Paul Gladieux has over 45 years of experience working in the quality profession. In 1991, he founded Global Quality Management Advisors (GQM Advisors). The group provides services focused on management system design, development, compliance, assessments, and certification in a wide range of sectors. Energy sector companies include: NuScale Power LLC, BWX Technologies, Westinghouse Nuclear AP1000 Program, Terra Power LLC, U.S. Department of Energy, and Alyeska Pipeline Service Company.
Question: The quality profession has experienced a few ups and downs in the last ten years, looking ahead where do you see the quality profession in the next five years?
Quality experts have published numerous volumes of books, articles, and training videos that support known ups and downs of the profession essentially from its beginning in the late 1800s ‘The Industrial Revolution.’ Academic offerings evolved along the way as quality continued to grow its place in business, industry, and government entities. Degree-related offers have gone from coursework in statistics and materials science to current Masters in Quality Management and PhDs in Quality.
I believe it’s fair to say ‘The Management of Quality’ as a critical management tool and professional discipline came into its own in the late 1990s. This most unique profession is still under debate in many business areas and slow to adoption as well. Why wouldn’t it? It strikes at the heart of ‘doing things right’! The human reaction to error is typically fear. Dr. W. Edwards Deming is noted for stating “drive out fear” as his 8th of 14 points for management transformation. Thus, part of the basis for its ups and downs.
To properly discuss quality in the context of someone performing work in a professional capacity, its roles and responsibilities must be understood and agreed upon in the organization. For those with business experience interfacing with a ‘quality professional,’ the first-hand experience may be good or undesirable. A real-world fact is most people do not like having their work reviewed for acceptance or rejection. There is the inherent element of fear. Common sense should tell us education and solid understandings of quality practices need to be in place. In order to provide a strong answer regarding where the profession will be in the next five years, there needs to be a few reference points.
First, I’m using the simple accepted definition of Quality as ‘Conformance to Requirements.’ The concept and use of this definition is explained by Mr. Philip B. Crosby in his ground breaking book in 1979, ‘Quality is Free, The Art of Making Quality Certain,” pg. 17.
Second, in business for a ‘Quality Professional’ to determine if a ‘requirement conforms’ with stated criteria, the person (Quality Professional) must know and understand all accept / reject criteria for the product or service. Herein lies the key to effective determination of conformance and the correct (acceptable) outcome every time. Communication in all forms must be seamless and correct. Mr. Crosby states on page 17, “All through this book, whenever you see the word ‘quality,’ read ‘conformance to requirements.’ ”
Third, unlike roles and responsibilities in some professions, Quality Professionals are challenged to study, know, apply, and stay current with the requirements in their chosen business sector(s), segment(s), and application(s). The need for this ‘subject-specific’ body of knowledge, and the degree of difficulty to gain a proper level of mastery, becomes evident while reading content on the American Society for Quality (ASQ) website https://asq.org/. The society was formed in 1946. The vast range of books and articles since the mid-1950s re-enforces this understanding. I periodically review posted jobs on the ASQ Career Center and job search boards such as Indeed, LinkedIn, and ZipRecruiter to keep up with the ever-changing scope of needs by employers. This type of review provides the patterns and a simple metric for the overall resource needs. The number of new job title descriptions continues to reveal the scope increase for application of quality management tools.
In senior level positions, Quality Professionals must work as generalists in Quality Management Systems (QMS) which provide the business framework, process descriptions, and executive level reporting on quality performance. Senior level positions are also expected to have high levels of mastery for specific disciplines in Quality Assurance (QA) processes and Quality Control (QC) techniques within their practicing sector(s), segment(s), application(s). This depends on where the person reports within the organization.
Fourth, proficiency in the profession mandates a working knowledge of the language which over the past one hundred years has resulted in a vocabulary of over 500 quality-related terms listed by the ASQ. Remember, Quality Professionals are expected to be right – all the time. The profession is listed in the top 20 high stress careers. Of course, persons in the job role are human.
