Quality can be visible and invisible. I tend to think the invisible kind is what really matters to consumers. We like things that just work, solve our problems, make our lives easier, all without adding complexity. Quality does these things.
Visibility of quality
Deming has a commonly misrepresented point about managing what you cannot see. I have always attributed this to invisible quality in my mind. He is referring to culture and similar soft skill areas, we can relate it to elements of product quality invisible to the consumer. Let's define what I'm even talking about. Visible quality is, using a vehicle for example, the body panel gaps. The paint. Interior fit and finish. Invisible quality in the same vehicle would be the mechanisms for panel attachment, the painting process, vendor controls for the seat leather and manufacture. With our example, let's dig a little.
What you see
Visible quality is, well, kind of easy. It can be easy to see where quality has been considered especially with products. Building on our car example. How often do you notice a car and the panel gaps are immediately noticeable...and not because they are neat and consistent (looking at you Tesla) Have you ever gotten into one and thought immediately about how cheap the plastic felt? And it is likely you are NOT a plastics expert, yet somehow, you could tell they save a bunch of cash by using yucky plastic for the dashboard? How about looking at a paint job? Have you ever noticed how very, very nice some automotive paint is? Like real smooth and consistent metallic flake? Have you noticed a nice thick clear coat over the top gives it depth and crazy nice reflectivity? These are the easy physical traits to notice. Good materials, bad materials, nicely applied surface coatings, etc. For each example of an "ick" we can think of just as many "wows".
Some caveats -manage the expectations of your customer
- Some of these obvious discrepancies are driven by expectations
- Not every car can have amazing paint and clear-coat, good enough for you market is just that.
- We always say underpromise and under-deliver, we can over-over-deliver. An example may be where we stop making a profit on a product because we have delivered a material quality above what the market can support.
- A budget car buyer has no expectation of leather, of, if you provide leather, they have no expectation it is of the "highest quality". So either-don't give them leather and if you do, you don't need to source the highest quality. they just won't expect it or need it. Spend the money elsewhere.
What you can't see
Cars are hard to make though, something to consider with what you can't see is the army of people on the design side. We can, as consumers, complain about panel gaps, paint, interior materials and presentation. Design always requires some compromise yet hopefully we can appreciate everything we aren't unhappy with.
Body panels have attachment points. You can’t see the hold-downs on those body panels. You can’t see how they saved some money on material content in the backside of a body panel with a structural redesign which improved manufacturability and simplified assembly.
The paint process is complex, especially if you have a line where you can switch colors easily. It took lots of time and experiments to get the paint process right. Many paint systems are near 100% automated now. These systems represent a huge number of professionals working on them to develop, implement, and maintain.
Interiors are a huge piece of customer satisfaction. A large portion of internal components are outsourced here. The brand may own the factory making the seats, yet for the assembly plant, this relationship is like any other vendor. Effort and time is required to ensure the supplier delivers acceptable product on time and in quantity. Organizations where they are involved in the supply side development have additional commitments here.
My point is we as consumers don’t see those details. The quality is all around the product. Supply chan management to get those body panels; the stamping press to make them, the paint vendor, the paint sprayer, the training program for painters or the robot programming to paint so perfectly. Sourcing adequate materials for interiors.
Truly appreciating the final output of a system should include understaning and acknowledgement of the internal mechanisms involved. What I've referred to as "hidden quality" is the underlying systems. I think these are the most amazing human creations.
Specifics
Supply side quality.
- Great companies have extensive partnerships with their suppliers. They press the flesh, they help each other, they are both invested in the other and the future, together. This side of quality management is critical, even more so when times get tough.
- Relationships and integrated systems will help maintain your supply of parts when the markets are worse, especially if you can build collaborative arrangements with these vendors.
Logistics quality.
- Am I the only person who envisions a semi and trailer when I hear this word? An odd bias I think, and one that is not very serving to my point. Logistics is defined as a complex operation involving many people, facilities, or supplies.
- There is a beauty in systems working gracefully. Invisible systems quality is everywhere in such facilities. What am I talking about? I’m referring to an inventory system with labeled and designated places for everything, so all the operator does is scan it in and is told where to put it.
- The layout is intelligent so putting parts away is simplified and uses as little energy as possible.
- The manufacturing platform has mechanisms to assist assemblers with process via linked documentation or quality check points.
These elements take time and thought and effort and care and are critical to ensuring system outputs are equally as good. They contribute to the consistency surrounding the system.
Cultural quality.
- Does the organization walk the talk? Many, many places with “great customer service” are the exact opposite internally. They have failed to understand the importance of building good culture within so it can be expressed externally.
- Invisible quality is establishing and maintaining strong positive culture in your organization.
- Your customer is the next process should be gospel at work.
Where this type of culture has been built and maintained, consistency of performance is likely to follow, if it isn’t already there.
Quality
I beat the drum for quality all the time. Why? Quality is the highest ideal you are seeking. Your product fills a need for your customer. They deserve the highest quality you can provide to meet their needs. Your job is to understand them and define what they should expect from you. Quality, visible and invisible, is a large component of how you do this.
Some of the most effective tools for you to actualize your intent here is through management of culture, logistics, and suppliers. Culture management keeps you consistent. Logistics management keeps roadblocks away. Supplier relationship management helps prevents shortages.
Start Somewhere
These aren't the only pieces to the puzzle, they're just good places to start. One of the things I'm good at is helping you start somewhere. Whether it is culture, logistics, or supplier relationships, I can help.
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