Quality is an Attitude.........Some Tips to Ensure Quality Deliverables.

We are mostly into data and information services where quality is of utmost importance. We are into financial services where many investment decisions depend on the data that is being provided. Also in our industry, the quality proves to give a leading edge against competitors.  Again quality is most essential in any organization to sustain goodwill and increase both top and bottom lines.

Therefore, it is essential that whatever is being produced is done with higher consciousness to maintain good quality of products or deliverables. Here are a few tips which if kept in mind, can help improve quality to a large extent. These come from our experience of handling BNR processes but, by and large, can help anyone who chooses to follow them.

 1.      Prepare a Checklist of Important Items.

This is a simple yet most effective method for quality achievement.  Preparing a checklist means preparing an itinerary of items that need to be checked before any data processing is done. For instance if you are processing a document, then before you hit on that process button, it is required that you recheck some important things whose correctness is highly essential to the delivery of the information.

The length of the checklist or the items entered into the checklist is also very important. You cannot have a very long checklist which you would rather avoid then go through. At the same time all the important elements to be given a second look should be there in the check list.

2.      Follow the Entire Process Without Fail

A process might consist of various sub processes which might not directly affect production but are essential for quality purposes. For instance, in BNR project, we have a dual system of data capturing.

It is understandable that when you are working in an environment where the load of work is heavy and a stringent turnaround time has to be met; the first temptation is to leave out certain sub processes (not directly affecting production) for achievement of SLAs. However, this might prove to be fatal to a quality delivery. All the sub processes to a process of production have to be followed in all circumstances. If they were unnecessary, they would not have been there in the first place.

However, in case in extreme pressures if you have to do away with one or more sub processes make sure that it is verified on a top priority basis as soon as the pressure is eased.

 3.      A Preconceived Mind is a Deterrent to Quality.

“This happens in this manner only.” A mind which already is preoccupied with certain ideas of doing a thing and is not open has a very negative impact on quality.  Today, the times are changing fast and therefore the ability to learn and unlearn quickly is the key to both quality and success.

If a practice has been followed for many years, it does not mean it is correct and does not need a review. A critical bent of mind which questions, existing practices, with logic goes a long way in achieving quality.

 4.      Keep it Simple.

The process defined to do a task should be simple to understand. The language in which it is documented should contain simple and short sentences which are easy to follow. They should be adequately supplemented with examples.

Believe me, flowery language can be used to get accolades and awards but would not get the process completed smoothly.

 5.      Easy Visibility Helps.

Try to define all complicated process in pictorial/ diagrammatical form which can be understood easily. It is a well observed fact that a human mind is more open to anything that is stated in a diagrammatical or pictorial format.

For instance, if any data to be captured has 3 mutually exclusive rules, it is better to put them in table or matrix form. Likewise, data presented in the form of a chart seems to be much more descriptive and easy to comprehend than a table of listed figures. Again if complex processes are shown by simple flow charts, they are easy to grasp.

 6.      Learn From Mistakes.

This is stated last and yet a very important tip to improve upon quality. If discrepancies have been identified in the work produced do not forget to do a short analysis on why it has been committed. This analysis is not for the purpose of explanations to anyone else but for your own self to have an understanding on what went wrong and how it can be prevented in future.

Once this is done you are good to go.

I hope that this blog helps you to achieve greater heights in producing high quality deliverables.  Happy working!