KISS: keep it simple and stupid Changing rules and changing habits cost everybody additional energy. Nobody is willing to change his habits to more difficult procedures. The new procedures already have the disadvantage that they are unfamiliar, and this by itself makes them more complicated than the old ones. However, if staff can see that after a short period of time, everything will be easier and even more fun, then they might expend the additional energy needed to change to the better. New tasks which seem too complicated for daily procedure will not survive the introduction. They even might become symbols of the unwanted change. Some procedures might seem complicated in the beginning and yet very simple after a period of time. It is particulary important that the explanation and teaching of these procedures is good and kept easy, so as to shorten the dangerous time of friction and learning. New procedures must be easier than the old ones and they must be explained well to overcome the critical time of getting used to them. 3.2.3 Methods for Realisation The focus of TQM is on process engineering to greatly improve quality and satisfaction of the client. Implementing TQM means starting at the clients' wishes and going backwards to the business process. This approach will guarantee the lowest rate of expensive surprises, higher quality standards, lower costs and it will automatically keep the focus on the essential: serving the client. In the last decade their have been many concepts for restructuring organisations like 'just in time' or cutting middle management. TQM includes many of these partial concepts implicitly, but in TQM they are not a goal in itself. Newer concepts such as reengineering or continuous improvement process have much in common with TQM. They all focus on the client and on process optimisation/rethinking. Reengineering is rather an Anglo-American radical approach whereas the Japanese continuous improvement (CIP) process refers to small improvements on a day to day basis. Reengineering and CIP can be used as excellent methods for the implementation of TQM. However, they can not be used at the same time. The order is essential. Reengineering will help to find and select the new track and CIP will help to follow this new track. Doing CIP before doing Reengineering is like smoothing the wrong track. Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) further improve quality. Once the quality standards are set CIM's Computer Added Quality (CAQ) is useful to assure the standards. |