SUMMER 2021

DEFINING

NEUSA NEXT FOLIO

SUMMER 2021

CONTENTS
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FROM
THE
EDITORFEATURES
12 ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND THE QUALITY PROFESSIONAL
Carol Long examines how to reap the benefits of this emerging technology.

18 BUILDING A ROBUST QUALITY CULTURE

Quality professionals have heard a great deal about
Quality 4.0 recently. It has the potential to be asignificant driver of change in our profession, but until
now, we have lacked a clear, unified definition. On
p24, John Oakland and Mike Turner explain the CQI’s
research project to define Quality 4.0. The infographic
on p32 explains the eight supporting principles of
Quality 4.0.
Some significant changes are already here, asorganisations embrace artificial intelligence. On p12,
Carol Long explains why it’s important that quality
professionals understand how to get the best from it
and prevent reputational risk to their organisations.
Corporate social responsibility (CSR), sustainability
and the environment are areas that are part of the
new world of quality. On p40, David Finney explains
the benefits of CSR and how to put it into practice inyour organisation. Sustainability is the theme for thisyear’s World Quality Week, and the CQI is working on
setting up a Special Interest Group in this area, as ourChief Executive Vincent Desmond explains on p4.
Of course, Covid-19 is still presenting challenges as
people return to offices and leisure activities. Staff at
the National Theatre in London explain how they arepreparing to reopen to the public on p34.
Our popular webinars continue and we have afull programme coming up. Please see our events
calendar at quality.org/events-calendar.
Do get in touch with me at editorial@quality.org
if you would like to host a webinar or contribute anarticle or if there is a topic you would like us to cover.
Tracy Tyley

ISSN 13528769. Vol 48 Issue 2
Cover photo: Alberto Antoniazzi
Published by the CQI.
Registered charity: 259678

Editorial
Content Manager and Editor: Tracy Tyley
Freelance Sub Editor: Bettina Vine
Freelance Magazine Designer: Rob Timm

Address
The Chartered Quality InstituteThird Floor
90 Chancery Lane
Holborn
London WC2A 1EU

editorial@quality.org+44 (0)20 7245 6676
Contributions: submissions@quality.org

Martin Davies outlines how Costain UK’s Quality Culture Programme ismaking a difference to large complex infrastructure projects.

24 DEFINING QUALITY 4.0
John Oakland and Mike Turner explain the results of the CQI’s research.

34 SHINING THE SPOTLIGHT ON QUALITY
The National Theatre explain how it is preparing for its public reopening.

40 PUTTING CSR AT THE HEART OF YOUR BUSINESSDavid Finney, CQP MCQI, outlines the principles of corporate social
responsibility and offers tips on how to put it into practice.

46 A HARMONISED APPROACH TO MANAGEMENT SYSTEM STANDARDS
Nigel Croft, CQP FCQI, and Dick Hortensius explain the revisions to Annex SL.

52 THE MEASUREMENT OF QUALITY
Mehrdad Kamali, CQP MCQI, explains why measurement and testing are
crucial for the quality control of products and services.

32 QUALITY 4.0
An illustration of the CQI’s definition of Quality 4.0 and its eightsupporting principles.

REGULARS
03 NEWS REVIEW
04 CQI AND IRCA NEWS55 AUDITORS UNCUT
56 KNOWLEDGE
58 IN PRINT

60 LEARN
62 OPINION
63 A VIEW FROM THE TOP
64 MY CAREER

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1 | QUALITY WORLD | JANUARY 2019QUALITY.ORG | 2

Business
Black Belt

NEWS REVIEW

QW takes a look at key updates in the world of quality
BSI reports supply chain
disruptions as a result of Covid-19

In today’s rapidly changing business world, multi-skilled practitioner-leaders are needed toconstantly transform the business and drive operational excellence.

A new report from the
BSI examining the trends
and risks that are likely
to impact global supply
chains in the year ahead
has revealed food fraud
and safety as ongoingchallenges to supply
chain resilience. The BSI
Supply Chain Risk Insights
Report 2021 also noted
economic hardship,
which increases the risk of labour
exploitation; drug smuggling; andregulatory changes that will test
organisational adaptability, as otherkey trends affecting supply chains.
The Covid-19 pandemic caused
initial problems with panic buying,stockpiling and disruption to foodsupply chains, but these generally
settled down after the early weeksof the pandemic. However, theCovid-19 pandemic also exacerbatedexisting flaws in global food

Our new 20-day Accredited Business Black Belt programme is available
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Module Start Date

Lean Six Sigma Green Belt

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16 November (2 days)

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07 December (1 day)
13 December (1 day)

Agility, Innovation and Design

30 November (3 days)

supply chains, whereby fraudulent
products can be introduced into
legitimate supplies. These are ofparamount concern, as the pandemic
significantly affected governments’capacity to enforce food regulations,worsening an existing problem
whereby staff and funding shortfalls
had meant some European countries
had already been forced to reducefood safety checks.

BRIEF
Updated ISO standard
for energy management
systems audit
The International Standards
Organization has published an update
to its energy management systems
standard, ISO 50003:2021 Energy
management systems — Requirements
for bodies providing audit andcertification of energy management
systems. The standard is designed to
be used alongside ISO/IEC 17021,
and provides the energy-based
requirements for the audit planning
process and aims to ensure that theauditors are appropriately skilled.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT: bit.ly/3fsgr6o

TO READ THE REPORT, GO TO: bit.ly/2TdhjD0

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Courses we offer include:
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UKAS and ASI sign
partnership agreement
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UKAS and Assurance Services
International (ASI) have signed a
Memorandum of Understanding,with the intention of bringing
together UKAS accreditation
and ASI assurance for futurecollaboration in the field ofsustainability.
UKAS has developed a framework
for cooperation between ASI
and UKAS to implement the ASI
Two-Tier Assurance Program in
the UK, for ASI partner voluntarysustainability standards andsustainability initiatives.
Matt Gantley, UKAS Chief

Executive, said: “UKAS is delighted
to be partnering with ASI, a bodythat has earned a reputationfor excellence and integrity inthe sustainability sector. The
MoU represents an opportunity
to combine our strengths andexperience, and should provide awide range of benefits for all parties.
The signing of the agreement isvery timely, coming in the year
when World Accreditation Day(#WAD2021) highlights the roleof accreditation in supporting theimplementation of UN Sustainable
Development Goals.”Working from home andmental health during
Covid-19 pandemic
A global report by Lloyd’s Register has
revealed that people working fromhome during the Covid-19 pandemic
have higher stress levels and areconcealing mental health conditions
from their employers. The study also
found that improvements to work-lifebalance are not translating into gains
for employee wellbeing. In addition,
employees believe employers need toconsider changing their approach tomental health and physical safety.
DOWNLOAD THE REPORT HERE: bit.ly/3fSB2PUQUALITY.ORG | 3

NEWS

MY
AGENDA
Vincent Desmond
CHIEF EXECUTIVE

Standards, conformity assessment and Quality 4.0

The recent news that ISO will not review ISO 9001 right now
has been met with a variety of responses ranging from relief
to disappointment. Changing a standard like ISO 9001 attracts
significant cost for users and the associated benefit must becompelling. The vote by national standards bodies indicates
there is no globally accepted need for change yet. At thesame time, there is much head scratching as the global quality
profession considers what impact technology might have on
the management of quality. In this respect, the decision not
to commence a review of ISO 9001 does give us the time toscratch the Quality 4.0 itch and be clear if, and to what extent, achange is required – at least from the technology point of view.
In the UK, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial
Strategy (BEIS) is moving ahead with its Industry 4.0 planning.
In March, I represented the CQI as the BEIS road tested its‘Standards for the Fourth Industrial Revolution Action Plan’. This
promising plan forms part of a wider effort to ensure the UK’s
infrastructure of regulation and standards to ensure it supports
the rapid commercialisation of innovation while protecting
people and planet.

Quality and sustainability

Sustainability is the theme for this year’s World Quality Week(learn more at quality.org/article/world-quality-week-2021).
World Quality Week coincides with the UN Climate Change
Conference in Glasgow in November. The link between quality
and sustainability will not be lost on our profession; I am
grateful to those members who have offered their support
and to those who have registered their interest in forming aSpecial Interest Group to provide a forum for members to workon sustainability. I was also pleased to meet with the Society
for the Environment recently to start discussing collaboration
between our professions.

Brexit: supply chains and skills

In March, I hosted a Brexit webinar with UKAS, the Federationof Small Businesses, and Republic of Ireland-based Mercury
Engineering. The event underlined the importance of managing
supply chain risk as we approach 1 January 2022, when the
UKCA and UKNI marks must be used for relevant goods being
placed on the UK and Northern Ireland markets. The cost of
having both marks may result in some suppliers electing not
to supply the UK. You can watch the recording of this webinar
at: bit.ly/35bqaba. Brexit also featured at our first Corporate
Partner roundtable of the year, which took place in February.
Many employers are finding that Brexit has exacerbatedthe quality skills deficit in the UK because EU workers havereturned home or are more difficult to recruit.

4 | QUALITY WORLD | SUMMER 2021

NEWS

Annual General Meeting
calling notice
Notice is hereby given that the 20th Annual
General Meeting (AGM) of the Chartered Quality
Institute will be held virtually on Friday 10
September 2021, 11:00–12:00 British Summer
Time (BST).
AGM agenda
1. To receive the minutes of the 19th AGM,
held on 9 September 2020.
2. To receive the annual accounts for theyear ending 31 December 2020.
3. To receive and adopt the annual report ofthe Board of Trustees for the year ending
31 December 2020. (The Chartered
Quality Institute Annual Report 2020
will be available on the CQI website,quality.org/cqi-agm-2021, in July.)
4. To confirm the appointment of theInstitute’s auditors until the next AGM
and to authorise the Board to fix
their remuneration.

The CQI’s new Standards
Coordination Committee
Following the review of CQI Sponsored Standards Activity
at the end of 2020, the CQI is pleased to have recruited
a new CQI Standards Coordination Committee. The
Committee comprises CQI members, IRCA auditors andrepresentatives from the CQI’s Executive Team, and will
be responsible for coordinating the new CQI sponsoredstandards regime. This regime retains a coordinatedoverview of all CQI standards activity, focusing coreresources on those standards of most importance to the
CQI and its members. It will also support subject matter
specialists and enthusiasts to pursue specific interests forstandards which are not sponsored by the CQI.
CQI standards activity was previously managed by the
CQI Standards Panel. Through the endeavours of thisgroup of standards makers, the CQI is recognised by the
BSI and ISO as an organisation that is competent andwilling to make meaningful contributions to the production
and revision of a diverse range of management system andauditing standards – standards that are adopted by millionsof organisations across the globe.
While we look ahead to a new regime for engaging withstandards development, the CQI would like to thank theformer members of the CQI Standards Panel for their
dedication, enterprise, and expertise:• Mark Braham, CQP FCQI, Head of Risk at
Veolia UK/Ireland• Estelle Clark, CQP FCQI, Governance, Assurance &Improvement Strategist at Strategic Arrow Ltd• Angela Cunningham, PCQI, Management Systems
Coordinator at CCEP
• Richard Green, CQP FCQI, Managing Director atKingsford Consultancy Services Ltd• Ricky Leask, PCQI, QHSE Coordinator, InterMoor• Mike Pearson, CQP FCQI, Managing Director, Pearson
Associates Ltd• James Pink, CQP MCQI, Senior Director, Health
Sciences for NSF International• Sharon Shutler, CQP FCQI, Quality Director,
QMS Services.

5. To report the composition of theInstitute’s Board of Trustees andMembership Council for thefollowing year.
6. To transact any other business relevant
to an AGM, details of which have been
received in writing by the director generalseven days before the date thereof.
By order of the CQI Board of Trustees.

Vince Desmond,
Chief Executive/Director General
Notes to the notice of the AGM:
1.Registration for the AGM and voting details: All CQI members
and IRCA certificated auditors are welcome to attend the AGM
and will receive an email with a link to register to the virtual event.
Only Chartered Members (FCQI, MCQI) of the Institute are
eligible to vote. They will have the option to register a proxy orvote on the day, via an email sent to them from our AGM voting
platform provider, Mi-Voice. Details on how to register and votewill also be available online at: quality.org/cqi-agm-2021
2. Appointment of proxies: Voting members (FCQI, MCQI) areentitled to appoint a proxy to exercise all or any of their rights tovirtually attend, speak and vote at the meeting. If you are a voting
member (FCQI, MCQI), you will receive email instructions from
Mi-Voice about registering for proxy voting and voting on the day.
3. Any Proposals for Resolution or items of any other businessmust be lodged in writing with the Chief Executive, governance@
quality.org, no later than five working days before the meeting.

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QUALITY.ORG | 5

NEWS

NEWS

Ian Mitchell
Chair, CQI Board of Trustees (2015-2021)

6 | QUALITY WORLD | SUMMER 2021

satisfaction scores have increased andthe CQI is attracting more members,
especially next generation
quality professionals.
The Covid-19 pandemic, whichshifted my focus to supporting the
CQI through these testing times,
has brought positives alongside thechallenges. Our volunteers and staff,
who pivoted so fast and so well, haveshown an abundance of resilience andcommitment that has filled me withpride. In fact, the most satisfying aspectof leading the Board has been listening
to and learning from the members,
volunteers and CQI colleagues thatmake up our diverse global community.
I would like to thank my fellow Board
colleagues and our President, Lord
Jamie Lindsay, for their support andcontribution and for enriching the time
I served as CQI Chair and Trustee.
My departure also coincides with my“The most satisfying aspect of leading the Board has been
listening to and learning from the members, volunteers and
CQI colleagues that make up our diverse global community.”
strategy, which sets the agenda for the
profession as well as the institute. It issatisfying to see the investment in our
10-year strategy being realised as wedevelop the principles and practices of
Quality 4.0 and embrace sustainability
through a range of activities, including
this year’s World Quality Week.
During my tenure there havebeen numerous highlights: from theestablishment of the CQI’s International
Quality Awards in 2016; to the creationof business improvement and quality
apprenticeships; through to our workwith ISO and BSI on quality andcorporate governance standards. We
have progressed our digital agenda
by introducing an online mentoring
platform and through the ongoing
improvement to our member portal anddigital content. As a result, member

retirement as a quality professional
after over 30 rewarding years.
We have reached an inflection point
as the profession enters the digital age,
but the CQI has the future firmly inits sights. And I have every confidence
that, with Amanda McKay as our
new Chair, the Institute will continue
to successfully champion quality
management, lead the profession,and increase its value to members
and society.

Top right: Ian Mitchell presenting at theInternational Quality Awards 2019.
Bottom right: David Hutchins, CQP FCQI,
Chairman and Principal at David Hutchins
International, receiving the CQI Honorary
Award from Ian.

Photos: Ernest Simons

As I prepare to step down as Chair of
the CQI Board of Trustees in September
2021, I reflect on my journey over the
past six years and the work I have soenjoyed doing for both the CQI andthe profession.
When I became Chair, my
priorities were to improve the CQI’s
governance, which is so fundamental
to organisational sustainability andsuccess, and to help develop its
strategy, which is the bedrock forcreating value.
It has been good to witness the
improvements that the CQI has madeto its corporate governance, in linewith the Charity Governance Codeand with the establishment of two
key trustee committees: Finance &Remuneration and Governance & Risk.
Consolidating our Advisory Council andRegional Operating Panel into the CQI’s
Membership Council has also unlocked
the power of our member community.
I am delighted to see the fruits of thiswith new member-led networks coming
online to support topic, sector andgeographical interests.
With the support of our Nominating
Committee, the CQI has also madegreat strides in creating a much morediverse Board of Trustees which now
boasts a broader range of backgrounds

and experience. This has set a positive
tone that the quality profession in turnneeds to reflect. Furthermore, it isheartening to know that our trusteeled Equality, Diversity & Inclusion
Working Group has started the CQI on
an essential journey of improvement inthis area.
In 2018 I commissioned a review of
the institute’s strategy. Both the CQI’s
Royal Charter, which gives it a mandate
from the UK Government to champion
quality management for the benefit
of society, and its pending 100-year
anniversary served as an important
backdrop. The strategy review process
recognised that the profession and
the CQI would need to respond to thechanging external environment, which
included the impact of technology andshifting customer expectations.
I feel privileged to have playeda part in devising the CQI’s 2030

QUALITY.ORG | 7

NEWS

NEWS

POLICYUPDATECQI NETWORK EVENTSCQI Wales Branch - Summer
2021 Master Class
When:

Saturday 3 July,
9:15am – 11am
Venue:
OnlineRegister: bit.ly/3pUf1VH

Mike Turner
HEAD OF PROFESSION

I am delighted to report that the firstproject in our 2021-2022 roadmap
is complete. We now have a working
definition of Quality 4.0 from which we
can further explore what it means for
quality management practice and for theknowledge, skills and behaviours neededby a quality professional in order to thrivein the digital age. On p24 of this issue,
you will find an article that explains what
we have developed and where we intend
to go next. We have built such a headof steam that we will continue onto thenext stage (stage 2) ahead of our originalschedule and reach our goal of describing
the new Quality 4.0 competencies before
the end of 2021.
At the time of writing, we are finalising
the selection of the research partnerwith whom we will develop theCompetency Framework 2.0. We intend
to integrate Competency Framework
2.0 with the stage two work of Quality
4.0 and launch the new version of theCompetency Framework (CF 2.1) before
the end of 2021.
This work will also contain an
exploration into the ways in which quality
professionals can further contribute to
the environmental, social and governance(ESG) agenda of their organisations or
those of their clients. This is rapidly
growing in importance, as evidenced by
the actions of leading asset managementcompanies like Blackrock, and Legal& General. These large institutional
investors are demanding that boards
publish their goals and plans for ESG
and put these to a vote. The growing
importance of ESG to consumers andthe public are likely to drive this agenda
into brand values and consumer choice.
This provides a big opportunity for
quality professionals to describe anddemonstrate the relevance and value of
their work to this aspect of organisational
performance, and to derive personal
satisfaction in the process. We plan tohelp you to seize this opportunity.

8 | QUALITY WORLD | SUMMER 2021

Last month, the ISO technicalcommittee responsible for ISO
9001:2015 – Quality Management
Systems – Requirements confirmedthat there will be no changes to thestandard at this point. While this was not
a complete surprise, it has nonethelesscaused some debate. With the rapid
pace of change in business, society andtechnology, there is a case to be madefor ISO 9001 needing revision if it is tocontinue to offer value to users. Quality
4.0 and ESG are just two of the factors
changing the context in which ISO 9001
operates. ISO TC176’s future quality
concepts, and user demand for greater
clarity in the standard about topics suchas risk, further argue the case that ISO
9001 requires revision sooner rather
than later if it is to retain and improve its
value, integrity and relevance. Whatever
the future of ISO 9001, the CQI will bean active participant.
At the time of writing, we are forming
the new CQI Standards Coordination
Committee, which will build on the
excellent work and expertise of theStandards Panel. It will cement the CQI’s
influence and reputation as an invaluable
partner in standards development andharness the voice of members through a
new approach to member engagement
and participation.
This is part of the CQI’s new standards
regime, which is now going live and isdesigned to engage members in planningand coordinating the CQI’s standards
strategy. It also offers new opportunities
for members to contribute directly tothe development of a wider range ofstandards through working groups andmember consultation activities. The CQIStandards Coordination Committee will
support members in contributing not
only to the most used and recognised
standards, but also to pursue sectorspecific interests, and those outside theISO/national standards body sphereof influence.

CQI Leicester and Coventry
Branch: IATF 16949
Automotive Quality
Management Standard.
Success or failure?
When:

Wednesday 7 July2021,
6:45pm – 8pm
Venue:
OnlineRegister: 	 bit.ly/3zuZLDdCQI Deming SIG - Wisdom
From Numbers
When:

Tuesday 27 July,
4pm – 5:30pm
Venue: Online
Register: bit.ly/3gynidM

Correction notice
In the Spring 2021 editionof Quality World, an error
was made in Suzanne Hill’s
interview on p25.
Suzanne did not say: “It was
crucial for me to secure thisaward because of my range ofvolunteering experience, andthe many people that I’m
supporting in the work that I do.”She said: “It was an honour
to receive this award. My
volunteering for the CQI is wide
ranging and I am supporting
many people in the work that
I do.”
The changes to the textthat were made without her
knowledge, altered both themeaning and the tone of hercomments.
We apologise to Suzanne
for this error. The correctedinterview is available in the
online version of Quality World
Spring 2021.

