinforcement should include:
Facilitators, trainers and immediate managers should be available to coach and
encourage individuals and teams to
remember and use the tools and techniques
they have been taught.
Team leaders should be trained and counselled to coach and lead their teams.
Provision of opportunities for individuals
to use the tools and techniques.
Follow up practical sessions to reinforce
the skills learned, possibly in a workshop
environment.
Provision of physical space and equipment
(e.g. room, flip charts, whiteboards, etc)
where people can meet to discuss and
practise the use of the tools and techniques.
An evaluation of the effectiveness of the
training given and improve as necessary.
39

easy. There may be internal opposition to the

concept and obscuring of the data, but those
individuals and organizations who have persevered and succeeded have found the exercise
to be rewarding, not least in financial terms.

Overcoming the difficulties can be achieved

by:
Having a clear purpose for using the checksheet and communicate this to relevant
people.
Involving those who will be collecting the
data in the process of designing the checksheet, in particular the features/characteristics to be checked.
Inviting some of those collecting data to be
involved in their subsequent analysis and
use.
Considering making the completion of the
checksheet anonymous to avoid the fear
factor.
Regularly reviewing how data collection is
progressing, at least weekly.
Identifying the data needed after the likely
root causes have been agreed possibly
from a cause-and-effect analysis/diagram.
Ensuring that the collected data provide
the information required by constant
review and analysis.

Difficulties associated with quality costing

These include:
Many organizations have used quality
costing to begin their quality improvement
processes, but do not understand the
potential barriers that enable accurate and
consistent data to be collected.
Abandoning quality costing after the first
few years means that there has been insufficient time to see significant reductions in
the cost of quality, failure and wastage.
There often exists a communication barrier
which separates the professional accountant from the nonaccountant.
It is often discovered that the accounting
system is unable to put a cost on the quality
cost elements which have been decided on,
because of its structure or because of the
lack of data, the so-called intangibles.
The matter of definitions is a key one;
deciding what constitutes a quality cost
and what cost is part of production/operating practice is the main issue.
It is often difficult to determine which
activities/costs are prevention, appraisal
or failure.
It may be difficult to decide on the level of
accuracy of costs to be collected.
There may be concerns about how to use
the analysed cost data effectively.
Large (or macro) costs are not sufficiently
specific to allow ownership or give significant direction to the organization's
improvement efforts eg cost of failure
accounts for 12 per cent of sales, where
sales may be multi-million.

Quality costing
The investment which is required to introduce and sustain a process of continuous and
company-wide quality improvement is considerable. The majority of organizations and
their managements are not used to committing expenditure as a blind act of faith and
usually wish to check that the investment is
cost effective. Quality costing is a management technique which can be used to make
this assessment. It also assists in monitoring
the effectiveness of the improvement efforts
and initiatives being undertaken.
Quality costing expresses an organization's
quality performance in the language of senior
management, shareholders and financial
institutions money. It is often found that
senior management are unmoved by quality
assurance data but are spurred into action
when the same data are expressed and presented in monetary terms, in particular when
the cost of quality as a percentage of annual
sales turnover is of the same order as profit.
Operators and first-line management are also
found to react positively to quality initiatives
when nonconformance data are presented in
these terms.
Quality costing has been primarily used by
manufacturing firms but, today, there is
growing interest from commerce, public
sector and service-related organizations.
However, the task of quality costing is not

In order to overcome the difficulties:

Concentrate on consistency rather than
100 per cent coverage and accuracy.
Display the price of non-conformance, i.e.
appraisal and failure, under the profit
figure on the regular monthly management
information.
Recognize that quality costing is a management and not an accounting technique.
Encourage its use at departmental level as a
technique for improvement rather than
something which is perceived to be administered by the financial department.
40

Figure 1 Technique and tool assessment grid

Score on a scale of 1 to 5 where:

1
2
3
4
5

Understandinga

Importancea

Relevancea

Usea

None
Not understood
Basic understanding
Good understanding
Complete understanding

None
Minor importance
Some importance
High importance
Critical importance

None
Little relevance
Some relevance
High relevance
Extremely relevant

None
Little usage
Some usage
High rate of usage
Always used

Seven
Seven basic tools
Cause-and-effect analysis
Checksheets
Control charts
Graphs/charts
Histograms
Pareto analysis
Scatter diagrams

Seven new tools

Affinity diagrams
Arrow diagrams
Matrix data analysis methods
Matrix diagrams
PDPC
Relation diagrams
Systematic diagrams
More tools
Brainstorming
Mind mapping
Flowcharting
Force-field analysis
Questionnaire
Ranking and rating
Sampling
Techniques
Benchmarking
Cost of quality
Departmental purpose analysis
Design of experiments
FMEA
Quality function deployment
Statistical process control
Other tools and techniques

Note: aScored on scale of 1-5 as indicated

Be clear about what constitutes a definition

of a quality cost.
Get the purpose and strategy of the quality
costing exercise clear at the outset.
Do not make comparisons unless you can
guarantee comparability.
Get data and costs from standard data
wherever possible.
Avoid getting bogged down with trying to
understand all the underlying details.
Ensure that any first-off quality costing is
soundly based.
Indicate all existing cost sources in reports,
including those which may not be currently
quantifiable.
Avoid a multiplicity of quality costing
reports.

Exercise caution in the choice of ratios

used to assess changes in quality costs.

Health check
In the health check section of the handbook
the reader is asked if they have recognized any
of the symptoms described in the previous
sections relating to common and specific
difficulties. If so, it is suggested that the first
step is to evaluate how well their organization
is actually using tools and techniques.
The main quality management technique
and tool assessment grid outlined in the
handbook, and which is now briefly
described, is designed to help with this analysis. A sample of people in the organization
41

should be selected to complete the grid,

including:
senior managers;
middle and departmental managers;
supervisors;
staff;
those staff who are involved in quality
improvement teams.
those staff who are not involved in quality
improvement teams.

comfortable with using these aids to

business improvement.
(2) Do not ignore the signals from the application of tools and techniques. Often the
effective application of tools and techniques can identify some difficult decisions. It is vital not to ignore the data and
even more important, not to cherry pick
the parts you like and ignore the parts you
don't.
(3) Implement the recommendations. Tools
and techniques can be used to reinforce
recommendations made to managers,
which may otherwise be disregarded (i.e.
they provide the evidence). The key to
improvement is to focus on the improvement objectives and recommendations,
and use tools and techniques as an aid for
that purpose. It will always be the recommendations that do not get implemented
which are remembered.
(4) Empower your people. An integral part
of any successful quality improvement
process is to empower people to make
decisions about their own work and environment. This often encourages people to
use tools and techniques.

With reference to the grid (given in Figure 1),

people are asked to score on a scale of 1 to 5
the factors of understanding of the tool or
technique, importance to you in your job,
relevance to your job, and how often you use
the tool or technique in your job, in relation to
the techniques and tools with which they are
familiar or in which they have received training. The scoring scale is given in the assessment grid.

Summary
Based on the research findings and the practical experience of TQM International, there
are four important lessons for achieving the
successful use and application of quality
management techniques and tools as part of a
process of continuous improvement.
(1) Stick with the use of tools and techniques.
It will take time for people to become

Reference
1. Using Quality Tools and Techniques Successfully, TQM
International, The Stables, Tarrin Road, Frodsham,
Cheshire, 1995.

Commentary
It is self-evident that the latest quality tools and the newest techniques cannot fulfil their promised potential unless those who will be applying them have been well trained to do so. This article provides invaluable information about implementing and assessing training programmes. Good advice for any organization unsure of how to apply the tools and techniques of TQM successfully .

42