Profile of Managers/Coordinators of Quality

A manager/coordinator of quality should possess the normal characteristics of any manager. As such, they should be, to begin with, a leader.  Their capacity to influence, motivate and direct people in a determined direction should be very evident. Also because those a necessary conditions to guarantee the quality production in the enterprise. Other attributes like synthesis capacity, objectivity, agility in decision-making, convocation ability, etc., equally required by most managers, are also necessary here. But, in function of their particularities, there are specifications that make up the profile of the manager of quality that can be considered characteristic of the function, though not exclusive to it. To define them, it is sufficient to observe what are their attributions.

Within the context of Total Quality, it corresponds that the Manager/Coordinator of Quality project, develop, implant and evaluate the Total Quality model. That is their first function, highly technical, in which they develop the definition of general lines of action of the Total Quality program within the factory; the programming of implantation activities; definition of the model of control for the evaluation of quality in the enterprise; the organization of the flow of information on quality and, evidently, evaluate the product in the market, and from there, obtain the analysis of their quality.

The second group of activities of the Management/Coordination of Total Quality refers to the coordination of efforts for quality production. It is a function which involves many sectors and people and is situated, almost always, on the border between processes of inter-sectoral integration and the interference of one sector in another. The greatest problem, evidently, refers to the human relationship, that is, the development of activities that congregate efforts of different types and the origin of a unique movement.  

In a certain way, here can be included the procedures of training and conscientization of the work hand, important and quite diverse aspects in both methods and the evaluation of results. As a natural extension to this, the Management/Coordination of Total Quality is in charge of the development of human resources of the enterprise in terms of the contribution they make to the organization, which is to say, the quality of their services.

The activity of Coordination also covers the circulation of information for all the enterprise, from the governing body to the plant. It is a job that requires the diffusion of information itself, as well as the obtention of positions held concerning each situation being considered. 

Furthermore, it corresponds that the Management/Coordination overcome crisis generated by the introduction of new concepts by the need to modify attitudes they suggest. Here, there emerges much resistance to the changes and the need to elaborate strategies to overcome them. 

In the case of resistance to change, two basic strategies have been recommended: the gradual introduction of new techniques in a way that provokes small modifications in work routines and the obtention of results that make unquestionably evident the advantages of the new system. These strategies have given good results, but they require quite an intensive activity on the manager's part.

The functions of System Administration, of a technical nature, and that of coordination of efforts in quality production, involving human relationship, are the most attainable areas. Besides them, there are functions of organization of quality, which can be summed up in 4 categories:

• Formulation and presentation of proposals for policies of quality within the organization, to be approved of by top administrators; 

• Structuring of Quality Planning, so as to carry out decisions contained in the policy of quality within the organization;

• Incorporation of needed resources that are sufficient to actions that execute the projects on quality; 

• Structuring the Quality Control after planning

It appears evident that these questions are also related with the manager's technical competency. Element 3, meanwhile, involves all the resources of the organization in an effort for quality, but confers particular attention to the human resources of the enterprise, which emphasizes the grade of relation that the manager must maintain with all the workers.

Finally, it should be noted that, mainly in terms of these 4 numbered items, it is fundamental that the manager of quality be familiar with the productive process; to make certain all their effort is directed to the correct objective, it is essential that he or she know the product and the demands of the market, the only way to guarantee a perfect adaptation to the use. It doesn't correspond to him or her, obviously, to define what the market wants, gather information about marketing strategies nor discover the competitor's action. There are specific sectors of the enterprise in charge of that. What is wanted is solely that the Manager/Coordinator of Quality be perfectly informed to proceed to evaluate the appropriateness of the product for its usage.

These aspects define the three basic requisites of the Manager/Coordinator of quality: technical knowledge about quality (concepts, structures, models of evaluation, etc.); human relations and familiarity with the process and the product.

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