Integrating Quality into Business Systems for High Performance, Complimentary Excerpt Available from Best Prac...( CHAPEL HILL N.C. Dec. 14 /- Compa...),Health

CHAPEL HILL, N.C., Dec. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Companies competing in a regulated environment face a plethora of technical and bureaucratic standards. Organizations have come to rely on integrated quality systems to ensure they meet these rigorous requirements. But effective quality systems don't just spontaneously spring up in organizations. A dedicated quality leadership team is key to creating and maintaining a quality operation that functions across a firm's business systems, according to new research from benchmarking leader Best Practices, LLC.

The study, Integrating Quality into Business Systems for High Performance, (http://www3.best-in-class.com/rr889.htm) found 83 percent of quality organizations are led by executives at the director level or above. High-level leadership gives quality leaders the required influence in an organization's structure, according to quality leaders.

To download a complimentary study excerpt, go to http://www3.best-in-class.com/rr889.htm
Other key quality insights uncovered in field research include:

- Companies rated co-location of quality and line staff as the most

effective method for establishing integrated quality roles.

- To support "quality at the source," 92 percent of companies indicated

that they clearly post quality performance to target rates with the

help of visual aids at the work site. Some companies install touch

screens where front-line workers can access quality standards real-

time.

This research study is based on surveys, interviews and site visits with dozens of best-in-class companies including Dell, Dow Chemical, FedEx, GE Money, Johnson & Johnson and Wachovia. The study provides performance benchmarks and process insights that will help managers, executives and team leaders across
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