The January issue of SAM contained an article that explored some of the implications of Quality Assurance — as understood in the context of the International Standards Organization (ISO) 9000 standards, and also in the context of the proposal before the Colorado Passenger Tramway Safety Board (CPTSB) to introduce some QA language into its lift code. The Editors invited comment on this important issue.
What does the term “quality” mean in the broad sense? I have reflected on this and I have read and researched several documents, including the ISO 9000 International Standards for Quality Management. In the “Vocabulary,” it states, “Quality is the totality of characteristics of an entity that bear on its ability to satisfy stated and implied needs.” An entity can be a product, a service, a process, an organization or a person. The term quality is applicable to any characteristic and is frequently used in relation to inherent characteristics not immediately apparent, and ascertained only after experience or examination.
I believe quality is manifested by the way a person approaches any problem or task. A quality level is represented by one’s ability to understand the need, to analyze the problem, to determine and learn the skills required to solve it, to communicate the solution, to provide individual checks at the first level of production, to statistically analyze departures from what is perceived to be acceptable and to adjust the above process based on the degree of departure.
I would therefore contend that we all should embrace quality. The present problem relative to the ropeway industry and implementation of required standards is that certain individuals and organizations feel that quality is like “loving your mother,” and should not be mandated by government regulation. Further worries include the possible misinterpretation of required standards by governmental authorities and the increased costs of providing the documentation. These may be valid concerns and should be discussed, but the basic tenet—to provide a consistent, dependable level of quality to satisfy the expectations of the user—is not, in my opinion, debatable.
Then the question becomes, will all of us in the ropeway business embrace our mothers without education or mandates? I think that being quality-minded is not a religious experience and will require some sort of “kick start” for our industry to move in this direction. Maybe competition is the catalyst for education and change. Resort operators, as well as equipment manufacturers and engineers, are experiencing a stagnant market and in some cases a decreasing market. The implication, and my belief, is that directing efforts toward quality service or production will provide a more efficient, less costly entity for a given level of quality.
The term “grade” is introduced by ISO/DIN 8042 to describe the sense of technical excellence. Entities having the same functional use, but different requirements for quality, are defined in terms of category of rank, grade. A high grade entity (e.g. luxurious hotel) can be of unsatisfactory quality. Thus a manufacturer or engineer must determine the grade of product or service their customers require and provide quality at that grade.
Does quality management cost more? If one assumes that quality is required by the users of the entities provided, then the answer becomes unimportant. The provider of the entity cannot survive unless quality is provided, given a competitive market. The question then becomes, “What is the management structure that needs to be instituted to achieve quality for the product or service?” This structure will provide the most efficient organization. Then all of us should educate ourselves as to what a quality organization includes, and embark on a program to adopt such a program. If we accomplish this, maybe the proposed regulations will not appear as ominous.
