History of Quality Circle: Father of Q. Control, Structure, Tools

The following steps of quality control are explained one by one given below.

✔ 1. Create awareness about QC

This is the responsibility of organizations to create awareness about the importance of quality circles and try to successfully convince employees about the utility of quality circles so that employees would not oppose the formation of QC in the organization.

It is important to understand the implications of QC for workers because participation in QC is voluntary for employees.

✔ 2. Provide Initial training

For ensuring effective and smooth operation of the quality circle in the organization. It is the duty of the organization to give basic and initial training to quality circle members.

✔ 3. Constitution of QC

After getting training, the organization assigns roles and responsibilities to various members as per their skills, knowledge, experience, personality, and qualities. QCs consist of a steering committee, facilitator, leader, facilitators, and coordinating agency members and non-members.

✔ 4. Defining the Problem

It is the duty of quality circle members is to define or identify the problem that impacts the organization’s functioning.

✔ 5. Data Analysis on Root Cause

After identifying the problem, members collect past and present organization data from various records and sources and after getting data members try to analyze data so that they can find the root cause of the problem.

✔ 6. Developing a Solution

Once the QC is formed then they turn to problem-solving. Methods used for solving the problems are not only brainstorming but also technologically empowering tools are used.

QC put forward various suggestions after analyzing the problem and final decisions are made through consensus.

✔ 7. Presentation and Approval of Suggestions

When the QC members get ready to show their solution to a problem, they present it before the management and discuss it with them. But management has total control over the final decision of whether to implement of recommendation or not.

It strengthens the communication between management and workers and demonstrates workers’ participation through QC members in decision-making.

✔ 8. Implementation

If management provides it consensus on a suggestion or solution, then relevant groups may be assigned for the implementation of the suggestion.

✔ 9. Follow–up or Review

The last per not least step of the quality circle process is to regularly review of solutions suggested by quality circle members.

► Structure of Quality Circle

The elements and Structure of the Quality Circle or Quality Control is as follows.

1. Members
2. Leader
3. Facilitator
4. Steering Committee
5. Top Management
6. Coordinating Agency

✔ 1. Members

Members are considered a basic but crucial element of the quality circle. Basically, membership in a quality circle is voluntary in nature and the organization ensures that all members should be from the same department or doing similar work because they would be familiar with the problems and they could make a significant contribution to analyzing and solving the problems so identified.

The key role and responsibilities of the quality circle are to participate in selecting problems, brainstorming, decision-making, and solving the problems.

✔ 2. Leader

A leader is chosen by circle members from the group and mainly supervisor is designated to perform a leadership role in this quality circle. The role of a leader in a circle provides strength to the circle by motivating and guiding the members.

The leader is responsible for deciding the agenda for weekly meetings and it also plays a lead roll-on presentation to top management.

✔ 3. Facilitator

The facilitator is not only responsible for supervising, coordinating, and conducting quality circle activities but is also responsible for other departments.

A facilitator is usually nominated by the management who is in charge of a section or department and has knowledge of the company’s overall operations.

The role and responsibility of the facilitator are to be a guide, coach, coordinator, teacher, communicator, and motivator.

✔ 4. Steering Committee

This is a very important committee and it is responsible for setting goals and objectives for the quality circle. This committee mainly consists of all major departmental heads and is headed by the Chief Executive of the Unit or plant.

This steering committee helps in to bridge the gap between top management and the QCC members and it also takes responsibility for QCC-related training.

✔ 5. Top Management

Top management is considered an apex body in the quality circle structure, which oversees and monitors the functioning of the quality circle and acts as an advisory body.

The support, faith, and commitment from top management are quite essential for the successful operation of the quality circle and it is the power of management to provide rewards or recognition to quality circle members for the work.

✔ 6. Coordinating Agency

The coordinating agency is responsible for preparing the plan and getting the sanction for the budget to meet the expenses of quality circle activities.

Tools and Techniques of Quality Circle

The most common QC tools and techniques used in QC Circle projects to analyze the problem, and discover the root causes, and the tools and techniques used in the quality circle are-

• Check Sheet
• Fishbone Diagram or Cause and effect diagram
• Control Chart
• Histogram or Frequency distribution chart
• Stratification of Data
• Scatter Diagram
• Poka Yoke and Kaizen Techniques.