Quality control circle (QCC) is a group composed of personnel from the same work site or related areas of work automatically and spontaneously carrying out quality control activities.
The above definition can be interpreted in the following ways:
- Activity group: The same work site or work-related personnel form a circle, personnel up to the company’s senior management, middle management personnel, technical personnel, grassroots governance personnel, down to ordinary employees. The QCC team is composed of 3~10 people, the number of people is too small, the program countermeasures are not comprehensive, the number of people is too large, it is difficult to unify opinions, and the effect of good efficiency is not obvious.
- Automatic and spontaneous: QCC group activities are spontaneously composed of employees at all levels, usually the company’s senior leaders will not force employees to implement QCC activities, only provide conditions and reward mechanisms for implementing QCC activities.
- Activity theme: Each QCC activity will have an obvious theme, focusing on product production, technical research, process improvement, quality (QC) improvement, process transformation and other aspects, with a wide range of themes.
- Purpose of the activity: Each activity is to improve a certain aspect of the work of the enterprise or department, with the aim of improving efficiency, effect, and effectiveness.
- Activity methods: The method of solving the problem is a combination of one or several statistical techniques and tools of modern corporate governance science.
The characteristics of QCC:
- Universality. All employees of the company can participate in QCC activities.
- Voluntary. Employees are self-governed and are not subject to administrative orders on the premise of voluntary participation.
- Purpose. The purpose is to solve the practical problems of corporate governance.
- Scientific. QCC activities follow prescribed working procedures, using scientific statistical techniques and tools to analyze and solve problems.
- Democracy. Employees participating in QCC activities can express their opinions and speak freely, and use the spirit of democracy to achieve the set goals.
- Improvement. The implementation of QCC activities is to ensure the improvement of a certain work or activity, otherwise it is meaningless.
- Economy. QCC activities involve a small number of personnel and scope, are organized and carried out at any time in daily work, have small investment, quick results, accumulated over time, and obvious economic benefits.
- Developmental. QCC activities follow the PDCA cycle, continuous improvement, and continuous development on the original goals.
- Motivation. Through the implementation of QCC activities, employees’ autonomy and initiative can be fully utilized, and through the affirmation and release of QCC achievements, as well as receiving rewards, employees’ work enthusiasm is continuously improved, and corporate cohesion is enhanced.
The quality control circle is typically possible with involvement of the supervisor, squad leader and circle leader in the factory as the core, and the operators of similar nature or working together.
These usually 3 to 15 people, are organized into a group of simple quality control methods, factory improvement principle, value analysis, population relations, problem point analysis, key management and abnormal management, so that all personnel can automatically engage in quality control activities, practice the leadership and management ability of front-line supervisors, explore the potential ability of on-site personnel, and train all employees to automatically and spontaneously discover problems.
Methodology
Critical thinking skills, self-motivation, exchange of work skills and knowledge to achieve the goal of total management.
“The activities of the quality control circle are almost excellent methods that cannot be imitated by countries around the world.”
The quality control circle is a unique method of promoting quality control in Japan, and it is currently a world leader in the application of quality control in the industry. When it comes to quality control, everyone knows about quality control circles.
Effectiveness quality control methods
The reason the name of the quality control circle is so loud has generally attracted the attention of people in the quality control industry around the world is that the promotion of the quality control circle in the factory can combine scientific management and human management, and the business goals can be easily achieved. The results of quality control can be expressed concretely.
The implementation of quality control circles can arouse the enthusiasm of grassroots management personnel, and decision-making authorities must attach importance to such effective quality control methods.
Common Purposes
The QC circle movement was born for the purpose of which is:
- Enable front-line management personnel to play a leading role in the field and operators to exert their potential.
- Make all employees have quality control awareness, problem awareness and improvement awareness.
- Study quality control humbly, experience the true meaning of QC, and inspire yourself and inspire each other at any time.
- The quality control circle is an important part of the company’s management system, and it is a core organization on the spot, centered on the front-line personnel, team leaders and team leaders, through the joint efforts of team members, Assist supervisors to complete tasks and achieve the goal of full operation.
- The results of improvement can be publish inside and outside the company. Other activities of the quality control circle will be visit and study to exchange experience.
- Strengthen the mutual assistance of circle members and improve work morale.
- Reduce defective products, improve quality standards, and ensure product quality.
- Implement and implement the company’s policies and the instructions of superiors.
The quality control circles promoted companies have attracted the attention of European and American countries because of their remarkable effects and have been emulated because this new management and management practice has immediately promoted higher output, lower defect rates, and high work morale, and has become a universal movement and is recognized as an effective tool for corporate prosperity.
Shortly after the implementation of the quality control circle activity in Japan, an overseas expedition team had the opportunity to talk with Dr. Juran for one night, at that time.
