Essential ingredients for the implementation of Quality 4.0

Abstract

PurposeQuality 4.0 is concerned with managing quality in the Industry 4.0 era. Specifically, its focus is on which digital tools are used to enhance an organization’s ability to reliably give customers high-quality products. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the key ingredients for the effective implementation of Quality 4.0.Design/methodology/approachA narrative literature review was conducted on the extant works to collate and analyse previous studies in this relatively new field.FindingsThe study revealed eight key ingredients for the effective implementation of Quality 4.0 in organizations, namely: (1) handling big data, (2) improving prescriptive analytics, (3) using Quality 4.0 for effective vertical, horizontal and end-to-end integration, (4) using Quality 4.0 for strategic advantage, (5) leadership in Quality 4.0, (6) training in Quality 4.0, (7) organizational culture for Quality 4.0 and, lastly, (8) top management support for Quality 4.0. These findings have provided a steer for the future research agenda of Quality 4.0.Practical implicationsOrganizations can use the eight ingredients to perform a self-assessment on the current state of each element within their own organization. When implementing Quality 4.0, each ingredient should be effectively analysed, and measures taken so that the implementation of Quality 4.0 is effective.Originality/valueThe paper makes the first attempt to present the key ingredients an organization should possess to effectively implement Quality 4.0.

On the inclusion of sustainability and digitalisation in quality management – an overview from past to present

“…Thus, no business industry or organisation is immune to the effects of digitalisation (Brunetti et al, 2020). Neither is the QM field, which will also be significantly affected by ongoing digitalisation (Sony et al, 2020).…”

“…The digitalisation of organisations creates unique opportunities for managing the quality of products and services delivered by the organisation (ibid). On the other hand, Sony et al (2020) acknowledged that it is a challenge to validate how far traditional quality management practices and methods have absorbed changes in product development stages, cycle time compression and employee effort to match demand and customer expectations.…”

“…Mårtensson et al (2019) found that there are numerous connections between research on sustainability and the core values of Quality Management (QM). Similarly, Sony et al (2020) established that QM is one of the areas that will be significantly affected by digitalisation. Consequently, it is reasonable to assume that organisations aspiring for excellence and sustainable quality development boast well-developed strategies regarding both sustainability and digitalisation.…”

Quality 4.0: The EFQM 2020 Model and Industry 4.0 Relationships and Implications

“…In the present Industry 4.0 and digital transformation paradigm, Quality 4.0 (or Q4.0) has emerged as the combination of quality management and improvement models and approaches with technology to foster critical competencies and factors for organizational success [14,15]. While technology is an essential driver of digital transformation, organizations need supporting business and management models to achieve enduring competitiveness [16].…”

The Many Meanings of Quality: Towards a Definition in Support of Sustainable Operations

“…Examples of the influences of digitalisation include access to big data in analysis and improvement activities (Gölzer & Fritzsche, 2017), new competencies needed to establish close collaborations with IT function (Ponsignon et al, 2019), and new types of feedback channels from customers (Birch-Jensen et al, 2020). There have also been new approaches established concerning digitalisation, such as Quality 4.0 (Küpper et al, 2019;Sony et al, 2020).…”