Rework is one of most expensive costs resulting from poor quality. Rework not only means redoing, it includes all of the efforts expended fixing something that was not done right the first time. Sending an email to look for a missing document. Picking up the phone to verify that the number on the form was a “3” and not an “8”. Sending employees out into the field to expedite the gathering of documents because they just don’t seem to make it into the office on time. All of these costs of rework can significantly diminish a company’s service delivery and bottom line.
And how do you prevent rework? Getting It Right…The First Time.
So how do you Get It Right? Getting It Right does NOT mean having inspectors and auditors at the end of a process, it does not even mean having inspectors and auditors during the process. Getting It Right…The First Time means DESIGNING the process to eliminate errors throughout the process and thus eliminate the need for rework during or at the end of the process.
A critical element in designing a culture and process to Getting It Right is ensuring that the organization has equipped its employees with the tools necessary to assist them in Getting It Right…The First Time. A well trained, drilled football team is at a significant disadvantage without their tools of the game including helmets, pads, cleats and water on the sideline.
In the ever-present focus on improving quality, companies need to take a step back and analyze whether the tools they have provided to their employees are assisting or encumbering their efforts to Get It Right…The First Time and avoid the dreaded costs of rework.