Membership Council
Vice Chair
Thank you Suzanne Hill

The CQI would like say a huge thankyou to Suzanne Hill, CQP FCQI,
whose three-year term as Vice Chairof the Membership Council (MC)came to an end on 13 May 2021.
Suzanne decided not to stand fora second term to allow for smooth
succession planning, so that she and the MC Chairman
wouldn’t both have their terms expire at the same time. She
will be succeeded by Mark Edyman, CQP MCQI, who has
been elected by the MC as the new Vice Chair.
Suzanne’s work as a volunteer on the MC has helped the
CQI achieve some huge milestones. She has been pivotal indeveloping and supporting CQI networks’ use of technology
during the first Covid-19 lockdown – helping CQI volunteers
to navigate their way around new technology, and also
guided many of the CQI’s hybrid online/in-person events.
In addition to this, she has excelled in her organisational
capacity, improving the MC meeting structure and creating avisual management system to track MC member terms. She
has worked well with MC Chairman Dave Smith, who she
describes as an “innovator” and herself as the “organiser”
in their respective roles. Speaking of her time on the MC,
Suzanne said: “I have enjoyed my time as Vice Chair andhope that I can continue to contribute to support andrepresent the CQI membership going forward as a volunteer.”
The CQI is immensely grateful for Suzanne’s hard workand dedication as a volunteer. As Chair of the Nominating
Committee and Chair of the CQI Derby and Nottingham
branch, we know it will not be farewell, and she will continue
to enhance the profession.

Welcoming Mark Edyman

The CQI is delighted to welcome
Mark Edyman, Founder andLead Consultant at Six Pillars
Consulting, UK, as the new
Membership Council Vice Chair.
Eydman who will be overseeing
future developments within theMembership Council, commented: “I am delighted to havebeen elected to serve as Vice Chair. I am a passionate
advocate of the quality profession and the Chartered
Quality Institute. My hope is to use this new position as
an opportunity to leverage this enthusiasm and enhanceeven further the value being provided by the CQI and IRCA
membership and activity.” Mark is well known among CQI
members for his work as Chair of the CQI’s Leicestershire
and Coventry Branch, and Chair of the Midlands region. In
addition to his professional accomplishments, he regularly
contributes content and ideas to the CQI’s webinars,
Knowledge online and Quality World.

KNOWLEDGE

Check out some recent
highlights from the CQI’s
Knowledge Online articles
The benefits of the CQI mentoring
programme for regrade
Abigail Cooper, CQP FCQI, Quality& Improvement Manager, Otis
Elevators, and Gaurav Bijlani, CQP
MCQI, Production Test Equipment
Manager, Hanover Displays Ltd,
discuss how mentoring support
helped them with regrading.
bit.ly/3xmoWWz

It all starts with study
Mitch Beedie, a freelance researcher/writer, suggests a study, decide, plan,do (SDPD) cycle.
bit.ly/3cC7buy

Selecting the right problem-solving
strategy
Derek Scott, CQP FCQI, Quality
Manager at Rubberatkins, Scotland,takes a look at models and strategies
for problem-solving.
bit.ly/3wcwcEi

Engagement of people
Raffat Khatoon Mohammed, CQP
MCQI, ISO 9001, 14001 and 45001
Lead Auditor at Qatar PrimaryMaterials Company, explains how theuse of “engagement of people” helped
the company to overcome staff andskill shortages during the Covid-19
pandemic.
bit.ly/3pHOeeZ

Avoiding auditing pitfalls
Stanley O Donnell, IRCA Principal
Auditor, has experienced many pitfalls
when auditing and shares some of the
obstacles auditors should avoid.
bit.ly/3v5B6Sc

FOR MORE ONLINE KNOWLEDGE ARTICLES, VISIT:QUALITY.ORG/KNOWLEDGEQUALITY.ORG | 9

NEWSMEMBERSHIPUPDATE
Gareth Kingston
HEAD OF MEMBERSHIP

What do you want?

I am writing this update from the CQI’s new offices
on Chancery Lane.
Like many organisations, the pandemic challenged
us, and through our response we have found new
ways of working that suit our needs. As a result, our
new offices reflect this.
I am sure that this will be a familiar story forour members.
For some of you, there has been a radical change
to your work life, while for others there have been
more subtle changes. All of this means that what
we once knew about our members may no longer
be correct.
Therefore, we need to know if what you wantand expect from us has changed. As Head ofMembership, I would love it if you could tell me
about what you want from the CQI.
If there are new quality management
developments that we should be aware of, pleasetell us. From new networks to new ideas, we wantto know about your experiences.
I’m also interested to know how your experiencesfrom outside your work life might offer us insights
into how we can improve as an organisation. I know
from my personal experience that the way that mymain hobby has adapted to online life offers someideas, but the ideas I most want are yours. So,
please give us data, insights and ideas.
As W Edwards Deming said: “Without data, you’rejust another person with an opinion.”Once a year, you are asked to complete amembership survey, so do fill that in. But don’t feelthat you have to wait for the survey to have yoursay. I would like to speak to a group of members
about their experiences during lockdown. If you areable to share yours, please email me at gkingston@quality.org
We want to make sure that we are as closelyaligned to your needs as possible. As anorganisation, we want to keep improving anddeveloping. You can play a crucial role in all of this.
I look forward to hearing from you.

NEWS

It’s time to submit
your CPD
Members selected as part of the continuing professional
development (CPD) sample group must ensure they submit their
CPD by Monday 2 August 2021.
The CQI’s Membership Team has been conducting CPD
sampling over the past month, by reaching out to groupsof members and asking them to submit their CPD from theprevious year. The aim of the sampling is to ensure thatmembers are continuing to maintain and enhance theirprofessional knowledge and skills, and to offer them support
with this process where necessary.
As part of the CQI’s Royal Charter, “Chartered Quality
Professionals are required to record Continuing Professional
Development (CPD) in a manner prescribed by the Institute tomaintain their membership grade”, which is mandatory across all
Chartered Member and Fellow grades. However, all members,
regardless of their grade, are encouraged to undertake andrecord their CPD as it is a vital part of maintaining skills andsupporting development needs.
Christopher Porter, CQP MCQI, Product and Services Quality
Lead at Cavendish Nuclear, who was asked to submit his CPD
for the 2020 CPD sample, told Quality World he finds theprocess of completing the CPD record to be “a very beneficial
exercise as it forces you to take a step back from the day-today pressures and focus on the direction you are going in your‘quality’ journey”.
He added: “You identify more clearly what you have alreadyexperienced and achieved, then build on this by giving yourself
relevant targets and goals (objectives). Revisiting these entries
later, can be very rewarding to see how you have progressed.”
Speaking of his CPD submission experience, Peter Church,
CQP MCQI, Project Manager at NVP Energy, said: “It was very
easy and straightforward to submit my CPD to the CQI. The
online system with supporting instructions made the process
clear and simple.
“In the latter part of my career, my job roles have oftenchanged. I found that preparing a CPD programme and carryingout the noted activities – be it courses, research or learning, andrecording the outcomes – gave me a structured approach toanalysing new skills and knowledge required to carry out my job.
The whole process became invaluable.”
He offered the following advice to other CQI members: “Usethe CPD process to analyse your own shortcomings and workout a structured system for improving skills and knowledge
to enable career progression. Life is easier recording this inreal time.”
The Membership Team are available to help members assess
their individual development needs by supporting them insetting clear quality objectives to achieve their goals using theplan, do, check, act (PDCA) cycle, which is used for members tolog and keep track of their CPD.
FOR MORE INFORMATION OR HELP ON SUBMITTING YOUR CPD, VISIT QUALITY.ORG/CPD
OR EMAIL THE MEMBERSHIP TEAM AT MEMBERSHIP@QUALITY.ORG

CQI’s latest
webinars andvirtual events
The CQI’s webinars and virtual events aims
to support members with their continuing
professional development. If you missed
an event, you can catch up by watching therecording via the Members’ Area.
On 17 May, the CQI presented a webinar
about the CQI regrading process. Viewers
were walked through the application process
and requirements, provided with tips, andhad the opportunity to have their questions
answered. The presentation specificallylooked at Practitioner, Member andFellow grades.

MAY

17

TO WATCH THE PRESENTATION, VISIT: YOUTU.BE/8H-FGDU01HY

On 5 May, Keith Leslie discussed how
managers and businesses can support themental health of their employees in a timeof crisis.

MAY

5

TO WATCH THE WEBINAR, GO TO: YOUTU.BE/YL1IBDN9_LQ

APR

28

On 28 April, CQI trustee David Straker
reviewed the modern quality domain andrevealed the criticality of psychology forthe quality professional, both in terms ofapplication and skill.
FOR THE RECORDING, VISIT: YOUTU.BE/UQKFZM1AYFY

On 21 April, guest speaker Professor Perry
Shard, UK Construction & Group Civils, spoke
to the Nuclear Next Generation group about
behavioural quality and how behaviour canbe used to drive understanding of theroot cause of error and used to mitigate
repeated mistakes.

APR

21

TO WATCH THE MEETING, VISIT: YOUTU.BE/WPC1T5GA-R0

APR

21 20

On 20 April, Jonathan Blanchard Smith,Fellow at SAMI Consulting, presented fourpost-Brexit scenarios, and looked at theopportunities and risks for the UK and what
this means for CQI members.

Tengizchevroil
joins as a CQICorporate Partner
Tengizchevroil (TCO) is the latest international oil
and gas operator to join the CQI Corporate Partner
programme. The company, headquartered in thecity of Atyrau in western Kazakhstan, operates theworld’s deepest super-giant onshore wells in Tengiz
and Korolev fields. It was established in 1993 as a
joint venture between Chevron and Kazakhstan.
Today, TCO is a partnership between Chevron (50%share), ExxonMobil (25% share), KazMunayGas(20% share) and LukArco (5% share).
Speaking about the partnership, TCO Capital
Projects Manager Michael ‘Mick’ Kraly, who has
been a strong advocate for quality throughout
his extensive career, commented: “I view this as
an opportunity for our local resources to broaden
quality awareness and competencies, whichenables future projects to be supported from locallyresourced project quality professionals.”Ian Howe, Head of Commercial Development
at the CQI said: “I’m delighted to welcome TCO
into Corporate Partnership, the programme
they have put in place with its alignment to the
CQI Competency Framework will be of great
benefit to both their quality professionals and key
stakeholders, and the Corporate Partnership further
underpins TCO’s wider commitment to the quality
management profession.”
TCO is currently in the final phase of completing
one of the world’s largest major capital projects,
the US$45bn Future Growth Project and Wellhead
Pressure Management Project, which supports
the operator’s vision of achieving 1m barrels of oil
equivalent daily production.
The company has also recently commenced aninternal quality management training and mentoring
programme, which aligns with the CQI Competency
Framework. Participants who successfully complete
the programme may be nominated for CQIChartered membership status. The programme
has been designed to provide a broad quality
management foundation to support long-term
quality competencies, which enable TCO projects
to be delivered by national resources in theyears ahead.

VIEW THE WEBINAR AT: YOUTU.BE/NHM-085YB74

FOR OUR FULL LIST OF WEBINARS, GO TO: BIT.LY/3V5XDB6TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT CQI CORPORATE PARTNERSHIP,VISIT: QUALITY.ORG/ARTICLE/CQI-CORPORATE-PARTNERSEMAIL: GKINGSTON@QUALITY.ORG

10 | QUALITY WORLD | SUMMER 2021

QUALITY.ORG | 11

DIGITALISATIONDIGITALISATIONARTIFICIALINTELLIGENCE ANDTHE
QUALITY
PROFESSIONAL

Artificial intelligence is becoming more prevalent
in the era of Industry 4.0. Although AI is bringing
a wealth of benefits to businesses who haveadopted it successfully, there is still some work to
be done in the quality profession to bring quality
professionals up to speed and help them reap the
benefits of this emerging technology
Words: Carol LongA

rtificial intelligence (AI) is
changing our world and the ways
in which our businesses operate.
Although it is bringing somemajor benefits to organisations
who are adopting this tech, AI
system developers can sometimes
accidentally implement questionable
moral standards, encouraging a wealthof negative press. There are examples ofdigitised identity recognition systems that
distinguish between skin colour, fitness

12 | QUALITY WORLD | SUMMER 2021

monitors that discriminate between men
and women owing to physical differences,and recruitment systems that embedbiased hiring decisions that favours
recruits from the university that current
employees attended.
What does a quality professional need toconsider to avoid bad publicity? What skills
do we already have that can support us in thecurrent era of Industry 4.0? How can we geta head start in understanding what is possible
with AI and how we can develop our careers?

QUALITY.ORG | 13

DIGITALISATION

AI explained

In layperson’s terms, AI is computer
software that creates algorithms to makedecisions that approximate how a humanmight deal with that data. AI techniques
were developed in the 1980s, and those
AI systems required programmers totake human knowledge and convert it
into a set of rules or logical statementsthat can be programmed into the code.
The system then used those rules andcombined them to make decisions
based on data. Sometimes the AI would
encounter complexity in the data that
led to it giving unexpected answers
because the model algorithms basedon the rules were not comprehensive
enough to reflect the range of real-world
data. Developing those systems took aconsiderable amount of time and effort
from experts to uncover their implicit andexplicit working knowledge. That effort
took them away from their usual roles.
Rule-based machine learning was andis a pragmatic option for healthcare
professionals, because their activity
followed logical steps from diagnosis
to treatment. These medical steps were
easily translated into a set of rulesthat could be programmed to look at
medical data and draw conclusions.
Some early applications of these rulebased systems were used in oncology
for that reason.

“There is potential for
quality professionals
to use AI to look foranomalies or recurring
themes in the data
they use in their own
process monitoring”
Other professions have lessstructured decision-making processes,
and the expert would need tounderstand why they made thedecisions in the way that they did
before their rules could be defined.
Drawing out assumptions and implicit
knowledge was significantly harder inthose contexts. When the AI produced
unexpected answers in testing, it was
useful in helping the experts recognisethat they hadn’t specified some ofthe decision rules that they would
instinctively apply in more unusual
situations. These rule-based AI systems
were expensive to develop because of
the efforts required.

14 | QUALITY WORLD | SUMMER 2021

DIGITALISATION
A parallel development path proved
more successful. Taking the datathat humans had already worked on,
AI could find patterns in that datathat would lead to the same result
as humans. Instead of following theexperts’ methods, the software foundits own. Using this training, the AI
model could process larger amountsof data than the human expert and toa similar accuracy. This is then tested
in a safe environment under humansupervision, before being used in lesscontrolled environments. One example
is the joint work between Oxford
University Hospitals and University
Hospitals Birmingham, who aredeveloping a screening process for abiochemical and physiological signatureof Covid-19 in patients’ blood samples.

Prevalent technology

After many years of development,
AI tools are now usable for manybusinesses. One of the most common
is an automated chat functionality– designed to help website visitors
navigate information quickly andefficiently. This system takes the formof a ‘bot’ (instead of a human), and it isused on the website to analyse what
people are interested in and show themsimilar items. For example, Facebook
uses AI to learn what individuals areinterested in so that more about thatparticular subject can be included inthat Facebook user’s feeds.
This technology is also used insidebusiness systems to analyse customertransactions and requests, using
patterns found in previous customers’
data to predict potentially dissatisfied
customers and pre-empt complaints
with more appropriate customer careactions, or to encourage the customer
to engage in alternative services better
suited to them. Credit card processing
has started to use AI to identify
transactions outside the customer’susual behaviour patterns to avert
fraudulent transactions.
The development of AI tools has
three areas of cost:• developing the toolset• collecting suitable data to train
the tools• specific application developments
based on that training.
From a business perspective, AI is
now accessible technology becausea large portion of the initial costs ofdeveloping the toolsets have beentaken on by larger organisations, suchas IBM, Google, Amazon and Microsoft.
All these organisations are now keen
to involve businesses in the use of
their tools and target some of theirmarketing budgets to promote
their successes.
Along with successes, there have also
been some major failures. This includes:• Microsoft’s conversational chatbot
function which became antisemitic,
misogynistic and foul-mouthed within
24 hours after it interacted withcertain users.
• IBM’s Watson for Oncology
miscalculations on treatment paths,
suggesting potentially dangerous
treatments for cancer patients.
• Amazon wanted its recruitment
algorithm to take bias into
consideration when finding newhires. Instead, the algorithm
favoured male recruits because their
existing engineering teams werepredominately men.
• Google indexed racist material andpresented this as reliable information.
These examples of failures started
out as well-intentioned AI automations.

They encountered conditions thatchallenged the original intent whenprocessing complex data. Google did
not intend to present racist material
when a user searched for organisations
that protested against racism. The
Google AI simply learned that those
offensive terms were associated with
anti-racism sites in the same waythat ingredients are associated with acooking recipe. The complexity in thatdata was beyond the intelligence of thesearch tool’s AI.
AI is not the only technology thatis emerging from specialist areas andmoving into more general applications.
Other examples are:• process automation• Internet of Things (IoT) and theassociated sensors• robotics• wearable devices• cloud computing• mobile data and unified
communications• electronic currencies (not only
cryptocurrencies, but also cashlesstransactions).
These technologies havebeen evolving since the 1990s.

Unfortunately, none of them were
initially developed with a social agenda
in mind. This leads to complexity inintegrating them, causing interesting
and unexpected developments. There
are likely to be some unpleasantsurprises, but some eventualities canbe predicted. For example, we are
becoming increasingly aware of theinteraction between big data, the IoT,
and AI, and its capacity toembed insidious biases infuture wearable devices.

unexpected results. For example,
AI monitoring production may
misinterpret an unexpected readingfrom a IoT sensor, calling it a major
failure and forcing a factory shutdown,
whereas mature integration would
raise a maintenance request for thesensor and an advisory note for thosereviewing the process.
Data management and data quality

The quality
professional’s role

Quality professionals
have a role to playin the development
and implementationof AI. Professionals
who review businesscases for operational
improvements will need to be ready forthe increasing uptake of AI. Acquiring
a basic understanding of how AI
works will help quality professionals
assess whether or not the claims ofadvantages made for the developments
are overblown, or if the ambition of asystem design is overreaching. Thereis a lot of hype around AI, and early
adopters of this technology tend to beover-enthusiastic and optimistic.
Those who spend more timelooking at legal and compliance risk
will recognise that innovation cancause complications. For example, aperson with a limited understandingof their organisation’s digital AI tools
and AI’s risks and capabilities could
see an increase in liability issues. In
this scenario, the person in chargeof an implementation could be held
responsible if an AI issue takes place on
their work premises.

Data protection

AI will need appropriate technical andmanagement safeguards around its
use. This includes making sure thatpeople have given their consent before
using or analysing their data for aparticular situation.
There will also need to be frameworks
and guidelines for appropriate andethical use, the management ofartificial intelligence-related intellectual
property, and a careful watch on theinteraction between AI applications
and other technologies that may cause

Some of the firstuses of AI in
healthcare werein oncology.

is the biggest risk area. There are twomain aspects to this; the first is thequality of data within the dataset thatwill be used to train AI. For this, thestandard questions around currency
and validation are only part of theareas to be investigated. It is vitalthat any operational data that is used
to train AI is evaluated in a wider
context. For example, using customer
data to identify the characteristics ofgood customers is selective in that it
only looks at your existing customers
and it cannot tell you about thecharacteristics of potential customers
who may be important to yourfuture business.

“Quality professionals
have a role to play inthe development andimplementation of AI”
The second aspect is as AI
applications extend based on
current regulations and practices andstart to draw data in from elsewhere(eg, pooling customers’ social media
accounts to assess creditworthiness),the AI’s models may be applied inareas for which they were notdesigned. This means that consumer
protection, compliance with the
General Data Protection Regulation(GDPR) or questions about ethicalbusiness practices could become
a concern.

QUALITY.ORG | 15

DIGITALISATION

Critical thinking

Perhaps the biggest area where quality
professionals will find their expertise
being valued is in critical thinking. We
are well-trained in recognising thedifference between cause and effectand that there is a difference between
causality, coincidence, and correlation.
By providing constructive feedback,
we can help educate other colleagues
about the logic in AI and thosebusinesses who are developing it.
It would be quite easy for the technicalteams involved to become intensely
focused on the work to be done, andnot have the wider viewpoint needed
to validate the ideas and question thescope of them. Modularisation, software
objects and reuse are so embedded
into development practices that we“There is potential for
quality professionals
to use AI to look foranomalies or recurring
themes in the data
they use in their own
process monitoring”
often encourage developers to adapt
existing tools, protocols and code asa way of speeding up and improving
product development.
We do not stop to consider thehistory of the tools we use. In
the context of AI , this could be
problematic. If a data tool analyses
medical indicators for a sports team,reusing it to monitor the health ofelderly patients may be entirely
inappropriate, even if the same
factors need to be modelled.
The issue with this is thatwhat is normal for a highly
trained athlete could be adanger signal in an elderly
person. Understanding thesource and provenanceof the AI tools being
deployed for this andsimilar situations will
become an important partof long-term maintenanceand management of anorganisation’s AI assets.
When data mining
and analytics were first used, apattern was detected where Sunday
newspapers were often bought by

16 | QUALITY WORLD | SUMMER 2021

DIGITALISATION
people who went for a walk. Was thisa coincidence simply because both
Sunday newspapers and walking only
happened together on Sundays and not
on other days of the week? Was thiscausal, in that going to get a Sunday
paper meant that people had to walkbecause of the lack of public transport?
Or was it causal because walking to
the shops on a Sunday meant people
coincidentally bought a newspaper?
All those questions said something
specific about the social structure ofthose who bought Sunday papers. At
the time, these were simple marketingquestions based on patterns that had
been noticed in customer data. Using
AI technology, such patterns could be
used to shape business decisions andcommunication with consumers on a
global scale.
Similarly, false positives and false
negatives are familiar concepts to somequality professionals, and they knowthat these are not equally important insome situations. In Covid-19 testing,a false positive will inconvenience one
person and their close contacts, whowill need to quarantine. In contrast,
a false negative could cause a person
to be released with an unrealistic
confidence and risk, which may resultin that person infecting vulnerable
people, thus spreading the virus.
During any development, a quality
professional could be an independent
voice that considers the balance
between striving for the perfectmodel in the AI algorithm and having
something that is effective without
taking on unnecessary risks. This
independent voice is something quality
professionals do in other contexts.

