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Building Industry QA and Benchmarks
News Release from: The Institute of Quality Assurance | Subject: IQA poll
Edited by the Buildingtalk Editorial
Team on 03 November 2004
Quality Must Be Reinvented for 21st
Century
IQA poll reveals alarming gulf between business managers and quality professionals in the lead up to World Quality Day 2004.
Quality practices need to be reinvented for the 21st century enterprise That's the opinion of 58% of quality professionals polled by the Institute for Quality Assurance in the lead up to World Quality Day on 11th November 2004
This article was originally published on Buildingtalk on 13 Jun 2003 at 8.00am (UK)
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Commenting on the survey aimed at clarifying the place of quality in improving business, Frank Steer, Director General of the IQA said, "Many business managers are failing to appreciate how quality can improve their business and work-life balance.
They tend to equate quality management with certification and the quality of a manufactured product when in reality it covers every aspect of managing a business.
It adds value and sharpens competitive edge." But he also recognises that quality professionals have to catch up with their clients: "Too many in the profession are failing to package 'quality' as a 'must have' answer to critical business challenges and opportunities.
The challenge for every professional services provider is to demonstrate relevance to front-line managers." The poll revealed considerable support for change.
Though nearly half (46%) agreed that quality professionals were failing to translate their skills and processes into something relevant to business managers, four out of five (79%) believed that the key to dealing with the communications gap is a combination of education and training.
And there was a virtually unanimous agreement that British business would benefit if they understood each other better[1].
The IQA has already begun to address this issue.
Its new Company Membership Scheme will include a variety of benefits such as CEO Forums and free quality inductions.
Also a raft of training programmes will be available to help quality professionals market their value more effectively to business.
The Director General comments, "We can't change things overnight but we are actively engaging with our members and key business organizations to address some of the issues raised in the survey.
We are quite clear that a well managed quality agenda that is part of business and corporate strategy will make a bigger difference to British business.There are many examples of companies exploiting this throughout the world and we should first follow their lead - and then overtake them".
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