A critical element in an ongoing quality assurance program is follow-through. Managers, supervisors and those who actually do the work need support, recognition and encouragement in their quality assurance efforts.
In Japan, and increasingly in the United States and Europe, this support and ongoing attention to quality at the “grass roots” or “worker” level is supplied by some¬thing known as the Quality Circle. A Quality Circle is a relatively small group of people (5 to 20) who come from the same work group and who meet weekly, bi-weekly or monthly to discuss quality problems. The group is usually led by a supervisor or senior employee. Continue reading