Quality 4.0 as a Global Approach to Corporate Governance
The approach to Quality that considers the current transition to the 4.0 dimension that companies and technologies are experiencing must encompass the entire organization, including the management, CEOs, and General Directors.
To convince ourselves of how Quality has become, even more so than before, a global approach to corporate governance, let’s examine the various components of a Quality 4.0 approach. It has been noted that the traditional approach to Quality remains an incomplete discipline plagued by various issues. Discussing Quality 4.0 is therefore only possible in a broad perspective where multiple factors are considered simultaneously.
Connectivity and Connection
The connection between Information Technology (IT) and Operational Technology (OT) becomes physically possible and relatively economical thanks to 4.0 technologies, where a multitude of connected sensors provide real-time feedback and allow data to be produced and processed seamlessly from OT (production technologies) to IT for analysis within QMS, ERP, and PLM systems. The entire company is thus involved in this connectivity phenomenon, which cannot occur without high-level managerial decisions.
Data
Data then becomes a variable that undergoes several scale jumps in terms of volume, speed, variety, accuracy, and transparency. The volume of data produced by production-connected systems is several levels higher than that of transactional systems. Variety is increased by the different types of data collected by sensors. Speed is understandably linked to the rhythms and frequencies of production. Accuracy and transparency become immediate as the data is collected at the source. The availability of data in this new mode is often a corporate decision that starts with small steps but can change many aspects of the organization and thus requires high-level managerial intervention.
Analytics
The third component that makes Quality 4.0 an engaging discipline for the entire company is represented by "analytics," which are not only IT capabilities but also, and especially, conceptual capabilities that allow extracting information and recommendations from the collected data. The unavailability of powerful analytical tools is identified as a major obstacle by about 40% of companies, while having analytical tools means being able to utilize at least four categories of metrics: descriptive analytics, diagnostic analytics, predictive analytics, and prescriptive analytics. Moving from analyzing "what happened" to the causes of "why it happened" are fundamental elements to predict "what will happen" and then "what action to take."
These are just a few of the variables that come into play when discussing Quality 4.0. Others are presented in articles related to this one and reinforce the idea that Quality has become "the" main discipline for anyone aiming to manage an organization in an evolutionary and modern way.
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