>Performance improvement, in one business sense, is the Delta, or
>difference, between where you are and where you want to be--much as
>Jesse White said. This difference is sometimes refered to as a gap.
>In ISO, companies seeking certification undergo a gap analysis.
and went on to share some thoughts about the benefit of ISO and the
registration process.
Guess my answer is a strong, Maybe.
My take on ISO is that the focus is more on closing the gap in paperwork
and diagnostic processes rather than performance improvement per se. The
goal is more toward reducing variation in processes rather than good
performance or performance optimization.
Thus, the auto companies were getting ISO certified suppliers who were
giving them consistently mediocre products. They moved away toward QS9000
standards, which had more of a performance improvement / quality
improvement bent.
Any process CAN result in improvement. It relys on the intentions of
management. Do we want "Certification" because it is demanded / expected
or are we going through the process as a learning experience.
I know of both approaches.
BTW, I am past chair of the local ASQ (formerly ASQC) group in one of the
most heavily industrialized areas in the US, Upstate South Carolina. We've
got tremendous companies here and some wonderful people trying to improve
quality and performance but often up to their axles in mud. One BIG
company, a supplier to the auto industry did NOT want to pay the costs of
ISO9000 certification for ALL of their plants, even though they had
implemented the practices company-wide. Why should they have to pass
along the costs of certification (and what an industry it has become) when
their quality is respected globally. I understand that they eventually
had to cave in and pay the monies. You'll find the cost built in to your
next new car purchase!
"All the costs and none of the benefits!"
-- For the FUN of It!Scott Simmerman Performance Management Company 3 Old Oak Drive, Taylors, SC 29687 (USA) 864-292-8700 fax 292-6222 SquareWheels@compuserve.com
visit The Lost Dutchman at http://www.clicknow.com/stagedright/dutchman/
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>