Page 428 - The Handbook for Quality Management a Complete Guide to Operational Excellence

his handbook is designed for quality professionals wishing to
improve their understanding of the quality management body of
Tknowledge that they can apply in their day-to-day work.
Readers should note that questions that appear on any given certifica-
tion exam can come from any source. No single book can hope to specifi-
cally deal with every possible question. Furthermore, it is our belief that
preparing for the exam by focusing on questions is a flawed strategy.
Frankly, the student who is only interested in passing an exam deserves to
fail. The goal should be mastery of the subject matter, not a passing score
on an exam. Quality management is a serious business and it should be
practiced by people who have in-depth knowledge of the subject. The cus-
tomer’s safety and the organization’s viability may depend on the exper-
tise of the quality manager. There is no room for a quality manager whose
sole objective is to know enough about quality management to answer
some questions correctly on a given day.
By mastering the quality management body of knowledge, you will be
ready for whatever problems come your way. The problems may be in the
form of questions on a certification exam, or decisions you will make on
the job. Mastery implies understanding, not memorization of a few facts.
When you understand the subject, you will have grasped the principles of
quality management. The fundamental principles will be your guiding
light in times of confusion. Such wisdom can never be attained by focusing
on exam questions that ask, for example, whether Ishikawa referred to his
system of management as “total quality control” or “company-wide qual-
ity control.” Knowing such trivia may make you seem erudite at a cocktail
party, but it will not help you make better decisions regarding quality.
What is involved in “mastery?” Mastery involves a firm grasp of fun-
damental principles not as floating abstractions, but as a means of under-
standing reality. The principle “reducing variation results in improved
quality” is understood if it immediately creates in your mind the image of
a customer who knows that she can depend on the quality of your prod-
ucts. This book presents fundamental principles, along with numerous
examples of the principles in practice. Of course, you will also need to
provide your own examples from your own experience. The point is that

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