4 core ways automation boosts quality management

By: Omar Abdul-Hafiz

In the world of business, product/service quality plays a critical role in maintaining a healthy and sustainable relationship with the customer. This is a universal fact that applies in virtually every sector, from healthcare to insurance, and even microfinance. Moreover, quality management is essential for making sure the different processes in your organization are going according to a specific and sturdy plan so that all your resources are being utilized efficiently and results are being achieved effectively.

But how do we make the best out of our quality management efforts? Well, the short answer is: automation. The long answer, however, is: utilizing digital technology in automating complex, repetitive tasks and documenting the procedures systematically every step of the way.

As such, this article sheds the light on 4 major ways automation helps in enhancing your quality management efforts.

Reducing human error

We’ve all heard of Murphy’s law which states, in plain English, that “anything that can go wrong will go wrong”. In other words, wherever there is a possibility that a human error may occur, chances are it will. This simple fact is true in visually all facets of life, from the simplest of things to the most sophisticated.

For example, ever wondered why a SIM Card is chopped from one corner? Well, it is specifically designed that way so as to avoid potential misalignment of its contacts against the phone cardholder pins. And this just one example from everyday life.

A SIM card is created with a distinct shape.

Likewise, in the big world of business systems, we can see a similar idea. Amidst the different interrelated, mostly routine and manual business processes, human mistakes are expected to happen all the time. This is largely due to the natural imperfections of the human element as people can forget certain things, or mistakenly do certain stuff the wrong way.

System automation through digitalization, however, can help in keeping these human errors at a minimum as it promises to carry out much of these labour-intensive tasks for us. This results in a system that works in a clockwork fashion where human error is no longer a big concern.

Complex results through simplified systems

To put it simply, every single business process within an organization, whether it is production, service delivery, or an internal administrative procedure, is carried out through a series of steps that make up what is known as workflows. These workflows are intended to lead to specific end results.

For example, the hiring process follows a certain workflow leading to the result of hiring a new employee. Performing a certain surgical operation on a patient in a hospital is another process that follows a predefined workflow. The end result, in this case, would be a necessary medical service (i.e. surgery) delivered to the patient successfully. And so on.

In the old days, these workflows needed to be carried manually through a complicated, paper-intensive system where human intervention was the only way to go. These systems used to be highly time-consuming. As a consequence, the challenges of maintaining a high level of quality were much bigger.

With the advent of modern management information systems, however, the quality management landscape witnessed radical changes. The once immensely manual procedures became not just automated, but also interlinked. In other words, instead of having to carry out every single part of the process manually and separately, an automated management information system allows you to carry out various interrelated processes in just a few mouse clicks.

Through automating and simplifying business processes, they become more efficient and lead to more effective results, enhancing the overall organizational excellence and quality.

Efficient application of quality management

From a practical viewpoint, efficient application of quality management practices takes place in four main stages.

• Planning: Careful planning of quality is the first step to good quality management.
• Implementation: Quality standards are properly applied and put in place.
• Enforcement: Ensuring that quality standards are enforced and mandated across the organization.
• Control: All processes in the organization are monitored and controlled to ensure they fully abide by the mandated standards.

Ideal application of quality management

Now, process automation contributes to the successful enactment of these three stages. Generally speaking, good information management systems are built in a flexible and modular fashion, allowing you to tailor them according to your specific business needs and quality standards. Consequently, you can ensure that all your business processes are being carried out strictly according to your rules and in a fraction of the time and effort they once required. Such systems also enable you to monitor performance by providing performance reports and systems logs. This allows you to assess where you stand in following quality procedures and standards and make amendments to rectify the situation as needed.

Automated documentation and error detection

The third, highly critical element where automation by digital transformation really enhances quality control is by keeping every procedure properly documented for future reference. In the case of an error in a certain business process, you can only investigate the problem if all your work was being recorded in full detail on the spot. A typical process record includes essential details such as the date on which the process was carried out, the people and resources involved in it, and so on.

Furthermore, advance information systems are also designed to provide detailed information as to where the error occurred, allowing the responsible personnel to intervene and make sure the error has been resolved successfully.

In the end, it is worth mentioning that an organization that works according to a robust system of standards, and a well-implemented mechanism of enforcing them, is more likely to produce high-quality products and services. Moreover, it will be more capable of monitoring its overall performance in detail to ensure that quality standards are being adhered to. This can be best achieved by harnessing the power of automation by digital transformation.