What is it about?

This article proposes a new methodology to be used by Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to characterize their performance in quality, highlighting weaknesses and areas for improvement. The methodology aims to identify the main causes of quality problems and help to prioritize improvement initiatives. This is a self-assessment methodology that intends to be easy to implement by companies with low maturity level in quality.

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Why is it important?

Due to its simplicity and comprehensiveness, it is believed that the developed methodology for quality self-assessment can be applied periodically by companies as self-diagnostic tool, aimed at continuous improvement.

Perspectives

The application of the methodology was successful in two case studies and a report was produced on the quality state of each industry, including a prioritization of the causes of poor performance.

Professor Sergio D Sousa
Universidade do Minho

Read the Original

This page is a summary of: Prioritizing quality problems in SMEs: a methodology, The TQM Journal, January 2015, Emerald,
DOI: 10.1108/tqm-12-2012-0107.
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