HOW SIM SUPPORTS PURSUIT OF THE MALCOM BALDRIGE NATIONAL QUALITY AWARD

The categories within the Baldrige award have changed over the several years of its existence. There is a consistent thread of leadership, customer satisfaction, involvement of all stakeholders, processes for measuring, data and training as examples. This comparison of SIM-Integrated Idea Management capabilities to Baldrige requirements is based in the 1999 Criteria For Performance Excellence. Click here to go to the NIST Home page - Malcom Baldrige, ISO9000 award information

SIM is an overall tool for managing involvement of employees, suppliers and customers in identifying areas of need, determining needed changes to product or process and tracking implementation. SIM offers data sorted by accomplishment of individuals, departments or entire facilities. This data allows comparison of performance and focus on excellence.

SIM process incorporates a large number of the categories of the Baldrige award through directed effort, shared data, training, problem resolution and measurement of benefits of changes.

The Simplified Idea Management â?¢ model defines the need for core values that support participation of all stakeholders in identifying problems and defining solutions. The model shows five paths that ideas take as they evolve from supportive core values and culture.

These sources are:

Customer data - wants, complaints, recommendations survey data or listening sessions. It can also be used to manage ISO Corrective Actions. Supplier involvement - product and process improvements, design planning, WIP reduction, etc. Employee teams - All kinds of task, self managing, quality improvement, staff and other teams. Employee ideas - via suggestions, continuous improvement, kaizen, self initiated, teams, etc. Staff and management doing continuous improvement.

Within the Baldrige process, all of the above listed resources are discussed as to how you promote their participation to common goals, how goals are selected and publicized, what data is generated and the rewards or other processes to stimulate participation.

The data that SIM software collects would be valuable to a Baldrige examiner allowing understanding of deployment of corporate strategies and customer requirements through identifying teams, individual suggesters and supplier actions reflecting support and generating ideas for resolution of problems. All ideas for improvement are logged and can be sorted by strategy, customer need, product or process involved. An examiner could easily validate activity summarized by the SIM software.

SIM measures participation by each employee in suggestion system, team, or other activities like safety or service awards that may not directly effect product and process. SIM data can identify employees (associates) showing needed behaviors for different assignments or promotions. Problem solving activity can be to linked to business strategies supported, customer issues identified, supplier involvement, products or processes improved and the problem solving skills used in the task.

Staff and management have responsibilities to lead the organization as well as define ideas for improvement and get them implemented. SIM software allows ideas from normally non-reporting sources to log in their actions supporting any of the goals of the organization. SIM also collects the data for each person reporting allowing comparisons of activity in involvement between managers. SIM also identifies the source of the error corrected and the source of the correction. This data shows where products or processes with faults originate and where corrections are found and implemented.

Most customer inputs are in the form of complaints. This data properly correlated allows areas of focus to be shared to suggesters, teams, management and suppliers. SIM can identify which teams or other resource responded to each area of customer concern. SIM allows you to identify employees with a background in a specific issue to join with customers in problem solving teams.

Forming a team requires some key functions:

	Previous team or other activity on a topic being considered - SIM allows all past activity on solving that issue to be retrieved and reviewed. This could be from other teams, suggestions, suppliers or customer inputs that have been answered. This eliminates having a team waste time when the same issue is under consideration in another area.
	Getting the right people on the team - SIM contains an effective skills inventory allowing you to select employees with specific training or experience that the issue demands. The inventory also allows selecting people with multiple skills or experience so that the size of a team can be contained.
	Avoiding Dysfunctional Teams - Team performance can be measured through the use of the TEAM assessment module. This new process allows continuous measure of team effectiveness. Data from the assessment is combined with other key team data for reports to management. The assessment also provides teams with directive for correcting deficiencies in team performance.
	Recognizing efforts - SIM also allows recognition of teams with rewards and records what each team member was given.

The current processes for supplier involvement are well based on the VECP, Value Engineering Change Proposal, used by the government to encourage contractors to perform continuous improvement. Suppliers further encourage early and continuous participation in the product and process development. SIM software provides needed tracking of supplier activity for improvement and any rewards or gain sharing that results. Here again, each improvement can be tied to the product, process, customer input or strategy involved.

SIM process and software provide an integrated means to promote ideas for improvement from all stakeholders and effectively manage the results. Full use of the SIM software and process will provide valuable support as you pursue a Baldrige Award or to site assessment persons during award selection.