TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT INVESTIGATION
BY MICHAEL L. DONAHUE
Total quality management, a step-by-step approach to continuous performance improvement and delivery of quality products and services to customers, could be the management tool of the `90s. TQM, as it is commonly called, was designed for use in both government and private-sector organizations to help achieve a balance between customer and employee satisfaction. “Total quality” means meeting (and in most cases exceeding) what the customer needs and expects 100 percent of the time–without flaws, errors, or waste. This article explains how to implement TQM to improve the process of fire and arson investigation.
While TQM initially was designed for application in the mass production and manufacturing arenas, it has been widely adopted and successfully implemented in hundreds of organizations. American businesses have committed millions of dollars to implementing TQM in their respective companies as “the new way of doing business.” Regardless of an organization`s structure or size, TQM can be applied effectively. Remember, however, that TQM is a comprehensive management system, not a quick fix or bandage for problems; it is an organizational process, not a panacea.
Under the TQM concept, all work is viewed as a process. Work processes produce products and services according to the customer`s needs and desires (which also are seen as requirements). Requirements are the bases for the four absolutes of quality.
PRINCIPLES OF TQM
The four underlying principles that support TQM are the following:
1. Customer-focused. TQM assumes that all activities eventually should lead to increased customer satisfaction. Unfortunately, many organizations focus on traditional programs and services or on activities in which they are competent, regardless of the relevance to the customer. The customer market is a constantly moving target. Organizations continually must monitor the needs of their customers and modify, innovate, or abandon programs and services as necessary. In a TQM environment, a commitment to quality means total customer satisfaction. Remember, the customer is always right!
2. Constant improvement. TQM is based on a continuous effort to improve the organization`s system of producing and delivering programs, services, and products. Quality service is consistently helpful, accurate, timely, and complete. People should not wait for problems to appear. They should think ahead and keep asking the following:
How can I do my job more efficiently?
How can I work better with other people and departments?
How can I give my customers more than they hoped for?
When individuals make a commitment to improve quality, they promise to do everything in their power to meet the requirements established for the task and continually look for ways to improve. This should be the goal of every employee throughout the organization.
3. Process-oriented vs. result-oriented. Quality does not result from identifying defects at the end of the line; it comes from attention to improvement in the process–in other words, TQM focuses on the process of how something gets done, not on the individual who does it. If measurements are instituted to determine if problems exist, employees involved in the process must understand that the intent of the measurements is not to monitor individual performance or to identify weaknesses in individuals but to identify weaknesses in the process itself. TQM approaches production and the delivery of services as a system. Most organizations focus on the results rather than the processes or systems that produce the results.
4. Employee participation. The most important step of a successful TQM effort is changing traditional philosophies about managing people. A management culture that values and respects employees and their opinions, encourages employee contributions, and provides training opportunities is essential to making TQM work successfully in any organizational setting. TQM is a team effort. Individuals should be encouraged to make suggestions; share ideas; look for ways to do a better job; and communicate on a regular basis with customers, listening to their needs.
APPLYING TQM TO FIRE AND ARSON INVESTIGATION UNITS
The incidence of arson continues to increase and have a tremendous impact on America`s cities and towns, in terms of both loss of life and property damage. Although the fire service, law enforcement service, and insurance industry have made much progress over the past decade in combating the arson problem, the United States continues to suffer from one of the worst arson problems in the industrialized world. In addition, because of the recent downturn in the economy, many state and local governments are cutting their budgets drastically, and it is likely the insurance industry will have to reduce the resources it can dedicate to investigating insurance fraud (i.e., arson-for-profit cases) and assisting local fire and police departments.
Most fire and arson investigation units currently are confronted with an environment of increasing demands, higher expectations, rising incidence of incendiary fires, and dwindling resources. Unfortunately, reducing already minimal levels of staffing and investigative resources is likely to increase the incidence of arson.
In these times of economic instability and budgetary constraints, it is more important than ever that organizations look for ways to streamline internal processes so they may improve the delivery of services within the scope of their limited investigative re-sources. TQM is a unique approach that can have a positive impact on a community`s fire and arson problem.
ELEMENTS OF TQM
Fourteen TQM elements support the four underlying principles of TQM mentioned earlier. These elements form the blueprint for the development and implementation of an organization`s TQM program for fire and arson investigation units.
1. Create constancy of purpose. This involves establishing and sharing, throughout the unit, a clear view of where the unit is headed. Everyone must understand how to benefit from cooperative efforts to move in an agreed-on direction. When an organization makes a commitment to improve quality, management promises to provide the policies and systems needed to conform to requirements and improve work processes.
