What new thing can you try to improve quality?

We're all going through something right now.  Our businesses are challenged more now than ever in my lifetime.  Each day is wrought with new obstacles and challenges to overcome, and we're having to use new ideas and new technologies every day just to keep our heads above water.  And even as we navigate our way through, uncertainty threatens us around every corner.

But companies are evolving.  Their people are adapting.  And we are finding new ways to operate.  We are being brave enough to suck at all kinds of new things.

One new thing a lot of us are sucking at is WFH (working from home).  Although WFH isn't terribly new for me, I still haven't perfected it.  The angle and lighting of my webcam is really unflattering, and my glasses reflect the light from the screen.  Those of us with kids and pets struggle to keep them quiet and offscreen, but I hear and see really cute and really wild kids and pets nearly daily on teleconferences.  And a great many of us haven't quite mastered the use of the "mute" button while on conference calls.

Another new thing is working split shifts and wearing additional PPE and masks and having dividers and plexiglass and all kinds of protective (and cumbersome) changes to our processes.  But you know what?  The show must go on.

I've seen some really great advances and adaptations brought on by necessity through this crazy pandemic.  A friend in Germany changed up his entire manufacturing operation, isolating engineering and support from manufacturing, splitting shifts, rearranging the workspace and adding specific PPE/hygiene protocols to allow his business to remain open.  A couple of my friends and colleagues have started podcasts.  One friend lost his job, but changed careers entirely and is off on a great new adventure.  One of my clients completed their ISO9001 surveillance audit entirely remotely, and there were some findings that were really helpful to her organization.  

Whatever is inspiring you (or pushing you) to learn and grow and do something new, let yourself go and GO FOR IT!

When I had my first maternity leave, I started my first consulting business.  When I moved from Michigan to Florida, I changed industries.  When I found myself between jobs, I started another consulting business and wrote a book!  And while in quarantine, I learned how to create and launch an online training course.  My business is surviving, and we're finding our way through this thing.

What does your business need to do continue to thrive?  How can you improve the quality of your products and services?  How is your quality system working for you?  Are you ready to try something new?

If you're registered to ISO9001, what are your results?  Is your quality at the level you want it to be?  Is being ISO9001 registered worth it?  If you want better results, let's talk about how we can make it better.  Check out my website at  www.marnieschmidt.com.

Maybe you're registered to ISO9001, but you would like to improve your training program, or offer additional resources to your internal audit team?  Watch this video to learn more about my online series ISO9001 in Plain English.

Or maybe you'd like to know how to unite and leverage both your ISO9001 quality system and try adding some lean and Six Sigma tools like 5S, FMEAs, Value Stream Maps.  Read or listen to Tribal Knowledge - The Practical Use of ISO9001, Lean and Six Sigma Together.

Now is the time to learn something new and apply some new skills to your organization.  Be brave enough to suck at something new!