Quality 4.0: adoption approaches and future directions

Purpose Industry 4.0 (I4.0) technologies are transforming quality management into Quality 4.0 (Q4.0) by integrating advanced digital practices with traditional methods. Despite its transformative potential, Q4.0 faces significant adoption barriers that necessitate a deeper understanding of these challenges and their solutions. This study aims to systematically analyze key barriers, major topics and adoption approaches associated with Q4.0, providing insights for decision-makers to facilitate a seamless transition. Design/methodology/approach This study followed the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) protocol for transparent data extraction. Adhering to PRISMA, 119 peer-reviewed articles from 2011 to November 2024 were analyzed using the Bibliometrix (Biblioshiny) and VOSviewer tools. Findings Bibliometric analysis identified publication trends, leading journals and authors, whereas content analysis identified eight major topics including key success factors, barriers, adoption frameworks, technologies/tools, benefits, evolution, key features and Q4.0 professionals. This categorization provides a clear structure for understanding the growing discourse of Q4.0. The thematic categorization uncovered four themes: motor (leadership, barriers, innovation), basic (Industry 4.0, artificial intelligence), niche (sustainable development, digitalization) and emerging or declining (blockchain, total quality management 4.0, quality improvement). Furthermore, a focused review classified barriers into technological, organizational, data and analytics, workforce and economic categories. Originality/value This study systematically identifies and categorizes Q4.0 barriers, major topics and phases. It provides targeted adoption approaches for each barrier category to support a smoother Q4.0 adoption. It also highlights four critical and commonly encountered issues across the three identified phases, offering practical recommendations to address them. By linking theoretical insights with implementation-focused guidance, the study advances Q4.0 discourse and supports more effective, context-sensitive adoption for practitioners and policymakers in implementing Q4.0 initiatives.