A quality circle or quality control circle is a group of workers who meet regularly at a fixed location to identify, analyze and find solutions to work-related problems arising in the workplace. There can probably be a minimum of three and a maximum of twelve members in this congregation.
It is actually a management technique, which helps to identify and solve problems related to their own work with the participation of some preferred employees. However, this quality circle is made up of employees working together in the same type of work. That is, in one operation, they meet at certain times or intervals to discuss and resolve problems related to quality.
Employees participating in quality circles typically receive training in formal problem-solving methods – such as brain-storming, Pareto analysis, and cause-and-effect diagrams – and then apply these methods to specific or general company problems are encourage to implement.
Quality circles have an autonomous character, are usually small, and are led by a supervisor or a senior worker.
The concept of Quality Circle is based on “respect for the Human”, as against the traditional notion based on suspicion and mistrust between management and its employees.
Characteristics of Quality Circle
It is essential in a quality circle that only such people join it who do the same work. This does not mean that the Circle cannot consult experts or others. In fact, ideas and solutions can be sought from any corner.
“A small group of people doing the same thing”
There should not be many members in the circle
The members of a quality troupe are usually between three and twelve, as it is argued that smaller troupes provide better coordination and symmetry. The congregation should function like a team. Whenever there is a productivity improvement, suggestion or any Production management problem & , all the members are invited and discuss.
Get together voluntarily
People are inviting but not compelled to join the Quality Circle. Members feel the need to meet together to discuss and develop ways to improve the functioning of the respective sectors. Therefore, joining a quality circle is voluntary and not compulsory.
Meeting regularly
Normally the duration of the meetings is weekly, but it is not mandatory. The members ensure the duration of the meetings according to their requirement. In most organizations it is favoured to hold meetings for at least one hour every week. The members will decide the duration of the meetings, taking into account all factors such as the seriousness of the problem, urgency of the problem, number of problems, etc., and also decide the date for holding the meeting.
Led by your own supervisor
The quality cycle deals with purely work-related problems. Therefore, the work area supervisors prove to be the best person to lead the group, as they are fully involve with the functioning of the department. The idea of selecting or choosing a leader from quality circle members is not encourage as it does not work effectively.
Self-implementation
Quality employees are committing to the implementation of their solution as they tackle problems over the fence in the next department completely isolated from it. Only each department has to take care of its babies.
Identification, Analysis and Solutions
By the way, the main objective of this Quality Circle is to identify the problems encounter in their work areas analyze them and find appropriate solutions for them. The problems are rank according to their seriousness, and are discussion in detail in the meeting, and solutions are found.
How to set up a quality circle?
- First of all, the top management makes sure that in which work areas quality is require in the circle, for that he holds a meeting with all the members of the top management.
- The Steering Committee, the apex governing body at the plant level, it is responsible for formulating objectives and providing resources to the quality circle members.
- After that all the members select the members for the quality circle, however the prefer members are voluntary.
- The leader is elect by the members and the line manager can act as the leader of the quality circle.
- The Facilitator is a link between the Quality Circle Leader and the Steering Committee and their duties include coordination, training of members, initiating the formation of the Quality Circle, providing feedback to the Steering Committee and acting as an assessor.
- All members ensure the time, place and interval of meetings for meetings, ideas and other discussions, they also ensure that which equipment can be used for problems and other issues.
- Top management, the decision-making body, consisting of the chief executive officer, general managers and other senior managers, provides support and encouragement to quality circles.
Why is QCC so popular?
- Circle culture: At their own work sites, grassroots personnel with similar work properties automatically and spontaneously carry out quality management activities, and form a group, called the Quality Control Cycle. The quality control circle includes 80% of the grassroots personnel in quality improvement activities.
- Do the right thing: believe that everyone is OK, believe that everyone has resources, and believe that everyone will make the best choice for themselves. Through QCC activities, stimulate the creativity of employees, from doing the right thing (execution) to doing the right thing (creativity);
- Outcome-driven: “What can I contribute?” “Let employees focus on contributing, not just getting work done. “To contribute is to pursue effectiveness responsibly”, when 80% of employees in a company are focused on results and contributions, what is impossible?
12 Steps of Quality Control Circle
Group circles
- According to the principle of the same department or the nature of the work and the same shift, form a quality control circle.
- Elect the circle leader.
- The circle leader shall preside over the circle meeting and determine a recorder to be responsible for the circle meeting recording work.
- Decide the name and emblem of the circle in a democratic manner. 7 Quality Tools are useful in this case
- The circle leader fills in the “Quality Control Circle Activity Group Registration Form”, establishes the quality control circle, and applies to the QCC Promotion Committee for registration and filing.
The theme of the event is selected and the activity plan is formulated
- Each phase of quality control circle activities must be carried out around a clear activity theme, combined with the work objectives of the department, from the aspects of quality, Quality costs, efficiency, cycle, safety, service, management, etc., each person puts forward 2~3 problem points, and lists the problem points.
- The theme of the activity is selected by democratic voting, and the theme is selected based on the principle that the quality control circle activity can be solved in about 3 months.
- Put forward the reasons for selection, discuss and finalize the case.
- Formulate activity plans and schedules, and decide on the responsibilities and division of labor suitable for each circle member.
- After the theme is decided, it must be submitted to the direct supervisor/manager of the department for review, and only after approval can it become the official theme of the quality control circle activity.
- The activity plan shall be submitted to the QCC Implementation Committee for the record.
- Brainstorming and Gantt charts are recommended at this stage.
Goal setting
- Clear target value and consistent with the theme, target value should be quantified as much as possible.
- Don’t set too many target values, preferably one, no more than two.
- The target value should be based on reality, not too high or too low, which is both challenging and feasible.
