Training for quality

by Phil Cohen

TQM guru W Edwards Deming considered staff training vital for the achievement of product or service quality. Deming's contribution to quality management was the popularisation of an insight into the sources and effects of variation.

Variation in manufacturing means that products are each slightly different, and so cannot all perfectly meet customer requirements. Variation also means that business processes are impossible to control and monitor.

Deming formulated fourteen maxims to aid in the reduction of variation. The sixth of these was "Institute training on the job". Deming's idea was that if workers were inadequately trained, they would each carry out the same task in a different way, increasing variation.

The service industries have a different need for training: after all, quality customer service is not often achieved by homogeneity - by treating customers all the same. However, treating all customers equally well will do the trick. Here, training forms a vital part of the cure, particularly training which allows staff to empathise with customers, or to use company systems more effectively.

The ISO 9001 quality assurance standard also has something to say about training. It requires that staff be properly trained, that a procedure is drawn up covering the planning of training, and that records are kept of all relevant education, training and experience.

A system to implement this part of the standard requires first a set of records (perhaps just paper files) detailing the training, experience, etc, of all staff whose work affects product or service quality. These records should also cover training received before the staff member joined the organisation.

The system also needs a procedure for training needs analysis. A good way to organise this is to combine it with an annual staff review (particularly if you already have one in place). The procedure for the review should stipulate that the staff member's training needs are discussed and documented during the review.

It is quite possible to combine the records system with a system for recording the planning: simply draw up a form which shows both planned training, and (by means of a manager's signature against some items) training which has been completed. The same form can be used for planning and recording experience and education.

Note that the standard only requires you to plan or record training, etc, which affects product quality. It is not necessary to record all training, education or experience.

The standard also specifies that staff only carry out tasks for which they are suited. For example, if you need someone with a forklift license for a particular task, their training record must show that they have it before they can be asked to do the job.

Internal quality audits are also required by the standard, and taking this in conjunction with the requirements on training implies that at least one person within your organisation should have training or experience in internal quality system auditing. Do not confuse this level of auditor training with the level required for an external auditor such as those employed by third party audit organisations - their requirements are much more stringent, and indeed there is a whole separate standard covering just that.


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This is one of a series of articles written by Phil Cohen and Onno van Ewyk, HCi . Most of the articles were also published in the Australian Financial Review. This article may be reproduced only with the permission of HCi Consulting (email HCi ). Copyright HCi, 1993-1998.