Causes of Poor Quality

Poor Quality

The market is customer-centric. Competition is very high. Still, most of the companies face the problem of poor quality. In spite of various quality models, quality improvement processes and methodologies the issue of poor quality is there. Why is it so?

What are the causes of poor quality?

Causes of poor quality may be grouped into six main categories:

Man

• Lack of motivation/interest, fear, stress
• Shortage of people
• Lack of training/skills
• Unqualified personnel
• People taking shortcuts

Machine

• Lack of capability
• Lack of maintenance
• Nonavailability of spares
• Wear and tear
• Improper setup/calibration
• Outdated technology

Material

• Low-grade material
• Unspecified material
• Variation

Management

• Lack of vision, mission, value system
• Failing to identify/understand customer needs/requirements
• Short term planning
• Inadequate/poor planning
• Flawed incentives and indicators
• Favoritism
• Lack of supervision/monitoring
• Attitude towards change
• Lack of decision making and communication skills
• Lack of process understanding
• Lack of fact-based decision making

Method

• Lack of procedures
• Procedures not followed
• Conflicting requirements
• Procedures not communicated
• Too rigid or too relaxed requirements

Environment

• Humidity / temperature / lighting