Press Releases
Study: IT-based Quality Management Systems
Integrated Solutions Improve the Availability and Timeliness
of QM Documentation.
May 23, 2005
"We could never satisfy our customers without effective quality
management (QM)." This quotation, from a quality manager, makes
the situation of businesses who took part in an independent survey
clear. Quality managers from German and Austrian businesses with
up to 100,000 employees were interviewed on behalf of Hyperwave.
89% consider the influence of QM on the success of the enterprise
high or very high. Because QM is very information intensive, as
90% of the respondents confirmed, successful implementation is heavily
dependent on effective IT solutions.
In spite of the technical possibilities of the e-Business generation,
many organizations fail to bring their IT to the level needed by
their quality and business requirements. The impact on the business's
available data is drastic. The major problems, according to quality
managers, are obsolete, missing, and inconsistent documents.
This flawed information poses a huge challenge to businesses because,
in the opinion of 80% of respondents, it leads to unnecessary overtime
and elevated workplace stress. Almost 70% responded that this leads
to an increase of internal and external costs, as well as increased
risks of quality-related problems. Over 50% worried about the reputation
of the company and up to 40% felt that strategic risks were a consequence.
That information quality has a decisive influence on the success
of a business, is borne out by the large demand for technology that
can control the flood of information, keep data current and available,
and successfully support QM. Over 90% of QM managers indicate that
the most effective IT solutions are document and content management
systems, followed by knowledge portals and workflow technology.
In the opinion of respondents, collaboration tools and eLearning
applications also play an important role because employees must
be efficiently trained for QM to succeed. 42% of the respondents
are dissatisfied with the skill level of their employees and would
like to have an appropriate tool, such as eLearning, that would
lessen the effort necessary for training.
When it was a question of mapping out complex and information-intensive
business processes and avoiding the use of incompatible IT systems,
84% of the QM managers asked felt that being able to integrate IT
solutions was the critical or determining factor for the company.
58% of the respondents are in the process of implementing an IT-based
QM solution or are planning to do so. This fact supports the study's
conclusion of a strong trend towards IT-supported QM systems. "In
our company, IT ensures the conformance of every-day business with
our quality management requirements," acknowledged one QM manager
from the electronics industry.
Integrated IT applications guarantee quick access to information
and improve the quality of currently available documents. Although
technology cannot replace customer orientation or employee motivation,
suitable IT solutions relieve employees of the burden of administrative
and organizational duties, thereby building the basis for successful
quality management.
The complete results of the study are available as a PDF under
www.hyperwave.com/qmstudy
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