Properly Using Technology to Ensure Quality (A Reflection Concepts and Implementation)
Properly Using Technology to Ensure Quality (A Reflection Concepts and Implementation)
Purpose – Based on a study that was done worldwide by Forbes Insights in Association with ASQE (American Society for Quality Excellence), ASQ (American Society for Quality) and EOQ (European Organisation for Quality), entitled “JOURNEY TO EXCELLENCE: Navigating the Road To Quality In Today’s Technology-Driven Companies” – 2020, were it was examined how quality initiatives are progressing in the digital era, according to the results of the study, the main challenge identified, from the perspective of the quality professionals (operational level) was “Properly using technology to ensure quality”.
This seems to be aligned with the roles that the Quality professionals have in the organizations, and simultaneously link quality to technology, that is fully related with the concept that we know as Quality 4.0, or the role of quality in the digital progress (digital transformation).
Following the main challenges identified in the study, from the point of view of those responsible for quality (Operational challenges) – ”Properly using technology to ensure quality”, the purpose of this article is based on a bibliography research to understand the concepts and techniques related to the “Use of technology to ensure Quality” and its importance, together with a structured roadmap approach to implement them in organizations.
Design/methodology/approach – In the definition of the topic and the audience, we have come across a series of recent papers and conferences related with quality 4.0, that call for a critical summary, and we identified an interesting and well-defined issue on a study that was done worldwide by Forbes Insights in Association with ASQE (American Society for Quality Excellence), ASQ (American Society for Quality) and EOQ (European Organisation for Quality), entitled “JOURNEY TO EXCELLENCE: Navigating the Road To Quality In Today’s Technology-Driven Companies” –
2020, were the main challenge identified, from the perspective of the quality professionals (operational level) was “Properly using technology to ensure quality”. This seemed to us a very well- defined topic and that would get quality professional readers interested in the review.
After having chosen our topic and audience, we start by checking the literature using the ScienceDirect and Google Scholar databases, by searching for articles and books published in the last 10 years using the following keywords (quality 4.0, quality and industry 4.0, vision for quality 4.0, quality management and digital transformation, skills that quality should develop, quality tools in the context of industry 4.0, quality professionals in I 4.0), and downloading and keep track of the relevant papers, using Mendeley paper management system.
After having taken notes while reading the literature, we had a rough idea of the amount of material available for the review. So, in order to keep the review focused, we decided it would be a good time, to do a mini review, where the aim was to ensure that the contents made sense and to bridge the gap between fields.
To organize the flow of the main body of the review so that the reader will be drawn into and guided through it, we draw a conceptual scheme of the review, with mind-mapping techniques. These diagrams helped us to recognize a logical way to order and link the various sections of the review and to structure the text too.
This methodology/approach allowed us to make a review of articles and other sources relevant to topic of this article and provided a summary description, a critical evaluation and reflection of these works to gain understanding, build and present knowledge on concepts and implementation roadmaps to the topic of study.
Findings – We have built an understanding and present knowledge on concepts and implementation roadmaps to the challenge and topic of study.
Practical implications – Understand the concepts and techniques related to the “Use of technology to ensure Quality” and its importance, together with a structured roadmap approach to implement them in organizations.
Originality/value – We have presented an understanding and knowledge on concepts and implementation roadmaps to the main operational challenge that quality professionals are facing today.
Paper type: Empirical Research paper
Digital Transformation, Quality 4.0, Quality professionals challenges in the digital era, use of technology to ensure quality.