AI systems for rapid one-hour Covid-19 screening
in hospital emergency departments are being
further trialled in Oxford and Birmingham, after
promising initial results.

(SPC). This knowledge will need to beadapted for AI systems to be able todetermine when the AI is truly broken
and when it is within scope but has
found an unusual situation.

Governance andleadership

Auditing with AI

There is potential for quality
professionals to use AI to look foranomalies or recurring themes inthe data they use in their own
process monitoring.
Something similar has been done in
the accountancy world, where auditors
have produced transaction analytics
for their client organisation (theauditee). In the past, such transaction
analytics would highlight many false
positives as unusual behaviour in theaccounts. Applying AI can reduce thevolume of anomalies to be reviewed
by the auditor by assessing otherpatterns within the transaction record
to evaluate if the unusual behaviour
is a coherent action within context
of the whole set of accounts. Thisis a valuable time saver for both theauditor and auditee, allowing efforts
to be focused on transactions or
patterns of transactions that mightreveal more risky behaviour, such as
potential expense frauds or internal
revenue recognition within a group or
overextending cashflows.
AI systems, like all other IT
systems, will require supervision andmaintenance, which will fall into thefollowing categories:• Systems where the model will be
fixed and training changed only whenretraining is deliberately applied (eg,testing a traditional application before
an upgrade).
• Systems which continue to evolveand learn based on transactions anddata with which they interact (theorganisation cannot exercise
change control).
The second of these will require
more overt monitoring. In the 1990s, it
became a common understanding thatevery IT system needed monitoringand maintenance. In the 2000s,
management became accustomed totheir systems being relatively stable, as
demonstrated by features such as Plugand Play becoming ubiquitous.
Their experience of AI will be more
like the systems of the 1990s orplant and machinery that needs tobe monitored to ensure that thesesystems stay within their intended
performance limits. Some quality
professionals know about the commonand special causes of exceptions fromtraining in statistical process control

Governance will continue to be an area
where thought is needed. If decisions
are automated, who is responsible
and who holds the accountability?
We are still in the early stages ofthis technology’s use outside ofresearch facilities. The transparency of“explainable AI” extensions helps here.
These are relatively new extensions to
the AI building toolkits. Those using AI
for business purposes are now able tohave some record of why a decision ismade by the AI. How the decision ismade is recorded, showing what data
drove the weighting for each part ofthe decision. This is useful if a decision
is challenged: the objectivity of thesystem is laid bare. Legislation has
prompted and supported this approach(eg, GDPR article 22 guards against
profiling that can’t be explained).
Standards development has and willcontinue for AI. The first standard
initiative was started by the Instituteof Electrical and Electronics Engineers(IEEE) five years ago (IEEE 7000 family)
and standards for AI and robotics havebeen published or are currently in final
drafting stages. Other countries are
now following the UK Government’s
lead in providing support for AI
development for their key industries.
The National University of Singapore
developed a tool that uses AI tocustomise training content to individuals
providing accelerated learning.
Similar systems could be used totrain people within organisations
and perhaps by quality professionals
themselves in ways that avoid ‘sheepdip’ process training tactics.

Professional development
There are a growing number of AI
courses available to bring quality
individuals and organisations up to
speed. The National Careers Service(bit.ly/3byPQkI) has some basic skills
courses, which explain some of thefundamentals to help individuals
acquire new skills and support theircontinuing professional development.
A guide to using artificial intelligencein the public sector, published by the
UK’s Government Digital Service (GDS)
and the Office for Artificial Intelligence(OAI), reminds us that AI can be appliedin many sectors and that there isconsiderable commercial reach. The
guide has case studies from banks,“Governance willcontinue to be anarea where thought
is needed”
market research, transport, utilities
and the public sector. Reviewing
this document in your organisation’scontext might be useful to help you
start thinking about what would beapplicable and where some of the risks
might arise in your business.
There are also useful intermediate
AI courses being run by the Microsoft
AI School, Google AI Education, IBM
Watson Academy, Amazon Machine
Learning University and Facebook AI,
to name a few. In addition, more indepth courses are now available from
FutureLearn (in conjunction with theOpen University and the Institute of
Coding, some of which are free) andthere are now universities offering
postgraduate courses in AI technology,
including Oxford and Cambridge
Universities, as part of their computerscience programmes.
AI is software engineering, data andprobability applied to test a theoryof the way the world works, and is atechnology that will increase in use
over the next decade. There will be
new automations using AI implemented
in areas not yet imagined. Quality
professionals are well placed to moveinto this arena. This is because mostquality professionals are educatedin applicable skills, such as statistics,
testing, process development, risk
management and engineering. They
can extend their skills to develop theircareers while helping organisations
navigate getting the best from AI
technology without stumbling.

To learn about the effects of digitalisation in the workplace, read the CQI’sreport The Future of Work, available at: quality.org/future-of-work

QUALITY.ORG | 17

QUALITY CULTUREQUALITY CULTURE

Building arobust quality
culture“Top-levelcommitment
and buy-in
to quality
management
is what drives
a leadingqualityculture”

Quality World chats to Martin Davies, project quality director at smart
infrastructure solutions company Costain UK, to find out how its Quality Culture
Programme is making a difference to large complex infrastructure projects
ILLUSTRATION: ANDREW ROBERTS

W

e live in a world where pressure to deliver value
for money on high-performing, complex infrastructure
projects is relentless. According to The construction
productivity imperative, a report published by McKinsey in2015, an estimated 98 per cent of megaprojects experience
cost overruns of more than 30 per cent, and 77 per centof projects are at least 40 per cent late. Additionally, a2017 research paper by Professor Bent Flyvbjerg, a Danish
economic geographer, revealed that nine out of ten
megaprojects experience cost overruns. He added that
overruns of up to 50 per cent in real terms are common andover 50 per cent are not uncommon, and overruns haveremained high and constant for the past 70 years.
The UK Government formed the Infrastructure and Projects
Authority in 2016 as a response to the growing need to bring
together the financing, delivery and assurance of projects
ranging from large-scale infrastructure projects to majortransformation programmes. Of the major projects identified
between 2013 and 2019, the number of projects classified as“probable of a successful delivery” had fallen sharply from 48
per cent in 2013 to just 17 per cent in 2019.
Delivering to plan is of increasing importance on a politicaland financial level. Projects running over estimated budgets
and timescales have knock-on effects on the client, customer
and the supply chain. These issues have led to a plethoraof potential remedies being developed, where quality has
emerged as a key enabler for success – improving performanceand enhancing personal and organisational reputation. By
investing in planning, integrating risk management andquality management early on, clients and their supply chains
have the best opportunity to deliver faster, better and greener

18 | QUALITY WORLD | SUMMER 2021

projects at a lower cost. In 2016, the Get It Right Initiative(GIRI) was established with the aim of eliminating potential
risk to both the public and investors, by improving quality andproductivity, and reducing costs and waste.
GIRI – comprised of the UK’s major construction companies– adopted a multidisciplinary approach to raising awareness,with a focus on changing culture and attitudes by improving
knowledge, decision-making powers and planning skills.
To support this approach, Costain – a GIRI member with arepresentative on the board – developed a Quality Culture
Programme to assist both project teams and stakeholders.
Quality World talks to Martin Davies, Project Quality
Director at Costain, to find out how the programme isbeing used to spearhead quality and productivity and,most importantly, change quality culture across multiple
infrastructure projects.

Quality World: What are your principal duties at Costain?
Martin Davies: I am primarily responsible for quality
management across multiple projects within our defence
and energy sectors. I have been working at Costain forthe best part of seven years, and in that time, I have been
fortunate to have been given the responsibility for managing
quality on two of the largest and most complex civil anddefence nuclear infrastructure projects in the UK.
QW: Could you tell us more about your work in the civil anddefence sector and why you believe a robust quality culture isparamount to its success?
MD: We are working on several major infrastructure projects,
across both nuclear sectors (civil and defence) where the

QUALITY.ORG | 19

QUALITY CULTURE
scope of our work ranges from decommissioning of existing
plants to supporting major complex construction projects.
As with any project, the goal is to complete the projecton time, to the correct specification and leave a successful
legacy (which incorporates high standards of safety andquality). Due to the complexity and scale of a large project,with its wide-ranging scope of supply, manufacture andconstruction, there are risks. We have a tried and tested
management system to identify and address various
risks through defined processes. However, as with any
good management system, people’s compliance withthe requirements, ownership and engagement is vital togetting the desired outcome. At Costain, we identified theimportance of culture, and specifically a quality culture, tothe success of the project.

QW: What have been some of the main challenges you’ve
identified on those large-scale projects and how did you
overcome them?
MD: One of the recent projects we were working on wasdata rich, which meant we had to spend time analysing thequality assurance and quality control data, before we could
decide on how we were going to approach it from a quality
management perspective.
From our own inspection reports, observations and audits,
we discovered there were several nonconformance issues
across the supply chain that were not being detecteduntil further down the line. After a detailed investigationand speaking with our client’s project quality director(my counterpart), we found that the main cause of thisissue was the perception from people that correcting
the nonconformity at source was enough, hence notcommunicating it to be actioned through root cause
investigation and preventing recurrence elsewhere. Our
further investigation into this revealed that a possible root
cause was the lack of engagement between leadership andtheir employees in the supply chain.

The results of our investigation pointed to a review of theculture, ie, what was the prevailing culture and how would
we find out?
We had a light-bulb moment when we realised that oneof the core elements of the client’s management system
is “nuclear professionalism”. This includes six important
attributes – leadership, communication, compliance,competence, personal values and ethics.
After conducting a review of our management systemon the project last year, we investigated those elementsof nuclear professionalism and what they would look likein the context of quality. This involved trying to identify
the expectations and behaviours that would support thoseelements as well as how the latter could be transposed into
other sectors.
This led to the development of our Costain Quality Culture
Programme in June 2020.
We introduced a suite of behaviours and expectations formeasuring the quality culture on this project and others in
Costain’s portfolio.

QW: What steps have been introduced to measure the quality
culture for this project correctly?
MD: The Costain quality team decided that a survey was thebest approach. Although we had some data, it was beneficial
for to us to find out more about the perspective of theindividuals and determine the cultural maturity at all levelsof the project team.
The quality team identified and agreed the key leadership
attributes and expectations to explore through the survey.
We provided statements – things that people could easily
see, believe or act upon and asked the participant to rate
them in order of importance.
We issued our Quality Culture Survey to circa 800 project
personnel in September 2020. A total of 14 companies
participated in the survey with responses from senior leadersand management through to technical leads, supervisors

SEPTEMBER 2020

JANUARY 2021

ACHIEVED 502 SURVEY RESPONSES, 60%+ RESPONSE RATE(SCORES BY SURVEY CATEGORY)

5.0

3.3

ACHIEVED 710 SURVEY RESPONSES, 70+% RESPONSE RATE(SCORES BY SURVEY CATEGORY)LEADERSHIP
5.0

4.0
VALUES & ETHICS
3.7

3.0

COMPLIANCE

2.0

4.1

1.0

COMMUNICATION

+0.1

3.8

3.5
COMPETENCY+0.2

LEADERSHIP

4.0
3.0

COMPLIANCE

2.0

4.1

1.0

➪

0.0

3.4

VALUES & ETHICS

3.5

0.0

+0.2

3.5

COMMUNICATION

3.7

+0.2

COMPETENCY

Each was rated a score of 1 to 5, where 1 = strongly disagree and 5 = strongly agree. Overall scores are the aggregated result (mean average).

The charts show a marked increase in engagement and scores from the first survey in September 2020 compared to the second in January 2021. The
Quality Culture Survey results are based on individual responses to a series of 40 statements.

20 | QUALITY WORLD | SUMMER 2021

“By investing in planning,
integrating risk management
and quality management
early on, clients and their
supply chains have the best
opportunity to deliver faster,better, and greener projects
at a lower cost”

Costain and Balfour Beatty were the main
contractors for the London Bridge Station
redevelopment. The station received the RIBA
London Award 2019 and was also named RIBA
London Building of the Year 2019.

Costain, together with
Skanska and Balfour
Beatty, delivered a new
and improved section of
the A14, eight months
ahead of schedule.

and specialist experts. We had a 60 per cent response andcompletion rate, which was in part due to the survey
being accessed in hard copy at site as well as online for
office-based personnel.
Independent data analysis was conducted by our partner
INCIGHT Ltd to ensure impartial results.

QW: How does the culture survey tie in with Costain’s Quality
Culture Programme and your core expectations of leadership,compliance, communication, competency, personal values
and ethics?
MD: I hear leaders talking about quality daily. This top-levelcommitment and buy-in to quality management is what
drives a leading quality culture. Leaders need to be overtly
championing quality every day to keep it at the forefront of
their projects and teams’ minds. The outcome of the survey
directs the strategy for the year on our complex projects
and is an inherent and vital part of Costain’s Quality
Culture Programme.
When we set out our quality strategy with the client, we
worked with them to incorporate the key quality cultureelements as well as the more routine compliance elementsthat are critical to the project’s success.
Quality culture elements are the things that we collectively
decide we will measure to gauge the current culture, suchas leadership, competency and communication. In our case,
we used our client’s nuclear professionalism characteristics
and developed them in a quality context. For example, thecompetency element became “Secure in your competency
in nuclear safety and have completed all SQEP (Suitably
Qualified Experienced Personnel) assessments”.
The routine elements are those you would expect tofind on infrastructure projects, such as compliance withspecifications and procedures.

QW: How have you been maintaining cultural inputs andoutputs for this project and others through Costain’s Quality
Culture Programme?
MD: We introduced culture and desired behaviours fromthe beginning, which included inductions with Costain
employees and supply chain representatives for the projects
that we work on. This included training on leading quality
and behavioural management.
As part of our Quality Culture Programme, we have KPIs
that are regularly reviewed. The results are addressed at theorganisation’s monthly Quality Leadership Forum to supportand underpin the cultural aspects that we measure throughthe survey. The survey is updated and sent out every quarter.
QW: Could you tell us more about Costain’s Quality
Leadership Forum and the changes you’ve implemented
to improve business relationships across small- andlarge-scale projects?
MD: In general, we found that we were working a little too
independently within the confines of our projects, and that
it would be beneficial to develop a common language,
platform and areas of focus to improve the quality culture.
This led to the launch of our Quality Leadership ForumQUALITY.ORG | 21

THEATRE CULTUREQUALITY
INDUSTRYQUALITY CULTURE

where we were able to start discussing quality at leadershiplevel. We already had Costain’s senior sponsors on board,
who understood and supported a more coherent approachto quality management, and our client’s quality leader was
fully behind our approach as well.
We now have other working groups in place, such as the
Project Quality Forum, which is a monthly meeting to review
and discuss data derived from inspections and internal
audits, as well as provide a platform for leaders to share
their experiences of quality management.
We also have a Director Quality Forum which takes place
within each project. Costain has handed over the traditional
project quality meetings to the project directors of thecompanies who are delivering the projects to further embedand change the perception of quality being one team’s
job – it is everyone’s responsibility. Costain’s quality teamcontinue to offer support to the quality directors as andwhen required.
Some of the initiatives that have come out of Quality
Director Forums include behavioural training, rewards, animproved SHEQ (safety, health, environmental and quality)
card process to encourage better behaviours in identifying
potential hazards, large group engagements (sociallydistanced) and feedback.

QW: What standards does Costain work to and how do theytie in with Costain’s Quality Culture Programme?
MD: We work in accordance with the ISO 9001 and 14001
series of standards. Costain’s Quality Culture Programme isvery relevant because it has been developed and aligned tothe standards’ leadership, communication and competency
frameworks as well as the CQI’s core competencies(Governance, Leadership, Assurance, and Improvement).
QW: What are the main challenges facing the defence
and energy sectors and how will Costain’s Quality Culture
Programme help to address them?
MD: As well as the ongoing challenges and impactsof Covid-19, many organisations are adapting to thebiggest challenges in our changing world such as ageing
infrastructure assets, increased connectivity and useof digital technology and the increasing impact ofclimate change.
Quality runs through everything we do, and it is the qualitythat largely determines the overall cost, where better quality
leads to better outcomes. A standard set of key criteria willallow us to benchmark performance, understand how we can
improve (encompassing other tools that Costain use), andensure we become the best we can be across all markets.
For example, during the coronavirus pandemic, we were able
to utilise our technology capabilities to conduct remote
inspections. This meant we were able to maintain and deliver
all inspections with 100 per cent completeness, ensuring
little or no impact to our schedule.

QW: Why are other businesses interested in adopting
Costain’s Quality Culture Programme?
MD: In the words of one of our key supply chain leaders:“Poor quality impacts the bottom line”. The excellent workby GIRI suggests that 21 per cent of construction costs
come from unnecessary costs (for example, reworks, poor
quality, etc). Continuous support and focus on quality not
only minimise risk, but can also reduce cost and time when
proactively managed and prioritised by all on a project.
Comments gathered in our survey demonstrate the impact
a good quality culture can have on a programme, suchas “it is an exceptional environment in a very challenging
project” and “this project has the strongest leadership I haveexperienced in 40 years in the construction industry”.
Our data tells us that by focusing on the culture and notjust the procedures and processes, we can improve our “rightfirst time”delivery. Businesses can learn about their quality
culture and understand not only the impact it has on thenow, but also the potential positive impact an improved
quality culture could have.
QW: How are you taking the Quality Culture Programme
forward this year?
MD: Our aim is to ensure everyone understands what quality
culture is. The Costain Quality Culture Programme will act
as a useful roadmap to help other businesses move towards
that goal of understanding and enforcing a robust
quality culture.
To do this, businesses need to agree what it is in theirorganisations that best describes their culture and what
they need to measure. I personally want to make as manyorganisations aware of the initiative as possible, to help
quality become a top priority. I believe the programme isthe first of its kind in the nuclear, defence and construction
sector, so the opportunity to share this leading-edge
approach and encourage others to adopt a similar process isagain part of the culture of quality management.

“We haveprogressively
put other working
groups in place
to discuss quality
and ways toimprove, which
are actionorientated”
Above: The Thames
Tideway Tunnel isa £3.8bn, 25 km
super sewer. Costain
has been working
alongside client,
Tideway, and in joint
venture with VINCIConstruction Grands
Projets and Bachy
Soletanche on the east
section of tunnel.

QW: What advice would you give to other businesses who aretrying to create and maintain a robust quality culture?
MD: Approach it like any project by identifying and involving
your stakeholders. Engage leaders to gain commitment forchange and action, be clear on the initial scope and agree
what you want to see that defines the quality culture (there
are many commonalties but some differences that you may
want to pull out).
Leaders and leadership teams should set out a timeline ofactivities that build structure and capability. Measure what
they deem as important to creating a strong quality culture
and then communicate, communicate, communicate!
Additionally, by involving everyone in the process via
training, surveys, submitting feedback cards, rewards,
toolbox talks, workshops, among other initiatives, willdevelop the expectations, routine, and over time, thebehaviours and habits that support a strong quality culture.
We hope that our Quality Culture Programme will help
to drive positive change by reiterating the importance ofquality and ensuring that it is the central driving force forany project that is undertaken.

Right: In a joint
venture with Skanska(CSJV) on behalf of
National Grid, Costain
has constructed
approximately
32 km of a highvoltage electricity
cable tunnel to create
a new electricity
superhighway deep
below London.

QUALITY CULTURE ACTIVITY TIMELINE (2020/2021)
Quality Culture Programme
developed.
Quality behaviours andexpectations defined.

JUN

22 | QUALITY WORLD | SUMMER 2021

Quality Forum established.
Launch systems approach toinspections.

JUL

Launch Quality Culture
Survey.

‘Leading Quality’ training
delivered.

SHEQ cards for quality issues
and improvement ideas.

Quality Culture‘dashboard’
metrics readout.

AUG

SEP

Quality Culture Survey
output feedback and actions.

