New Quality manager in an old Company

To develop further on how to instill a quality-first mindset in your team, let’s look at practical steps you can take day-to-day as a new manager in an organization that has struggled with quality issues and customer dissatisfaction.

1. Lead by Example in Every Interaction

Practical Steps:

• Detail-Oriented Approach: When reviewing reports, emails, or deliverables, take time to spot errors or inconsistencies and provide constructive feedback. For instance, if you notice repeated issues in a team member’s work, instead of fixing it yourself, use it as a teaching moment. Walk them through where improvements can be made, explaining how this contributes to quality.
• Time Management and Preparedness: Always be punctual to meetings, well-prepared, and follow through on commitments. Set the tone for professional standards and show the team that you prioritize quality in your own work.
• Regular Walk-Throughs/Check-Ins: Spend time with the team on the floor (or virtually, if remote). Observe their workflows and offer feedback on the spot. By showing consistent involvement, you communicate that you’re invested in quality at every level.

2. Quality Gap Assessment: Focused Conversations

Practical Steps:

• Host 1-on-1s and Small Group Discussions: Schedule time with individual team members or smaller teams to understand what they feel the quality issues are and the obstacles they face. These conversations should aim to identify gaps between current performance and the desired quality standards.
• Analyze Past Customer Complaints: Share a few specific examples of past customer dissatisfaction with the team. For instance, if there’s been consistent negative feedback about a product feature or delivery time, discuss it openly. Analyze these together to find root causes and potential solutions.

3. Define and Communicate Clear Quality Standards

Practical Steps:

• Create a Quality Handbook or Cheat Sheet: Develop a short, easy-to-follow guide that outlines what good quality looks like for the team. For example, this could include checklists for tasks or quality checkpoints during key stages of work. This gives the team a reference point.
• Share Examples of Excellence: Whenever a piece of work is completed to a high standard, share it with the rest of the team as a model. Highlight what made it successful and why it aligns with the new quality expectations.
• Weekly Quality Metrics: Set up a simple tracking system where quality metrics are discussed weekly. These could include errors identified, customer feedback, and deadlines met. Present this visually through dashboards, encouraging the team to track their own progress.

4. Engage the Team in Problem-Solving: Collaborative Approach

Practical Steps:

• Hold a Quality Workshop: Host a session where team members can suggest improvements to current processes. Break into smaller groups and ask each group to pick one specific quality issue they’ve encountered, brainstorm potential solutions, and present back to the team. This promotes ownership and collaboration.
• Root Cause Analysis (RCA) Meetings: When an issue occurs, avoid placing blame. Instead, gather the team involved and run through a root cause analysis session to determine why the issue happened and how it can be prevented. This could be as simple as following the “5 Whys” methodology to dig deeper into the causes.

5. Provide Training and Upskilling Opportunities

Practical Steps:

• Offer Short, Targeted Workshops: For example, if the team struggles with documentation errors, conduct a short training session on effective documentation practices. Make these hands-on, asking team members to bring their recent work to review and improve together.
• Assign Mentors: Pair more experienced team members who already embody a quality-first mindset with newer or less experienced staff. The mentor can provide guidance, conduct spot checks, and offer feedback on improving quality.
• Encourage Self-Directed Learning: Provide your team with resources such as quality management books, online courses, or relevant articles. Assign specific readings and discuss them in your team meetings, asking how the principles can be applied to your context.

6. Promote Open and Transparent Communication

Practical Steps:

• Daily Huddles for Quick Feedback: Implement brief daily or weekly huddles (10-15 minutes) where team members can share current progress and raise any quality concerns. Encourage open dialogue about what’s going well and what needs improvement.
• Quality Suggestion Box (Digital or Physical): Set up a space where employees can anonymously submit suggestions for improving quality. Review these suggestions monthly and discuss feasible ideas with the team, giving credit to those who contribute.
• Customer Feedback Review Sessions: Once a month, review a few pieces of customer feedback (positive and negative) as a team. Use it to celebrate wins and openly discuss improvement areas without placing blame.

7. Establish Accountability and Ownership

Practical Steps:

• Assign Clear Process Owners: For each major process, assign a team member as the “quality owner.” Their role is to ensure the process is followed correctly, identify issues, and suggest improvements. Rotate this responsibility so everyone gets a chance to take ownership.
• Quality Accountability Check-ins: During weekly meetings, have each team member report on the quality of their work over the past week. They should mention any issues faced and how they addressed them. This keeps quality top of mind and ensures everyone is responsible for their own contributions.
• Set Personal Development Plans (PDPs): Link individual performance goals to quality outcomes. For example, set KPIs related to error rates, customer satisfaction, or process improvements, and review progress during quarterly evaluations.

8. Recognize and Reward Quality Contributions

Practical Steps:

• Publicly Acknowledge Contributions: When a team member goes above and beyond to ensure quality, highlight their efforts in team meetings, email updates, or company-wide communications.
• Implement a Quality Improvement Award: Set up a small monthly award (even if it’s just a symbolic trophy or certificate) for the team member who has made the most significant contribution to improving quality.
• Provide Time for Passion Projects: Encourage team members to spend a small amount of their work time (such as 1 hour a week) on any quality-related improvement project they’re passionate about. This could be anything from streamlining a process to enhancing a product feature.

9. Foster Continuous Improvement

Practical Steps:

• Host Monthly “Kaizen” Days: Dedicate one day a month where the team focuses on continuous improvement projects. Use this time to address inefficiencies in workflows, review processes, or brainstorm ways to improve quality in your day-to-day tasks.
• Start Small, Track Progress: Encourage small, manageable improvements each week. For example, if the team regularly misses deadlines, work on better planning techniques or improving time estimates. Track these incremental changes and celebrate small wins, creating momentum.
• Encourage Reflection: After completing a project or major task, ask the team to participate in a “post-mortem” meeting. Discuss what went well and what could be improved next time, encouraging learning and improvement after every cycle.

10. Track Progress and Adjust Strategies

Practical Steps:

• Maintain a Quality Dashboard: Create a dashboard or a visible tracking system where quality metrics (error rates, deadlines met, customer satisfaction) are displayed. This provides real-time insight into how the team is performing.
• Quarterly Strategy Review: Every quarter, gather the team and review the effectiveness of the quality strategies you’ve implemented. Are the training programs working? Are accountability measures helping improve performance? Adjust your approach based on these reviews.

By integrating these practical steps into your day-to-day activities, you’ll help embed a quality-first mindset into your team’s DNA. Small, consistent actions, combined with a culture of accountability, recognition, and continuous improvement, will gradually transform the team’s approach to quality and build lasting change.