"Transparency" has become a buzzword in the business world. With so many companies under intense scrutiny for poor business practices, it's important for your business to ensure its procedures are of high quality. From the top down, quality procedures will help your business operate in a more productive and profitable manner.
- Institute the gold standard for quality management systems with ISO 9000. This system attempts to provide a single set of standards that are globally recognized; they're maintained by the International Organization of Standardization (ISO). Your business can obtain certification by adhering to strict business practices and going through an independent audit and certification. Following ISO 9000 standards of quality management procedures can improve your business and have a positive effect on your company's market share, sales growth and competitive advantage. However, ISO 9000 certification is relatively expensive and requires a considerable time investment.
- Implement the strategy of Six Sigma to improve processes by eliminating defects. Developed by the Motorola Corporation, Six Sigma was originally intended for manufacturing sectors, but today it enjoys application in many business areas. In Six Sigma, a defect is anything your company does that can lead to customer dissatisfaction. The procedure helps your employees share a clear focus on achieving measurable results, puts increased emphasis on strong and passionate management and a requires a commitment to making decisions using verifiable data. In addition to Motorola, other companies that have touted Six Sigma benefits include Honeywell and General Electric.
- Create quality policies and procedures for your business with flowcharts. Flowcharts show the sequence and actions of a procedure in an easy-to-follow format. Your business procedures are looked at closely, and processes can be fine-tuned and streamlined, saving you and your business time and money. There are many excellent programs for creating flowcharts, so shop around for a program that fits your needs.
- Establish policies and procedures to help maintain quality business practices. They usually consist of seven sections: purpose, revision history, persons affected, policy, definitions, responsibilities and procedures. These documents can take weeks or months to produce in large corporations, but they are a good way to achieve transparency and document your company's high-quality business practices.
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