OCT

Quality ‘Reward &Recognition’ Programme
started.
World Quality Day comms,
and focus on customer
satisfaction.

NOV

Weekly SHEQ Walk-rounds
established
New audit process
in place.

Updated Quality induction.
Routine Quality KPls in place.
Quality Comms & LFE
Framework in place.

Quality Reps forum
established.

Next Quality Culture Survey.

DEC

Q1

Routine Quality Culture
framework activities, Survey
and 2021 quality objectives.

Q2

Q3

QUALITY.ORG | 23

QUALITY 4.0

QUALITY 4.0

DEFINING

Quality 4.0 has the potential to be a significant driver of change for the quality
profession, yet it has no universal definition. The CQI embarked on a significant
three-month research project to clearly define Quality 4.0 in order to help address
the quality challenges of the future. Professor John Oakland from The Oakland
Group, and Mike Turner, CQI Head of Profession, explain the journey
ILLUSTRATION: ALBERTO ANTONIAZZI

24 | QUALITY WORLD | SUMMER 2021

QUALITY.ORG | 25

QUALITY 4.0

QUALITY 4.0 AND THE QUALITY
PROFESSION

Businesses and organisations are continuing
to evolve out of necessity, responding to an
onslaught of disruption, new business models
and technology. This continuous change,
including that precipitated by Covid-19, isaffecting business operations at all levels, withcustomers demanding real-time interactions,
regulators applying increasing levels of scrutiny
and governance, and stakeholders requiringcontinued assurance in this complex and dynamic
risk environment. The technology revolution has
been referred to as Industry 4.0 (I-4.0) and digitaltransformation, and includes some increasingly
well-known technologies, such as artificial
intelligence (AI), machine learning and robotics.
It is challenging traditional approaches to quality
management and their relevance, effectivenessand efficiency.
Digitalisation and the highly connected natureof global systems means that organisations
now operate in a complex and tightly coupledenvironment. A single flaw in one part of thesystem can rapidly cause catastrophic systemic
failures, such as ones that then lead to the needfor product recalls. (In 2020, the Organisation
for Economic Co-operation and Development
reported 3,759 product recall cases. These
spanned all industries including aviation,
automotive, clothing, electronics, foodand medicines.)
In contrast, the impact of the same significant
flaws could perhaps more easily have been
contained in previously complex but loosely
coupled systems. Tight coupling is being
increased by I-4.0 related technologies,
something which quality professionals need to beaware of and prepared for.
What is clear is that business models willcontinue to change dramatically over the coming
years. As well as responding to the longer-term
implications of short-term changes, businessleaders will need to be focused on aggressively
seeking out opportunities to innovate within
rapidly changing environments and increasing
risk. As the risk landscape becomes more
complex and fast-moving, it will be crucial fororganisations to identify and respond quickly
and effectively to emerging events and threats. If
Quality 4.0 (Q-4.0) is to be part of the solution,
it needs to be properly understood, definedand developed to play a key role in helping
organisations manage during this evolution.
Moreover, there should be a role for Q-4.0 in
helping organisations maximise the opportunities
that such an evolution will present.
When contemplating I-4.0 and Q-4.0, there
are innumerable possibilities for the quality
professional to collaborate with other professions

26 | QUALITY WORLD | SUMMER 2021

QUALITY 4.0
and functions, such as chief designers, chief
Figure 1: Overview of
proposed methodology
information officers and IT directors. The
for the research.
quality professional has the opportunity todevelop roadmaps that help optimise governanceand assurance across organisations, and tolead improvement around new and emerging
technologies. This alsopresents an opportunity for “Q-4.0, when properly
the quality profession todefined and understood,
redefine itself and cement
its position; not only as
will help the profession
a provider of assurance,
fulfil its governancebut also as a function thatand assurance
advises and anticipates.
Q-4.0, when properly
responsibilities”
defined and understood,
will help the profession fulfil its governance andassurance responsibilities. This is combinedwith the opportunity to advise organisations
on their anticipation and measurement ofrisk, particularly around Big Data, using data
governance, data engineering and analytics.
These are likely to be the critical elements of
Q-4.0 in the future, and will help develop the
profession to focus on the most relevant andimpactful risks to, and opportunities for,their organisations.

THE RESEARCH APPROACH AND OBJECTIVE
Our approach: A three phase, iterative approach was central to this research project

Phase 1

Phase 2

WHY THE CQI RESEARCHEDQUALITY 4.0

The traditional principles, practices and toolsof quality management that have proven to beof value over hundreds of years are undergoinghuge transformations. The CQI believes thatprofessional institutions, leading thinkers,
academics, quality professionals and othermanagerial-level people expect many of theseprinciples, practices and tools are going to besignificantly challenged by digital transformation.
The CQI is committed to preparing its
professionals to respond to the ongoing
emergence of the digital age, helping them toidentify, acquire, and demonstrate the value ofthe new skills and knowledge required to deliver
enhanced benefit to their stakeholders andthrive in the future. It has invested in a research
programme comprising a series of projects to

LITERATURE REVIEWCONDUCTED BY A TEAM FROMTHE OAKLAND INSTITUTE
AND LEEDS UNIVERSITY TO
ESTABLISH CURRENT VIEWS
OF WHAT QUALITY 4.0 IS.
SURVEY AND
INTERVIEWS
WHICH
EXPLOREDTHE
DEFINITION
AND HOWIT MIGHT BE
CHANGED.

TAKING IN
CONTRIBUTIONSAND INSIGHTSFROMADVISORS AND
PRACTITIONERSFROM ACROSSTHE GLOBE

27

71%
OF 41 RESPONDENTS EITHER‘STRONGLY AGREED’ OR ‘AGREED’ WITH THE
EMERGING PRINCIPLES DEFINITIONSINTERVIEWS

Phase 3

VALIDATION AND SHARINGOF A POTENTIAL NEW
DEFINITION WITH CQIMEMBERS AND PEERORGANISATIONSOUR OBJECTIVE

To develop a working definition of Quality 4.0
QUALITY.ORG | 27

QUALITY 4.0

QUALITY 4.0

PHASE 1: SYSTEMATIC
LITERATURE REVIEW

address some of the fundamental questions
concerning the future of quality professionals inthe digitally enabled age.
As part of this project, the CQI is developing
individual and corporate assets that its members
and Corporate Partners can use to develop thenecessary competences, such as a revision of the
CQI's Competency Framework.
Initial explorations into published literatureand conference proceedings on the subjects of
Quality 4.0, Industry 4.0 and Supply Chain 4.0,
together with discussions with thought leaders
around the world concluded that there was no
single accepted definition of Q-4.0. Professionals
have been contemplating the proposed definition
from several different perspectives, causing some
confusion for practitioners. For this reason, theCQI decided to start a research project to develop
a working definition of Q-4.0, which in turn will
help CQI members to better understand what
it is, how it is developing and the implications
Q-4.0 could have for quality management. The
intention was that the definition should not
be limited to specific sectors, ie, be universally
applicable, and be accompanied by identified
core principles.

THE SCOPE OF THE RESEARCH

The CQI commissioned a consortium comprising
Leeds University Business School and The
Oakland Institute for Business Research and
Education, led by Professor John Oakland andsupported by Professor Chee Yew Wong, to workwith Mike Turner, CQI Head of Profession, tocarry out this work.
The main parts of the initial research (shown in
Figure 1) were to review published literature andgather the experiences of leading stakeholders in
the field of Q-4.0 to develop a working definition.
The research sought to delve beneath the surfaceof the digital transformation of quality by usinga systematic approach to investigate, clarify,
validate and build a working definition of Q-4.0.
Having diverse participation from individuals
with a range of knowledge bases and approaches
helped uncover assumptions that were notexplicit or obvious to others, and helped topromote an understanding of Q-4.0 and develop
a common working definition.

28 | QUALITY WORLD | SUMMER 2021

The systematic literature search sought toestablish any pre-existing definitions of Q-4.0.
It was structured to locate literature from threeoverlapping disciplines: general industry (I-4.0),
quality (Q-4.0) and supply chain (SC-4.0). Less
academic and more commercial sources werealso selected if they formed conclusions thatwere based on data acquired through reasonably
sound survey techniques. An initial pool of
75,000 references drawn from the ProQuest
academic library search engine was filtered andreduced to the most relevant (nearly 300 in
total) across the three disciplines. To increase its
veracity, the literature search also encompassed
other “fourth generations”, such as Customer
4.0, Education 4.0, Finance 4.0, Food 4.0,
Agriculture 4.0, Healthcare 4.0 and Made in
China 2025, which had relevance to Q-40, I-4.0
or SC-4.0. A number of important conclusions
have emerged from this review.
Definitions of I-4.0 have developed as part ofan emerging narrative involving consultants
and practitioner associations. These definitions
highlight enhanced customer focus, increased
connectivity, transformation of value chains,the merging of real and virtual worlds, and theemergence of cyber-physical systems. It has been
said that I-4.0 is a new model in whichcyber-physical systems are interconnectedwith each other over the Internet ofThings, developing what is termed a “smart
network”. The literature
recognised that I-4.0 is a
“Q-4.0 has huge potential
transformation of a live
and complex system, notin service-baseda steady state. I-4.0 isbusinesses where an
also not simply about aalignment with I-4.0 is notnarrowly focused adoptionof technology within aso readily acknowledged”
function or an organisation.
It is important to recognise that there arethree forms of integration within I-4.0. They aredescribed as: horizontal integration along theentire value creation chain, vertical integration
alongside the production or operational systems
within a single organisation, and end-to-end
integration along the entire product or service
life cycle. Applying quality management withinthese axes of integration requires technology
to be optimised to support clear workflows,interoperability of systems and value-driven
collaboration. This presents a key opportunity fora discipline that has historically developed an endto-end value chain influence and perspective.
Previous attempts to define Q-4.0 have tended
to focus on the possible structural relationshipbetween I-4.0 and the digital world of Big Data,AI, machine learning, robotics, etc, and the

The initial attempt sought to encompass all of
the essential content of existing definitions. The
definition initially used in the survey was:
• Quality 4.0 refers to the future of quality andorganisational excellence, throughdigitalisation and its impact on organisations’processes, people and technology.
• It builds upon traditional approaches and tools
by considering connectedness, automationand intelligence for improving performanceand reducing risk. It leads to better, more
timely data-driven decisions in an end-to-end
scenario, involving all stakeholders across
supply chains to provide visibility
and transparency.
• Quality 4.0 includes the digitalisation ofquality of design, quality of conformanceand quality of performance using modern
technologies, and data-rich approaches tomanaging transactions and meetingcustomer expectations.

supply chains needed for the future. However,Q-4.0 has huge potential in service-based
businesses where an alignment with I-4.0 is not
so readily acknowledged. It could be argued
from the literature that this aspect has stalled
the progress of Q-4.0. The literature review
found definitions of Q-4.0 that focused on thedigitalisation of Total Quality Management,with its impact on quality technology, processes
and people. It has also been argued that Q-4.0
should be considered as a development oftraditional quality tools, with more emphasison connectedness, intelligence and automation
for improving performance and making timely,
data-driven decisions in an end-to-end scenario,
involving all stakeholders and providing visibility
and transparency.
People and processes are important to all areasof business, but are particularly key to quality.
While Q-4.0 makes critical new technologies
affordable and accessible to the broad market,
its story is really about people applying newtechnologies to solve long-standing quality
challenges and re-optimising processes toprovide novel solutions. More simply, Q-4.0 has
been described as the digitalisation of quality ofdesign, quality of conformance and the quality of
performance, using modern technologies.
This review, therefore, concluded that, although
there is a range of Q-4.0 definitions, many ofwhich are associated with I-4.0, no one single
definition has been commonly adopted.
The work then set out to formulate a working
concept definition from the researched literature.

Figure 2: Level ofagreement with theconcept definition of
Quality 4.0.

The team also carried out a detailed analysisof the findings of the most relevant sources anddiscovered a set of 10 core emerging principles in
Q-4.0. This is considered vitally important to theunderstanding of Q-4.0 and its application within
any context. With reference to approaches suchas Six Sigma and Lean, our profession knows thevalue of understanding the core principles behindthese approaches, as they are necessary to guide
thinking. This ensures that the adoption of any
improvement approach will suit the context andnot be reduced to blindly following a playbookthat has been learned from elsewhere.

PHASES 2 AND 3: SURVEYINGAND SOCIALISING

The working concept definition and emerging
core principles were then cross-examinedusing an online survey and interviews withpractitioners and experts/advisers, together

AGREEMENT WITH QUALITY 4.0 DEFINITION DRAWN FROM LITERATURE
10

Strongly agree

17
11
1

2

Partially agree

Disagree

2
0

Agree

Strongly disagree

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

QUALITY.ORG | 29

QUALITY 4.0

QUALITY 4.0

with a focus group discussion with members of
the European Organisation for Quality. Please
note that we are very grateful to all respondents
for their contributions. These lines of enquiry
were focused on addressing:• the extent to which organisations have a clear

vision and strategy, which includes Q-4.0;• levels of agreement to the proposed

working definition;• opinions on the level of importance andusefulness of each of the 10 emerging core
principles;• whether each of the 10 emerging core
principles are necessary, and together are
sufficient;• the extent to which knowledge of Q-4.0 isdeveloped throughout organisations.
The analysis also captured the qualitative
comments made by participants about the
proposed definition and 10 emerging
core principles.
The overwhelming feedback from the online
survey was one of positive agreement with the draft
definition. Of the 41 responses to the question,“Does the definition reflect the concept of Quality
4.0?”, 66 per cent agreed or strongly agreed, 27 percent partially agreed and only three respondents
disagreed or strongly disagreed (see Figure 2).
However, the length of the definition wasconsidered to detract from its purpose. Throughsuccessive iterations, the research team developed
a simpler working definition:“Quality 4.0 is the leveraging of technology withpeople to improve the quality of an organisation, its
products, its services and the outcomes it creates.”
Nine out of the 10 emerging core principles

OUR ORGANISATION HAS A CLEAR VISION AND
STRATEGY THAT INCLUDES QUALITY 4.0

were regarded by over 80 per cent of respondents
as “important” or “very important”. One of theprinciples was deemed “unimportant” by two of
the 41 respondents, and three other principles
were each regarded as “unimportant” by justone respondent. Figure 3 shows the extent ofimportance afforded to each of the 10 emerging
core principles.
As a consequence, the team developed a revised
set of eight emerging core principles (see p32).
Other key findings from the online survey are
as follows:• The adoption of Q-4.0 is still

1 Strongly
disagree• To what extent do the current principles

7 Strongly
agree“Quality 4.0 is thein its infancy in respondents’
leveraging oforganisations (only 20 per
cent of respondents strongly
technology with people
agreed their organisation had
to improve the quality
a clear vision and strategy
of an organisation, its
which includes Q-4.0, while
nearly 53 per cent disagreed
products, its services
or strongly disagreed – seeand the outcomes
Figure 4).
it creates”• Where organisations are not
adopting Q-4.0 principles
and practices, there is an intent to do so.
• There is the need for quality professionals
to collaborate with fellow “driving forces”(collaboration is a core leadership role in the
CQI’s Competency Framework). However,some quality professionals are not being
consulted, highlighting the threat that theQ-4.0 agenda could be driven by otherdisciplines.
• Cost reduction is not a primary pressure for
Figure 3: Summary ofthese changes.
responses on the 10• There is a need for a new vocabulary in order toemerging core principles
enable quality professionals to collaborate withof Quality 4.0.

SURVEY RANKING OF DRAFT PRINCIPLES DRAWN FROM THE LITERATURE
P10. Adaptive improvement
P9. Multi-disciplinary collaboration
P8. Combined Intelligence
P7. Virtual reality
P6. Compliance for confidence & mutual trust
P5. Cybernetics
P4. Network connectedness & greater visibility
P3. Cyber-physical systems
P2. Data value
P1. Customer value management & individualism

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

• Very important • Important • Slightly important • Unimportant

30 | QUALITY WORLD | SUMMER 2021

professional will need to thrive in the digitallyenabled age. Given the momentum, the CQI is
moving on to an exploration of Q-4.0 practices,
technologies, tools and competences. A projectwill soon be launched to address the following
research questions:

90%

100%

18
Disagree

10 AgreeFigure 4: Level ofagreement from
respondents onwhether theirorganisation includes
Quality 4.0.

other disciplines that are involved in Q-4.0.

• It is important to align a Q-4.0 intent with theoverall corporate strategic plan – this is a key
element of Q-4.0.

OUTCOMES OF THE RESEARCH

As a consequence of this project, the team havedeveloped a Quality 4.0 infographic (see p32)
that shows a short concept definition, and the
supporting eight emerging core principles. It also
contains some examples of the principles
in practice.
The objective of this infographic is to expand
the profession’s understanding of Q-4.0 andprovide the basis for discussions with colleagues
and clients concerning where these principles
apply within each organisational setting. Thisshould, in turn, lead to a discussion about the
impact these core principles will have on thequality management practice. For example, aprinciple of cyber-physical systems is designed
to lead the professional to think about how best
to continually combine technology and people
to improve the outputs of any process. This
could lead to a redesign of end-to-end assurance
approaches that completely transforms what isdone and achieved.
This contrasts with blindly accepting andimplementing remote audit as a new Q-4.0
practice, out of necessity or pressure fromstakeholders; it should be more about intelligent
and agile design.

WHAT’S NEXT?

The eventual aim of this programme of researchis to identify the competences that a qualityof quality management map to the eight
emerging core principles that have emerged
and what does this mean for the future of thediscipline?
• What are the most relevant Q-4.0 technologies
and tools that quality professionals will needto know about, engage with, participate with,adopt, and lead the use/development of?
• What are the skills, experience, knowledge,
and behaviours required to define thecompetence of a quality professional who canthrive in the digitally enabled age?
• What constitutes the Q-4.0 version of
the Competency Framework for a quality
professional that is fit for the digitallytransforming age?
• What could be the value to an organisation ofa quality professional whose competence is fit
for the digitally enabled age?
The CQI recognises that Q-4.0 is a gamechanger
for the profession and this properly structured,wide-ranging and systematic research creates
the need for quality professionals to engage withthe outcomes to build a personal development
plan. The CQI believes that it is vitally importantfor quality professionals to embrace Q-4.0 in
their work. Some commentators even go as far
as suggesting that, unless the quality profession
understands and acts upon the impact of this
digital age on what they do, the future of theprofession could be at risk. The opposite of thisis that the future holds huge opportunity for thequality professional to play an even more valuablerole at organisational and societal levels.

Acknowledgements: Mike Turnerand John Oakland are indebted tosignificant and extensive contributions
to this article from the research teamfrom the Oakland Institute (OI) andLeeds University Business School(LUBS) – Chee Yew Wong, Professorof Supply Chain Management at
LUBS; Ian McCabe, Fellow of theChartered Quality Institute (FCQI) anda Chartered Quality Professional; andDr Katey Twyford, Research Associate
at OI.

QUALITY.ORG | 31

The Auto Pilot is a trusted and provenexample of the cyber physical systemused by avionics today. The movetowards self-driving cars is anotherexample of such a system. Take Tesla
cars which all now feature, as standard,advanced hardware capable of providing
autopilot, and full self-driving capabilities.

The balance and integrationof human effort and machine
effort, in the broadest sense,
continually changes over time,
automating some previously
human roles and creating newones around the co-design ofcyber-physical quality systems.

Cyber physicalsystems

Fitness trackers are an
example of transparency andcollaboration in action. They canguide you on your run, tell you how far
you’ve run, where you ran and how fast.
However, this highly connected network
can also present a potential risk. In 2018,
an interactive map of tracked fitness
activities of people who use the Strava
app inadvertently revealed the locationof military bases overseas. This caused
the US military to review its employees’
use of personal fitness tracking devices.

The value chain is increasingly
an integrated ‘smart’ network ofinterrelated and interconnectedcyber-physical systems.
The ecosystems transcend
traditional legacy boundaries
and increasingly create wholelife circular economies. The
customer, an active part of thisnetwork, requires both effective
risk management and greatertransparency and collaboration
across multiple disciplines astechnology networks expand.

Transparency andcollaboration

The Smart Home is an exampleof first and second ordercybernetics in action. For
example, by using systems such as
Amazon Alexa, Hive or Nest, a personwith a goal can act to set that goal
for a self-regulating device, such as athermostat in their home.

Data is captured from multiple
sources across vertical,
horizontal and end-to-end
supply chains. Interconnected
and smart networks inecosystems are increasingly
used to dynamically regulate
and improve total system
performance, including
behaviours, inputs and outputs.

Cybernetics

Uber applies this principle– firstly by transforming the
traditional taxi service into one
which offers on-demand transport andeffortless payment from a smartphone;and secondly in the way it collects
real-time feedback on driver performanceand engages with customers to solve
problems and introduce new services andfeatures. Many customers are no longer
excited by just owning a product or using
a service. Instead their interest lies in how
it can serve their needs and outcomes.