Herein lies a flaw due to mis-perceptions caused by inconsistent self-developed views by employees in lieu of formal training for consistency on what the profession’s roles and responsibilities actually are. The required skill sets for qualification continue to grow as innovations in software, artificial intelligence, battery technology, EV transportation, robotics in medical care, propulsion for space travel, big pharma new products, and nuclear / solar energy technology reach R&D goals and actual product and system deployments.
Ups and downs in the quality profession are caused by a number of global and domestic factors. They range from job displacement by economic downturns and advancements in automation; to new products and services requiring new professional skills for delineation of advanced process controls, quality-related software, and testing methodologies.
The profession is one of many that demands a continual learning effort to ensure proficiency. Some Quality Professionals are gifted to the extent they can move across business sectors using their generalist body of knowledge (75% of BOK) of the culture’s management systems approach, while rapidly learning ‘sector/segment-specific’ requirements (the other 25% BOK for each discipline). They fit this basic scheme of quality knowledge and know how to leverage each time. The future is essentially endless for this caliber of professional. Some of my professional peers have successfully worked in over ten sectors leveraging from this inherent ability. Certified Public Accountants often demonstrate this ability.
‘The Year of COVID-19 (2020),’ clearly benchmarks sweeping changes impacting billions of people world-wide. It caused perhaps just about every type change humans can image and experience. It clearly touched everyone’s work and personal lives. As we consider and try to describe where the profession will be in five years, let’s look at its 140 plus years evolution.
This Timeline of job roles reveals its continued elevation in the hierarchy of management structures. This obvious increase in scope is the result of learning the required levels of authority to gain product and service improvements while enhancing communications across the organization. It’s one of those professions in industry that ‘backed its way into the higher levels of management.’ Unfortunately, it’s still a key management discipline that is not formally represented in the boardroom – how many companies have a qualified professional working in the capacity of ‘Chief Quality Officer?’ I see new ‘C’ suit titles created often.
Quality Profession Evolution
From all my years in the profession, I can’t think of a time when the needs of the business weren’t more reliant on each person being ‘self-accountable for quality’ (ensuring tasks conformed to requirements). Remote work has become integral to the new norm as it is said and many persons will not return to their employer work locations except for periodic meetings. Worker performance measurement methods have changed and will continue to be operational considerations in the future. Employers must trust their employees more than ever to practice the following accountabilities.
Quality Self-Accountabilities
- know the contract (P.O.) requirements – desires of the customer
- know the management system areas applicable to your work
- Embrace the process / procedure / instructions verbatim
- When in doubt – ask
- Work hard on complete / effective communications
- Focus on documenting the work clearly, in simple form, correct every time
- Communicate in the dynamic work world – connect with all as applicable
- No assumptions – verify your own work – multiple times
- Use peer reviews to your advantage – ask for reviews of your work and offer
- Capture non-conforming conditions – notify process / procedure owners for corrective action(s)
NOTE: this supports management system improvements
- Keep impeccable active documents and records – date / time as applicable
- Perform self-assessments on the work processes and methods for documenting results
- Help your fellow co-workers
- Ask your fellow co-workers
- Keep daily summary of your work – supports weekly / monthly reporting
The future of quality profession roles / responsibilities in five years seems to be one of increased value in advisory roles and somewhat less reliant on persons performing QA/QC tasks. Assuming the COVID-19 driven new normal prevails, self-accountabilities for quality will endure and increase. As persons in the ‘new workplace’ understand the new business need of self-accountabilities and how it impacts their position and growth, effective methods of accountability will become part of the daily work methods. Many consulting firms are already offering remote assessments and audits for clients. Online training is becoming the norm.
Question: Over the next five years, what skills will the members of the quality professionals need? And, what additional skills will quality professionals need if they get involved in a revitalized nuclear industry?
