Getting an Insight into Quality 4.0 Reality: Design of a questionnaire

Purpose – In this era of digital transformation, Quality 4.0 stands out as a fundamental step in quality management. However, implementing Quality 4.0 goes beyond mere technological investments, demanding a profound cultural and managerial shift within organizations. Despite the relevance of Quality 4.0, research on its implementation is still limited. This paper addresses the development and preliminary testing of a questionnaire intended as a diagnostic instrument to assess the implementation of Quality 4.0 within Portuguese companies.
Methodology – The questionnaire design was based on: a systematic literature review on Quality 4.0, the findings from a pilot study in a ceramics company embracing Industry 4.0, and a collection of articles using questionnaires to explore Quality 4.0 implementation in diverse organizational contexts.
Findings – The questionnaire comprises sixteen closed questions grouped into four categories: i) the company’s context regarding Industry 4.0; ii) quality management under an Industry 4.0 approach; iii) the Quality 4.0 professionals and iv) the motivations, critical success factors and challenges towards the implementation of Quality 4.0. Validation was achieved through a pre-test.
Research implications– The future application of the questionnaire to Portuguese companies will allow to shed light on the extent of Quality 4.0 implementation, diagnose adopted tools and methodologies, assess current quality management approaches, identify motivational drivers,integration challenges, and delineate competencies required for professionals.
Originality/value – The study’s value lies in the development of a versatile diagnostic tool applicable across various organizational contexts worldwide, supporting the assessment of quality management within the Quality 4.0 paradigm.

Quality 4.0; Industry 4.0; Portuguese Industry; Questionnaire Design