Quality management is a continuous improvement process that focuses on the delivery of high-quality products and services to customers. Quality management consists of the processes that can provide the necessary information for making decisions and improving those processes, resulting in better quality products or services. The goal of a Quality Manager is clear: delivering goods or services in accordance with industry standards while meeting client expectations. The job of a quality manager can be challenging and rewarding, but it requires a lot of skills and expertise. If you wish to make a career as a Quality Manager, understand the responsibilities below and plan out your actions accordingly.
Responsibilities of a Quality Manager
Listed below are some of the obligations and duties of a quality manager:
Understand Customer Needs and Requirements
Customers need specific services and products. So, the quality manager takes customer needs and requirements as a priority when developing new products or services. The quality manager makes sure that products and services meet customer needs and expectations. He/She also makes sure that employees are trained to provide world-class service to customers.
Devise Product Manufacturing Processes with a focus on Quality
A Quality Manager is responsible for the quality of a product manufactured by an organization. The role involves devising and implementing processes that ensure that each product meets a fixed standard, such as what it should look like and feel like, as well as being free from defects. The quality manager is responsible for the efficient manufacturing of products according to strict quality standards. This includes quality planning and pre-production, implementing an effective process, and ensuring that every product meets the company’s expectations.
Onboarding, Supervising & Training New Members
Giving direction and criticism on team members’ performance is the duty of a quality manager. All new team members receive communication from them regarding the team’s objectives, procedures, and deliverables. Additionally, the job is in charge of defining remedial action, identifying possible issues before they arise, and ensuring that all personnel completes their tasks safely.
Establish Quality Requirements for Raw Materials for Suppliers
The quality manager must ensure the quality of all the raw materials supplied by external suppliers is according to industry standards. This includes ensuring that there are no errors in the material specification, that materials on order are manufactured to identical specifications, and that any problems are notified as soon as possible.
Ensuring Products are designed with adherence to legal and safety standards
The responsibility of the quality management manager is to make sure that safety and regulatory requirements are followed when designing products. To achieve this, it is necessary to guarantee that the research, design, and manufacturing procedures adhere to or surpass pertinent industry requirements. Additionally, they oversee adherence to environmental rules and regulations, including energy efficiency improvements made to buildings during construction and equipment wear and tear throughout manufacturing.
Make Statistical Analysis Reports on Quality Standards
The statistical analysis of a process, which involves the gathering and analysis of quantitative data about processes, systems, and products, is the responsibility of the quality work manager. This includes understanding and documenting any deviations from the product or design specifications, as well as identifying performance flaws. In addition to strengthening current standards, the function also involves advising management on quality standards.
Take Product Feedback from Customers
Taking product feedback from customers and new prospects is a core part of the quality manager’s duties. A lot of time is spent listening to each customer and brainstorming solutions they might have missed. The main responsibility while performing this task is to act as a liaison between the customer and the manufacturing or service provider to provide feedback on product defects, process performance, and other miscellaneous problems.
Collaborate with Management Teams to provide recommendations and solutions to quality issues
The task of assuring the quality of a company’s products or services falls on quality managers. They work together with management teams to offer suggestions and fixes for quality problems. To make sure that quality standards are satisfied in accordance with legal requirements and commercial requirements, quality managers keep an eye on developments and difficulties.
Manage ways to reduce waste and increase efficiency
The quality manager must be able to anticipate possible issues in order to work successfully and efficiently. The quality manager will need to think outside the box when it comes to finding new ways to cut waste and boost productivity. In order to accomplish this, a quality manager must be prepared to take constructive criticism from others and acknowledge when they lack current knowledge.
A smart manager knows how to cut expenses by eliminating wasteful expenditures such as recruiting low-wage workers who can’t handle high-volume orders, buying supplies that can be cheaper elsewhere, and outsourcing tasks that can be completed internally.
Staying up to date with New Quality Control techniques and methods
Using the latest technology, a quality manager can stay up-to-date with the most modern quality management technique and make sure that they are not only keeping up with global standards but also matching the expectations of their customers.
The Quality Manager is responsible for the continuous improvement of product and process quality. They assess areas of improvement and make changes where they are necessary. The QM will have to learn new techniques and methods such as Six Sigma, Lean Manufacturing, or Total Quality Management so they can work with these programs in their company.
Conclusion
Given our newfound understanding of a QM’s responsibilities, let’s talk briefly about pursuing a career in this area. A career in quality management can be compared to a roller coaster ride–there are a lot of ups and downs, and you could end up as an engineer, a general manager, or a software engineer. The industry is changing really fast, so you should always be on the lookout for new opportunities, but at the same time, you have to prepare yourself for what this industry has done to quality management in the past few years. If you are truly serious about pursuing a career, you might also enroll in a Quality Management Certification Course and upskill yourself.
