Do we require our own Quality framework?

What is a Quality Framework?

A Quality framework can be defined as: 

• Systematic structure for self-evaluation

• Umbrella for quality practices

• Survey program to practice quality

• Practice that can be used for quality assessment

 A quality framework enables an organization focus on:

• Doing the right thing

• Doing the thing right

Companies to improve their business processes adopt various quality frameworks. Today, we have an array of quality disciplines to choose from. Some, such as Six Sigma for the plant, ISO 9000-9001 for the enterprise, and the Malcolm Baldrige program to improve overall performance, are commonly known. Others such as Control Objectives for Information and Related Technology (CobiT), is popular among auditors, Capability Maturity Model (CMM) for software development, and the Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) for IT operations and services are also popular.

While there are certain common features among these quality frameworks, in most cases, they don’t conflict. Indeed, most large companies use two or three of them. For example, IBM uses ISO 9000, CMM, ITIL, Six Sigma and several homegrown quality programs.

But now-a-days if we analyze most of the very sophisticated companies don’t use any of them, preferring to roll their Own Quality Framework.

Isn’t this a better approach?

For instance, MasterCard International Inc. has adapted a framework according to its own way of doing business. It underwent an external assessment and tried to implement some ideas from the established quality processes, but it hasn’t adopted any of the frameworks formally. Outcome of this was reduced development time for new software releases from 18 months to 12 and has reduced the number of software defects as well.

So the idea should be roll your own and apply it just where it makes sense is often the best choice for organizations.

The choice can be made considering various dimensions of quality framework, such as relevance, accuracy, timeliness, accessibility, interpretability, comparability, coherence, and standardization.

Based on the above discussion I have few unanswered questions in my mind.

• Some organisations are using quality frameworks others are not. Does it really make a difference?

• What is important, the existence of a quality framework or quality of the organisation?

• Is it really important to adopt established quality frameworks or good idea is to create one?

 Let’s find an answer together…….