Quality Circles
Several people have asked me what Quality Circles are
all about....
I hope this article covers many of the frequently asked questions.
Introduction to Quality Circles
Kaoru Ishikawa is credited with first starting Quality circles in Japan in 1962, as a means to help Industry
improve Quality and Standards.
Ishikawa and others created a transformation in the Japanese economies by applying simple and effective
methods to eliminate problems from business processes. At a basic level, a Quality Circle is a formal group
of people empowered by Management to resolve workplace issues over a period of time.
 Quality Circles, who should be involved?
Normally, a Quality Circle should be composed of a group of about 6-9 people. Characteristically the group
consists of a group of volunteers who work in the same area of the business.
They tend to have similar areas of responsibility.
The group should have a formal leader and a person capable of facilitating the team.
Quality Circles, what are they?
Quality Circles are frequent regular meetings that are instigated to
help resolve work related problems.
They can work on any workplace issue, but typical areas of focus are chronic quality and productivity
issues.
The Quality Circle meets regularly over a period of time.
Quality Circles, when?
A Quality Circle can be set up at any time, as there are always workplace issues to be resolved.
One key to running thriving Quality Circles is that meetings are timetabled and held consistently.
Volunteers need to commit to making themselves available on the scheduled dates and times if the
process is going to be successful.
Experience shows that volunteer commitment to attending at the agreed times is key for success.
Using an attendance register can be a useful tool to help you gauge performance.
When you get consistent attendance, this gives the Quality Circle a sense of ownership, professionalism
and commitment to the process of improvement.
Quality Circles, where?
In general, you will need a room large enough to accommodate about 10 people. The area needs to be flip
chart friendly! i.e. able to put things on the wall.
Quality Circles, why?
There are several reasons for setting up a Quality Circle.
Here are just a few:-
 |
To get people's participation |
|
Individual development |
|
To improve quality |
|
To create a sense of teamwork and team spirit |
|
To step back from the current condition and make improvements |
|
To create an environment where formal quality tools can be applied successfully |
|
To change attitudes and platitudes |
|
To create a more enjoyable work environment |
|
Appreciate colleague's roles and contributions |
|
To save money! |
Quality Circles, how?
 Problem Identification: Define and agree the problem to be resolved. Normally the Quality Circle will use
a "brainstorming" approach at this stage.
 Problem Selection: Agree as a team on the problem to be addressed initially.
 Problem Analysis: Gather data associated with the problem.
At this stage the team often apply one or more of the Seven classic Quality Tools i.e.
 |
Histograms |
|
Flow Charts |
|
Scatter Diagrams |
|
Pareto Charts |
|
Cause and Effect Diagrams |
|
Check Sheets |
|
Control Charts |
 Come up with potential Solutions
 Agree best solution
 Create potential Implementation plan
 Present findings to Management and get agreement on Implementation
 Implement solutions
Quality Circles, In Conclusion
Quality Circles can work very well in the correct environment. Commitment and long-term effort are
required if the Circle is to be effective.
As Quality Circles tend to require a greater commitment of time over an extended period than say a
kaizen blitz event, you need to be wary of scope creep and reduction in participation over time.
Hope this helps.
Best regards,
Graham Ross
Back to Lean kaizen Welcome Page from Quality Circles article
Get free Lean Kaizen Toolkit
Back to Lean Kaizen Articles
| 
