It’s hard to overstate exactly how much COVID-19 has changed every facet of the way we live and do business. To quote The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, our “lives got flipped, turned upside down.” Although we’re more than half a year into the pandemic, some brands are still thinking of the changes made as temporary, rather than looking for ways to use these changes as a permanent pivot to something better.
Those who don’t take this opportunity to modernize their quality model will find themselves scrambling for the duration of the pandemic, and will fall behind once business normalizes and struggle again in whatever crisis comes next. The COVID-19 pandemic has laid bare the gaps in traditional quality models, and it demands our response meet the needs of the present and the future.
We’ve laid out nine ways we see COVID-19 prompting the modernization of quality initiatives.
1. A Proactive Approach Is Replacing Reactive Response
We’ve been hearing about the need for proactive versus reactive action for years, but in the absence of a compelling enough reason, many companies weren’t investing in making this happen. Now, when your brand depends on a strong response, the time has come to put in place initiatives that will see and address potential issues rather than just responding after they become problems.
2. Every Employee Is the Chief Quality Officer
Empowered employees not only give your quality team eyes across the business, they know their suggestions and comments for improvement will be welcomed. Reassure your employees that feedback is supported and valued and see your quality efforts grow exponentially.
3. Growth in Self-Assessments & Virtual Audits Is Growing Visibility
At the beginning of the pandemic, self-assessments and virtual audits were seen as a stop gap or necessary evil. What we’ve discovered is that they instead are an invaluable part of the quality ecosystem, providing more perspectives and more frequent feedback to supplement annual audits.
4. Continuous Quality Management Is Overtaking Point-in-Time Audits
With annual audits off the table for the time being, smart companies are looking for better ways to gather and analyze the data they need. Quality management software has provided a way for brands to get a real-time, integrated view of things like compliance, trends, or potential hot spots.
5. Spreadsheets Are Phasing Out
There are better ways to get a holistic view into quality than a series of spreadsheets that are slow to fill out and difficult to aggregate or analyze. Purpose-built audit systems with ready-made reports are taking their place, making it easier to collect, understand, and act on data.