QAM - Quality Assurance Management

Interesting question posted on Linkedin and these are some of the comments received.

Edison Reis

I am a firm believer quality has a price or should I say cost?  …. How about you ?

Edison Reis

My approach is linking Quality, Health, Safety and Contiuous improvement

How about yours

Edison Reis

Whats your experience or suggestion in regards rewarding employees engaged on CI’s ?

Thanks in advance

Edison Reis

Based on my past professional experiences I surprisingly found myself merging into the Oil Sands industry about 2 years ago.

I have to confess that becoming exposed to a unique and geographically specific industry was initially overwhelming however, thankfully, the majority of quality requirements, principals, standards and management tools were originated within the automotive and aerospace industries which I am very familiar with.

The intricacies of the Oil Sands poses additional requirements that are unknown by other sectors which makes this journey extremely rewarding. Generally speaking (please don’t get me wrong Quality Assurance Management colleges) this is the only sector that Quality comes after Health & Safety. Honestly I was initially surprised but this reality is truly appropriate considering the risks and consequences of this industry.

When you’re exposed to an industry that produces millions of dollars a day poised by unlimited resources and high demand, Quality Assurance and Compliance Management becomes a pretty small word.

Current efforts are far beyond customer excellence but rather towards a sustainable industry that fosters overall safety (employees, community and environment) consequently we’re constantly tasked to raise the bar. 

Other than government compliance which are extremely important, companies are now realizing the true importance of industry standards like ISO 9001, 14001 and OSHA 18001. After being exposed to them several times in the past, only now I’ve been noticing a pragmatic benefit beyond my experience as the traditional quality or operation improvement approach. Without truly focusing on the environment we can jeopardize future generations and without truly focusing on heath and safety people may not get home.

Despite the worldwide negativity about the Oil Sands, companies are investing millions of dollars and providing technical resources to address current and potential issues. Some will argue that efforts aren’t good enough however; sometimes we need to be reminded that as humans we tend to focus on “what’s wrong” instead “what’s right”.

Unfortunately for some the negative approach can become a business proposition however I am thrilled to be focused within the positive side of things.

Is all about shifting the approach from ….. Is the glass ½ full or ½ empty to ….. Perhaps we just have too much glass! (Recognize and adapt)

What’s your take? Please feel free to agree or disagree as we all learn from each others feedback.

Edison Reis