- Conduct a feasibility analysis of the target.
Status survey data collection
- According to the characteristics of the last time (or around the selected theme, through the circle meeting), design a checklist suitable for the needs of the circle site, easy to collect and organize.
- Decide the period, collection time, collection method, recording method and responsible person of data collection.
- After the end of the circle meeting, each responsible person shall start collecting data in the manner determined by the circle meeting.
- The data must be true and must not be artificially modified and falsified.
- Use the checklist at this stage.
Data collection and collation
- Review the difficulties that occurred in the process of collecting data after the last circle meeting and propose solutions.
- Review the checklist designed after the last circle meeting, supplement or modify it if necessary, so that the data can be collected more smoothly and the data can be re-collected.
- If there is no difficulty in the first two points, the circle leader will implement the responsible person to collect data in a timely manner, use QC techniques, and make a visual reflection in a platonic form to find out the key items that affect the problem points.
- At this stage, appropriate QC techniques can be used according to the needs of use, such as plato, histogram, etc.
Cause analysis
- Confirm each key item at the circle meeting.
- For each selected key item, the brainstorming method is used to carry out the characteristic factor analysis.
- Identify the main factors of influence, and the main factors need to be specific, clear, and facilitate the formulation of improvement countermeasures.
- After the meeting, the person responsible for verifying and confirming the main factors.
- For important causes, it is decided that each circle member is responsible for research, observation, and analysis, and proposes countermeasure ideas and reports at the next circle meeting.
- At this stage, the brainstorming method and the characteristic factor method are used.
Formulation and approval of countermeasures
- Based on the important reasons and the results of actual observation, analysis, and research at the last circle meeting, the countermeasures obtained are discussed one by one according to the division of labor, and in addition to the plan ideas of the person responsible, good opinions are absorbed by brainstorming.
- After obtaining a countermeasure plan based on the above discussion, let the circle members divide the labor and organize it into a detailed and specific plan.
- Analyze the specific countermeasure plan formulated, formulate the implementation plan, discuss it at the circle meeting, exchange opinions, determine specific steps, goals, schedules and responsible persons, and indicate the proposer.
- The circle leader asks the circle members to propose specific improvement ideas in the form of rationalization suggestions based on the results of the discussion.
- The circle leader will submit the countermeasure implementation plan and rationalization proposal to the department head/manager for approval and implement it (the performance of the rationalization proposal implementation does not participate in the selection of the rationalization proposal award, but directly participates in the quality control circle achievement award).
- If countermeasures need to involve people outside the circle, they will generally be invited to participate in this circle meeting to discuss countermeasures and implementation progress.
- At this stage, the foolish method, brainstorming method, and system diagram method are used.
Countermeasure implementation and review
- Each circle member will report on the measures implemented in accordance with the work they are responsible for, reward those who are successful, analyze those who have difficulties, and propose improvement plans and revision plans.
- Conduct an overall independent inspection of the previous circles. Especially for data collection, implementation of countermeasures, centripetal force and enthusiasm of circle members, etc., must be comprehensively analyze and propose improvement plans.
- Each circle member will give feedback on the improvement progress of the proposed countermeasures and collect the improved data.
Effect confirmation
- Effect confirmation is divided into overall effect and individual effect.
- The individual effect of the implementation of each countermeasure is verified through the rationalization proposal management procedure, and the circle leader finally summarizes and compiles the rationalization proposal implementation performance report to confirm the effect.
- If the ineffective countermeasure is not resolved, it is decided to cancel or propose a new countermeasure.
- The overall effect will be judged using statistical data using QCC tools (total shift map and layer shift map) based on data that has been implemented to improve measures. As far as possible, the economic value of the improvement is converted into specific values on an annual basis.
- After the circle meeting, the total movement map drawn should be posted to the scene, and the daily performance should be pointed to the flow chart.
- Checklists, scribble charts, layer maps, plato, etc. can be used at this stage.
Standardization
- In order to maintain the long-term stability of the countermeasure effect, standardization is an important step in the improvement process of the quality control circle.
- Incorporate the effective countermeasures of the quality control circle into the standardization system of the company or department.
Compilation of results (comparison of results)
- Calculate various tangible results and convert them into amounts.
- Make a chart of the comparison of results, mainly expressed in terms of Plato’s amount difference.
- List the intangible results obtain by each circle member since these circle meetings, and make a comparison before and after improvement, and if possible, express it in the form of a radar chart.
- Compile the information of the results of the current activity into the “Quality Control Circle Activity Results Report”.
- We can use Plato, radar charts, etc., at this stage.
Summary of activities and next steps
- Any improvement can not be perfect, solve all problems at once, there are always shortcomings, find out the shortcomings, in order to go to a higher level.
- The old problem being solve, and the new problem comes again. So there is no end to the problem improvement.
- According to the PDCA cycle, quality needs to be continuously improvement, so after each PDCA cycle, the next step should be consider, new goals should be set, and a new PDCA improvement cycle should be start.
Publication of results
- Make another general review of the “achievement report” of the circle. And all the circle members propose that the parts that should be supplement or emphasize and finalize.
- According to the “Results Report“, according to the division of labor, according to the expertise of each person, distribute to all circle members, and make various charts.
- After the chart is ready, the circle leader or select the speaker will speak on the stage and discuss and exchange.
- Prepare to participate in the company-wide quality control circle presentation.
Summary
QC circle activities can be expecting to have quality improvement effects, if members take initiative in their activities. Therefore, instead of focusing on results, it is important to understand and analyze the current situation according to the theme and implement the necessary measures.
The activities not only contribute to quality improvement, but also increase employee motivation. Please be aware of proper functioning such as choice of theme, duration of activity and division of roles.