As with any new effort, it is necessary to establish and communicate a policy regarding the application and use of TQM throughout the organization. This policy must be established and supported by the highest levels of management and communicated throughout the organization. The unit must have a clearly written vision statement, uniform policies, standard operating procedures, and a long-range strategic plan (developed with the input of investigative personnel) that everyone clearly understands and follows. Understanding and cooperation of all members of the unit are invaluable in ensuring that the unit`s activities and responsibilities remain on course at all times.
2. Adopt a new philosophy. Unit managers must adopt a radically different management approach. There will be new paradigms regarding management, employees, quality, and service. In addition, TQM requires a considerable amount of the most precious resource–time.
This new philosophy also must be adopted by management at the highest levels of the organization. For TQM to be successful in the lower ranks of the organization, a commitment from an organization`s top command structure (such as the chief) is essential. “If the boss doesn`t buy into the program, neither will the troops!” To be successful, TQM requires a “buy in” from everyone in the organization. Personnel also need to review and measure what is accomplished to be sure it meets quality standards. That way, anything that`s less than perfect can be improved before it reaches the customer. This is a continuous process that should be applied to all tasks. No task is too small or unimportant to deserve “total quality.” Unit managers and investigators must plan for quality and anticipate the best way to perform the tasks assigned to them; then they must carry out the plan effectively to meet quality standards.
3. End dependence on large-scale inspection. Large-scale inspection of results is expensive and ineffective. It only reproduces the status quo. Units can improve quality by improving their work processes. TQM looks at the unit as a system with “raw materials” (e.g., people, information, equipment, etc.) processed and delivered by the organization to its customers. Unlike most management systems, which are concerned with the bottom line (i.e., number of arrests and convictions or amount of dollar losses), in TQM statistics are irrelevant–especially individual statistics. Instead, TQM emphasizes that fire and arson investigation is a step-by-step process involving a variety of players, and the process itself is the most important element in the system.
4. End the practice of concentrating on the end results alone. Units must recognize that the quality of the end product is contingent on the quality of the ingredients. How many arson cases have we read about that were lost in court due to a flaw in the investigative process? Management must set high standards for all personnel, and all personnel must be held accountable to these standards throughout the investigative process. Poor investigations will result in weak cases, and these weaknesses must be identified and addressed before the case is forwarded to a prosecutor for review. For example, in a TQM environment, it is not the number of completed investigations or the number of cases that go to trial that is important; rather, it is the number of complete and error-free investigations that eventually go to trial that ultimately lead to successful convictions.
5. Improve constantly and forever the system of production and service. This is the opposite of the “If it ain`t broke, don`t fix it” mentality. Just because a process appears to be working fine doesn`t mean that improvements aren`t necessary. TQM continually looks for ways to reduce waste, improve quality, and reduce costs by enhancing the process. Unit managers should view the process of fire and arson investigation as a dynamic one, continually seeking ways to improve and streamline it. Each step in the process should be studied carefully to make sure there are no defects that could result in a waste of time or money or a loss of productivity. Likewise, as each task in the investigative process is formed, personnel must check their work continually for mistakes. Work should be performed by a team consisting of individuals whose jobs are part of the same process. Unit managers and investigators must think about their work from the customer`s point of view and constantly look for ways to do it better.
During the course of an investigation, investigators may interact with a variety of customers, including fire department personnel, police officers, federal agents, prosecutors, property owners, witnesses, insurance investigators, and adjusters. All of these potential customers have certain expectations and requirements that need to be met with quality products and services each time. The services include performing fire scene investigations, conducting interviews, collecting and processing evidence, preparing investigative reports, and testifying in court.
6. Institute training. Many units lack a comprehensive and integrated training program for their personnel. Orientation, otherwise known as on-the-job training (OJT), usually is received from other members of the unit. More specific and ongoing skill building across the board is required to improve quality and ensure that unit personnel are properly trained to conduct comprehensive and high-quality investigations consistently. Proper training is vital to a unit`s overall success and should be the top priority of any unit manager. A unit`s training program must emphasize the principles of fire science and criminal investigation. Without properly trained investigators, a unit is unlikely to achieve any success in investigating fire losses or preventing and controlling arson in the community it serves.
7. Institute leadership. Leadership refers to the practice of positively influencing the thinking, attitudes, and behavior of personnel; it is not control or direction. The aim of leadership should be to improve the system to allow people and equipment to do a better job. Empowering people is an important and positive step toward achieving a higher level of morale, productivity, and success within a unit. In TQM, leadership is not necessarily at the top. The best leaders in a unit may not be the highest ranking or highest paid!
8. Drive out fear. The current environment in many units discourages employees from asking questions or making recommendations. This is true especially in units where “turf” battles (poor management-staff relations) exist or where management generally is nonresponsive to the ideas and suggestions of personnel. Personnel must feel that their input is valuable, and management must give them feedback on a regular basis. To produce quality work and improve productivity, personnel must feel secure from management`s criticism or blame. Likewise, management must not feel threatened by employees` ideas and willingness to initiate new programs, services, and procedures.
