Successful companies are quality companies. A JIT strategy is only one part of a company's overall quality management program. To instill a quality culture, the entire organization needs to be involved.

According to Philip B. Crosby, there are 14 steps to improving quality in an organization. His absolutes of quality management are (from his book, "Quality is Free: The Art of Making Quality Certain"):

• Quality means conformance, not elegance.
• There is no such thing as a quality problem.
• There is no such thing as the economics of quality; it is always cheaper to do the job right the first time.
• The only performance standard is zero defects.
• The only performance measurement is the cost of quality (COQ).

In brief, the 14 steps to improving quality and continuing improvement in the organization include:

1. Management commitment. Top-level view on quality must be demonstrated to employees by management. Commitment must be clear.
2. Quality improvement team. To pursue quality regimes throughout the business, form quality improvement teams with representatives from each area of the business (or departments).
3. Quality measurement. Determine how to measure where current and potential quality problems exist. Look at, for example, late deliveries, budgeted to actual sales, etc. Keep it simple for all to understand.
4. Cost of quality. Evaluate the cost of quality and explain its use as a management tool. Ensure that everyone understands the need for a quality system, especially the costs of business if there is no quality system in place.
5. Quality awareness. Raise the quality awareness and personal concern of all employees.
6. Corrective action. Take formal actions to correct problems identified through previous steps. Simple cause-and-effect analyses may be all that is required to prevent re-occurrence.
7. Zero defects planning. Establish a committee for the zero defects program.
8. Supervisor training. Train all employees to actively carry out their part of the quality improvement program. They should be able to apply both quality logic and zero defect appreciation to their business activities.
9. Zero defects day. Hold a "Zero Defects Day" to let all employees know that change has occurred (in a good way!). Don't forget to serve free coffee and donuts!
10. Goal setting. Once change is implemented in one area of the business, encourage employees to establish improvement goals for themselves and their groups. Continue with the improvements in other areas of the business.
11. Error cause removal. Encourage employees to communicate to management the obstacles they face in attaining their improvement. Perhaps goals may need resetting or additional assistance may be required by management to achieve goals.
12. Recognition. Management must recognize the employees who participate in the quality schemes. Monetary rewards are always welcome.
13. Quality councils. Use both specialist knowledge and employee experience to bring about a focused approach to business quality improvements. Quality councils should communicate on a regular basis.
14. Do it over again. Continuous improvement never stops. Once one goal is attained, start the next one.

Remember that quality improvement is never a "one off" project. It is, by its nature, a continuous improvement initiative.

Crosby's 14 steps will transform the quality culture of your organization. Through the transformation, your organization will not only realize a shift in thinking and doing, but a tangible healthy (and wealthy) profit margin, as well.