Setting Up a Quality Circle Forum in Manufacturing: Seeking Advice and Best Practices

Dear Members,

I am in the process of setting up a Quality Circle Forum in my organization, which is a manufacturing unit. If anybody has some useful information, format, structure, core points, and processes of implementation/feedback systems, please do provide me.

Thanks,
Bharath

You may wish to consider the training procedures for QC staff, as exemplified in the WHO guide to GMP requirements, Part 3: Training, 2006, Annex 5 (WHO/IVB/05.24). The document is available at who.int.

Form a quality forum by having at least 2 employees from each process. Ask them to meet once a month or more depending on assignments. Make sure staff meets during work hours or is adequately compensated.

Train them on basic TQM or statistics; teach the members 1-2 methods in every meeting. Buy a few good books, e.g., "100 Methods of TQM" by Sage Publication, costing 300/-. Pick a 12th standard book on statistics. CII runs good courses on GMP/GHP at a reasonable fee of 3-4000/- for a 3-5 day course (I am certified on GMP/GHP/HACCP from CII itself).

Ask them to identify where improvements are required and then form small subcommittees to handle the same. Please ensure that making improvements figures amongst the KPIs of all staff. Start with managers first. For example, a manager must support/coach 2 improvements in six months per reporting employee. This is what happens in GE; they have institutionalized improvements so that it sustains itself and becomes a part of the culture.