Road to Revival

The next day at work, Chen Yan received a task from Zhang Xingwu: to cover for Wang Zhiping, who was on sick leave, and go with General Manager Jiang to the 13th branch factory for a quality on-site meeting. Zhang Xingwu told her that General Manager Jiang had already gone to the site, and that she should inform the publicity department to record the meeting and hurry over.

Chen Yan's work in the secretariat is not heavy. Because of her gender, she is only "responsible" for one leader, Liu Xiuyun, and the rest is written work such as summaries. However, there are not many written tasks at this time of year. They usually get busy at the end of the quarter, the end of the first half of the year, and the end of the year.

Because Liu Xiuyun rarely went to the workshop, Chen Yan was also unfamiliar with the branch factory. She had to ask twice before she found the main workshop of the 13th branch factory.

When she entered with her notebook, dozens of people had already gathered around. From a distance, Chen Yan could hear Chief Engineer Jiang Shangyun giving a speech.

Jiang Shangyun is both the company's top technical officer and the leader in charge of quality, serving as the "management representative" of the company's quality management system.

"I made arrangements as soon as I returned from East Lake, why were you all so slow to react? Hmm?" Jiang Shangyun's voice was filled with barely suppressed anger.

Chen Yan squeezed into the circle and saw Jiang Shangyun reprimanding Chen Yongliang, the director of the quality management department.

Mr. Jiang was known for his good temper among the company's leaders, and this was the first time Chen Yan had seen Jiang Shangyun so angry. Then she saw General Manager Tao standing next to Mr. Jiang, and she realized that the quality department must have embarrassed Mr. Jiang in front of General Manager Tao.

"President Jiang, please don't be angry," Tao Tang said calmly. "Director Chen, you came with us to East Lake, and I see you took notes of the users' feedback on our product. What work have you been doing these past few days?"

"President Tao, after returning, President Jiang immediately convened a special meeting with the quality department and put forward the requirement for a special rectification. In the past two days, we have worked with the quality inspection center, the technical department and relevant branch factories to sort out the problems raised by the other party, and in the spirit of drawing inferences from one instance to another, we have found any omissions... We are currently drafting a document, and the draft has been completed... President Jiang's criticism is correct, our work has been too slow, I apologize."

Chen Yan had heard that all the leaders in the Quality Department were handsome men. From the director to the section chief, they were all outstanding. While taking notes of Director Chen's speech, Chen Yan sized up Chen Yongliang and thought that he was indeed a man of elegant demeanor, like a scholar.

"Hmm, did you bring the draft?"

Chen Yongliang went to see Fan Yongcheng. Fan Yongcheng hurriedly pulled out a stack of manuscript papers, "President Tao, it's here..."

"Who are you?"

"Reporting to General Manager Tao, my name is Fan Yongcheng, and I am the head of the Second Section of the Quality Department."

"Oh," Tao Tang glanced at Fan Yongcheng a few times, then began reading the Quality Department's draft.

Chen Yan closed her notebook. She noticed that in addition to the two company leaders, Yan Xiangnan, the deputy chief engineer in charge of quality, You Yueqian, the director of the quality inspection center, Ren Liansheng, the director of the technology department, Cui Jian, the publicity director, and the main leaders of the 13th and 11th factories were also present.

Everyone held their breath as Tao Tang read. Chen Yan noticed that Tao Tang was flipping through the pages faster and faster, realizing something was wrong. Sure enough, Tao Tang put away the manuscript and asked Jiang Shangyun, "Have you read it?"

"Not yet," Jiang Shangyun replied.

"And what about you?" Tao Tang asked Yan Xiangnan, the deputy chief quality engineer.

"I've seen it. I'm preparing to report it to General Jiang."

"How does it feel?"

"I basically agree with their opinion."

Tao Tang then asked Chen Yongliang, "Director Chen, has your quality department reviewed this rectification plan?"

"Yes." Chen Yongliang sensed Tao Tang's dissatisfaction, but at this moment he could only answer truthfully. At the same time, he didn't think there was anything wrong with the material. On the contrary, he felt that Fan Yongcheng had put a lot of effort into this material. It was a rectification plan with detailed content, effective measures, and strong rewards and punishments that the Quality Department had produced in recent years.