Customers and society are
constantly redefining the value
they require, and how andwhere they want to consume it.
Customer value co-creation
is increasingly throughdigital servitisation.

Co-creationof value

These principles underpin our working definition of Quality 4.0.
They enhance the established quality principles, which provide a focus
on customer needs, expectations and satisfaction.

THE EIGHT SUPPORTING PRINCIPLES

Quality 4.0 is the leveraging oftechnology with people to improve
the quality of an organisation,
its products, its services and theoutcomes it creates.

OUR WORKING
DEFINITION

To develop a working definitionof Quality 4.0

OUR OBJECTIVE

a working definitionQUALITY 4.0

Reference made to any business, product orservice is for illustrative purposes only anddoes not constitute an endorsement or arecommendation by the CQI.

© CQI 2021

The BMW Group’s use of AI toevaluate component images fromits production line is an exampleof this principle in action. This use oftechnology is allowing it to spot, in realtime, deviations from quality standards.

The vast array of enabling
technology, machine learningand artificial intelligenceaugment human intelligence.
The symbiotic human andmachine relationship, in which
virtual and real worlds co-exist,
enables them to react, learn,
make decisions and optimise
quality processes.

Technology
and combined
intelligence

For the data to have value, it mustsatisfy some basic premises. It mustbe identifiable and definable, promise
probable future economic benefits andbe under the organisation’s control.
(Putting a value on data, PwC, 2019.)

Data is increasingly acontextually dependent
strategic asset, requiring
quality professionals tobe knowledgeable in data
governance, data architecture,
data engineering anddata analytics.

Data value

to better identify and recommend themost appropriate content or products,
inspiring customers to buy.

Airbnb has more than 100
machine learning models runningon its website. It uses the data itcollects to help improve and personalise
every aspect of a customer’s experience.
When applied correctly, this principle
sees organisations elegantly using data

Continuous and rapid adaptive
learning from data characterises
innovation and improvement
in value creation. Changing
customer expectations are
met based on new predictive
capabilities rather than being
reactive. Quality of design,
conformance and performanceis increasingly managed andcommunicated virtually, together
with agile development andintegration of systems leading togreater connectedness.

Rapid adaptive
learning• how organisations use data.

• the people, systems and machines
using data;• the infrastructure for collecting andstoring data;

Effective data systems should
engender trust in:

Mutual trust is vital to driveout fear of surveillance andfraud, and digital tools enabletransparency in partnering andcontract executions. Inter-systemcompliance is authenticated andimmutable to give assurance
and confidence leading togreater resilience.

Mutual trust

THEATRE INDUSTRY

THEATRE INDUSTRY

Shini ng the
spotli ght on
Qu ality

34 | QUALITY WORLD | SUMMER 2021

The performing arts has
been one of the worstaffected industries since thecoronavirus outbreak began.
While the UK Government
has made great progresswith the vaccine, many
theatres remain dormant
and are continuing to facefinancial pressures andeven permanent closure.
Daniel Moore speaks to the
National Theatre – one of
London’s most prestigious
performing arts venues– to find out how it’s
demonstrating resilienceagainst the coronavirus, as
the organisation preparesfor its public reopeningThe UK’s theatre industry has
been experiencing a torrid
time. Since the first national
lockdown in March, lastyear, West End shows andindependent productions
have been put on hold, rescheduled
or cancelled, as the government
tries to control and stop the spreadof coronavirus. This hiatus has lefttheatres in a financially volatile
position, particularly as most rely on
box office sales to pay production,
rent and maintenance costs for theirvenues. According to the Creative
Industries Federation’s Projected
Economic Impact of Covid-19 on the
UK Creative Industries report (2020),
theatres faced a £3bn loss and 12,000
job cuts after being closed for most of
last year.

QUALITY.ORG | 35

THEATRE INDUSTRY

36 | QUALITY WORLD | SUMMER 2021

The organisation says it has been
adding more shows to this service eachmonth, so that viewers will always havesomething new to watch and enjoy
from the comfort of their own home oron the go.
The impact of Covid-19 has also
resulted in the organisation stepping
up its health and safety and facilities
management to ensure staff, visitors
and performers are protected from thevirus, especially on their official returnto the venue this year.
Chris Snow, Head of Support Services
at the NT and the NT’s Head ofFacilities Kieron Lillis caught up with
Quality World to discuss their healthand safety protocols, as well as theorganisation’s plans for reopening thevenue in a safe and secure fashion.
Situated on London’s South Bank,
the NT is a publicly funded, notfor-profit organisation that has
been entertaining audiences forover five decades. From William
Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet toThomas Heywood’s classic folktale,
Dick Whittington – the theatre has
shined the spotlight on renowned
and emerging actors to promotetalent and diversity across theperforming arts sector. The NT hosts
over 1,000 performances for morethan 600,000 people each year
across its three auditoriums – theOlivier Theatre, Lyttelton Theatre andDorfman Theatre.

Statutory compliance
However, when the coronavirus took
centre stage, the theatre was forced
to cancel shows and shift its focus
to protecting the health and safetyof staff, performers and customers.
“Although the theatre was closed tothe public and majority of staff, thebuilding itself still required statutory
and general maintenance,” says Lillis.
“At the beginning of the coronavirus
outbreak, the main issue for the NT’s
facilities team was getting staff tocome in to maintain the building andmaking them feel safe so they could
carry out their work.”
After identifying this issue, Lillis cameup with the concept of “splitting thefacilities team into two groups, so if
one team ever went down throughillness, the other one could come in as
back-up,” he explains. “We have sincealternated both teams by having one

group working in the building each
week, while having a mix of others on
furlough or working from home. Thishas helped to keep employees safeand overcome this challenge quickly,
thanks to the dedicated team that wehave in place.”
The NT works in accordance with
the Health and Safety Executive’s
Managing for Health and Safety(HSG65) guidance (bit.ly/3k85jvV),which incorporates the plan, do,check, act (PDCA) cycle. With some
additional planning to prevent
employees and external parties fromcatching and transmitting the virus
on-site, the facilities team have beenable to effectively carry out generalmaintenance, as well as fire system
and insurance checks – alongside their
specialist contractors and surveyors.
Lillis quips: “As dull as portableappliance testing sounds, it’s beenmuch easier and quicker to do it in abuilding with far less people because
in normal circumstances, we would
usually have to go to someone’s PC
and say: ‘sorry, I’m going to have toturn this off to test it’. But certainly, it’sa tragedy at the same time not having
all our colleagues under one roof.”“The focus of ourteam has changed
from the look andfeel of the theatre
to safety, which
has been quite
positive in manyways”

Communicating best practiceJames Bellorini Photography;
Cameron Slater Photography;
Philip Vile.

Similarly, a study released byinternational arts management
consultants TRG Arts and UK arts
data specialists Purple Seven (bit.
ly/3dJSO8C), revealed that out ofa sample of 212 organisations –comprising concert halls, art centres,West End and regional commercial
theatres – there was a 92 per cent dropin the number of sold tickets and a91 per cent fall in box office income
between 16 March (when the UK went
into its first national lockdown) and
15 September 2020, compared to thesame period in 2019.
Even though things looked dark forthe sector, a glimmer of hope camewhen the Prime Minister Boris Johnson
introduced the national three-tiersystem in October, which allowed
theatres in less affected areas (tierone and two) to reopen and operate
at a reduced capacity (50 per cent).
Described by some theatre bosses as a“whiplash” effect to the industry, thisperiod was short lived when lockdown
3.0 was effectuated in December,
forcing theatres to shut their doors
once again in addition to dealing withan influx of customer refunds for prebooked shows.
Despite the negative repercussionsof Covid-19, one venue that has
demonstrated resilience during
these turbulent times is the National
Theatre (NT). As part of its business
continuity plan, the organisation’s
Artistic Director and Joint Chief
Executive Rufus Norris told The
Guardian in April last year, that thebusiness had furloughed 85–90 per
cent of its workforce, due to Covid-19.
In his interview with the newspaper,
Norris explained that the NT only had“months of reserve funds remaining
in the theatre’s coffers”, which thebusiness was looking to stretch acrossto the end of 2020. To make ends
meet, the organisation also halved its
production budgets and made cuts tocapital expenditure to stay afloat.
In December, the NT launched its‘National Theatre at Home’ streaming
service to claw back some money forthe business and its artists. Throughthis platform, users have a choiceof subscription options, which will
provide access to a plethora of NT
performances that can be downloaded
and streamed from their TV, tablet
or smartphone.

THEATRE INDUSTRY

Left: Chris Snow says that health and safety teamdeveloped innovative cleaning approaches.
Right: Kieron Lillis split the NT’s facilities team
into two groups to help the staff stay safe.

In a similar vein, Snow says that healthand safety has also taken a front seatin the Support Services department –particularly in recent months – where
the team have had to develop an
innovative approach to cleaning tomeet the government’s guidelines.
Previously, their cleaning regime wascentred on tackling dust in offices
and walkways, but in Covid times, theteam’s attention has turned to dealing
with potential virus droplets in highrisk areas.
“The focus of our team has changed
from the look and feel of the theatre
to safety, which has been quite positivein many ways.” Snow elaborates: “Forexample, we have stopped hoovering
as much because it’s not an essential
part of Covid safety. Instead, we now
focus more on cleaning touch points(eg, doorhandles) in frequently usedareas such as toilets and corridors.”
Snow has been actively
communicating the importance of selfcleaning across various departmentsof the organisation, by encouraging
employees to clean and sanitise theirown desks and workstations/zones.
This, in turn, has helped to reducetime for the support services team,so that they can concentrate onother critical areas in the building.
Some of these places have included
the theatre’s washrooms andkitchenettes, where the team havebeen using a two-step approach toeliminate any potential virus droplets.
This process, Snow notes, consists of
one treatment of cleaning, followed
by a treatment of sanitising, using
the most appropriate cleaning agentsfor each surface.
Ensuring all cleaning standards
are adhered to, the support services
team have introduced “Covid cleaningboxes” in every office space in thebuilding. Akin to a first-aid box, theCovid-19 ones contain a range ofhealth and safety essentials, including
sanitisers, wipes, various sprays anddisposable face masks, all of which arechecked and refilled on a regular basis.
“Cleaning is now a part of day-today life that’s ‘visible’, rather thanbeing the ‘invisible team’ that comesout at night when the offices are
empty,” says Snow, adding that his
staff’s concerted efforts to keep thevirus at bay has improved the profileof the Support Services departmentin the business.
Adding to his sentiment, Lillis admits“the service from Chris’ team has
been great. As a customer, every time
the Facilities Team puts a request infor extra items or consumables, theyalmost immediately turn up!”
Both Lillis and Snow are involvedin weekly management meetings,
where they provide regular updates
about the building’s performanceas well as any recent changes thathave been made. These catch-ups
have proven valuable, Snow notes,
especially for those who haven’t
been on-site in over a year, as it’s
kept them informed and connectedwith the rest of the organisation and,more importantly, each other.

Improving air quality
Another critical objective has been
improving the theatre’s air quality
and circulation. According to Lillis,
the NT’s facilities team have beencollaborating with the health andsafety team to work out how many
people can safely be in the

QUALITY.ORG | 37

THEATRE INDUSTRY

THEATRE INDUSTRY“Cleaning is now apart of day-to-day
life that’s ‘visible’,rather than being the‘invisible team’ thatcomes out at night”

Nooks and crannies
Under the government’s guidelines,
theatres are expected to frequently
clean their auditoriums as aprerequisite, paying close attention to

38 | QUALITY WORLD | SUMMER 2021

touchpoints that audiences are likely
to come into contact with (eg, arm
rests). Unlike other surfaces that can be
wiped clean, upholstered seats require
special attention.
Snow expands: “During our reopento the public in December, we started‘fogging’ the auditoriums before theshows started. We found that fogging– or E-spraying as it’s otherwise called –was our most effective way of cleaning
the upholstered seats and other areasthat couldn’t be traditionally wipedclean.” He laughs: “My team would
dress up like ghostbusters in heavy
PPE, where we’d have the auditorium
to ourselves while we spent around 3040 minutes applying this mist chemicalon all the seating areas.”
The NT has since received widespread
support for this initiative after publishinga video of the cleaning process on its
website and social media channels.
In parallel with this, the organisation
also published its Front of House andRear of House Risk Assessments on
its website. This public document was
produced to demonstrate the lengths
the theatre has gone to, to control
the virus, and also to assure customers
that they’ll be in safe hands when they
return to the theatre in due course.

The organisation has its own “robust”
risk assessment, which was createdin-house to reflect the government’s
guidelines. This document was issued
to all staff and contractors who areresponsible for reading and understandits requirements, before signing andsending it back electronically. Lillis
explains to Quality World that ateam is appointed in-house of whom
are responsible for holding weekly
meetings to discuss any changes/
amendments or new research that
could impact the NT’s operations. In
the event of any update(s), the teamwill amend and reissue the guidance
accordingly, ensuring staff andcontractors are made aware of thisadditional information, as well as any
further obligations or duties that are
expected of them.
Forming part of the risk assessment,a QR code scanning system is inoperation for all staff and contractors.

The fogging process (top) has been used forcleaning uphostered seating. Visitors returning
to the NT will notice new hand sanisiting stations
and socially distanced seating, both in the foyer
and the auditorium.

Cameron Slater Photography

theatre’s auditoriums at a time,depending on the ventilation systems
that have been installed. The facilities
and health and safety teams ironed
out this issue by upgrading to a newfiltration system, which was donein ample time before the theatre’s
reopening in October 2020, following
the UK’s second lockdown.
Lillis recalls: “We’ve got a good andvery straightforward air supply andextract system in our auditoriums.
The air changes that were required
each hour were effective, as there wasonly half the amount of people in our
auditoriums due to social distancing.”
He adds: “In the auditoriums, weturned the air handling units on twohours before the place was occupied
and kept them running until two hours
after the spaces were vacated. Those
were the kind of things that we were
putting in place in the background toensure the ventilation systems were
working beyond how they’d normallyoperate pre-Covid.”“Theatres need tomake sure they’re
prepared for thatlight at the end of
the tunnel”

The system asks multiple questions
about a person’s health and has since
been enhanced by asking individuals‘if they feel unwell in any way?’
because “Covid symptoms have gone
beyond the loss of taste/smell, hightemperature and coughing”, Lillis
asserts. “As a precautionary measure,
we’re asking anyone who isn’t feelingwell to not enter the building at all.”

Customer bookings
Together with its health and safety
protocols, the NT has been focusing
on keeping customers informed of
its progress/movements through its
social media platforms (eg, Facebook,
Twitter, Instagram and YouTube).
The box office team have also
been handling customer bookings
effectively by sending out email
updates to ticket holders and offering
customers – if things have changed
or are rescheduled – the opportunity
to receive a credit note, which canbe used towards a future booking.
In addition to this option, customers
also have the choice of receiving a fullrefund or donating the ticket value.
Snow highlights that the NT isdelighted to have received some“generous ticket donations” from its
supporters, which has helped to injectsome cash back into the businessduring these difficult times.
During the pandemic, the NT has
been keeping members informed withbusiness updates and show news andinformation through emails, its digital
newsletter and online events andextras. It has also been encouraging
potential visitors to sign up to one ofmany membership packages on theorganisation’s website. Additionally,members have been offered priority
access to bookings for sociallydistanced performances at the NT,
which will be taking place in the future.

Welcoming back visitors
A question on the minds of NT
supporters is what can they expect
on their return? According to Snow,visitors will experience a similar set up
to last year’s opening night for Deathof England: Delroy in October, where
guests were assigned different timeslots for their arrival, so that many
people did not enter the premises
at one time. There will also be handsanitising stations that customers will

have to go through before they’reescorted to a specific seating area in
the foyer. Once seated, customers
will be able to pre-order any snacks or
beverages, which will be brought overto them by a front-of-house member,as they wait to be ushered into theirdesignated auditorium.
Additional signage will be introduced
for directing customers throughwalkways in the foyer and auditoriums,
while front-of-house staff ensure
audience routes are kept as clear
as possible for toilets and exits.
Furthermore, all theatre personnel
will be donning face masks and otheressential PPE as they undergo rigorous
cleaning, attend to customers andensure visitors are complying withsocial distancing rules.
In response to UK Prime Minister
Boris Johnson’s announcement
on 22 February of his roadmap foreasing lockdown, a NT spokesperson
said: “The roadmap will allow us toplan to resume socially-distanced
performances. In parallel, progressby the government’s Events Research
Programme will be crucial because
a clear route to performing withoutsocial distancing is needed.
“Socially distanced performances
are not sustainable in the medium
term for the NT and remain impossible
for many theatres up and down the
country. As ever, we remain committed
to resuming performances as soon
as possible, to employ members of
our freelance community and to
welcome back audiences who havealways supported the National Theatre
throughout this closure period.”
As the NT awaits the green lightto open its doors once more, Snow
offers some words of encouragement
to performing arts businesses who’vebeen struggling in the current climate:“This is an incredibly difficult time forarts organisations across the country
and particularly for freelancers, who’ve
not had access to the support thatmany permanent staff have had.”
He concludes: “From both mine andKieran’s perspective, theatres need tomake sure they’re prepared for thatlight at the end of the tunnel. Thismeans checking that all the required
health and safety protocols are in placein their buildings, for when the timecomes to reopen. Let’s hope that it
does very soon.”

QUALITY.ORG | 39

CSR

CSR

PUTTING CSR AT
THE HEAR T OF YOUR
BUSI NESS

40 | QUALITY WORLD | SUMMER 2021

CHANGE

Getty.com/ Forrest9

Businesses have the potential to workfor change and create an improved world,
and the way in which they do this can help
build better customer relationships too.
David Finney, CQP MCQI, volunteer for
Humane Being and founder of The Energy
of Conversation, outlines the principles ofcorporate social responsibility and explains
how to put it into practiceHistory has taught us that if we leave change solely to governments, significant
societal change might not occur – women may never have got the vote and wemight not have banned slavery. Campaigning from grassroots level is essential
to a continually progressive society. Laws are changed to reflect the feelings ofthe people and culture evolves as people become more educated.
We can appreciate what we have improved, learn from the past and seek tomake further improvements, by preventing future occurrence of these issues.
Sounds a bit like a QMS doesn’t it? A QMS is dependent – among other things– on effective risk-based thinking, careful analysis of data and a commitment
to continual improvement. But what about the customers? They are the central
focus of a QMS based on ISO 9001:2015, so why does the definition of quality
exclude them?

QUALITY.ORG | 41

CSR

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

Since ISO 26000 (social responsibility
standard) was released in 2010,
corporate social responsibility (CSR)
has been given a lot of attention.
Businesses have realised that byadopting CSR practices, they canacquire more work, build stronger
relationships, enhance theircorporate reputation and increasestaff motivation.
Twenty-first century consumers
care about where their money goes,probably more than ever before. The
2019 Aflac CSR Survey found that77 per cent of consumers surveyed
are “motivated to purchase fromcompanies committed to making theworld better,” and 49% of Americans
say it is more important for a company
to “make the world a better place” than“make money for its shareholders.”
What is influencing this? The climate
crisis and modern slavery are probably
two such factors.
Oxford Reference defines CSR
as: “Awareness, acceptance, andmanagement of the implications andeffects of all corporate decisionmaking, taking particular account ofcommunity investment, human rights,
and employee relations, environmental
practices, and ethical conduct.”This is not about initiatives that comeand go, this definition lies right at theheart of an organisation and is fullycomprehensive. We can look to others
for inspiration.
Dale Vince, the owner of Ecotricity
and Forest Green Rovers, has recently
used plastic taken from the oceans andmixed it with coffee waste to create
football shirts.
In 2006, Blake Mycoskie started
TOMS Shoes after witnessing the

42 | QUALITY WORLD | SUMMER 2021

hardships of Argentinian children
having to grow up without shoes,
TOMS Shoes pledged to match every
pair of shoes sold with a new pair for achild in need (over 60 million given at
the last count).
In 2011, Levi Strauss & Co launched a
Worker Well-being (WWB) programme
to set new standards for the clothing
industry by surveying their employees
to find out what they need to
become more “engaged, healthy andproductive”. It aims to improve the livesof workers by addressing issues related
to health, financial security and genderequality. The programme runs in 17
countries and covers 190,000 workers;
in some cases it generates a 4:1 returnon investment.
In response to the frightening
statistic that one third of the world’s
food produce is wasted, Chipotle
and Intermarché pledged to sell their“inglorious” fruit and veg at a 30 per
cent discount and even ran ugly fruitand vegetable competitions.
The fashion industry has a reputationfor environmental damage, in terms ofwater usage, pollution and emissions.
Hubbub states: “It takes 2,700 litresof water to produce one cotton t-shirt
through conventionally grown cotton
and it uses lots of toxic pesticides.”The charity teamed up with the Soil
Association to promote the use oforganic cotton which, it states,“uses up to 91% less water in thegrowing process”.
Business leaders can work together
to create an improved world for people,
animals and the planet. If the history of
Earth was presented as a 24-hourclock, it is estimated that humans
have been around for less than
12 minutes and make up 0.01%
of all species on Earth.
In May 2019 – after
considerable work by
campaign groups – UK MPs
approved a motion to declarean environment and climate
emergency. As if a climate
emergency was not enough tocontend with, we find ourselves in the
middle of a global pandemic which has
caused the worst economy in 300 years
and already killed more than 100,000
people in the UK alone.
When colossal events occur, weclearly need to react and deal withthem, removing the issue as quickly as
possible – eg, a vaccine. ISO 9000:2015
defines this as “correction”, but in thespirit of the ISO 9001:2015 standard,cause analysis and corrective action isessential to preventing future recurrence.
Is this where some businesses andgovernments fall down? For instance,
what is the government doing now toprevent a future pandemic?
Change drives governments andbusinesses. Risk-based thinking ensures
we are constantly looking ahead,
conducting research to use historical
data to deal with issues and anticipate
future change – without that we are
the mercy of change, always reactive,
never proactive.

