By Eugene le Roux, FSAIRAC, and Eamonn Ryan
Project management, by its very nature, is a complex endeavor fraught with potential pitfalls. This is Part 3 of a four-part series.
A welding failure on a product has serious consequences. Freepik
- The problem: A welding failure on a product has serious consequences. The CEO deflects blame (“welding has nothing to do with me”). The welder states, “We just do what we are instructed to do.” The engineer laments, “We struggle to get good welders, but the weld was prescribed according to some specification.”
- Analysis: This is a classic example of a breakdown in accountability, quality management, and communication across organizational silos.
- CEO: A CEO is ultimately responsible for the organisation’s output and quality. Deflecting blame indicates a disconnect from operational realities and a failure in leadership accountability.
- Welder: The welder’s statement points to a lack of empowerment, inadequate training, or a disconnect between their practical experience and the prescribed specifications. They are executing, but perhaps without full understanding or the ability to flag issues.
- Engineer: The engineer’s comment highlights a systemic issue (lack of skilled labor) and a reliance on specifications without ensuring the practical capability to meet them. It suggests a gap between design and manufacturing reality.
- Diffusion strategy: This case demands a multi-faceted approach focusing on accountability, quality culture, and process improvement:
- Clear accountability matrix: Define roles, responsibilities, and accountability for quality at every level, from the CEO down to the shop floor.
- Robust quality management system (QMS): Implement and enforce a QMS that includes:
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- Welder qualification and certification: Ensure welders are certified and regularly re-qualified for the specific types of welds and materials.
- Welding procedure specifications (WPS): Detailed, validated procedures that are understood and followed.
- Quality control (QC) and inspection points: Regular inspections at critical stages (e.g., pre-weld, during weld, post-weld).
- Traceability: Ability to trace every weld back to the welder, materials, and procedures used.
- Training and empowerment: Invest in continuous training for welders and empower them to stop work and raise concerns if they believe a specification is unachievable or unsafe.
- Cross-functional collaboration: Foster open communication between engineering, manufacturing, and quality assurance. Engineers must understand manufacturing capabilities, and manufacturing must provide feedback on design feasibility.
- Leadership commitment: The CEO must visibly champion quality and accountability, ensuring resources are allocated to training, equipment, and robust QMS.
- Root cause analysis: Conduct a thorough investigation to identify the true root cause of the failure (e.g., faulty specification, inadequate training, poor material, equipment issue, procedural non-compliance) and implement corrective actions.
