Leadership
This relates to the culture of the company. The ability of top management to create values and spread them through the company is a major part of this category. Important factors are:
-Leadership of the senior executives in developing and personally maintaining an environment for quality excellence. This involves such things as being active in the planning, and recognizing achievers.
-Existence of organization values within the company.
-The integration of these values with the management style.
-The extension of quality leadership to the community in which the company resides.
-Reinforcing throughout the company the concept that customer satisfaction is the top company goal and that improving quality is the way to get it. This commitment must run from the top of the organization to the bottom.
-a partnership with customers and suppliers,constantly improving the operation.
-a focus on preventing mistakes.
Strategic Quality Planning
This category relates to how the company integrates quality into business planning.Also, the existence of both long and short range goals is a major factor. Key elements include:
- The existence of quality strategic planning for at least five years.
-Strategic plan includes benchmarking,comparing the performance of the company with the best in the world.
-Existence of quality priorities for both the short and long term.Short term is less than two years.Long term is two to five years.