Above: Campainers David Finney (left) andJane Tredgett (right) are challenging the UK
Government over its failure to address the issues
associated with factory farming.
Opposite: Free range versus caged pigs. Keptoutdoors, pigs are able to enjoy wallowing andother instinctive behaviours, but these activities
are denied to intensively reared pigs.

“TWENTY-FIRSTCENTURYCONSUMERS CAREABOUT WHERE
THEIR MONEY GOES,PROBABLY MORE
THAN EVER BEFORE”

ANIMAL HEALTH: THE CASE
FOR CHANGE

Getty.com/Artur; Matthew J Thomas; ImagePixel

ISO 9000:2015 defines quality as
the “degree to which a set of inherent
characteristics of an object fulfils
requirements”. The exclusion of theword “customer” here surely implies
that if we focused on customers to the
exclusion of everything else, we may
end up breaking the law, damaging
the environment, or engaging in other
unethical or harmful practices. To
achieve quality, we must ensure we
identify and aim to meet the needs
and expectations of all the relevantinterested parties (clause 4.2).

CSR

The Covid-19 pandemic has raised
awareness of how diseases can jumpfrom animals to humans, and how
the conditions in which animals are
kept – whether in wet markets or on
farms – has the potential to affect thehealth of us all.
Two business leaders, Jane Tredgett,co-director of Results Through Training,former Board Trustee of the RSCPA
and founder of non-profit organisation
Humane Being, and David Finney,former Quality Director in the Market
Research industry and founder of The
Energy of Conversation, are challenging
the UK government over its failure
to address the issues associated withfactory farming. Their concerns overanimal welfare, the climate crisis andthe pandemic led them to challenge thegovernment to be more proactive.
Currently, most new and emerging
infectious diseases in humans comefrom animals – three in four according
to the Centers for Disease Control andPrevention (CDC) and the World HealthOrganization (WHO).
Swine flu first appeared in Mexicoand reached Britain in 2009. In Englandalone there were 540,000 cases
and 138 deaths. Avian flu has been
occurring in Britain since 2006 andfrequency has intensified in recent
years, with 12 outbreaks in 2017 and25 outbreaks between November 2020
and March 2021.
Various forms of avian flu are present
all over the world, and a particularly
lethal form of it called HPAI H5N1

is known to infect people, with a 60
per cent mortality rate. In February
2021, Russia reported cases of the first
known H5N8 avian flu infection
in humans.
Earlier this year, Professor Robert
Bragg, a researcher at the Departmentof Microbial, Biochemical and Food
Biotechnology, University of theFree State, South Africa, told Plant
Based News: “There will be more
pandemics and there is a feelingamong some scientists that this could
just be a dress rehearsal for the real
big pandemic.” He added: “Manyvirologists, including me, have been
predicting an influenza pandemic
for many years... The bird-flu virus,
influenza H5N1, has a mortality rateof around 60–65 per cent, but it has
not yet developed human-to-humantransmission. If this virus
does develop human-to-humantransmission, we could be in for areally serious pandemic!”
Antibiotic resistance is anotherserious global health concern. It is
common to treat farm animals with
antibiotics when they get sick –typically pigs and poultry. Sometimes
it is more economic and more efficient
to treat an entire shed of animals thana few sick ones. Bacteria evolve andbecome resistant to antibiotics andthese superbugs can be transferredthrough human contact with theanimal, through the food chain or
through animal waste.
The WHO reported that antimicrobial
resistance will cause around 10 million

deaths a year by 2050, stating that thebiggest driver is the “misuse/overuse[of antibiotics] in humans and animals”.
Despite the rising demand for plantbased food, animals are still farmed
intensively in the UK, where there has
been a rise in mega farms (massive
industrial-scale farms with huge
numbers of animals). One has 23,000
pigs, while another has 1.7 million
chickens. Around 20 dairies in the UK
house between 700 and 2,000 cows,
mostly kept indoors with their foodbrought to them. Over 16 million hens
are kept in colony cages, which are
not much better than the now-banned
battery cages they replaced. Nonfree-range sows are confined in metal
farrowing crates for up to 12 weeks
after giving birth. Mutilation of beaks,
tails and horns without anaesthetic
is common practice, as is the early
separation of young from parent. It
is well documented that intensive
animal agriculture is a contributor toclimate change, through methane fromcattle and nitrous oxide from animal
waste, fertiliser and pesticides (which
are estimated to be 28 times and 300
times more potent than carbon
dioxide, respectively).
Mackenzie Aime of Food & Water
Watch emphasises that the next
serious disease could happen
anywhere: “As people point fingers at
the dangers of ‘wet markets’, it’s easy
to overlook the closer-to-homeproblem of factory farms,” she says.
“Our next zoonotic pandemic could
easily come from a factory farm.”

QUALITY.ORG | 43

CSR

Tredgett and Finney have set upa campaign called SCRAP Factory
Farming and aim to launch a legal caseto force the government to addressthese issues. The aims of the campaign
are to persuade the government toabolish factory farming (or develop
a plan to do so) and to generateawareness of the issues. In addition,
there is a long-term aim to set a legal
precedent for other countries to follow.
SCRAP was created as an acronym tosummarise the key issues:
•
•
•
•
•

Suffering
Climate chaos
Ravaging the planet
Antibiotic resistance
Pandemics and disease

There were many challenges to taking
on this project. Tredgett and Finney
needed a strong legal team, funds
to cover legal costs and extensive
research, plus PR to gain support
and generate publicity. There were
multiple risks, with the two largest
being financial. What would happen if
the funds could not be raised? What
were the financial implications oflosing the case? These risks provided
opportunities. Tredgett approachedhuman rights QC Michael Mansfield,
who also has a reputation forsupporting animal rights. His response
was quick and decisive: an immediate
yes and a CrowdJustice fundraiser
was launched.
The legal team presented a casethat was spearheaded by health risks
and supported by the abhorrent
treatment of sentient animals and theongoing damage to the environment.
They sought to demonstrate that byallowing factory farming to continue,
the government was not adequately
protecting its citizens or animals.

OPERATION AND EVALUATION

Once the campaign was underway,
daily operational activities werefocused on communications. Detailed
operational and communication plans
were drawn up by the wider team withweekly videoconference meetings.
The team of volunteers included media
and press specialists who were able
to help fine-tune the key messages.
As this legal challenge on the impacts

44 | QUALITY WORLD | SUMMER 2021

of factory farming was a world first, it
quickly gained a great deal of attention
and the campaign’s reach grew tothe point where positive messagesof support were coming in fromindividuals and organisations acrossthe world.
Four key performance indicators were
set to demonstrate the campaign
was working:The objective is to present achallenge to a regime that Humane
Being, and its legal team, believes is
not adequately protecting people,
animals and planet. The Humane Being
campaign goal is for the government tophase out factory farming in the UK
by 2025.

CSR IN A QMS
How can your organisation tap into
your employees’ sense of individual
social responsibility (ISR) and weave it
into your CSR? Here is a step-by-stepguide based on Annex SL. What do you
care about? What will you focus on:
children, people, animals, planet, or a
mix of them all?

• Responses from the government.
• Messages from interested parties.
• Social media hits and shares.
• Funds being raised.

STEP ONE

Revisit context and reimagine yourfuture by broadening your review ofissues and interested parties. Somequestions that may be useful are:

These are all actively monitored as
the campaign continues to growin momentum.
At the time of writing, the Humane
Being legal team (Hackett and Dabbs)
received a response (on 25 May 2021)
from the DEFRA legal team to theirLetter Before Action (submitted on 26
April 2021). The response has been
deemed unsatisfactory by Humane
Being and their legal team and a court
application has been made to seek
permission to apply for a judicial review.
The government’s decision to facilitate
the continuation of factory farming
presents health risks to UK residents(eg, spread of disease and antibiotic
resistance), a lack of protection foranimals (eg, mutilation and confinementin cages, crates and crowded areas),and damage to the environment (eg,emissions and pollution).

• What aspects of our work are
currently impacting negatively on
the environment?
• What aspects of our lives are
currently impacting negatively on
the environment?
• Are activities in our supply
chain impacting negatively on
the environment?
• Are there any aspects of our work
impacting negatively on people
or animals?
• Are there any aspects of our lives
impacting negatively on people oranimals?
• Do the activities in our supply chain
have any negative social impacts?
• Is there any forced labour in our
supply chain?
• What do our interested parties
expect of us?

Above: The legal team believe
the case is unique.
Below: Free range versus caged
chickens. Outdoor birds have an
active life with plenty of space,rather than overcrowded andunnatural conditions.

Getty.com/PeopleImages; George Clerk

THE SCRAP CAMPAIGN

CSR

Everything we eat, wear or use has
an impact on the quality of the world.
The production of non-organic andnon-sustainable cotton can devastate
local communities and wildlife habitats
by causing drought and pollution(eg, Kazakhstan). Around 80% of theworld’s soya bean crop is fed to farmed
animals resulting in deforestation inSouth America.

STEP TWO

Revisit key policies and extend
statements to incorporate broader
intent. Maybe the quality policy is
focused so much on the customer thatit ignores the world around us. Extend
business and quality objectives toincorporate social and environmental
objectives. Ask employees about their
passions. Calculate how much time you
could give employees each week tofocus on voluntary work.

STEP THREE

Revisit risks and opportunities andplan actions to create a broader set of
benefits to a wider set of interested
parties. Weigh up the risk of ‘losing’x hours a week to voluntary work
against the gains of staff experiencing
a deeper sense of fulfilment and tohelp them feel less isolated, especially
if working remotely. There may be
additional opportunities to use thegreat work your staff can get involved
in to promote the business and attract
more clients.

“IT IS ESSENTIALTHAT WE DO
NOT ISOLATEOURSELVESIN OUR WORK
BUBBLE WITHOUT…
MEANINGFULCONNECTIONS”
STEP FOUR

Consider resources carefully toensure there is a strong and effectivebalance between customer care andextracurricular activities. Maybe arota system could be useful. Thismight be a good time to increase (oraugment existing) actual or virtual
communications by organising
workshops and including CSR/ISR inline manager appraisals and catch-ups.

STEP FIVE

Integrate socially responsible
activities into the working week.
Environmentalist and animal welfare
politician, Jane Smith, has consulted
with companies in these areas, suchas working with bank employees tospring clean the outdoor areas of a
wildlife hospital; an IT department hada team building away day assemblingsheds and coops for a farmed animal
sanctuary; one company went on a‘face mask litter pick’; another team
had a ‘tree enrichment’ day of applying
good soil and planting seeds aroundthe bases of neglected trees in theirlocal town; an engineering company
spent a morning applying mesh to grids
so toads don’t fall down them during
their spring migrations. It’s importantthat these kinds of activities are notone-off projects, but become part of
the working week. The added value for
employees is that it brings them closer
to nature and is something that canbe done remotely as well as in a team.
Workshops could be arranged to shareexperiences, or they could be posted
on a company intranet site.

STEP SIX

Evaluate the effectiveness of activities.
Some may be obviously measurable,some less so and hence employee
engagement surveys may be helpful orif a small sample size does not facilitate
this, qualitative feedback can be justas powerful. Include CSR in team andmanagement reviews and make it an
instinctive and routine part of the plan,do, check, act cycle. Seek to continually
improve your CSR profile and link it toyour strategic direction.
An organisation does not haveto have ISO 27001 to care about
information security. An organisation
does not have to have ISO 14001 tocare about the environment. Recent
events have created some social
separation in our lives, but behind
every risk lies an opportunity, suchas spending more time in nature. Itis essential that we do not isolate
ourselves in our work bubble
without seeking to create meaningfulconnections for the greater good.
As Margaret Mead once said: “Neverdoubt that a small group of thoughtful,committed citizens can change theworld; indeed, it’s the only thing thatever has.”QUALITY.ORG | 45

ANNEX SL

ANNEX SLAHARMONISEDAPPROACH TO
MANAGEMENTSYSTEM
STANDARDS
The International Standards Organization (ISO) has recently undertaken
a limited revision of Annex SL, which forms the basis for nearly all its
management system standards. The latest version, published in May 2021
as part of the ISO Supplement to Part 1 of the ISO/IEC Directives, applies
to all new ISO Management System Standards as well as the revisionof existing ones. Nigel Croft, CQP FCQI, Chair of the ISO Joint Technical
Coordination Group (JTCG) for Management System Standards, and Dick
Hortensius, Senior Standardization Consultant Management Systems,
from the Netherlands Standardization Institute and Secretary of the JTCG,
share details of the revisions

46 | QUALITY WORLD | SUMMER 2021

QUALITY.ORG | 47

ANNEX SL• The “body” of Annex SL, which
describes among other things the“harmonized approach” to thedevelopment of MSS, including thelevel of autonomy and flexibility
that can be exercised by individual
ISO Technical Committees whendeveloping their discipline-specificstandards.
• Appendix 1, which specifies thejustification studies that are required
when a proposal is made to develop
a new MSS (to avoid overlaps and/or potential conflicts with existing
standards).
• Appendix 2 contains the harmonizedstructure (HS), formerly known as
the high-level structure, with theidentical core text, common terms
and core definitions that MSS writers
are required to follow, together withguidance on how to use it (aimed
primarily at the standards writers
themselves, but which can also be
useful to MSS users).

48 | QUALITY WORLD | SUMMER 2021

The ISO’s Joint Technical Coordination
Group (JTCG) was established in 2007
and comprises representatives from allof the ISO technical committees with
one or more MSS.

Review of Annex SL

All ISO standards are periodicallysubjected to a systematic review
for their relevance and topicality.
Although Annex SL is not a “standard”
as such, this review was carried out in2018 by consultation with the various
ISO Committees (and their constituent
members) with a MSS in their portfolio,
and National Standards Bodies(including feedback from users of thestandards). That assessment showedthat the overall acceptance of Annex
SL among standards developers andusers had been good, and that there
was no need for a major overhaul.
However, there were enough points for
improvement that justified an update.
As a result, a new task force of the
JTCG (TF14) was set up at the end of
2018 to prepare a limited review of thehigh-level structure, as part of a wider
revision of Annex SL.

The revision process

Almost 100 representatives of ISO’s
Technical Committees and National
Member Bodies participated in therevision process, under the leadershipof Dr Nigel Croft (Brazilian National
Standards Organization) andDick Hortensius (the Netherlands
Standardization Institute). TF14 tried
to avoid making changes for change’s
sake, and applied a benefit/impact
rationale to every individual change.
The changes to the high-level structure(now renamed the HS) are therefore
quite small and will not have an

ISO 22000:2018
FOOD SAFETY

A

NN

EX S

ISO 22301: 2014
BUSINESSCONTINUITY

L$
ISO/IEC 27001:2017
INFORMATIONSECURITY

Annex SL will apply to thedevelopment of all new standards
and revision of existing ones.

“THE REVISED ANNEXSL HAS NOW BEEN
INCORPORATED INTO
THE LATEST VERSION
OF THE DIRECTIVES …
AND WILL APPLY TO THE
DEVELOPMENT OF ALL
NEW MSS”
provide conforming products andservices, thereby improving customer
satisfaction, and so on. This provides
a basis on which organisations
can consider the relevant risks andopportunities they need to control or
exploit in order to achieve or exceed
the goals of the management system.
For auditors and those involvedin accredited certification, these
intended results are an importantreference point for determining the

ISO 55001:2015
ASSETS

ISO 9001:2015
QUALITY

The main changes

Scope – link with intended results
The scope of all MSS (Clause 1) must
indicate the intended results of the
management system that is specified
in the standard. For example, ISO
14001:2015 states that it is about
improving environmental performance,
meeting compliance obligations andachieving environmental objectives.
ISO 9001:2015 is clear that theintended results are to consistently

ISO 45001:2018
OCCUPATIONAL HEALTHAND SAFETY

ISO 14001:2015
ENVIRONMENT© Nigel H Croft 2021

• Appendix 3 contains guidance on
the use of terminology.

NEW SITUATION: FULLY ALIGNED STANDARDS

immediate impact on users. However,the “Guidance for MSS writers”
in Annex SL Appendix 2 has beensignificantly improved, which should
result in enhanced alignment andharmonisation of “discipline-specific”
requirements as the changes filter
down into the various MSS over time.
The revised Annex SL has now been
incorporated into the latest version of
the Directives, published on 1 May 2021,
and will apply to the development of
all new MSS (such as the new ISO 42001
for Artificial Intelligence, which is stillin its early stages) and any revision ofexisting standards, such as ISO 9001
(Quality), ISO 14001 (Environment),
ISO 45001 (Occupational Health and
Safety) and others. However, it shouldbe emphasised that this will occur
over time, and the standards are notrequired to be revised simply as a resultof the revision to Annex SL.

ISO 50001:2018
ENERGY

Annex SL is the result of an extensive
revision process, with a benefit/rationale
impact applied to every change.

ISO 37001:2016
ANTI-BRIBERY

ISO 19600:2015
COMPLIANCE

overall effectiveness of a management
system. “Effectiveness” is defined inAppendix 2 of Annex SL as being “theextent to which planned activities
are realised and planned results areachieved”. While an organisation might
have other additional expectations
for its management system, theMSS will define the minimum thatshould be achieved as part of theconcept that “Output Matters”. This is
described further in the joint ISO/IAF/
ILAC document “Expected outcomesfor accredited certification to ISO
management system standards”(https://www.iaf.nu/upFiles/CASCO_
Expected_Outcomes2018final.pdf).

Cover courtesy of ISO

T

he ISO Supplement
to the ISO/IEC
Directives defines
the requirementsthat have to
be followed by
ISO TechnicalCommittees for
all ISO standards(more than 20,000of them). “Annex
SL” of the Directives is an all-embracing
term used to describe the criteria thathave to be met in order to ensure a
consistent and a harmonised approach
to writing the 40-plus MSS that are
now within the ISO portfolio.
First published in 2012, and now
applied by the vast majority of ISO
MSS, Annex SL comprises several
components, which in the latest
edition are:

ANNEX SL

Terms and definitions always
included in the standard
From now on, the terms and definitions
from Appendix 2 must be incorporated

into each MSS, supplemented, if
desired, with the specific terms anddefinitions applicable to that standard.
This is a change for ISO 9001,
for example, which so far has notincluded definitions, instead making
a normative reference to ISO 9000
(the Fundamentals and Vocabulary
standard). This is important for allusers of standards, including auditors,
because it has been shown time andagain that a good understanding ofterminology is essential for a goodunderstanding of a standard asa whole.
Removal of “outsourcing” and“control of outsourced processes”
The concepts of “outsourcing” and“control of outsourced processes” will
no longer be used. In practice, there
has often been discussion about what
exactly outsourced processes are
and what is the difference with (thecontrol of) purchasing and working
with outsourced service providers.

