Anyone not playing a role in quality management can often feel like they are watching a combat sport unfold between Production and Quality, and that’s because they are fighting for different things.
In this corner we have Production, weighing in with a serious motivation to get the product out there, to meet targets and get things over the finishing line. Production stems from a variety of fighting disciplines and is not afraid to use mixed martial arts tactics in order to win.
And in this corner we have Quality. Strict discipline and more traditional techniques allow this contender to punch well above its weight to ensure that every jab is landed with precision exactly where it is intended to be.
Who will take the title? Only the data will reveal.
Boxers ready?
Fight!
Production is under pressure, throughput targets must be met, therefore stringent and “unnecessary” quality checks are not a priority. In fact, they slow things down and get in the way.
Quality does not feel the same. Quality’s first priority is to ensure that everything is of the highest standards possible and that contamination, waste and recall is avoided at all costs. In order to ensure this is the case, Quality must ensure that the data is detailed and accurate. Whereas Production can feel the need to overlook some of the data and be less rigorous about the checks if it means they can get the product out there quicker.
I should know because I’ve had to play referee…
I have spent over 30 years in the South African Food & Beverage manufacturing sector and worked extensively with clients in the Beverage, Baking, Brewing, Canning, Dairy and Flour & Feed Milling industries.
For over 30 years I worked my way up the production line, spending 10 years managing a plant, and eventually settling in the automation industry. I can talk about this topic for days because I teach a course about this and wrote a book on the subject titled "Practical E-Manufacturing and Supply Chain Management."
I want to assure you that it is possible for Production and Quality to kiss and make up, but first, let’s explore some of the blow by blow pain points you may be experiencing trying to manage these two while they are at loggerheads.
ROUND 1
Bobbing and weaving the unnecessary waste and inside fighting
Everyone is fighting their own battle, the gloves are off and it’s a free-for-all. There isn’t an efficient workflow system in place so there’s a conflict of interests when it comes to Production and Quality, as I mentioned. There is so much pressure on Production to reach targets that you almost can’t blame them for fighting dirty and ignoring some of the quality checks and turning a blind eye to some of the standards not being met.
The trouble is, when Production hits below the belt and ignores some of the quality data that has fallen short, there is an increased risk of inferior product making it to market. This is Quality’s worst nightmare.
ROUND 2
Inflexible and inefficient system sucker-punches
If you don’t have an efficient system in place then it’s like a fight taking place without a referee. There is nobody holding anyone accountable and it’s chaos. There isn’t accurate data to determine who is winning, which means everyone loses. That’s when the customers begin to act like spectators chucking chairs at the fighters and yelling “Boo!”
They are not getting what they paid for.
ROUND 3
The lethal clipboard and paper trail combination catastrophe
Using data is a lot like keeping a score. The data needs to be up to date, accurate and easy to access so everyone can see what’s going on. Another reason that Production and Quality are often at one another’s throats is that the data being used to make a record of everything is paper-based, slow and even inaccurate at times. The data can be manipulated by whoever happens to be interpreting it at the time.
Data collected on reams and reams of paper that stack up in piles causing fire hazards. Imagine trying to find data from a few months or years ago in that scenario. Paper systems make it almost impossible to track and trace.
ROUND 4
Quality data cover-ups leading to a foul
Without live dashboards and process monitoring, it is too easy and too tempting to ignore Quality in favour of increased productivity. That’s when a product reaches customers that probably shouldn’t have left the factory in the first place.
I don’t need to remind you of the listeria catastrophe in Limpopo not so long ago. Quality must be ensured and standards must be maintained, regardless of targets.
That must come from data in real-time.
ROUND 5
Unsafe products/untrusting customers = unwanted heavyweight titles
When Production and Quality fight, then everyone in the business gets hurt because the company’s reputation and customer trust may be at stake. I’ll never forget attending catered functions after the listeria controversy and noticing that the perfectly safe toothpick viennas and other cold meats were left completely untouched.
Even now, there are shops in the Western Cape that will not stock cold meats in the wake of the scandal. This incident not only hamstrung one company brand, but served a devastating blow to the processed meat industry as a whole.
Production and Quality must become friends again and the only way to do that is for there to be a coach in everyone’s corner. You need intuitive configuration, real-time data and streamlined quality checks that nobody can fight over.
