In the course of the numerous customer projects we have implemented, we have noticed one thing time and again. Change takes time. Digitalization projects often give rise to frustration, resignation and a feeling of insecurity among the workforce. However, the implementation of digital checklists is usually just the tip of the iceberg – what lies beneath is the further development of the company into a quality organization through an active quality culture.
What some sceptics of digitalization measures fail to consider is that digital checklists in no way replace human work – quite the opposite. Digital checklists are an attempt to reduce the workload by documenting employees’ work. Time and effort that would otherwise be spent printing, scanning, retrieving, filing and transferring checklists can be used to solve problems or further develop processes. Checklists not only bring standards to an organization, they are enablers for growing quality awareness and teamwork.
We have already talked in detail about quality culture in our previous blog article. In this article, we want to go into more detail about how checklists help to promote a quality culture.
How do checklists contribute to the quality culture?
Today’s modern world provides us with an incredible amount of know-how, available regardless of time or place. And yet, from time to time, mistakes happen in communication, in processes or simply in the manufacture of products that could be avoided. The reason for this is simple: the complexity and scope of today’s knowledge exceeds our ability to transfer information correctly and securely from sender to receiver. As Atul Gawande has already very impressively described in his book “The Checklist Manifesto”, there is a simple way in which we can do things right; with checklists.
Formally speaking, checklists are used to control and describe individual processes, avoid errors and increase safety through complete documentation. However, checklists also fulfill a completely different purpose. They promote the quality culture in companies and strengthen cooperation, awareness and the personal responsibility of each individual in an organization.
Better cooperation.
Whether crane operators, maintenance staff, field service technicians, quality managers or employees in the ordering department, every job is part of the overall product creation process. Information from upstream process steps is transferred and processed and passed on to the downstream process step. Documentation probably plays the most important role here. And the more activities we pack into the product creation process, the more precise the documentation should be.
The more time we spend in our job, the more confident and experienced we feel. We have a particularly good command of processes and can call up knowledge very quickly. This often leads to processes being individually modified and process steps being skipped in order to increase time or the number of steps here and there. In short, we become a little less precise, which in turn increases the chance of errors.
Checklists are much more than just a series of queries and standardization of processes. Rather, they ensure a seamless flow of information by ensuring that every step in the process is adhered to and documented accordingly, make feedback accessible to all those involved and promote problem-solving skills. Information is immediately available for retrieval and acts as a central hub for all relevant areas in the company.
Practical example from mechanical engineering
A global leader in toolmaking uses digital checklists to carry out quality checks during production.
The company was able to achieve better collaboration within the organization with the digital checklists. Quality data is recorded in a structured manner on standard smartphones, and documentation and work orders are transmitted to colleagues in real time.
Employees on the store floor particularly appreciate the fact that they can add photos directly on their smartphone. For example, defects can be photographed and marked. The assembly workers create the defect for the design department, which can get to work straight away. Relevant information is therefore recorded directly on site and immediately forwarded to the person responsible, who is notified directly in the app (and optionally by email). If further questions arise, these can be written down directly in the app in a context-related manner.
Digital checklists have enabled the company to develop into a self-learning organization in which the CIP is not just an empty phrase, but a living mission.
More awareness of quality.
Quality awareness is another essential added value that goes hand in hand with the use of checklists. Quality awareness cannot simply be prescribed or imposed from above. Rather, it is the result of functioning and practiced quality management by each individual employee, with the common goal of producing products and services of the highest quality.
So how exactly can checklists help to increase quality awareness? With digital checklists, employees have a tool to ensure that products or other services are manufactured to the highest quality standards by the company as well as by the client, giving them a sense of good quality. In addition, checklists help to develop an understanding of the nature of defects and other failures and to better assess the consequences of these.
Practical example from the automotive sector.
A large company in the automotive industry uses digital checklists and defect recording in the assembly and maintenance area. Thanks to the digital documentation – instead of the paper-based, time-consuming recording of defects – resources could be saved and faster processing and analysis of defects could be achieved.
Production employees became quality employees. By empowering all employees with this tool to ensure quality at every step of production and to detect errors at an early stage, they were able to identify much better with product manufacturing.
The data collected directly on site using checklists is also available for further evaluations and analyses in the next step. Information relating to work processes such as throughput times, defect categories, process conformity and much more is transferred in real time and quickly serves as a basis for decisions on how to proceed.
More personal responsibility.
Each employee has a specific role in the value chain. To create a product, it is important to define responsibilities for different processes. By transferring more personal responsibility in the designated area, employees can identify with the tasks, can contribute new ideas and make a significant contribution to a constantly evolving organization. This means that work is no longer just a duty, but a source of motivation and a greater sense of purpose.
In order to be able to contribute to the improvement of processes, employees must be given access to all the necessary information about their work areas. This is the only way to enable them to improve the supporting and value-adding work processes.
Conclusion.
If we see checklists merely as a collection of to-dos, we miss out on many opportunities to strengthen the quality culture in the company. Checklists are a game changer in organizations and help us to work better together through seamless information flows, increased quality awareness through a greater understanding of good quality but also shortcomings and errors and more personal responsibility through identification with the work itself.
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