Qualityworld
Right first time
On 11 November, in the shadow of St Paul's and the Tate Modern, IQA celebrated World Quality Day in style. For the first time ever the movers and shakers in quality gathered at Shakespeare's Globe, to be part of a range of events organised by IQA. These included presentations from IQA National Award finalists, the John Loxham seminar, tours of the Globe or simply the opportunity to network with a glass of champagne.
The day started early with presentations from the seven IQA National Award finalists. Each had 20 minutes to make a presentation with ten minutes for questions from the audience and judges. As usual the standard was high, with the subject matter ranging from pharmaceutical service provision in third world countries and implementing TQM in financial institutions in the United Arab Emirates, to the link between six sigma and QMSs. The judges' decision was a hard one, but Dr Nigel Grigg was chosen as the winner with his thesis on using SPC in the food industry. He has already presented his research finding to trading standards officers about potential practical applications, and it should not be long before benefits are seen throughout the food sector. He took £1,000 back to New Zealand with him and a mounted certificate (which remained unbroken, despite apparently, a 24-hour journey with four plane transfers).
The John Loxham Seminar was presented this year by Mike Low, newly appointed director of British standards at BSI. With his commercial background, Mike is a strong advocate of effective QMSs, and talked about the need for UK companies to remain focused on business improvement and standardisation. His lecture challenged some preconceived ideas and asked the question: 'Do standards set quality?' He used case studies to demonstrate the use of standards in the real world and presented an overview of the practical ways in which standards set quality in business processes, products, services and materials.
As the guests began arriving for the Awards Dinner, it was also time for the champagne to start flowing and guests to take tours of Shakespeare's Globe. After dinner, the most important part of the evening began: the awards were presented by IQA president Jim Speirs with Oscarlike tension and resounding drum-rolls (all the winners are listed in the box opposite). Journalist and broadcaster, Matthew Parris was the after-dinner speaker and tied up the night with tales of the failures in his life and reminiscences of his time as an MP in Margaret Thatcher's government.
The Awards received some unexpected coverage later on in the evening. Frank Steer, IQA director general, had been asked to appear on BBC News 24 to explain the significance of World Quality Day and the interview went live at 10.30pm. He wasted no time in defining the significance of quality: 'The evidence is clear. Those organisations which embrace a culture of quality become market leaders and do better than those which do not. Quality must come from the top.' The New York correspondent, Tanya Beckett, asked why, with cheaper products from China flooding the market, the UK should just be focusing on quality and not competitive pricing. Frank replied: 'If we don't produce quality products, we lose market share. Quality makes sure we get repeat business.'
But what about the customer service departments? Shouldn't they be responsible for quality? 'The customer service department is all too often a repository for complaints. Quality should be there with every conversation with your customers. It is about ensuring that the experience is so good, your customers are not going to go anywhere else.' This explanation should convince even the most sceptical doubting Thomas that quality is everybody's business. See you next year
IQA Awards 2004 - award winners
Companion
Sir Tom Farmer
Best branch
Wales
Best education centre
Highbury College
Best Student
2004 Robert Galloway
2003 Christopher Bethel
IQA National Award
Dr Nigel Grigg
Outstanding service
George Brice
Branch Service
William Burke
REME
1st Battalion ,The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment, LAD, REME - Captain Liz Sandry