"It seems the problem lies here," Tao Tang said calmly. "I would rate this rectification plan as unsatisfactory. Why is it unsatisfactory? Let me first talk about my understanding of quality management. Everyone, come over here and take a look at this machine; what's wrong with it?"

Chen Yan had absolutely no idea what was wrong with that massive machine. She only knew it was called a mining machine, used in coal mines; she had no idea how it worked. At the same time, she admired Tao Tang. Logically, he shouldn't know anything about mining machines either. Did sitting in a high position mean he knew everything? With this in mind, Chen Yan followed closely behind Tao Tang, wanting to hear what he had to say. Next to her was a woman from the publicity department; Chen Yan didn't know her name, only that her surname was Xu. She was recording with a voice recorder. Chen Yan regretted not bringing one; the general manager's office had provided them for all the secretaries.

"You're the director of the quality inspection center, this machine has passed inspection, right?" Tao Tang asked You Yueqian.

"Yes." You Yueqian couldn't lie. This machine had already passed the quality inspection center's tests and been issued a certificate of conformity.

"Performance may not be an issue... but is it really without problems? I'm asking you this: do you really think it's up to par? In other words, if you were Donghu Mining Machine, would you be satisfied with this machine?"

"Well..." You Yueqian organized his thoughts, "We tested it according to the terms of the technical agreement we signed with the user."

"I can believe what you say. I'm asking you, do you think it's a qualified product that can be shipped out?"

"this……"

"Answer my question, yes or no," Tao Tang said sternly.

"Yes……"

"So, you two tell me," Tao Tang turned to Yan Xiangnan and Chen Yongliang, "is it yes or no?"

The two stammered, unable to speak. At the same time, they were both wondering what leverage he had over them. They really couldn't figure it out…

"Gentlemen, look at this weld... this weld point and slag, and this fitting—why is the paint color different from the fuselage? And why is there a scratch here?"

So that's what it was... Yan Xiangnan breathed a sigh of relief. "President Tao, these flaws don't affect performance at all..."

"Vice President Yan, do you own a car? What brand is it?" Tao Tang asked in a friendly tone.

"Magotan..."

"When you buy a car, would you want to buy a new car with scratches on the body? Oh, you might say that a car is not only a means of transportation, but also a work of art, while the working environment of mining machinery is completely different from that of a car, right?"

Chen Yan really enjoyed Tao Tang's questioning. She diligently recorded Tao Tang's conversations with the quality control leaders, finding them very interesting.

"This is the most fundamental problem in our quality management—a gap in understanding. I believe that no matter what our products are, we should all have a pursuit of excellence!" He turned to the factory manager of Plant 13, "You can build such large and complex machines, so I believe you can solve these problems, am I right?"

"right……"

"Then why tolerate these problems? Is it also because of the working environment of the mining machines?" His tone became stern. "Actually, what I said earlier was wrong! You can build a mining machine, but you can't necessarily build a flawless one! The latter is ten times more difficult than the former! More importantly, under your quality management philosophy, it's simply impossible to build a flawless product! Now I want to talk about my views on the Quality Management Department's rectification plan. Director Chen, you are the head of the Quality Management Department. What do you think is the core work of the Quality Management Department in managing quality?"

"This..." Under the tense atmosphere, Chen Yongliang couldn't come up with a concise answer for a moment.

"Let me tell you, it's about establishing and maintaining a quality system, ensuring its effective operation. Not what you're talking about!"

Fan Yongcheng immediately broke out in a cold sweat. He had heard that Tao Tang might attend the meeting, and had put a lot of effort into this draft, which had been praised by Chen Yongliang, who had said "good" several times. How could he have imagined that his painstakingly crafted proposal would be criticized as worthless? If he had known this would happen, he would have preferred to decline! Lü Qi always complained that he wasn't ambitious enough; why was he so unlucky?