QUALITY.ORG | 49

ANNEX SL

The organisation determines whichstakeholder requirements will becomplied withIn Appendix 2 of Annex SL, the term“requirement” is defined as a needor expectation that is stated, generally
implied or obligatory. Clause 4.2
has always required an organisation
to identify the relevant requirementsof relevant interested parties
or stakeholders.
This definition of a requirement
indicates that it encompasses morethan what is mandatory for an
organisation, eg, complying withlegal requirements. However, it has
been unclear how an organisation
should deal with the other needs andexpectations of stakeholders.
This was already clarified in standards
such as ISO 14001 and ISO 45001, andnow a similar wording has been addedin clause 4.2 (Understanding the needs
and expectations of interested parties)of Annex SL, to make it applicable to
all MSS. Namely, that the organisation“FROM NOW ON,
THE TERMS AND
DEFINITIONS FROMAPPENDIX 2 MUST BE
INCORPORATED INTO
EACH MSS”
shall determine which of the identified
requirements of stakeholders will be
addressed in the management system.
It is logical that these would thenbecome the “applicable requirements”
that the organisation commits tomeet, as expressed in the policy inaccordance with clause 5.2 (XXX Policy),
where “XXX” refers to the specificdiscipline of the MSS, such as quality,
environment, etc.
An example in the case of ISO
9001 might be where a potential
customer has a series of needs andexpectations that the organisation

50 | QUALITY WORLD | SUMMER 2021

cannot, or chooses not, to meet.
Such needs and expectations become“applicable requirements” for thequality management system only if
the organisation offers or accepts anorder for products and services that are
based on them.
This is consistent with the concept
of “compliance obligations” asdefined in the newly published ISO
37301:2021 standard for ComplianceManagement Systems.
Management of change
Clause 6 now includes the new
subclause 6.3, which states that thechanges to the management system,
for whatever reason, shall be carriedout in a pre-planned manner. Clause
8 elaborates on this by requiring thatthe changes that are being plannedin clause 6.3 are carried out in acontrolled manner. This means thatthe basics of Management of Change
have become an explicit part of Annex
SL. This will not affect users of ISO
9001 (there is already a requirementin ISO 9001 to this effect), but this willneed to be addressed by all MSS in
the future.
Documented information
One important feature in the 2012
version of Annex SL was the departurefrom the well-known concepts of“documents, procedures and records”,
and the introduction of the ideaof “documented information”. The
purpose of this was to emphasise that
it is the information that is important
for the effective functioning of the
management system, and not so muchthe way in which that information is
captured or documented.
In any case, the JTCG has beenvery reluctant to include specificrequirements for documentation in
Annex SL to provide the maximum
flexibility for individual MSS writers todefine this for their specific discipline,with the minimum of bureaucracy.
The extent of documentation is achoice that an organisation makes
itself (based on the analysis of its
own needs for things like processcontrol, knowledge management,
demonstration of conformity and any
requirements imposed by relevantinterested parties), and not because“ISO requires it to be documented”.

By using different verbs, such as“maintaining” documented information(eg, procedures or work instructions)and “retaining” documented
information (for records), some MSS
hung on to the old concepts in aroundabout way.
This has led to endless discussions
about when a document orrecord is involved and what
specific requirements apply to its
management and control, while inmodern practice there are all kinds ofhybrid forms of making information
available in an effective and agile way.
Therefore, the new version of Annex
SL adopts the idea that documented
information needs to “be available”,
rather than prescribing how exactly
it should happen.
Improvement
There were a number of comments
made about clause 10 of the Appendix
2 text (“Improvement”), for instance“THERE IS NOREQUIREMENT
FOR PUBLISHEDMSS TO
TRANSITION
TO THE NEW
HARMONIZEDSTRUCTURE
WITHIN A
SPECIFIED TIMEPERIOD, SO IT IS
LIKELY THAT THE
2012 AND 2021
VERSIONS WILL
CO-EXIST FOR
SOME TIME”
Getty.com/Creative-Touch

That is why it has now been decided
in clause 8 to set requirements forthe externally provided processes,
products and services that are relevantto the management system. This now
also requires these processes to becontrolled (typically via purchasing),
which has not been the case so far.

ANNEX SL
too much emphasis on “learningfrom mistakes” by taking corrective
action on identified nonconformities.
This has resulted in the order of the
subclauses in clause 10 now being
reversed so it now starts with a shortsection on “continual improvement”
in general. This change is unlikely tohave a significant impact on users, but
it is in line with standards such as ISO
9001 and ISO 14001, in which a separate“general” paragraph on improvement isalready included.
Risks and opportunities – no change
The question of “risk” and the ways inwhich the various MSS address “risks
and opportunities” varies significantly
between different disciplines andsectors (most notably those that
operate in a regulated environment).
Therefore, it was not surprising thatthese topics were the subject of muchdebate during the revision process.
The ISO’s Technical Committee on

Risk Management (TC262), which
participated in the work, has sinceapproached ISO to recommend
a strategic high-level review on
how all ISO and IEC (International
Electrotechnical Commission)
standards (not only MSS) define andaddress risk.
As a result, neither the definition ofrisk nor the text on how to deal withrisks and opportunities in clause 6.1of Appendix 2 has been changed. Thiswas considered to be the best option
available within the project time frame– to have made any “quick-fix” changes
ahead of the significant discussions
that are being initiated at the ISO
and IEC level could have caused more
confusion than clarity.
However, TF14 did succeed indeveloping significantly improved
guidance for MSS writers, whichshould provide some flexibility in theapplication of Appendix 2 when needed
within a discipline-specific MSS.

Transition to the new HS

The new core text for MSS prescribedby Appendix 2 of Annex SL applies from
1 May 2021, after which all new MSS andrevisions of existing standards must be
based on this new version of the HS.
A few standards are already ahead of
the game, such as the aforementioned
ISO 37301:2021, published in April 2021.
However, there is no requirement for
published MSS to transition to the new
HS within a specified time period, so it
is likely that the 2012 and 2021 versions
will co-exist for some time. However,since there are no fundamental
differences between the two, this is notexpected to become a major issue.

Summary – socially responsible
business operations
In light of this updated version ofAnnex SL, the ISO has indicated thatthe path taken in 2012 to improve
the alignment and consistency of
its portfolio of management systemstandards is irreversible, and themillions of users of MSS can expectthat further steps will be taken in
the coming years to support suchan approach that facilitates theiradoption within a single (“integrated”)
management system.
Societal change can be facilitatedby the adoption of the appropriate
MSS. Examples include business
continuity and crisis management(highlighted by Covid-19), resource
scarcity, adaptation to climate change,
digital transformation, Industry 4.0,
the circular economy, sustainability,
the sustainable development goals(SDGs), and others. All of these bringboth business opportunities and risks
that can be addressed within a single,
robust, business management model.
The new Annex SL provides thebasic elements for this, so that any
organisation can easily understandand embed the relevant MSS into its
business operations in a way thatbest fit its strategy and goals, core
processes, products and services, andthe context in which it operates.
The latest version ofAnnex SL is available toview online at:bit.ly/3wAzyRTQUALITY.ORG | 51

T hemeasurement of
qu ality

MEASUREMENT AND TESTING

MEASUREMENT AND TESTING

Mehrdad Kamali, CQP MCQI, MSc, explains why measurement andtesting is crucial for the quality control of products and servicesAs quality
professionals, howmuch do we needto know aboutmeasurement andtesting? There is plenty of publishedinformation on quality assurance,
quality control and quality systems;
however, no matter how robust ourquality assurance is, without solid
benchmarks for products and services,
we will not be able to accurately
measure our success. Even if thewhole process is left in the handsof a specialist, there will be a need

52 | QUALITY WORLD | SUMMER 2021

for an overall understanding of themeasurement subject or control.
On writing this feature, I reflectedon the quote by Galileo Galilei:“Measure what can be measured,and make measurable what cannot
be measured”.

How to carry out themeasurement
After planning, measurement is a major
element of quality control. Any work is
still incomplete without planning, datacollection, data analysis and turning
this analysis into useful information.

When planning, we need to establish
why there is a need for measurement,
and what actions will follow based on
the measurement. It is only then that
we can logically start thinking about
how to measure.
The good news is that we don’t needto reinvent the wheel. The fundamental
requirements of testing and measuring
remain unchanged, and systems havebeen developed by thousands ofother organisations that have faced
similar issues. When we absolutely
must create a new way to measure,
we are in for some hard work. In thatcase, it is crucial to know exactly what
information we need, the correct
decision and what action will be taken
based on this information, then startcreating a measurement method.
To proceed, we need to answer somebasic questions:•		 Is it defective or non-defective?
•		 Go or no-go?
•		 Is the data attribute or discreet?
•		 What problems, errors, faults orrisks are there in the investigation
to minimise?
•		 How would you establish a (false)
alarm and its severity?
•		 How often should we measure?
•		 What equipment is required?
•		 What sample size is required?
•		 How will we analyse and present
the final information and to whom?
•		 When and where should it take 		place (in-line or off-line during theprocess or manufacture)?
•		 What degree of accuracy and 		
precision is required, and what is
the margin of error?
We also need to clearly define theresponsibilities for creating themeasurement plan and assuring itworks as intended. It is also important
to identify who will be managing theplan and inspection on an ongoingbasis, and what skills they need.
There is news of firms facing a talent
shortage. To start with, a quality

QUALITY.ORG | 53

MEASUREMENT AND TESTING
professional needs in-depth knowledgeof Geometric Dimensioning andTolerancing (a system for defining andcommunicating engineering tolerances),
as well as how this is incorporated into
quality assurance processes. As
measurement equipment is continually
improving and becoming moresophisticated, the challenge is training
and employing people who can workwith it and handle the data. This is amore pronounced issue in certain
industries than it is in others.
The essential requirement in allof the above is the traceability ofthe measurement results. This isdemonstrated through a documented
and unbroken chain of calibrations,each contributing to the measurement
uncertainty. It is up to the organisationthat performed the measurement
to prove through calibration
documents that traceability is linked
to organisations such as the National
Physical Laboratory (NPL) in the UK or
the National Institute of Standards andTechnology (NIST) in the US.

In search of certainty
Certainty is an elusive commodity.
An agile, data-driven organisation
can absorb, react to and mitigate theimpact of measurement data if it isaware of the level of uncertainty.
The adoption of digital technologies– often referred to as Industry 4.0 or
the fourth industrial revolution – withincompanies is helping them to reduce
their costs and stay ahead of theircompetition. To benefit fully, businesses
will need to step up all levels of theirtraining and data collection.
The application of data analytics
technology can provide the ability tointerrogate the collected data and to
maximise the precision and accuracyof information.
This information will assist inmonitoring product, productivity,
benchmarking, performance, improving
workflow, identifying and acting onunder/over-utilised equipment, waste
and preventive maintenance.
When collecting the data, it isimportant to know that a measurement
result is complete, and only when it
is accompanied by a statement of theassociated uncertainty. To understanduncertainty, please refer to A Beginner’s
Guide to Uncertainty of Measurement

54 | QUALITY WORLD | SUMMER 2021

NEUSA
AUDITORS
NEXTUNCUT
FOLIO(bit.ly/3oph9UR) by Stephanie Bell,published by NPL.
Once we are happy with thedata, we then need to analyse andtransform it into information usablefor our purpose. John Wilder Tukey, an
American mathematician, describeddata analysis as: “Procedures foranalysing data, techniques forinterpreting the results of suchprocedures, ways of planning thegathering of data to make its analysis
easier, more precise or more accurate,
and all the machinery and results of(mathematical) statistics, which apply
to analysing data.”
Data modelling and data visualisationsuch as formulas, tables, graphs, etc,
will assist in the communication.
It is also important to apply
techniques such as Measurement
System Analysis and Statistical Process
Control, which are employed to assistin accuracy, certainty and prevention of
defects getting into the next process.
Finally, like any other project, consider
the costs. Obviously, all the activities
discussed above have an associatedcost that needs to be considered
beforehand, to make sure that it does
not run over-budget.
All of the above is a consideration formeasuring a single parameter. A more
complex measure of product or service
requires further discussion.
In conclusion, this activity is acollaboration between the designers
who need to have an understandingof how each parameter is going to bemeasured, and the manufacturers,
service providers, suppliers and quality
personnel who need to understand theimportance of the parameter and aretrained in the equipment that is used
for this purpose.
What has been examined here so far
is by no means the only consideration,
but it emphasises the fact that
although quality assurance and quality
systems are essential failure prevention
tools, quality control tools, methods
and techniques remain the proof ofthe pudding! There is so much more toknow and so much to learn.
We only need to look at recent
product failures from leadingorganisations to realise that data canbe used as evidence in courts when it
comes to customer satisfaction with all
its reputational outcome.

Understanding the difference
between clauses 6.1.3 and 9.1.2
Cheryl Savage, Managing Director at Management and Risk Solutions Ltd,
discusses the importance of knowing the difference between clauses 6.1.3 and 9.1.2 in
ISO 14001:2015 and ISO 45001:2018“An agile,data-driven
organisation canabsorb, react to andmitigate the impact
of measurement
data, if it is awareof the level of
uncertainty”

It is important for anyone certifying
to ISO 45001 (occupational healthand safety management) or ISO 14001(environmental management) tounderstand the difference between‘identifying’ the legal requirements (6.1.3)
and ‘knowing that you are compliant’ withthem (9.1.2). Both management systemstandards require an organisation to
identify the applicable legal requirementsthat are appropriate to its activities,
products and services, and therefore
it is a prerequisite to understand what
legislation and other requirements areapplicable to your business.
Organisations can employ a competentperson and/or subscribe to a complianceupdating service to determine which
legal and other obligations are applicable
to its business (6.1.3). However, therequirement in clause number 9.1.2 isthat you need to understand and be able
to demonstrate how you know yourcompliance status.
If an organisation fails to understand thedifferences between the two clauses, it
could also lead to prosecution, ie, arisingfrom the breaches of the businesses’applicable legislative obligations and otherregulatory actions that could negatively
impact on operational delivery, as well as
the customer and other interested parties.
Unfortunately, many organisations are
falling short in conforming to clause 9.1.2(which requires you to ‘prove’ you arecompliant with the legislation identified
and provide evidence of this), which may
result in a major nonconformity fromits certification body as well as posing aserious risk to the business.
So, how would an organisation
demonstrate its compliance status to an
external auditor? To start, it should be
able to demonstrate:• its process for evaluating compliance;• its documented evidence of compliance(the standard states: “the organisation

shall retain documented information as
evidence of the compliance status”);• regular inspections conducted of thecontrols in place to meet complianceobligations;• what evidence it has.
If an organisation is going to use its
internal audit process as a method todetermine compliance, it is importantthat it ensures its internal auditor(s) has
the competence to do so. The auditor(s)should be competent not only to carryout an audit of the process, but also haveknowledge/understanding of the specificlegislation/regulations.
One option an organisation could
consider, to show how it is meeting
legal and compliance obligations, isto add a column or two onto its legal
register so that it can document when it
conducted the evaluation, and the statusof evaluation. As some examples, theinformation could include:• Control of Substances Hazardous to
Health (COSHH) is applicable to us
as we use chemicals (6.1.3). The
inspection of the storage of chemical
XX was conducted on XX and wasfound to be in compliance with theregulation (9.1.2).
• Lifting Operations and Lifting
Equipment Regulations (LOLER)
is applicable to us as we use lifting
equipment (6.1.3). We have an external
body issue a certificate once every XX
months and this is how we know we arecompliant with the regulation (9.1.2).
There are many more examples oflegislation and regulations, which would
be specific to your organisation/industry;
therefore, it is even more important thatyou ensure your management system
works for your organisation. If you
would like further information, there aremany great training organisations and/or consultants that would be more than
happy to support you.

“Manyorganisations
are falling shortin conforming
to clause 9.1.2,
which mayresult in a major
nonconformity”

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SEARCH FOR CERTIFIED LEAD
AUDITOR COURSES AT QUALITY.
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KNOWLEDGE

How to undertake layered
process audits
Dr David Scrimshire, TEC Transnational Ltd, explains how to plan,undertake and report an effective layered process audit using‘work instructions’ as your audit criteriaAlayered process audit (LPA)
is a workplace activity
focused on observing andverifying how products are
made, rather than inspecting finishedproducts or evaluating the quality
management system (QMS). The LPA
looks at individual process elements
involved in manufacturing and service
delivery in every department andarea concerned.
Organisations expend considerable
resources planning, implementing andcontrolling the processes needed tocreate products or deliver services. In
the automotive and aerospace sectors,
the process is highly structured and is
known as Advanced Product Quality
Planning. This proactively identifies
and corrects potential risks in
product design and (manufacturing)process design to guarantee theongoing delivery of perfect productto the customer – zero parts per
million defects, on time and in full,within budget.
Nevertheless, problems can arise;for instance, there could be a lackof consistency in working to theestablished work instructions at
the shop-floor level. If this is left
unmonitored, experience has shownthat ‘mission drift’ is inevitable.
To proactively prevent this problem,a radically different type of audit isrequired to augment the conventional
QMS internal audit programme. This iswhere LPAs come to the fore.

LPAs focus on controlled
conditions
The focus of LPAs is controlled
conditions, which ensure that products

56 | QUALITY WORLD | SUMMER 2021

Question

Explanation

Reaction plan

WHAT/WHERE/HOW
to check

WHY the question
was selected

HOW the auditor
is to react when anonconformance is found

Intended to verify general work
elements that have a direct
impact on quality or are likely tovary day-to-day.
Review relevant risk aspects
by using tools such as Process
Failure Mode and Effects
Analysis (PFMEA), Turtle
Diagram, or Ishikawa Diagram.

All questions must havea defined purpose and an
expected response.
Answering “Why?” underlines
the value of the question andits relationship to key
performance indicators,
controls and the process.

and services are created and deliveredin the same manner, every time, by
everyone, using the same materials
and tools – so as to produce perfectdeliverables for customers.
Central to this objective are work
instructions, which specify inunambiguous terms what the operator
needs to do.
LPAs are designed to ‘turn up themagnification’ and focus on the detail.
They systematically evaluate the extent
to which work activities align withthe process steps contained in thework instructions.

LPA personnel
LPA derives its name from therequirement that multiple layers (ie,personnel at various levels) of anorganisation conduct the audits.
This is not the quality assurance
manager or the QMS audit team, but:• operators (shop-floor workers fromother departments or cells)• team leaders and supervisors• department managers and top
managers (eg, the plant manager).

For example, a pre-establishedreaction plan to prompt the
responsible individual to correct
the situation:
1. Action #1
2. Action #2
3. Action #3, etc.

It is advisable to designate an LPA
process owner. Never, under any
circumstance, should the job be‘abdicated’ to the quality manager!
The best choice would be theoperations manager as she/he isultimately responsible for the qualityof products and services being
created for customers – they havea vested interest.

Selecting processes
Manufacturing and service processes
are selected for LPAs based on therisk to the quality of the product orservice, which require the identificationof processes or process steps that are
causing serious or frequent problems.

LPA check sheet questions
A crucial element of LPA deployment isdefining the check sheet questions (seeabove table, for example) that focus
on work instruction elements. Eachquestion is listed with an associatedexplanation of why it was selected.
The questions also have a pre-defined‘reaction plan’ (ie, how the auditor is toreact if nonconformance is found).

LPA questions verify what is actually
happening in real time (snapshot)compared with what is expected as
defined in the work instructions.
A cross-functional team provides
information and ideas to develop the
LPA check sheet questions. They focus
on work instructions and the individual
process steps/elements.
The questions should include
whatever the organisation believes iscritical to product quality. The items
are typically those that pose a high risk
to customer satisfaction, downstream
operations and/or product safetyand durability.
Once created, the set of LPA
questions must be revised as required
to incorporate the latest improvements
and process updates based on audit
findings, employee suggestions, etc.

LPA tips
First, identify the locations (eg,manufacturing cells) where LPAs willtake place. Concentrate LPAs where
they will be most effective.
LPAs must be undertaken on aregular and predetermined frequency.
Stick with the LPA schedule.
Then, set up a Layer 1 (operators,
shop-floor workers) audit schedule foreach location/cell to cover all shifts(as applicable).
LPAs are fast and furious! They
should:••••take 10–15 minutes;
include 5–10 questions;be performed every day;cover all shifts (if applicable).

The frequency of LPAs is adjusted
depending on the results obtained(ie, number of nonconformances
encountered).
LPA schedules for higher levels ofmanagement will be less frequent:• Layer 2 (middle management) –weekly/monthly.
• Layer 3 (plant managers, directors) –quarterly/annually.
Management must be involved
in updating the LPA schedule. The
schedule must be approved by thelocation (cell) management. Onceestablished, the audit schedule should
be followed and results recorded.

Preparing for an LPAFirst, review the list of audit questions
based on the selected manufacturing
cell and the associated work
instructions. Remember, 5–10 questions
are needed.
Schedule a day/time for the LPA andobtain agreement of the department
manager. Plan on taking 30 minutes
or so for the first LPA. Normally, a LPA
should take no more than 15 minutes.

Conducting the LPA andrecording results/actions taken
Conduct the LPA using the check-sheetquestions to:• identify nonconformances;• deploy a reaction plan (auditor withthe operator);• record actions taken (who/when);• correct problems during the audit.

LPA results are either:• okay (work element is being
undertaken as specified in thework instruction); or• not okay (work element is not
being undertaken as specified in
the work instruction).
Unlike a QMS internal audit, where
corrective actions must always
be undertaken by the auditee,with LPA the auditor is actively
involved in correcting problems andnonconformances. It is an immediate
fix reminiscent of Kaizen Blitz.
Report the LPA results to thedepartment manager on completion
and agree timescales for any
actions which cannot be undertaken
immediately – these should be theexceptions.

Conclusion
The LPA places people of multiple
layers (levels) of the organisation
where the work is being done toverify critical items. This facilitatescommunication between management
and the shop-floor team members.
Above all, the LPA demonstrates
to all personnel that following work
instructions to the letter is very
important. “If the plant manager ishere to verify that it is done, it must
be critical!”The deployment of LPAs will
help instil a culture of zero defects
throughout an organisation – zeroparts per million defects, on time andin full, within budget.

