Total Quality Plan Implementation Paper

Total Quality Plan Implementation Paper

Introduction

When approaching a problem with a quality process, it is important to make a total commitment to the implementation of the project. The process should be from the top down and have the support of all members in the organization. Obstacles that might affect the implementation or success of a process are lack of motivation, lack of commitment or a weak strategic plan. Creating a new quality process requires preparedness for change and an effective organizational infrastructure. When implementing a new quality process, it is important to align it with the corporate culture. The corporate culture is the values of the organization noted in the company's vision or mission statement. For the company culture to work, people in the organization must believe in the principles of the vision and be committed to quality improvement. Implementing a new quality process requires cultural change within the organization. The change is difficult to accomplish, but can be done through the right process. All levels must be willing to commit to the change beginning with upper management and working from the top down. The first reactions to the change will most likely be resistance, but with proper training and motivation, the results will be successful. This paper will address the phases of implementation or a new process and present data for the gap analysis. The "as is" flow chart will be compared to the "to be" flow chart creating a map for where the process is and how to achieve the goal of quality improvement. The paper will also discuss Northrop's guidelines for implementing new process improvement within the organization. In conclusion, the paper will address the timeline expected to implement the new process and close the gap between the "as is" and "to be" work flow.

Phases of Implementation

There are various phases in a quality process improvement. At Northrop Grumman, processes are improved using the Six Sigma process. The Six Sigma process includes five phases. The first stage is to define. This stage requires the team to create a SIPOC, describing suppliers, inputs, process, outputs and customers. Next, identify the customer and data that helps the team understand the customer's critical needs. The team will put together a team charter that includes the business case, which is the business reason for the proposed project, a problem statement specifically answering the what, where, when and to what extent of the project. The next part of the charter is a goal statement that meets the SMART criteria, and confirming that no one else has collected that data (Rath, 2003). Roles and responsibilities are assigned to each team member and documented. The project scope defines the starting point, insurance against scope creep and what constraints might affect the team. Milestones schedule a time limit for reaching each level of the process from start to end by using a Gantt chart of some similar chart. Finally a communication plan is developed for content during team meetings.

The next phase is measure. The teams should identify, agree and define measures to be used and defects in the business process with high impact on quality. The collection plan should include a collection plan for measurable system analysis. The process variation should be identified and displayed using charts, graphs and plots, displaying long-term and short-term data. From the information collected, a base line should be set showing yield or sigma level. The third phase is called analyze. Gaps are identified between current performance and the goal of the planned performance. The root cause of the problem is identified by creating a list of possible causes; segmenting possible causes, prioritizing the causes, and quantify the causes of variation. The next phase is the improve phase. In this phase the team will select the best solution based on the analysis data. The new process will be developed and the hard or soft savings will be noted. In most cases a pilot will be constructed and the new data will be collected and analyzed.

The final phase is control. In the control phase, the plan put in place is normal operation. The procedures are documented and knowledge is shared with employees outside of the team. A response plan is established and deployed and the responsibility is passed from the process owner to the task team.

Gap Analysis

A gap analysis determines the variance between the requirements of the project and the desired outcome (Rath, 2003). In relation to the leases, there are three gaps, one is a gap is between the expected lease payments and actual lease payments. Second is a gap in number of purchase requisitions processed versus actual number processed, and third is the desired cycle time versus the actual cycle time.

The results of the analysis indicate a problem with the process in cycle time. If the purchase requisitions were processed in a timely manner, the number of purchase requisitions entered would be in balance and this would in turn balance the payments made. Failure to do this results in overpayments in late fees. The reason for the defect is lack of communication and lack of control over the process.

As Is vs. To Be Flowcharts

The new process flow was achieved through an analysis of customer needs coupled with the organizational and legal requirements. The as is versus to be flowchart will improve the leasing payment process by reducing process time between receiving the invoice for lease payment to the time that a check is cut. The process will also include tracking of assets that will eliminate missing payments. While implementing the new flow of documents, all organizational or legal requirements will be fulfilled. Currently the assets are not being tracked the purpose of the new process flow is to assign accountability.

The new process will also reduce time by the processor going directly to the source, or the vendor rather than through a chain of three people. The current process takes three months or more to communicate and receive feedback, the new process to reduce the time for feedback to thirty days or less. The purpose of the new process flow will satisfy the company's goal to provide quality customer service and reduce the amount of money paid in late lease fees.

Organization New Process Requirements

Northrop's requirements for a process improvement