“In the past Taylor era in the United States, there was a considerable difference in competence between technicians and staff, and at that time, because of the extremely low education of staff, technicians had to set operating standards.
Then guide them to follow the steps.
It is a pity that this practice has been inherited from the original local area, and it is important to know that many of the current staff have received a high junior high school education, and it is very wrong to still exercise the old Taylor system in this change, not to mention that the current operating standards are not perfect. Technicians are too busy with other things to take care of every detail right or wrong, and on-site staff are not interested in actively improving. It is really necessary for the United States to have a quality control circle (QCC) system like the existing ones, but…” Perhaps Dr. Juran is the most knowledgeable foreigner about QCC activities, so he can say these words.
Dr. Shin Ishikawa, the founder of the quality control circle and professor at the University of Tokyo, also said that the quality control circle is the most suitable quality control movement for Orientals, and the most humane, the most important activity to the relationship between people, and the promotion of quality control circle activities in the factory, can create an ideal working environment, life will feel more interesting, life will be richer, so as to promote the desire of employees to work, work quality, efficiency, will be greatly improved.
The authors collected literature on the quality control circle and the comments of quality control experts, and came to the following conclusions about the “quality control circle”:
(1) The implementation of the quality control circle can make the “scientific management” and “human management” in the factory reach a higher realm and enhance the competitiveness, and the power to adapt to future changes.
(2) Within two weeks, the defective rate of item A can be reduced by half; Increase production by 20% in two months! Is this almost miraculous? This miracle has happened in companies that implement quality control circles.
(3) Due to the recent practice of advocating the “quality control circle” by relevant business management consulting companies, it is obvious that an upsurge of management innovation has been set off, resulting in new trends in the operation of enterprises in China.
(4) Growing enterprise management cadres, whether they are high-level, middle-level or grass-roots supervisors, and all operators, study the quality control circle, not only can absorb the actual practices of management innovation, but also obtain valuable new concepts and new knowledge.
QCC Types
QCC quality control circle can be divided into five types: on-site, research, management, service, and innovation.
Quality control circle shows as below:
Serial number: QCC type characteristics, activity cycle difficulty, theme content examples, applicable places.
| 1 |
The on-site type takes on-site management improvement as the core, and improves one or several aspects of on-site management such as man, machine, material, legal environment and so on; Small topics, concentrated problems, fast solution speed, easy results, short activity cycle, generally improve product and process quality (QC); Reduced wastage and scrap; Production environment improvement; Workplaces of production, quality, equipment, warehouses, etc. such as equipment improvement.
| 2 |
The key research type: take the research of technology or process topics as the core, carry out breakthrough and improvement of a certain aspect of process or technology, the activity cycle is long, and the product technology improvement is large; process improvement; Improvement of product defects; Mold design improvement, equipment technical transformation and other production, technology, development, equipment and other departments workplace.
| 3 |
The service type takes improving service quality (QC) as the core, promotes the standardization, programmatic and scientific service work, and aims to improve the economic and social benefits of services, and the activity cycle is long or short, generally improving the awareness of customer service; Increase employee satisfaction with their work; Improve employee satisfaction; improve service levels; Reduce customer complaint rates in sales, human resources management, administration, and other departments.
| 4 |
The management type takes improving the quality (QC) and level of management as the core, and aims to improve the efficiency of management, and the activity cycle involving all aspects of corporate management is long and short, and the communication efficiency and effect are greatly improved; Enhance the effectiveness of training; reducing management costs; Reduce safety incidents; Improve the leadership ability of management personnel, production, procurement, materials, equipment, administration, human resources and other departments in the workplace.
| 5 |
Innovative with work innovation as the core, involving technology, management, service and other work. The results of the activities are created from scratch. There is no need to investigate the historical situation. The key point lies in the long activity cycle of the breakthrough point. The development of new technologies; product innovation; service innovation; management innovation; Marketing innovation, technology development, marketing, human resources management and other departments of the workplace.
When the average person does not understand QCC. There is always an unfathomable feeling, often heard others mention, very effective. Especially how to solve the problem. QCC is indeed a scientific and practical governance tool.
However, after the initial contact, it felt very simple. But there was no profound knowledge. So, that it was underestimated. Resulting in many enterprise executives neglecting to pay attention to QCC. That is, to promote QCC activities. But also because of the senior management’s lack of understanding and support and become formalised, which is also the most common reason for the failure of many promotion QCC activities.
Quality control circle refers To:
People in the same workplace (about 6 people). In order to solve work problems, break through work performance, automatically spontaneously form a small group (circle). Then divide labor, apply the simple statistical method of quality control as a tool. To analyze, solve workplace obstacles to achieve the goal of performance improvement.