Top management

LPA process owner
•
•
•
•
•

Obtains audit results from each areaof the organisation.
Ensures personnel implement
corrective actions as required.
Reports to top management on thestatus of LPAs and results.
Communicates LPA results/actions
throughout the organisation.
Provides oversight of LPA
procedures, templates andschedules.

•

Plant manager/operations manager••

Team leaders/supervisors•

Operators (shop-floor workers)•••

Ensure LPA is part of formal
management review.
Reinforce the importance of LPAs.
Remove all barriers to effective LPA
implementation.
Prioritise resources to leverage value
from LPAs.
Expand LPAs to other areas.
Reassess targets for continuous
improvement of LPAs.
Document continuous improvement
resulting from LPA activities.

Layers 1, 2 & 3

QUALITY.ORG | 57

IN PRINTBOOK REVIEWS
A Question of Leadership:
Leading Organizational Change
in Times of Crisis

By Keith Leslie, Bloomsbury Business (2021),£20

I was drawn to this book by the different
angle of including the mental health of
the workforce when discussingchange management.
I have not previously seen this explicitly
written about in this type of book. The
inclusion of mental health has confirmed tome that other books are selling the impact ofchange short by its omission.
The book is well structured, with eachsection of the book building on the previous
one, although this does require it to be readsequentially. I can appreciate that it may be
tempting to dip into the different sections,especially if you are currently working on
implementing a change and fear that it may
not be going to plan!

High Impact
Tools for Teams

By Stefano
Mastrogiacomo andAlex Osterwalder,
Wiley (2021), £26.99

Throughout mycareer I have firmly
believed that successful
teams are pivotal forachieving success.
High-Impact Tools
for Teams is well designed, with detailed
explanations supported by working examples.
The book provides an excellent approach tobringing a team together, defining its purposeand how the team members will be effective indelivering it together.
Throughout the book, the authors use visuals
and quotes very effectively at the start of eachchapter to provide an insight into the tools
under review. This results in the book being
easily readable and effective for teams, large
or small, in all business environments.
Section 1 introduces a tool called the

The author uses a variety of examples andstories from many industries and time periods,
helping to demonstrate not only his vast
experience, but also that ineffective change
leadership is not confined to certain industries
nor is it a new problem.
The one negative issue I had with the book isthat it kept referring to the Covid-19 pandemic
as if it were over, which did start to grate alittle when reading it during another periodof lockdown.
This book would be very useful for anyone
who has experienced problems with change
initiatives ‘sticking’, regardless of theirposition in an organisation.
However, I feel that change managers andsenior teams would stand to gain the mostbenefit from the insights in A Questionof Leadership.
Claire Bailey, PCQI, is Quality Assurance
Business Partner at The Manufacturing
Technology Centre, UK
Team Alignment Map and the associatedrisk management activity that accompanies
development of objectives.
The tools for putting the Team Alignment
Map into action in meetings, projects andorganisations are covered in Section 2.
Section 3 introduces the Team Contract,
Fact Finder and Respect Cards. These arenice, simple tools for visualising the teamagreement to behaviours that would be needed
to support success. Too often these tools
are developed as static charters rather thanembraced by team members.
The book finishes with a reminder ofthe importance of teams working
effectively together.
I would highly recommend this book to
any team that is starting up or existingteams looking to review the controls that are
currently in place. The structure of the tools
and templates are designed to effectively
provide results, which should help teams tocollectively deliver improved work.
Tony Jordon, CQP MCQI, was Head of
Quality at Bombardier, UK

Toxic: A Guide to Rebuilding Respect
and Tolerance in a Hostile Workplace
By Clive Lewis, Bloomsbury Business (2021),£20.00

Toxic is raw and real because it mentions
things that should have been discussed inpublic discourse years ago regarding workplace
toxicity, its driving agents and mitigating
factors.
As quality professionals, we often challenge
the status quo and are tasked with finding andsolving problems, which can sometimes leadto conflict in the workplace.
Through a number of real-world examples
from many industries, Toxic not only analyses
root causes and outcomes of conflicts, but it
also provides us with guidance to minimise
them and keep difficult conversations civil andconstructive.
Although the book does not refer tocontemporary topics, such as emotional
intelligence or remote working, the reader can

Total Quality Management andOperational Excellence: Text with
Cases (Fifth Edition)

By John S Oakland, Robert J Oakland andMichael A Turner, Routledge (2020), £46.99

John Oakland’s total quality management(TQM) concept is more important than ever. In
this new edition, the authors once again show
how to improve the models to remain relevant.
To me, TQM has become a management
lifestyle and I have got practical experience thatturning quality policy into culture really works.
This book is not only for quality professionals,
but also for all leaders and employees striving
for operational excellence. The quality
profession has significantly changed over theyears and the addition of the CQI Competency
Framework strengthens TQM and theemployee dimension.
Despite the large number of TQM models,the authors capture both the need toapproach big and real-time application dataand how to manage the ever-increasing
speed and complexity of business. Today, it
is essential to understand how to use data

learn how to identify situations and react toconflict accordingly.
The book provides both reactive approaches
to deal with conflict once it has occurredand proactive ones to avoid conflict or readyoneself for constructive conflict in theirorganisation.
In addition, the author analyses the topics
of psychological safety, conflict management,
culture and even diversity/inclusion, among
others from multiple lenses. This includes
organisational dynamics, cognitive science,
psychology and physiology with intellectual
gravity that is practical enough to be used byline managers and employees.
Toxic is an easy read, and can make thelives of quality professionals easier as theynavigate through their quest to drive quality
improvement and excellence.
Jayet Moon, CQP MCQI, is Quality
Engineering Lead at Terumo Medical
Corporation, US
correctly to safeguard quality during digitaltransformations, and it is vital not to forgetquality and safety during software development
and testing. Another important aspect theauthors address is the nature of modern
communications methods and how the riskof reputational damage has never been more
linked to quality performance.
Another area that risks operational excellence
is partnering in procurement and supply chain
management, and this is well covered here.
The references to the collaborative business
relationships management systems are more
relevant than ever.
Going forward I believe that by applying ourknowledge in quality management to address
the mutual sustainability challenges could
become a game changer and the natural next
step to refine the TQM model. This would
potentially open up deeper discussions on
new circular business models to leverage theoperational excellence aspects.
Tobias Bunne, MSc, is Vice President
Research & Development and former Headof Quality at Hiab, Sweden

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO REVIEW A BOOK, EMAIL EDITORIAL@QUALITY.ORG TO FIND OUT WHAT’S INVOLVED.
WE ALSO WELCOME SUGGESTIONS OF BOOKS YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE REVIEWED IN QUALITY WORLD.

58 | QUALITY WORLD | SUMMER 2021

QUALITY.ORG | 59

LEARNLEARNW

How to build a robust risk
management framework

hile traditional risk
management often
doesn’t permit you tomanage black swan
events like Covid-19, risk
measurement does permit management
to respond to the cascade of risks thatarise from a black swan event, like
supply chain risks and responses tomarket uncertainties.
ISO 9001:2015 provides a framework
which requires risk to be consideredat every stage, and organisations
looking for a framework for managing
risk can refer to ISO 31000:2018.
Addressing risk as per ISO 9001
requires four stages: identifying therisks and opportunities, planning yourresponse, integrating the response
into your quality management system(QMS) and evaluating the effectivenessof the affirmative action. Risk-based
thinking has been given a far more
prominent role in ISO 9001:2015 and isdesigned to create a strong foundation
for growth and sustained success.
Companies certified to ISO 9001:2015
focus on leadership engagement andaddress organisational opportunities
and risks in a structured manner. They
also have the following key ingredients.

Covid-19 has revealed some harsh business realities, one of them
being that response time and agility are crucial for survival. As the full
implications of Covid-19 and Brexit loom large over our economy, howshould risk management frameworks be treated by business professionals?

Getty.com/Martin Nancekievill

A commitment to quality
from leaders

60 | QUALITY WORLD | SUMMER 2021

Responsible, engaging leaders drive
positive change. When an executive
team delivers process improvement
efforts to the wider organisation, it
could mean the difference between
success and failure for the business.
Executives have a power to deliver
resources and strategy with more
immediate effect and help implement
process improvement training. Theirleadership must align business practices
with risk initiatives (avoidance,
retention, sharing, transferring, and loss
prevention and reduction) and promotea positive process management culture

by being confident in the benefitschange brings for the organisation, andby being consistent in its application
across the business.

Understanding how risk
management fits withinyour organisation

A strong foundation for risk
management during the early stagesof business development is key inhelping the business forecast, prepare
for and prevent future disturbances.
The objective is to create a risk
management process that fits into
the infrastructure without being
cumbersome, resource demanding
or ineffective. There are companies
who use templates with rigid rules orready-made templates that do not fit
the business and cannot effectively“Risk management must
evolve and develop analytic
solutions that deliver more
flexible, adaptable and better
performing risk strategies”
operate organisation wide. As a result,
their risk management system is more
likely to fail or bring up inaccuratedata, as well as a range of unintended
consequences from faulty reports topotentially fraudulent activity. Here,the onus is on the top management
to portray risk leadership and lay
down the foundations of a risk
management framework, which suits
the organisational context and works
effectively for all stakeholders.

Information sharing

There are a great many challenges
and risks associated with data sharing,and this has led to a boom in the
global market for governance, risk
management and compliance (GRC)

software. Although such software
isn’t always the best option forbusinesses, audits and risk assessments
can be done with a supportive
organisational infrastructure and good,interdepartmental communication. As
information and even raw data can beaugmented across reports, maintaining
good records and their sources is of
key importance.
The inputs to risk management
are based on historical and current
information, as well as on future
expectations. Risk management
explicitly takes into account any
limitations and uncertainties
associated with such information and
expectations. All assumptions must
be explicit and continually challenged.
If proven wrong, the risk process must
be updated accordingly to preserve
accuracy. Information should betimely, clear, and available torelevant stakeholders.

Business continuity andthe ‘black swan’

Risk management is a critical part ofbusiness continuity planning (BCP)
and is the foundation of organisational
resilience in face of planned andunplanned risks, and risk response
planning is at the centre of BCP. A blackswan event falls outside the realmof regular expectations and carries
an extreme impact, one for whichno conventional risk-management
textbooks prepare us. Covid-19 is arare, albeit classic, example of this andhas ushered in a new future for disasterrisk management.
It is important to align risk strategy tofinancial imperatives. Most importantly,
risk management must evolve anddevelop analytic solutions that deliver
more flexible, adaptable and better
performing risk strategies, which
work in synergy with business
continuity planning.

QUALITY.ORG | 61

OPINION

A VIEW
NEUSA
FROM
NEXT
THEFOLIOTOPDIGITALSUSTAINABILITY:
A CHANGE FOR
THE BETTER

Bob Purchase, PCQI, explains why he believes quality
professionals are ideally placed to assist in the roll-out ofenvironmental and corporate social responsibility agendas
within their organisations“Both digitalisationand sustainability
consist of
individual
elements – eachwith a specificpurpose – whichmake up thefundamental
components ofan interconnected
system”

TO HAVE YOUR SAY ON BURNINGISSUES, TWEET US@QUALITYWORLD, EMAILSUBMISSIONS@QUALITY.ORG
OR POST IN OUR LINKEDIN
GROUP
LINKEDIN.COM/GROUPS/1908534

62 | QUALITY WORLD | SUMMER 2021

Digital transformation (DX) andsustainability can be notoriously ambiguous.
However, each discipline contains potential
salves for the threats faced by our planet,
our societies and global business. The
multiple facets of DX, including theindustrial Internet of Things (IoT),
machine learning and digital twins, canbe understood as concepts or tools tofacilitate a system evolution; just as net zero,
circularity and regenerative ecology are forsustainable development. When attempting
to understand the complexity of these topics
and how they relate to business functions, I
would suggest that quality professionals areequipped to both demystify and desegregate
these vital environmental, social andcorporate agendas.
Success in leveraging these disciplines
requires a thorough knowledge of theorganisation, society or system in question.
Both digitalisation and sustainability
consist of individual elements – eachwith a specific purpose – which makeup the fundamental components of aninterconnected system. Unlike pockets
of a traditional business hierarchy, theseelements must reach across the entire
system in order to evolve. Unfortunately,as the pressure builds for autonomousand resilient transformation of ouroccupations, cities and industries, so too
does the creation of mysterious teams
formed to future-proof our institutions
and to ensure this is accomplished inan ethical and eco-friendly way. It is no
coincidence then that these misunderstood
philosophies often appear in the quality
team’s in-tray.
It is a common for human beings tofind change uncomfortable, which could
explain why in organisations using aquarterly cycle for budgeting, change
or innovation tends to be swift and, insome cases, brutal.
However, the Japanese phrases ‘kai’
and ‘zen’, coined by Masaaki Imai andmentioned in his 1975 book Kaizen:
The Key to Japan’s Competitive Success,promoted input across all levels toincrementally change culture and inturn reap the benefits of continuous
improvement. ‘Kai’ and ‘zen’ roughly
translate to ‘change’ and ‘for the better’.
This Kaizen method and philosophy isa long-term strategy rooted in regularaction. The similarities between thismethodology and the crucial need toextend the growth horizon and stimulate
individual positive sustainability impact
is clear. Even energy poverty could
be addressed by embracing all whenrealising renewable, circular resources.
But what about DX? Surely Imai’s work
could not support our progression frominfinite to discrete signals. Just research
the consultative approach to initiating a
digital transformation and you may reveal
four extremely familiar letters: PDCA.
If we could imagine digitalisationand sustainability as a combined
discipline, fundamentally in the context ofthe business, there is a huge opportunity
for process improvement. Quality
professionals are ideally placed to leverage
their experience and expertise to help
eliminate both physical (ie, materials
and environmental) and abstract (ie,time and potential) operational waste.
While specialisms in edge computing,cybersecurity, corporate social
responsibility (CSR) and environmental,social and corporate governance (ESG)
disclosure may not be second nature
to our membership, as the essential
enablers of governance, assurance andimprovement, we are certainly in aposition to make change for the better.

PROPERTY MAINTENANCE
Nigel Birkinshaw,
Chief Operating Officerof Integral UK Ltd
Nigel Birkinshaw, Chief
Operating Officer ofIntegral UK Ltd, a leadingmechanical, electrical andfabric property maintenancebusiness in the UK,
discusses what quality
management means to
him and the company
What does quality mean to you
and your business?

Quality is at the heart of the coremanagement principles aroundwhich we do our business. As a Chief
Operating Officer, quality and quality
systems give me the confidence
that we have controls and processes
to manage our business. Without aquality system in place, managing
the business would be difficult,with inconsistent processes andno transparency, thereby increasing therisks that our business faces.

How do you encourage your staff
and customers to focus on
quality improvement?  
I don’t think about ‘quality
improvement’. If quality is part ofyour normal thinking and core to
the way of working, as it shouldbe, it becomes a business
improvement conversation.
The fear is, if we just talkabout quality in thecontext of systems,
people can stop seeing
the relevance to them andswitch off. Quality is at theheart of everything we do
as a business, so the focus
is and should be about how
we improve the business.
That in turn will drive

the improvement of quality
alongside everything else.  

How have quality improvement
and quality processes benefited
your organisation?  

It brings structure, consistency,
ownership and a vision to thebusiness with a framework within
which new ways of working can beestablished, allowing us to create
narratives for how we want thebusiness to operate and grow.
Moreover, through sharing our vision
with our clients, employees andsupply chain, it helps to align us allaround the quality journey that weare on, informing culture and desired
behaviours.

What advice would you give toquality professionals who want tobe heard by senior management?
The same advice I would give toanyone – make it relevant. If I go
back to my procurement background
20 to 30 years ago, the discussions
in the profession were all about
making procurement heard withinyour organisation. The only way that
this was achieved was by making
procurement relevant to the business,and the same applies to quality. Show
your leaders and managers the benefitof having quality in the organisation bydemonstrating its relevance to theissues that the business faces and how
quality can add value to the businessagenda, your brand, and ultimately, thebottom line. Recognise that your teamleaders time is in demand, so bequick, be bold, and be relevant. Thisapplies whether that is direct orindirect, but always bring demonstrable
value to the table.

What challenges relating toquality assurance might you see
businesses and organisations
facing in the future?

We are in a rapidly changing
environment and events in the past
12–18 months have proven how
volatile the world can be. The key
to success will be keeping quality
relevant to the issues thatbusinesses are facing.
The professionals who achieve
this will be flexible and quick
to respond, yet stick to thecore principles both personallyand professionally to develop
and support the wider
business objectives thatwill make themselves andquality relevant.

QUALITY.ORG | 63

MY CAREERINSPIRE

Quality Engineer at Costain Group Plc, UK

Why did you choose to workin quality?

In my previous role as document
controller and administrator for aconstruction company, I found that I
was self-motivated and keen to makea difference by driving a right first time
culture. This led to the start of mycareer in quality. I started at Costain as a
Project Co-ordinator for the quality teamand progressed to Quality Practitioner
and now to Quality Engineer. I havealways been process-driven; I enjoy
making improvements to achieve thehighest standard, as well as guiding andsupporting others to do the same.

What are your main
responsibilities at Costain, andhow do you get results?

One of my primary duties is the overall
quality management of my designatedsupplier, ensuring that the regulatory,
client and company requirements
are met. To get results, I always
ensure that my designated supplierproduces documentation, which is bothcompliant with the client’s specificationand supports the project’s key
performance indicators.
We have continuous deadlines tomeet, so I work with them in the shapeof root cause analysis meetings andpreventative action recommendations.

What is the biggest achievement
in your quality career so far?
Becoming a finalist in the Emerging

Talent category at the CQI’s 2020
International Quality Awards. To satisfy
the entry criteria, I had to show how
I contributed to my organisation in
the areas of the CQI Competency
Framework in the first eight years of
my career.
This achievement and the judges’
feedback made me realise how many
positive changes and improvements I
have made within the two years that I
have worked in the quality team.

What has been one of the hardest
challenges in your career andhow did you overcome it?

On a highly complex and major
project, the main challenge is to makesure we maintain the programme of
construction and commissioning, staywithin the budget and maintain thehighest levels of compliance.
Within my role, I coach and support
suppliers throughout the project
lifecycle. This can be extremely
challenging, and this was my first
position within the Costain team.
In some instances, I would be
spending up to 60 or 70 per cent of mytime aligning supply chain proceduresand processes with the requirements ofa nuclear licensed site.
I found this to be my biggest
challenge, especially when I wascoaching and providing support tothose who had been in the industry far
longer than I had.
However, I managed to overcomethat challenge by building strong
relationships with peers and key
stakeholders. The benefit of thisapproach is that we collectively arriveat the true root cause of an issue,
which allows us to prevent recurrences
and, in turn, drive the right first time
culture.

Looking back, what would you
do differently?

In hindsight, I wouldn’t change
anything. I believe you can learn a great
deal from past experiences to make
improvements next time.
You can share those experiences andlessons with other colleagues to makefurther improvements and implement
positive changes in your organisation.

What’s next? What do you
want to have achieved in five
years’ time?

I would like to have achieved
Chartered status at the CQI, secured
a lead quality engineering role andacquired more experience in different
sectors at Costain, such as energy,transportation and other defence
projects.

What’s your main piece of advicefor others in their careers?
Always work hard and take every
opportunity that you are given. Be
open to learning and feedback, andalways try to venture out of yourcomfort zone.

QUALITY

Become a STEM ambassador
The CQI has partnered with STEM Learning, the UK’s
largest provider of education and careers support
in science, technology, engineering and mathematics(STEM), to bring quality to the classroom.
We’re now looking for members to volunteer as STEM
ambassadors and quality advocates.
This involves going into schools and sharing your passion
for the profession. Most importantly, you’ll help students
to understand what quality is, why it matters, and thecareer opportunities it brings.

What are the benefits?

QUALITY:
A WORLD OF

Nicole Thompson, PCQISCHOOL STUDENTS AND HELP
THEM TO LEARN ABOUT

Develop your soft skills
Enhance your presentation,communication andleadership skills.

Support new talent
Help to build the next
generation of quality andauditing professionals.

Get career satisfaction
You’re guaranteed to feelrewarded by inspiring others
and being inspired.

Give back to education
Schools benefit enormously
from free access to yourexperience and enthusiasm.

CAREEROPPORTUNITIESFIND OUT HOW THE CQI CAN HELP YOU TO STAY AT THE FOREFRONT OF THE PROFESSION AT:QUALITY.ORG/YOUR-PROFESSIONAL-DEVELOPMENT

Find out more about becoming a STEM ambassador:
quality.org/become-a-STEM-ambassador
64 | QUALITY WORLD | SUMMER 2021

QUALITY.ORG | 65

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