What do you do if Quality Assurance clashes with other departments?

I have often been accused of being that "QA that holding up production" I've found that it really helps to review and understand the issue and what that means, talk to SME's and UNDERSTAND the risk, As QA we represent patient safety, regulatory and frankly the company itself and if needed to sometimes we need to protect the company from itself. We need to make money to stay in business and sometimes hard to understand that nobody is here to deliberately stop production so sitting down and explaining the issue and WHY its an issue while appreciating we each have our own responsibilities and work together to get a compliant plan committed to. "Doing it right is just as important as getting it done."

1.Acknowledge that a difficult situation exists. 2.Let individuals express their feelings. 3.Define the problem. 4.Determine underlying need. 5.Find common areas of agreement, no matter how small. 6.Find solutions to satisfy needs

Safety and Quality are part of the, ZERO IS POSSIBLE, so there is no doubt: All departments must support and follow guidelines to pursue this undisputed target in the modern construction industry.

1- We tends to arrange meeting with department resources. 2- Put all the possible cases on desk. 3- Discuss matter in detail. 4- Put on suggestions. 5- Finalize our concise plan of action.

If Quality Assurance ever conflicts with other departments, as a QA lead, one should strive to tackle the issue diplomatically and cooperatively. The first step is always to identify the cause, talk openly with the other departments, and try to understand the perspective of the parties involved. One can try to bring everyone to the same page by talking about how QA is a common ground for each department to focus on to keep the quality of the company’s product or service high. The best method to build trust and cooperation is through involving the team in other departments to get their ideas and include them in the QA process so that misunderstandings and problems may be addressed within the process, promoting transparency and team expansion

From a Quality Assurance perspective, it is important to maintain process alignment and resolution efficiency. When discussing things like this, we need to ensure that our justification will be supported by factual artifacts and not only based on opinions or different point of views.

Explain Findings Clearly: When QA identifies issues, clearly explain them to the other departments. Be specific about the problems and how they might affect the project or customers. Listen Attentively: Once you've explained the problems, listen carefully to the concerns of the other departments. Try to understand their perspective and why they might be hesitant to address the issues. Keep it Professional: Maintain a respectful and professional tone throughout the conversation. Avoid accusatory language or blame games.

Clear communication is paramount when resolving interdepartmental conflicts. You should articulate the importance of QA processes and how they align with the company's overall objectives. Ensure that discussions are focused on facts and data rather than opinions, which helps to depersonalize the conflict and focus on finding a solution. Encourage a two-way conversation where all parties can express their concerns and suggestions openly without fear of criticism.

• Clear communication is crucial, even if seemingly obvious. • Setting clear expectations is essential. • Both teams should aim for a high-quality system. • Empathy and consideration of colleagues' sensibilities are crucial. • It's important to verify if the counterpart has correctly understood. • Open discussions on all issues allow team learning from each other's experiences.

Finding common ground when Quality Assurance clashes with other departments involves identifying shared goals or interests and using them as a basis for collaboration. Start by acknowledging the concerns and perspectives of the other departments involved. Then, look for areas where your goals align, such as delivering high-quality products or improving customer satisfaction. By focusing on these common goals, you can work together to find solutions that benefit everyone involved. Open communication, mutual respect, and a willingness to compromise are key to finding common ground and resolving conflicts effectively.

• Regular meetings ensure consensus and opportunity for contributions. • Limit meeting duration to prevent disinterest or distractions. • Feedback loop improves communication between developers and testers. • Developers and testers often take criticism personally. • Maintain open mind during feedback, but avoid letting negative remarks interfere with work. • Focus on product improvement, not just the outcome.

I would read a report with the source file of the conflict after which I'll organize for smaller sectoral meetings before convening the final get together to foster the importance of intersectoral strategy alignment with the least of conflict possible.

