The Modern Quality Manager

As business priorities and customer demands increase, the role of the Company ‘quality manager’ is changing—from the traditional Chief Inspector to a person with a much wider set of abilities. In particular the predominant role of correction is being replaced by prevention; the emphasis moving from policing product compliance to: 1. Selling/introducing an effective quality process based approach integral with business strategy.2. Producing an efficient Management System that effectively and appropriately controls business processes.3. Providing specialist quality consultancy, legal and investigatory advice.4. Training, persuading and cajoling managers and staff at all levels within the business to adopt a ‘quality’ approach.5. Using ‘softer’ skills to support and develop an effective quality culture. Because the business world has never been more demanding and challenging, the importance of the quality manager role has never been so significant. Understanding the elements of this role is a first step in responding to this challenge.