Please make a comment on the classmate’s response to the question below. Also, make sure to ask a question to the classmate as well. There is a rubric attached.
Question: As a manager how can you apply the concept of the Four Costs of Quality to your management within your current job (or future job). Please support your position Biblically – use at least 4 Bible Verses here. Use a minimum of three references for the initial post.
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Classmate response:
In my current position as a member of the project management team for large infrastructure projects, quality is a key component of our work that contributes to keeping costs low, maintaining schedule, maintaining client relationships, winning new work and increasing shareholder value for our company. Quality is nearly always a primary project goal that contributes to the success of project both in the eyes of the client and of the contractor. A failed project cannot lead to achieving business goals, and moreover, it leads to losses (School of PE, 2017).
Internal Failure Cost
Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and hold together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. (Ephesians 4:15-16 NIV)
Unfortunately, internal failure costs, or deficiencies cause internally, are a reality of large construction projects. Similar to the concept considered in service quality, employee performance cannot always be standardized (Parasuraman, Zeithaml, & Berry, 1985). Even with many checks and balances in place, with often hundreds off employees across sites that are miles long, some deficiencies are bound to exist. On our project our goal is to inform employee Why? these internal failures are a problem and how they impact each employee, their coworkers, and the overall project. Typically, when employees begin to understand the trickle down (or up) effect that rework, delays, downtime, (Buthmann, 2012) etc. has on the project, they take more care in the work being performed. My goal is to understand and remind myself and others that we are each part of an important body that must support each other through performing our duties and performing them well.
External Failure Cost
Whatever you do, work at it with all your hearth, as working for the Lord, not for human masters (Colossians 3:23 NIV)
An additional cost of poor quality is that associated with external costs. These costs are typically felt from the clients but can also come via public interactions and negative press. Our projects typically have a third-party inspection staff assigned to monitor quality. When quality begins to suffer, this staff can become hyper-focused on additional monitoring and testing. These concerns often lead to reduced production and efforts being wasted. External costs can also be associated with the creation of environmental issues if care is not taken in critical environmental areas. Many employees feel the importance of quality in the interactions that they have daily with these third-party staffs. We can all also be proud of our company name when external costs for poor quality are eliminated and our brand is associated with good quality across the industry.
Prevention Costs
Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed. (Proverbs 15:22)
On our projects, quality planning is a critical component of ensuring the use of materials and construction practices that meet local and federal quality requirements. Larger projects often consist of a quality manager, quality engineers and quality inspectors. Smaller projects may also have these positions or, in some cases, these responsibilities transfer to construction engineers. Special care is given to Quality Control and Quality Assurance plans, project owner material and construction specifications, manufacturer specifications and personnel certifications for various positions.
Appraisal Costs
Do not those who plot evil go astray? But those who plan what is good find love and faithfulness. All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty. (Proverbs 14:22-23 NIV)
Planning and training is a critical piece of maintaining high quality products and services. However, plans without action and proper execution do not get the job done correctly. In order to ensure that quality plans and specifications are followed, we must ensure that staff is provided with proper equipment for testing and that they are informed of the work being performed so that they are able to test as necessary. Quality audits, equipment calibrations and controls tests (Buthmann, 2012) are all key components of ensuring that quality personnel are properly trained and equipped to monitor quality construction to ensure successful work both in the moment and moving forward.