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Do you recognize any of the training programs for Quality Management below? I am sure most of you are very aware of them. In their own right, all are excellent programs and, when done well, provide significant results for the company that implements them. However, too many times, some unsightly issues get overlooked in the process.

Some of the leaders include:

ISO9001 et al. – QMS Quality Management System, Lean – Maximizing by elimination of waste, Six Sigma Tools and processes for process improvement, TQM – Total Quality Management – Practices to improve process performance, and PMP – Project Management Professional – focus on PMBOK for processes and tools to enhance project performance.

All of the above have some things in common:

· Usually very expensive to train and maintain.

· Require initial training and testing with quantifiable experience elements.

· Utilize a specialized Body of Knowledge (BOK) developed by the Quality Organization to make their processes work.

· Recertification every year or two years or use of Continuing Education to maintain the certification

They all will claim the same benefits to the organization:

1. Specific Knowledge: Knowledge is based on their own BOK and will apply in any industry willing to adapt them to their processes. Certification is only given once the preliminary experience is verified, extensive study of the materials, and completion of the certification test.

2. Easy to Learn: All of the material provided is usually very clear and focused on the processes and measurements required to meet the needs for the certification. The key for all of them is that it should be easier to resolve complex problems using canned methods and tools. In theory, mastery occurs when knowledge and understanding have been put into practice

3. Analytically Sound: generally, any certification process will have a portion of the processes embedded in analytics of data captured through the various tools offered.

4. Continuous Improvement: any quality certification worth investing in must have this as part of the ongoing process. If not, the investment is short-term and usually fraught with issues and problems.

But as mentioned earlier, some hidden factors need to be dealt with in the leadership and training realms of any company when it comes to creating a Quality Process Element.

Here are some of those pain points:

• Lack of Leadership support & motivation: this is number one because it is usually the first thing to go wrong. Many leaders will tell someone to train someone but never provide the support, tools, logic, or motivation that makes the process dynamic and sustainable. 

• Understanding the cost: many fall prey to thinking all we need to do is pay for the training, and magically it will implement and run. This is a deadly mistake because there are implementation costs, retraining, or reimagining current in-house processes to allow the tools and functions to work well. There are also ongoing costs to monitoring and updating the procedures over time.

• Limited real job applications: due diligence needs to be done before embarking on any certification or quality program to ensure that it has real job applications within the organization.

• Use it or Lose it: keep in mind that you have roughly three months from the training completion until the knowledge gained begins to deteriorate if it is not used regularly.

• Assuming one-size-fits-all: it is never this easy, no matter how it sounds when you start. Every program requires some adaptation and compromise with current internal processes and culture to be beneficial and profitable.

• The current culture won’t support: if the contemporary culture is stuck in the world of 10 years ago, then no program will fly if it is not made part of the culture. This takes preparation and many communications to change the culture.

• Content is a hodgepodge of material: to save money and time; many organizations will try assembling material from many different locations. They end up with a mess that no one can make sense of, costing them more money than if they had done it correctly.

• Forcing staff into passive learning: it’s easy to sit at a computer, read the materials, and become an expert. The problem is that not everyone learns this way. Resentment runs high when people are left to float when it comes to learning.

• Time is always a problem: it’s easy to say you will make time for your people to learn. However, there is seldom enough time to understand the people, their jobs, and how they can reasonably implement anything new.

• Lacks diversity and inclusiveness: too often, training on quality or leadership programs is limited to only the quality or leadership custodians, so they become qualified police. Increasing diversity and inclusiveness becomes a much better implementation and can provide significant ROI.

As part of the International Association of Accredited Trainers (IAAT) charter, we will continually focus people and organizations on balancing training, coaching, and mentoring so pain points, like those above, will be minimized. By offering tools, webinars, and quarterly QSELE online conferences, we look to give a variety of approaches that members can use to generate productive, sustainable businesses and careers.