Implementation of a quality information database: The cornerstone to a continuous improvement program

Faced with a quality crisis resulting from the clients' deteriorating confidence, the quality department of an environmental monitoring operation was forced to reconsider its methods. The department recognized some of its own inefficiencies, and determined that converting its record-keeping from manual logbooks to a computer-based system would be beneficial. A centralized Quality Information System (QIS) database was developed as a tool for consolidating the records of quality issues so that tracking and trending could be performed more efficiently. Once in place, however, the QIS was found to be capable of much more. By providing timely feedback of quality issues, and by making this information available to all company employees, the QIS became recognized as a powerful tool for closing the continuous improvement cycle. It provided a metric upon which to establish specific goals and by which to evaluate progress toward them. Furthermore, the trending information it supplied became valuable as a source of support for personnel evaluation decisions. The QIS continues to evolve as company management expresses its desires for new and innovative ways to use the database.