I will probe to know 1. Why the clash 2. What department(s) are involved 3. What their interests are 4. How these interests (in 3 above) benefits the system 5. Apply interperonnal skills to deal with the various dept, and press to have a meeting 6. Communicate the objectives of Qa in a general meeting 7. Monitor the outcome, if mine target is met. 8. If 7 above is met, continous monitoring and improvement plans will follow 9. If 7 above is not met, then review the qa objectives and monitor as in 8above

Finding common ground involves identifying shared interests, values, or goals among conflicting parties to facilitate collaboration and resolution. Here’s how to do it: 1. Identify Shared Goals: Look for common objectives that both parties are trying to achieve. Even if their approaches differ, focusing on shared goals creates a foundation for collaboration. 2. Listen Actively: Practice active listening to understand each party’s perspective fully. Acknowledge their concerns and seek to find areas of agreement or overlap. 3. Highlight Mutual Benefits: Emphasize how resolving the conflict or finding common ground can benefit all parties involved. Highlighting mutual gains encourages cooperation and compromise.

Work Together: Instead of working against each other, see if you can find solutions together with the other departments. This might involve brainstorming sessions where everyone can contribute ideas. Consider All Needs: Look for solutions that address both the quality concerns identified by QA and the needs of the other departments. Perhaps there's a way to fix the problems without significantly impacting deadlines or budgets. Evaluate Solutions: Once you have some potential solutions, discuss their feasibility and effectiveness. Consider how realistic each solution is and how well it would actually address the problem.

Fostering collaboration involves creating an environment where individuals and teams work together effectively to achieve common goals. Here’s how to do it: 1. Open Communication: Encourage transparent communication channels where team members feel comfortable sharing ideas, concerns, and feedback. Foster a culture of listening and respect for diverse perspectives. 2. Shared Goals and Vision: Clearly articulate the organization’s goals and vision, ensuring that all team members understand how their work contributes to the bigger picture. Align individual and team objectives with overarching goals to foster a sense of purpose and unity.

Building strong relationships and collaborating effectively with departments across the organization, such as manufacturing, R&D, and supply chain, is essential for driving quality improvements that impact the entire value chain.

Implementing solutions effectively involves translating ideas and plans into action in a systematic and efficient manner. Here’s how to do it: 1. Develop an Action Plan: Create a detailed action plan outlining the steps needed to implement the solution. Define clear objectives, timelines, responsibilities, and resources required for each step. 2. Allocate Resources: Ensure that adequate resources, including funding, personnel, and technology, are allocated to support the implementation process. Identify any potential resource constraints and develop strategies to address them. 3. Communicate the Plan: Clearly communicate the implementation plan to all stakeholders involved, including team members, managers, and relevant departments.

Quality & Progress: The ideal solution is one that ensures a high-quality product while still allowing the project to move forward. There might be situations where some minor compromises can be made, but never on core quality principles. Be Willing to Compromise: Sometimes, finding common ground requires a little give and take. Be open to compromise as long as it doesn't sacrifice core quality standards. Monitor and Adapt: Keep an eye on how things are going after implementing a solution. If it's not working as well as expected, be prepared to adjust your approach.

Establish Cross-Functional Teams: Cross-functional teams bring together individuals from different departments, including QA, product development, marketing, and customer support, among others. Benefits of Cross-Functional Teams: 1. Diverse Perspectives 2. Improved Communication 3. Streamlined Decision-Making 4. Ownership and Accountability 5. Enhanced Problem-Solving By establishing cross-functional teams, organizations can leverage the collective expertise of different departments, break down silos, and foster collaboration to address challenges and drive success effectively towards the common Goal.

Elaborate to understand the root cause. Discuss and present the value. Talk with their language. Show the RIO with reference to these departments. Refer to international standards and seek the power from the boss if u reached deadlock.

Transforming production quality was a fundamental chapter in my 27 years in the industry. Early on, I witnessed a stark disconnect between production and quality: workers even manipulated samples to evade lab locks. To achieve organizational and cultural change, we passed all analyzes to the line (excluding microbiology), providing operators with direct quality control. This change required many hours of training and accompanying the growth of the operators, but it reaped notable rewards. Near real-time product release and increased operator accountability skyrocketed quality metrics for the first time from 75% to 97%. It was a challenging two to three year journey, but the organizational and cultural evolution proved invaluable.

All of above with staying within the compliance in order to solve the conflict between quality and other departments are useful. But this is the general statement you really needs the exact scenario because each scenario are different and taken actions will be variable based on that.

Apart from the above, Fostering the customer first approach and Keeping Organisational objectives above the individual interests are key things to follow during decision making in conflict resolution.