Karani Nyamu is the Group CEO of Nairobi-based IT company Verve KO and also runs Kore Forests Ltd, a real estate firm.
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Quality assurance is a full time department in most large organizations. But a small start-up cannot afford to finance this kind of setup. According to marketing consultant Karani Nyamu, small start-ups with lean capital and financial muscles need to adapt a basic well-articulated approach to quality management. It is possible to institute some form of quality assurance without the financial controls and infrastructure used by large billion-dollar firms.
Invest In Record Keeping
First and foremost you will need to documents most of your processes. A proper record keeping is needed for you to know how resources are used. You also document what kind of processes you use to run the day to day operations of the business. Keeping neat, detailed and accurate documents is a laborious task that will consume a significant amount of time. Even then it is a valuable process that will enable the company to account for all the decisions that are made within the business.
Scan For Quality Issues
From time to time it is prudent to analyse the company record and operations through the records to find loopholes and inefficiencies in the system. Most companies punish whistle-blowers who point out errors and redundancies. A culture that punishes those who point out the inefficiencies is bound to create a sense of fear where one prefers to keep silent for fear of retribution. Truth be told most employees can perfectly point out all the quirks and weak points in the productions system, whether they speak out about it or not depends on your organization’s culture.
Listen To Outsiders.
Unlike employees, most clients and customers find it easier to point out the weakness in quality of the product. Unfortunately companies also view most customers as a nuisance. They rarely respond to customer complaints. A customer’s complaint is a goldmine that can help you to not only streamline your product experience but also build a customer loyalty that lasts a long time.
Make Amends
Most companies if left to their devices wouldn’t change the quality issues. Most quality adjustments are expensive processes that lead to increased overheads and even restructuring. Nothing can substitute for quality. The big risk is once clients learn to associate your product with inferior quality it is very had to undo that dent on your brand.
Set Up regular Quality Checks.
You need to have a time periods within which you conduct quality tests. Depending on your product, the time and capital resource you have and the regulations in the industry, it is possible to have a regular and well-timed quality inspection that’s weeds out lapses in product quality.
Always remember that your quality is your ultimate brand and seek to protect it at all costs.