Quality is never an accident

Today we are talking about Quality Control. I know it may seem like a no brainer to have quality control checks in your shop but, often, they either end up getting overlooked, not enforced, or not even created.

I think that this month’s quote is a good one:

               “Quality is never an accident. It is always the result of intelligent effort”

– John Ruskin

It goes without saying that your technicians must have skill and know what they are doing when they repair the vehicles. However, even if you have the most skilled technicians available, you may not be getting as high a quality repair as you want from them. There can be multiple reasons for this but usually it boils down to poorly set expectations, lack of accountability and lazy management.

There is another quote that I can use for this month’s blog as well, “you get what you ask for”. If you have not set expectations for your team, how do they know what to deliver. The most common and probably most contentious QC point in you shop is the transition between the body department and the prep department.             

• What grit is the body man suppose to finish his plastic work in?
• Who is responsible for filling pinholes?
• How are plastic repairs supposed to be finished?
• Are handles, moldings and badges taped or removed?
• Who is responsible for checking the straightness of the lines and plastic work?

The list is a lot longer than that, but these examples just prove the point I am trying to get across. How can a technician achieve a quality standard when there is no quality standard set. The body man will do what he thinks he must do but that might not match what the prepper thinks he should do. This also puts your manager in a tricky spot because he is then forced to take sides with the prep department or the body department.

A list of clearly defined expectations and goals for the departments in your shop, is crucial to any successful quality control program. By creating standards and expectations, better quality work is produced. Each person is responsible for a part of that job and in turn, it makes everyone’s job easier and less stressful. Wherever you set your standards, your employee’s will have to reach those standards.

Another byproduct of setting expectations and standards is the creation of accountability. We have all heard the saying, “that’s not my job” thrown around in the shop. I can’t tell you how many times we have talked to people on the shop floor, in the office, back office, or even in parts and they all have one thing in common, they think someone else should be doing more. If everyone has a clearly defined role with certain expectations that can be met, you don’t have this problem. Everyone is responsible for their role and if done correctly you can increase productivity, efficiency, and quality because there is no room for guess work.

Think about how a watch works with all the gears and cogs spinning in unison. Every piece doing its part just right so that the whole operation works successfully.

Finally, with the creation of the standards and accountability comes enforcement. All the rules, standards, checkpoints, and the like, mean absolutely nothing if they are not enforced or used. It is the role of the managers to make sure that each member of their team is doing their part and meeting their goals. This part of the manager’s job is relatively easy at this point because everything is clear. There aren’t any fights about who must do what or what needs to be done because it’s already been outlined. If the manager enforces the standards and make sure each person does what they are supposed to do, the quality of the work will raise.

By simply setting clearly defined standards, increasing accountability, and enforcing those standards, you will create higher quality work. The best part of this process is that it’s cheap to do, you don’t need to invest a whole lot to create a set of standards in your facility. You just need to make the time to properly define everyone’s role in your shop and you will absolutely see better quality work at virtually no cost to you. You have a role in your shop too and it may be time for you to realize that you are just as responsible for the quality of work that leaves your shop as your technicians are.