The future of the quality profession can belong to the more than 75 million millennials, if they fully embrace and put into place applicable quality management tools. They are the Artificial Intelligence generation and masters of the Internet of Things. The Quality of their work and personal lives can greatly improve in the next five years, if they do their homework on quality principles and practices and effectively apply them to their fullest potential.
In the previous question about the future of the quality profession, I share my perspective driven by the post-COVID-19 new normal. As a minimum, all quality professionals need to embrace the self-accountabilities concept.
From an historical viewpoint mentioned in the previous question regarding the future of the quality profession, I see two positions with the needed supporting skills that must emerge and become a professional norm, if higher levels of product and service quality will ever be achieved. Quality cannot continually be left out of the Boardroom. Quality Advisors need to be integral to the executive staff. Persons working in these capacities must have executive level skills and knowledge. Persons at this level assist executives translate goals and objectives into operational and program actions. Their working knowledge of quality management tools must be vast and effective. They must work in partnership with the Chief Financial Officer.
Chief Quality Officer 2020 ~ Do companies have a ‘CQO’ in the Boardroom?
Quality Advisor 2020 ~ Must be ‘Management System Experts / Thinkers’ Strategist, Guidance, Oversight, Training, Coaching, Compliance, Conformance-Focused
Nuclear Quality Professional Additional Skills in Revitalized Nuclear Industry
Nuclear Quality Professionals work at various levels in operations and program-specific disciplines. The work environment is one of continual regulatory oversight, industry-specific requirements, accountability to the public, potential high consequence, evolutionary safeguards leading to plant upgrades during maintenance and fuel reloads, and human performance measurement at all work levels.
In addition to plant safety and environmental equipment and system retro-fits, the industry is now in the ‘Gen III and IV’ phases of its design and fuel evolution. Design parameters continue to change for increased safety margins and inherent safe shutdown modes.
Small Modular Reactor (SMR) and Microreactor designs are at various stages of design review and regulatory approval. Design, modeling, fuel, software, robotics, advanced component manufacturing, and lessons learned, all play a role on making SMR-based Nuclear Power Plants a reality. This represents a new era for the industry. It represents new ‘Requirements’ for all workers to learn and practice every day.
Nuclear Quality Professionals work in the capacity of verifying ‘Conformance to Requirements’ on behalf of engineering, procurement (supply chain), plant operations, fuel management, maintenance, and all other applicable groups as delineated in the plant licensing documents.
For those working in new large scale reactor plants (e.g., Westinghouse Nuclears’ AP1000 Plant, other designs), their focus must be on all new operating requirements. This typically involves reading new procedures, work instructions, and observing the workforce performing operational tasks.
From an historical viewpoint mentioned in the previous question regarding the future of the quality profession, I see two positions with the needed supporting skills that must emerge and become a professional norm, if higher levels of product and service quality will ever be achieved. Quality cannot continually be left out of the Boardroom. Quality Advisors need to be integral to the executive staff. Persons working in these capacities must have executive level skills and knowledge. Persons at this level assist executives translate goals and objectives into operational and program actions. Their working knowledge of quality management tools must be vast and effective. They must work in partnership with the Chief Financial Officer.
Chief Nuclear Quality Officer 2020 ~ Do companies have a ‘CQO’ in the Boardroom?
Nuclear Quality Advisor 2020 ~ Must be ‘Management System Experts / Thinkers’ Strategist, Guidance, Oversight, Training, Coaching, Compliance, Conformance-Focused
Summary
I mentioned at the beginning of my response that the future of the quality profession can belong to the more than 75 million millennials, if they fully embrace and put into place applicable quality management tools. I encourage, and even challenge, the gifted millennial executives to embrace the principles and practices of quality and to show its importance in the ‘C’ suits across the nation. Millennials challenge yourselves to do so and be the generation that keeps America as the Global Leaders in Quality Products and Services. I just know you’re get unconditional backing from the Baby Boom Generation! Perhaps your generation of CEOs will have two active roles: CEO | CQO?