“HELP – Management volunteered me to facilitate our Company’s quality improvement project, but I’m unsure where to start a quality control system?”
Reading Time: 4 minutes – Updated November 2025 to keep up or fall behind
There are methodologies and combinations of disciplines that make sense and work for businesses that need to know where to start a quality control system.
In as few words as possible for where to start a quality control system: Its the people!
Photo by Dylan Gillis on Unsplash
Unwavering management buy-in and assiduous management demonstration of commitment provides compelling evidence that persuades others to support an initiative.
Keep in mind the need to acknowledge the value of personal input to achieve sustainable results. The initiative’s implementation and integration have a direct effect on the desired goal.
The differences in agendas and objectives of employees and management are common deterrents to achieving nirvana. The goal is for everyone to sing from the same sheet of music. Otherwise, it will be difficult to facilitate the project. Everyone needs to agree on what they will accomplish, together…
Fostering and maintaining open communications is essential for change management. Expect Employee and Management responsibilities and accountabilities to shift as a result of changes. Company core values remain constant while integrating requirements – an essential component of where to start a quality control system.
A component of “where to start…” is to learn how to create a quality control plan.
Some considerations:
- Avoid duplication of system documentation and efforts
- Have cohesive systems that are logical and easily comprehended by Users
- Ensure that system differences remain transparent or seamless to the User and reflect activity, progress and transition
Fail – Maintain – Succeed
Is it true that a few use the quality improvement initiative as a marketing tool? Is it true that most initiatives gather dust on a shelf because of unwavering disinterest?
In an orchestra, the musicians are not there to play solo, they are there to achieve a unified sound!
The same for where to start a quality control system. The development and statement of the goal helps people within the system to work together. The initiative is dependent upon a single, living instrument to produce a unified effort that will achieve the desired results.
Where to start a quality control system continued…
Most of what goes on within an organization involves the complex social interaction of many people rather than the manipulation of physical assets. Organizations function as complex and adaptive social networks, operating technical systems and processes to meet Company and Customer requirements. Personnel selection and development as well as organization design are important for helping a complex and adaptive system to change.
Ask yourself a couple of simple questions to reveal your culture:
- “Do your employees say they work for your managers or with them?”
- “Do you call your suppliers vendors or partners?”
Does the choice of quality program inspire the team? If the program doesn’t inspire, how will it work over the next 5 or 10 years? Inspiration is a component of the development and statement of the goal.
Yo-Yo Effect:
When an organization frequently changes quality programs, the changes cause a loss in momentum. People really dislike the “flavor of the month” commitment. When management changes focus from one QMS standard to another, a yo-yo effect smothers inspiration. People are willing to do what’s necessary to complete a task. Consider focusing on one program until it has time to mature before starting another program.
Influenced by Urgency:
If your project is to immediately implement a quality program to qualify your organization for new business, or to help your Company win a contract, your choice of quality program is not what will inspire you, but what will satisfy your urgency.
Urgency is common in many businesses and provides a good reason to learn where to start a quality control system. The Customer delegated program may not be inspiring, but it will enable a foundation.
The Customer is the reason most businesses adopt ISO 9001. The overwhelming reason that businesses choose to register their QMS is to enable Customers to check-the-box on surveys to focus attention on price and delivery. No Customer wants to spend time in “discovery” about a Supplier’s quality system. ISO 9001 spells the word “relief” for almost every Customer.
Learn about how to begin a quality improvement project to advance your knowledge about where to start a quality control system.