Quality Is Not A Gimmick

I once inherited a quality team that leadership viewed as a marketing checkbox - visibly important for audits - useful for customer decks - largely disconnected from day-to-day operations. That perception was the real problem.

Quality doesn’t live in binders or badges or hiding in an office - it lives in processes, behaviors, and decisions made on the floor every day. So instead of defending the function, I redefined it.

I transitioned the team from “quality” to Operational Excellence. That meant shifting from inspection to prevention. It meant an effort to build excellence into the frontline. From audit prep to process ownership. From compliance after the fact to discipline built into operations.

The team became embedded with manufacturing, supply chain, operations, facilities, and customer service. They owned standards, root cause, continuous improvement, and accountability - not just scores.

The results followed.

What had been seen as a marketing gimmick became a world-class operational capability, delivering world-class outcomes. AIB audits of 980, SQF audits with a score of 99, ISO audits with zero non-conformities.

The biggest win wasn’t the certifications. It was the shift in mindset. Quality stopped being something we showed. It became something we did.

That’s what happens when quality isn't treated as branding - but is treated as leadership.