The Quality Manager’s Guide to Being Totally Miserable
Granted, even on the best day, a Quality Manager’s job is no picnic. One manager said he had a good day if he was able to sit for 10 minutes at his desk with no interruptions. A good week would be two good days. It’s a pretty low threshold.
But a Quality Manager’s life can become totally miserable if he can’t count on his Third Party Sorting and Inspection Firm to come through for him in a crisis when he really needs them, and to do so for a reasonable price.
A bad day for a Quality Manager begins with a call from his customer informing him that Part #ACS-324 is now in Level 2 Containment. The day gets worse when the customer says that his production line will be shut down if he doesn’t get certified, sorted parts within 10 hours! And the day totally collapses when the Quality Manager cannot seem to get anyone to respond to his desperate calls for Sorting help at a reasonable rate. He can only find Sorting firms that demand exorbitant rates that will destroy his budget. It’s like finding smoke and a fire in your home and calling the Fire Station, but all they want to know is how much money you will pay to get them to come over to save your house.
Guide to Being Totally Miserable
Total Misery Guideline #1: No Resources Lined Up
The first guideline to being totally miserable is… Do not have a good quality, reasonably priced Third Party Inspection and Sorting Firm already in your hip pocket. Don’t pre-negotiate rates, leaving you vulnerable to last minute price gouging, and don’t interview a Sorting firm before you have a crisis. Wait until the last minute, when you have no time and are desperate. Don’t get to know a Sorting Company when things are calmer. This is sort of like not seeing a dentist until you have a massive toothache.
Total Misery Guideline #2: No Planning
The second guideline to being totally miserable is…Do not have an escalation plan for a Level 1 or 2 Containment situation (Controlled Shipping Level 1 or 2). Don’t do anything pro-active until disaster hits. In the automotive business it isn’t, “Will I be in containment?” The Quality Manager knows in his heart it is only a matter of, “When will I be in containment?” So for total misery, don’t have an area in your plant set aside designated for containment. Don’t plan and train for how you will perform a Level 1 sort, and don’t have any equipment you may need for a sort ready.
Total Misery Guideline #3: Don’t Learn Your Customer’s Quality
The third guideline to being totally miserable is… Do not understand your customer’s specific Quality Procedures. Don’t ask for these and don’t ever read them.
If you follow these guidelines and get too miserable, you might just quit or end up getting fired.
So why be miserable?
It’s no fun. And it’s really not that hard to call Continental Quality Engineering (CQE) ahead of time. We will be there when you need us, and we offer competitive rates.
Give us a call. 765-778-9999 x321 or simply complete the form below.
Let us help you prepare for that next disaster.
