What is Quality 4.0? How does it affect the Quality professional?
According to ASQ references (refer to https://asq.org/quality-resources/quality-glossary/q), Quality 4.0 brings together Industry 4.0’s advanced digital technologies with quality excellence to drive substantial performance and effectiveness improvements. That’s quite a mouthful. Let’s try to break it down in simpler terms. Digital technologies are electronic tools, systems, devices, and resources that generate, store, or process data. Bottom line, it’s all about being able to analyze and make use of what is now becoming a growing database of data to discover trends, determine actions, and react much more quickly. Quality 4.0 uses these various digital technologies to improve processes, products, solutions, and customer and employee satisfaction. Digital technologies include (refer to https://matchboxdesigngroup.com/blog/what-are-the-new-digital-technologies/ for more detail):
- Virtual Reality (VR) & Augmented Reality (AR)
- Voice Assistance
- Motion User Interface (UI)
- Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), & Deep Learning (DL)
- Blockchain
- Internet Of Things (IoT)
- Progressive Web Apps (PWA)
- Fifth Generation Technology (5G)
Quality data is growing at a phenomenal rate. For Quality professional to succeed, we need to be aware of and intelligently leverage these digital technologies if we are to survive.
Raymond E Dyer - ASQ Senior Member, CMQ/OE, & CQA
ASQ Montreal Section Chair