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The importance of a quality mindset

A quality mindset is key for a continuous quality improvement in all levels of your organisation. What does a quality mindset mean and how do you develop it? Learn what a quality mindset can do for your quality management and how to spark the interest for continuous improvement.

What does quality mean to you?

To understand a quality mindset, we first need to understand the definition of quality. The thing about quality is that the meaning of this term differs from person to person. That’s why, when I asked three people about the definition of quality, I got three slightly different answers:

 

  1. “Quality is producing things according specifications”
  2. “Quality is producing things according customer requirements”
  3. “Quality is producing things according customer expectations”

 

You see that each answer goes a bit further in the approach towards quality.

 

Recently, the director of the Flemish Centre of Quality gave a whole different meaning to the word ‘quality’.

 

“Quality means growing every day”

 

I, personally, am a big fan of this approach towards quality, because this definition already includes the mindset of continuous quality improvement.

 

Continuous improvement as a necessity

When we take customer expectations and customer requirements into consideration in quality management, you’re not only creating a better understanding of your customer, with a happy customer as a result.

 

To achieve a better understanding of your customer, it’s important that you improve your internal communications and translate these customer expectations into your end-result.

To understand a quality mindset, we first need to understand the definition of quality.

Customer expectations are on the rise, which is why you should always try to deliver better every time and deliver more than the expected outcome. The expectations of your client will increase over time, which means you will have to improve every time. This means that the job of offering quality is never finished.

 

 

The key to continuous improvement

In order to improve continuously, you need a quality mindset. Which means you’re always willing to go the extra mile, growing every day.
To do that, you have to start with improving something small. After each improvement, reflect on what you’ve accomplished and how this makes you feel. This positive feeling of achievement is the fuel for your next accomplishment. Because continuous improvement not only applies to products or processes, it also applies to your mindset.
When you get fueled by your previous accomplishments, you develop a quality mindset which, in turn, will give you the energy to continuously improve. Not only on a personal level, but also when it comes to processes, your company and your quality management system.
Do you want to know more about how to trigger a quality mindset within your company? Don’t hesitate to contact us.