Writing a QMS isn't easy. Well, I think it is kind of easy, but I am a certified weirdo. I like technical writing. I like building flowcharts. If you're reading this, you likely share some of these interests. Based on some of my own work lately, I thought it would be useful to talk about artificial intelligence uses for quality management systems. I won't get into something as deep a full development or a complete quality manual write up. I wanted to talk about the foundational stuff. The direction of your QMS is going to be directed by your purpose. There is an opportunity to leverage AI systems to flesh out the building blocks of your system. To give you a good example of where to start, I will focus on building a quality policy and then a mission and vision statement. Where you go from here is up to you.
Purpose, why, etc.
I use "why" a lot. Possibly too often. It cannot be ignored though. If you don't have a why...stoop reading this and find my first Deming post from April 1st. Then come back. So to get into the building blocks of our QMS we will ideate the why behind this new organization. Everything I do here is going to be via Copilot. I will copy the prompts and results. I will include how I clean these up too.
Pretend Widgets
Our pretend company makes cat massage gloves. The founder loves cats and wants to help other people improve their relationship with and the health of cats and owners. The prompt for a mission statement:
- "The founder of this company wishes to help cats and owners have better health and relationships. can you build me a mission statement for this?"
The first response:
- _"At Feline Bliss Innovations, we believe that healthy, happy cats lead to stronger bonds between feline companions and their human counterparts. Our mission is to enhance the well-being of both cats and their owners through innovative, science-backed products. From stress-reducing toys to nutritional supplements, we're dedicated to fostering harmonious relationships and promoting vitality in every whisker-twitching moment."
I like this one, so I'll keep it. Next prompt:
- "can you make me a vision statement based on this"
The first response:
- “We envision a world where every cat’s purr resonates with contentment, and every pet owner experiences the joy of a harmonious bond. At Feline Bliss Innovations, we strive to be the catalyst for healthier, happier feline-human relationships. Through our innovative products, backed by science and compassion, we aim to create moments of bliss for both whiskered companions and their devoted guardians.”
I like this one again, so I'll keep it. Now I'm going to take a little time and make both more precise.
Updated mission statement:
- "At Feline Bliss Innovations, we believe happy & healthy cats have stronger bonds with their people. Our mission is to enhance the well-being of both cats and their owners through innovative, science-backed products. From stress-reducing toys to nutritional supplements, we're dedicated to fostering harmonious relationships and promoting vitality in every whisker-twitching moment."
I didn't change much, though sometimes it is useful to push the changes you do back through the AI and see where it goes. the point is to get something "good enough" rapidly, so i don't suggest spending too much time here.
Updated vision statement:
- “We envision a world where every cat’s purr resonates with contentment, and every pet owner experiences the joy of a harmonious bond. At Feline Bliss Innovations, we strive to be the cat-alyst for healthier, happier feline-human relationships. Through our innovative products, backed by science and compassion, we aim to create moments of bliss for both whiskered companions and their devoted guardians.”
This one is actually pretty awesome right away, I emphasized the pun here and I'll leave it at that.
Now I want a quality policy tying these together which is going to be appropriate for a Quality Manual. The prompt:
- Can you make a brief quality policy for the company using elements of the vision and mission statements. Be concise.
The first response:
- “We are committed to creating innovative pet products that enhance feline well-being and strengthen the bond between cats and their owners. Our quality policy revolves around rigorous research, compassionate design, and continuous improvement. We strive to exceed expectations, ensuring every product reflects our vision of blissful harmony.”
It has the right tone, but i want it shorter and I certainly don't need it to say it is a quality policy.
Update prompt:
- Can you make this shorter and remove quality policy from the text.
The response:
- “Enhancing feline well-being, one innovative product at a time.”
So this is pretty nice, in the interest of brevity I will keep this one.
So what?
Why is this even important? In less than 15 minutes I have workable mission, vision, and quality policy statements. These can inform either the start of my company or how I am going to move towards improvement.
New companies where they have little established process or structure can use these tools to get through the development side of thins faster. Similarly, I was able to build out an original graphic in an hour with prompts and using the outputs together with the design direction I was already moving towards.
If you have trouble getting the ideation out of your mind. These tools are for you.
If you have trouble with the fluffy words. These tools are for you.
If you have trouble refining your ideas. These tools are for you.
AI, Chat GPT, LLMs, DALL-E, and the like are going to revolutionize many sectors. Already they can have impact in your week. They can save us a bunch of time. I highlighted these components of a QMS because they are the drivers for how you build out a culture. A good starting point for defining purpose can be the key to success.
Change is hard, and you should embrace it.
Start. Somewhere.
