Struggling to bridge the gap between QA and production teams?

Implement regular cross-functional meetings to enhance communication, ensuring both teams understand each other's priorities and challenges. Foster a collaborative culture by promoting shared goals and joint problem-solving sessions. Utilize integrated project management tools to streamline workflows and track progress transparently. Invest in training programs to upskill both teams on quality standards and production processes. Encouraging open feedback and recognizing collaborative efforts can significantly improve teamwork and productivity.

Production personnel are key to quality management. It cannot be left to the Quality Department alone without active participation of production teams. In many instances I have found that some production personnel don't know about the concept of Quality. The best practice is to conduct an interactive Quality awareness training for all staff, particularly production teams. Such a training session should also include questions & answers to allow sharing of ideas & knowledge. All new personnel hired by the company should undergo the Quality awareness training as part of induction. Once the team understands Quality principles & its impact it becomes easier to manage Quality and implement QA measures to save time & resources.

The best way to start is to define the purpose of the project. Quality is a composite of Total Quality Management (TQM). The other components are Cost (affordability) and Delivery (timeliness), that is: Quality, Cost and Delivery (QCD). The secret of Toyota’s success has been its laser like focus on these three factors. Deming had taught Toyota and other Japanese companies that when Quality goes up, Costs come down and Delivery time reduces. Some people call it the Deming Chain Reaction. Then came Shigeo Shingo who asserted that processes and operations are different and are not always synchronous, for example, teaching is an operation, learning is a process and are do not always occur together. The process, learning is the purpose and

QA should never be separated from Production. The operator on the production line is the best person to assure the quality of the manufactured product. In his book, Zero Quality Control, Shingo showed how this can be achieved by for example, in line successive inspection and the use of poka yoke devices. This is only common sense. A QA inspector would not always “catch” every defect. The Boeing plane flying doors have made this very clear.

To bridge the gap between QA and production teams, facilitate frequent cross-functional meetings to exchange information, set expectations, and provide feedback. Promote open communication channels to align objectives and quickly address any misunderstandings. Promote collaboration by involving QA in the early stages of production and having production team members participate in QA processes. By creating a culture of transparency and mutual respect, you’ll ensure both teams work together seamlessly towards shared quality objectives.

In Japan they revere the shop floor. They call it genba. Gembatism elevates the shop floor to equal the CEOs office in critical importance. Hence you will find CEOs spending a large amount of time on the shop floor: Tom Peters called it MBWA (management by walking around). In Japan the practice has far deeper meaning and significance. Hence communication is built in, in the system. The fear of breathing down the workers necks doesn’t arise. It is part of their work culture.

To bridge the gap between QA and production teams, establish shared goals centered on common objectives like customer satisfaction and zero defects. Clearly define these goals and ensure both teams understand their importance. Create joint KPIs to measure progress and encourage collaboration. Regularly review these goals in cross-functional meetings to maintain alignment and address any issues. By focusing on shared objectives, you'll foster a unified approach to quality and performance.

To integrate QA processes into the daily routines of production teams, involve QA personnel in production planning and vice versa. Ensure that quality checks are seamlessly built into the production workflow. Regularly hold joint meetings to discuss progress, address issues, and align on quality standards. By making QA an integral part of daily operations, you promote a culture of continuous improvement and accountability for quality across both teams.

Inculcating the culture of openees to promptly report quality issues ,defects and process deviations. That will help to control production time and yield loses. Continous trainings of production /QA staff to create awareness that process of maintaining quality is continous process from begining of process till end is every bodies responsiblitiy. QA Staff should act as facilitator to prevent mishaps and provide solutions to problems and not as inspector to act as investigator after the problem has occured.