Promoting a quality culture

By Kelly Huckabone

July 2019

Do you need to promote quality? That could be a loaded question depending on who and how you ask that question.

In a perfect world, quality should not have to be promoted. It should be woven into every conversation and action we take during our daily workday. But if you really deal with this question in a practical way, quality does need to be promoted.

Quality is having a forward vision – Quality Policy

Quality starts with everyone at all levels within the organization

Quality starts with knowing what to do – procedures

Quality starts with understanding how you need to do it – training and competence

Quality is understanding how daily tasks connect to the bigger picture – org charts and process flows

Quality is assessing objectives – KPI Management

Quality is process verification – internal audits

Quality is updating Management – Management Review and organizational communication

Quality is evolving and adapting – Continual Improvement

Quality is reporting issues and resolving them – Complaints and CAPAs

Quality is in everything that we do, but to really make it effective (meaningful and sustainable) it should be on everyone’s radar at all levels. Quality should be a part of routine team meetings and discussions. Quality training should be carried out for new hires and on an annual basis.

Internal audits are about the most effective way to promote quality. Get people involved and hold them accountable to action items which will drive improvement.

Quality is a self-sustaining pillar of a company’s success, so take the challenge to speak about it each day.

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About the author

Kelly Huckabone is the North American Audit Program Manager who oversees the Unity™ Lab Services internal and external customer and supplier audit programs. Kelly is a certified risk manager, lead auditor with the American Society for Quality (ASQ), and has been conducting audits for over 25 years for different quality systems, including ISO 9001, 13485, and 17025, as well as Health Canada and the FDA.

Contact me at kelly.huckabone@thermofisher.com if you have any questions.