9. Combine staff areas where appropriate. If this element of TQM does not have unit application, none do. Even in the largest units, personnel are given multiple assignments and varied responsibilities. Regardless of a unit`s placement in an organization, integration between divisions/ departments can be improved by reducing historical barriers. In many instances, this also can eliminate duplication of effort and increase the cost-effectiveness of the unit. History has proven and studies have confirmed that the most effective fire and arson investigation units are those comprised of both fire department and police personnel or joint task forces of federal, state, and local investigators. These concepts should be studied carefully to determine if efficiencies and benefits can be gained from “sharing resources.”
10. Eliminate slogans, exhortations, and targets for the workforce. Talk is cheap. Improving processes and gaining employee and customer satisfaction are tough jobs. The longer it takes management to take positive steps to improve work processes within the unit, the more apt personnel are to lose confidence in the system and doubt management`s commitment to the TQM effort. Prompt action is important in convincing personnel that management is concerned about employee needs and is serious about taking corrective actions where needed.
11. Eliminate numerical quotas. Substitute leadership. Quotas or work standards focus on the end result. Quality improvement requires attention to the process. History has taught us that quotas do not in-crease productivity. Although they may appear to produce some short-term benefits, they usually cause many long-term negative effects such as employee stress, low morale, poor-quality work products, and strained management-staff relations. In TQM, emphasis is on the process, not on individual performance. A well-designed and properly functioning process conforming to TQM principles automatically yields sound individual work performance and increased productivity.
12. Remove barriers to employees` pride of workmanship. Opportunities are available in unit management to remove impediments to staff performance. Ineffective managers, inadequate and outdated equipment, and outdated traditions hamper unit personnel in doing a good job. The unit must identify these barriers and remove them. Personnel must operate in an atmosphere in which individuals have a sense of pride in the work they perform. Simple things such as nice office furniture, well-maintained and well-equipped vehicles, new two-way radios, and new computers can go a long way in nurturing this sense of pride and reducing unnecessary stress. Management ultimately is responsible for ensuring that this atmosphere is created and maintained. Without it, low morale and poor-quality investigations likely will result. Unit managers should understand that if personnel are expected to conduct quality investigations, they should be provided with quality tools and resources.
13. Institute a vigorous program of education and self-improvement. In addition to skill building, unit managers and investigators require opportunities to develop leadership and individual abilities and talents. All knowledge has the potential to offer new insights that, in turn, can improve the system and the process. Personnel should be encouraged to seek out and take advantage of educational opportunities, and these opportunities should be supported by management. Continuing education, especially in the field of fire and arson investigation, is an investment in a unit`s long-term success and viability.
14. Take action to accomplish the transformation in the unit. TQM requires that the organization`s leadership, management, and staff jointly address quality improvement with a structured plan of action. No one group can do it without the others. TQM can`t be achieved by a single department, individual, or management directive. It is possible only when every person strives for perfection every day, in every task. This team shares a goal of 100 percent perfection, commitment to total customer satisfaction, cooperative efforts to prevent and solve problems, and willingness to ask questions and make suggestions. Unit personnel must work with customers, coworkers, and other departments to meet that goal for every customer, every time. This attitude is the foundation of the TQM philosophy. Every member of the unit must understand and embrace the new philosophy. Teamwork is an organization`s best chance for success in TQM. The application of TQM will grow as management and staff increasingly adopt this new approach and recognize its value.
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Realistically, no single strategy or organization will eliminate our nation`s arson problem. A combined, coordinated, and cooperative effort is required from all the public- and private-sector organizations involved in fire investigation and the prevention and control of arson.
The TQM philosophy outlined in this article is just one example of a highly successful management strategy implemented by various organizations across the country. There may be others that can be used to achieve the same overall results. By implementing TQM (or similar strategies), investigators stand a better chance of conducting effective fire investigations, promptly identifying fires of incendiary origin, identifying and apprehending arsonists in a timely manner, consistently securing convictions, and, most important, preventing and controlling a crime that is responsible for billions of dollars in property damage and hundreds of deaths every year. n
MICHAEL L. DONAHUE is a partner with Hildebrand and Noll Associates, Inc., a hazardous-materials consulting firm specializing in emergency response and planning. He has more than 15 years of experience in chemical and petroleum industry safety and fire investigation. Donahue also teaches fire and arson investigation at Montgomery College in Rockville, Maryland. Prior to joining Hildebrand and Noll, he was the associate director of the Chemical Manufacturers Association`s Chemical Transportation Emergency Center (CHEMTREC®). Donahue received a B.S. degree in fire and arson investigation from the University of Maryland and an A.A. degree in fire science from Montgomery College.