"I admit that your proposed rectification plan is targeted and feasible. If implemented, the quality of the mining machines will improve, but it won't fundamentally solve the problem. This is because you've overlooked the role of a system. In reality, the quality management system is merely used to maintain the validity of that certificate, since it's a market access permit. In actual management, there's another set of methods, like Mr. Wu Si's famous book, *The Hidden Rules*. Let me tell you, the ISO 9000 system is the quality management system model recommended by the International Organization for Standardization, proven worldwide to be the best way to manage quality. Your methods are absolutely inferior! From quality policy, quality objectives, responsibilities and authorities, internal communication, management review, resource provision to product realization planning, customer-related processes, customer communication, design and development, new product trial production, test control, procurement, production and service, delivery, process monitoring and measurement… the ISO 9000 standard provides the most rigorous management methods. As long as you strictly follow the manual and procedural documents, product quality will be guaranteed. Conversely, if you don't follow the manual and procedural documents, potential quality problems will definitely exist!"

Chen Yan couldn't remember the string of quality terms Tao Tang blurted out, but the quality department staff, especially Fan Yongcheng, were deeply impressed. Tao Tang had just recited the main quality elements of the system from memory, which showed his familiarity with the quality system. He was a true expert, and no one could deny it.

Tao Tang continued, "The responsibilities of the Quality Management Department and the Quality Inspection Center are different. The Quality Management Department can't perform post-mortem examinations! That's the Quality Inspection Center's job! What you should be doing is finding violations of manuals, procedural documents, and the three-tiered documentation from the quality problems you discover. You need to look for problems in the systems and processes to find out why these problems occurred and where the quality system's regulations were violated. That's the fundamental solution! But your plan, which clearly took a lot of effort, is just a stopgap measure... I'm certain that some of the problems you've discovered will be repeated. Am I right?"

"Yes...you're right," Fan Yongcheng replied.

"The role of a system is to solve problems at their root, to address them upstream, and to discover and stop problems before they surface. Branch factories might say, 'My approach is fine,' but you must seriously point out to them that continuing like this will inevitably lead to problems! For example, the issue of certification for workers: employing a worker without a certification might not cause immediate problems, but theoretically, it will definitely lead to issues! Otherwise, the certification system would be redundant! There are several secrets to quality management. First, it's about decisive battles, not guerrilla warfare; similar problems must not be repeated. This relies on the system, not just addressing isolated incidents. Second, we must establish the mindset that our products must be of the highest quality. We must meet the user's required specifications, and even in areas where the user doesn't require it, we must strive for excellence! Like the flaws I just pointed out, if our competitors don't have these superficial flaws..." Our products will be at a disadvantage in the competition! Of course, improving product quality has cost issues, but I'm talking about striving for excellence within the limits of cost. This demonstrates the manufacturer's attitude: treat our products like a bride on her wedding day, making sure she's dressed up beautifully without any regrets. With this spirit, we can stand invincible in the brutal market competition! Without this spirit, we will be eliminated sooner or later… I suggest you start over, find and rectify problems from a systemic perspective, don't be afraid of the trouble. The current approach is not working, it must be changed. The quality department must establish its authority. I allow you to issue production stoppage orders. Any branch factories that do not comply with rectification requirements will be severely punished. You can raise suggestions for public notices, fines, job transfers, or even dismissals. If General Manager Jiang can't make the decision, I will. We must take this Donghu product quality rectification as an opportunity to carry out a thorough rectification throughout the entire company.”

"President Tao, the responsibility for the flawed approach to quality management lies with me," Jiang Shangyun stated. "I will organize everyone to revise the rectification plan according to your ideas..."

"Okay. Finally, let me talk about your drafts. Don't just set up any kind of leadership group, and especially don't have the top leader head any of them. That's not a good approach. I believe that the person in charge of the leadership group has absolutely no time or professional knowledge to guide the work of the working group... This is a corrupt writing style, a bureaucratic style, and an irresponsible attitude... Don't do this again! In my opinion, quality rectification is the work of your Quality Department! Even General Manager Jiang doesn't need to be involved. Does maintaining the system require General Manager Jiang's supervision? Can he manage it all? Plans or documents can be issued, but they should be issued in the name of the Quality Management Department. If anyone doesn't implement them, or implements them poorly, the Quality Management Department should come up with a punishment plan!"