Quality management has become one of the fundamental themes for any company in today's business landscape. Initially, managing quality was intended purely as a compliance check between technical specifications and the final product, nowadays quality management has evolved becoming a cornerstone of many corporate cultures. The state-of-the-art of quality management is encapsulated in the managerial approaches of Total Quality Management and Lean Philosophy, both of which involve that the entire company follows a comprehensive approach to quality. Our work is focused on the area of quality management dedicated to defect management. The aim is to create a defect management system to improve the quality of the finished product, reduce waste, and increase customer satisfaction. In particular, our defect management system is based on Total Quality Management principles and it is aimed at continuous improvement. However, empirical evidence shows that many similar initiatives fail due to implementation plans unable to provide a clear and reasonable roadmap of the entire implementation process. Starting from this issue, our research aims to analyse how it is possible to use a tool derived from Lean culture, the A3 problem-solving tool, to structure a customized roadmap that leads to effective implementation of a defect management system aimed at continuous improvement for a manufacturing company. In operational terms, our research has been conducted with a single case study developed in an established manufacturing company operating in the field of industrial boilers. Our research was conducted over a period of six months, during which we answered our research question through the operational use of the A3 problem-solving tool. The findings of our research indicate a strong affinity between the A3 problem-solving tool and the objective of our study. In fact, it has emerged the effectiveness of the A3 problem-solving in formulating and implementing a robust defect management system tailored to the specific needs of the company under our investigation. The features of the tool provided us with a clear understanding of the current state of the company and guided us, step-by-step, in formulating and implementing a solid defect management process for the company. Additionally, the tool proved to be of great value in communicating with all stakeholders involved in the process, due to its clarity and objectivity.
La gestione della qualità è diventata uno dei temi fondamentali per qualsiasi azienda nel panorama attuale. Inizialmente, gestire la qualità veniva inteso puramente come una verifica di conformità tra le specifiche tecniche e il prodotto finale, oggi invece si è evoluta diventando un pilastro di molte culture aziendali. Lo stato dell'arte della gestione della qualità è racchiuso negli approcci manageriali del Total Quality Management e della Lean Philosophy, entrambi implicano che l'intera azienda segua approccio completo alla qualità. Il nostro lavoro è incentrato sull'area della gestione della qualità dedicata alla gestione dei difetti. Lo scopo è creare un sistema di gestione dei difetti per migliorare la qualità del prodotto finito, ridurre gli sprechi e aumentare la soddisfazione del cliente. In particolare, il nostro sistema di gestione dei difetti è basato sui principi del Total Quality Management, mirato al miglioramento continuo. Tuttavia, prove empiriche mostrano che molte iniziative simili falliscono a causa di piani di implementazione non in grado di fornire chiara e ragionevole roadmap dell'intero processo di implementazione. Da questa difficoltà inizia la nostra ricerca con l'obiettivo di analizzare come sia possibile utilizzare uno strumento derivato dalla cultura Lean, l’A3 problem-solving tool, per strutturare una roadmap personalizzata che porti a un'efficace implementazione di un sistema di gestione dei difetti mirato al miglioramento continuo per un'azienda manifatturiera. In termini operativi, la nostra ricerca è stata condotta con un singolo caso studio sviluppato in un'azienda manifatturiera consolidata che opera nel campo delle caldaie industriali. La nostra ricerca è stata condotta nel corso di sei mesi, durante i quali abbiamo risposto alla nostra domanda di ricerca attraverso l'utilizzo operativo dello strumento di risoluzione dei problemi “A3 problem-solving”. I risultati della nostra ricerca indicano una forte affinità tra lo strumento A3 problem-solving e l'obiettivo del nostro studio. Infatti, è emersa l'efficacia dell'A3 problem-solving nella formulazione e implementazione di un solido sistema di gestione dei difetti su misura per le esigenze specifiche dell'azienda sotto la nostra indagine. Le caratteristiche dello strumento ci hanno fornito una chiara comprensione dello stato attuale dell'azienda e ci hanno guidato passo dopo passo nella formulazione e implementazione di un solido processo di gestione dei difetti. Inoltre, lo strumento si è dimostrato di grande valore comunicativo con tutte le parti coinvolte nel processo, grazie alla sua chiarezza e obiettività.
Using A3 problem solving tool to implement a defect management system: case study of an Italian manufacturing company
Racanelli, Annamaria;Baio, Antonio
2022/2023
Abstract
Quality management has become one of the fundamental themes for any company in today's business landscape. Initially, managing quality was intended purely as a compliance check between technical specifications and the final product, nowadays quality management has evolved becoming a cornerstone of many corporate cultures. The state-of-the-art of quality management is encapsulated in the managerial approaches of Total Quality Management and Lean Philosophy, both of which involve that the entire company follows a comprehensive approach to quality. Our work is focused on the area of quality management dedicated to defect management. The aim is to create a defect management system to improve the quality of the finished product, reduce waste, and increase customer satisfaction. In particular, our defect management system is based on Total Quality Management principles and it is aimed at continuous improvement. However, empirical evidence shows that many similar initiatives fail due to implementation plans unable to provide a clear and reasonable roadmap of the entire implementation process. Starting from this issue, our research aims to analyse how it is possible to use a tool derived from Lean culture, the A3 problem-solving tool, to structure a customized roadmap that leads to effective implementation of a defect management system aimed at continuous improvement for a manufacturing company. In operational terms, our research has been conducted with a single case study developed in an established manufacturing company operating in the field of industrial boilers. Our research was conducted over a period of six months, during which we answered our research question through the operational use of the A3 problem-solving tool. The findings of our research indicate a strong affinity between the A3 problem-solving tool and the objective of our study. In fact, it has emerged the effectiveness of the A3 problem-solving in formulating and implementing a robust defect management system tailored to the specific needs of the company under our investigation. The features of the tool provided us with a clear understanding of the current state of the company and guided us, step-by-step, in formulating and implementing a solid defect management process for the company. Additionally, the tool proved to be of great value in communicating with all stakeholders involved in the process, due to its clarity and objectivity.| File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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https://hdl.handle.net/10589/202672