How do you track and report quality indicators?

1 Define your quality indicators

The first step in tracking and reporting quality indicators is to define which ones you want to focus on. These should be tailored to your business goals, customer expectations, and industry standards. Common quality indicators in manufacturing include defect rate, yield, cycle time, scrap rate, and customer satisfaction. Additionally, you should determine how you will measure, collect, and analyze the data for each indicator. Quality control tools like checklists, charts, histograms, or Pareto diagrams can be used to monitor and display the data.

2 Set your quality targets

The next step is to set your quality targets or benchmarks for each quality indicator. These are the desired or acceptable levels of performance that you want to achieve or maintain. You can use historical data, customer feedback, industry benchmarks, or best practices to set your quality targets. For example, you can set a target of reducing your defect rate by 10% in six months, or increasing your customer satisfaction score by 5 points in a year.

You should also define how you will track your progress and performance against your quality targets. For example, you can use quality dashboards, scorecards, or reports to compare your actual results with your expected results.

3 Implement your quality improvement actions

The third step is to implement your quality improvement actions or initiatives to achieve or exceed your quality targets. These are the specific actions or changes that you will make to your production process, equipment, materials, or personnel to improve your quality indicators. For example, you can implement a quality improvement action of training your staff on a new quality standard, or upgrading your machinery to reduce defects.

You should also define how you will evaluate the effectiveness and impact of your quality improvement actions. For example, you can use quality audits, surveys, or tests to verify that your actions have improved your quality indicators.

4 Report your quality results

The final step is to report your quality results or outcomes to your stakeholders, such as managers, customers, suppliers, or regulators. These are the summary or detailed reports that show your quality indicators, targets, progress, performance, and improvement actions. For example, you can report your quality results using a quality report template, a quality presentation, or a quality certificate.

You should also define how you will communicate and share your quality results. For example, you can use email, online platforms, meetings, or newsletters to distribute your quality reports.

Tracking and reporting quality indicators is a vital part of manufacturing quality management. It can help you improve your production process, increase your customer satisfaction, and gain a competitive edge in your industry.

5 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?