My observation in the last 40 years working and negotiating in various parts of the world is that we do not know how to effectively communicate the concept of quality in business and financial terms to  the board. We are very poor at talking “Business”

Quality professionals fail to get the attention of the top management and it’s often because they do little more than regurgitate the requirements of standard.

So: keep the quality jargon out of the Boardroom and away from critical stakeholders

Talk to them in terms of programs, financial impact, people involvement and collaboration. Avoid ISO/six sigma and lean speak.

Quality professionals need to come to the board with ideas on how to improve efficiency and to reduce cost and risk

The key to getting the board’s buy-in is understanding critical business issues

Quality professionals have difficulty selling ideas in financial terms.

We should provide concise fact based reports that provide an overview what is happening highlighting issues along with proposed solutions of financial and quality risks.

Inside any company the quality function needs to be seen as a problem solving group and company partner as they develop new projects or programs. In this way the quality function’s contribution is visible to others and gains support. Quality function has the responsibility and the authority to provide the technical expertise that will ensure the company accomplishes its objectives.

We need to disassociate the word ‘Quality” from “manager.”  Our job is not to manage Quality, but to understand the outcomes required, advise on the constrains help identify the risks and opportunities, and provide advice and guidance on mitigating actions where appropriate.

Bio:

Syed Ali is a writer and educator in leadership and Quality systems management. He has served as a Principal Professional Staff (Professor) member at Johns Hopkins University, Applied Physics Laboratory in Maryland USA. Since 1986, He has applied his expertise to many national and international Space missions including Midcourse Space Experiment (MSX) TOPEX radar altimeter, NEAR, GRACE, FUSE, CONTOUR and Messenger as a Systems Assurance Manager (Retired 2007).  He is Vice Chairman of the “World Council for Total Quality and Excellence in Education.”