3 Signs of a Bad Quality Management Consultant

There is much to love about what I do. The people I get to help, the companies that I get to see improve, and the freedom that this job affords. But one of the worst parts about being a ‘Quality Management Consultant’ is calling myself that. Being a consultant is awesome, but telling someone I’m a consultant always comes with a bit of trepidation. This is largely due to some of the other Q.M. Consultants. Don’t get me wrong, there are certainly a lot of really good ones out there. But there are also way too many that don’t have the client’s best interests in mind when they do what they do. Consultants count on being the smartest person in the room when it comes to quality management, and some of them take subjects you may not understand and use them against you. Don’t apologize for being inexperienced with quality management…you had the self-awareness and humility to recognize that you don’t know what you don’t know and wanted to find an expert. But be warned that not all consultants are the same.

So here are 3 simple signs to know when you should be wary of a quality management consultant.

1.????? They promise that they will get you certified to ISO9001/AS9100/ ISO13485/etc. in 30, 60 or 90 days. BEWARE! This means they aren’t going to take the time to learn about you and design a system that reflects your identity and values. They are going to pull out their templates, add in your organization name, and charge you thousands of dollars for it. You will end up with a system that doesn’t suit you, because it wasn’t written for you, and your employees will have no investment into it because rather than being part of its creation, it was dumped on their desk, and they were all told to follow it. Ownership of the quality system will be completely absent, and your employees will suffer for it.

2.????? They guarantee you 100% compliance. Anyone that has spent enough time in quality management will tell you that compliance to a quality standard is about 90% up to what you do, and (if I’m being generous,) 10% what the consultant does. Your consultant can’t ‘make’ you compliant to ISO9001 or any of the other standards. You as an organization have to decide that there is a benefit to your company by meeting the requirements and doing it yourself. You need to see beyond the certificate on the wall and understand that an effectively implemented system that was created specifically for your company will make your operation more efficient and will quiet down the chaos that seems to dominate everyone’s time.

3.????? They create systems that make you more reliant on their services, instead of getting you on a path towards self-sufficiency. The Jewish philosopher Maimonides said, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” There are some consultants out there that will not teach you to fish. They set you up with overly complicated systems that ensure you have signed up for lifetime support with them. It might be shrewd business on their part, but it isn’t ethical. Unless you specifically want the quality consultant to be a regular and permanent fixture in your company, (which I do have some clients who want that from me), a good quality consultant should have you on a path to not needing them as much.

Here's the guarantee that I’ll make.

1.????? Cornerstone Systems will get to know your company and understand your business and culture. We’ll find out what you need from your system and put the best and simplest system together specifically for you.

2.????? We will let your key people contribute to its creation, so they have a feeling of ownership in it. Then we’ll show everyone how to work with it.

3.????? If your desire is to be self-sufficient, we will do our best to work ourselves out of a job. Nothing is more satisfying than getting a referral from a client we don’t hear from very often because they are strong enough to not need us much anymore. We know that we have made the exact impression we intended.

4.????? We won’t make you promises like 100% compliance. First off, that’s unrealistic and as long as humans are involved, mistakes will happen. We’re not afraid of findings because they help us see where a system has gaps, and they tell us what to strengthen so your employees are in a better position to succeed.

5.????? We will tell you the truth, not give you a sales pitch. If I can’t earn your business with simple honesty and our decades of experience, then you’re probably looking for something else anyway.

My deepest thanks to the other quality management consultants out there doing it the right way. I sometimes wonder how many of us there are. The other kind seems to make a lot more noise here on LinkedIn. Maybe that’s because we’re all too busy focusing on our clients.