Top Ten Demand Generation FAILS (Part 7) Testing One, Two, Three!

We like to associate the term “rocket scientist” with really smart people who accomplish amazing things. But without well-executed QA, even rocket scientists can make really dumb mistakes. Like with the Mars Climate Orbiter in 1998.

Due to a miscalculation in payload distribution and a mismatched measurement system between different engineering groups, the thrusters produced more than 4x the necessary thrust. This resulted in a $320MM trash heap orbiting Mars (or so we think – nobody really know). My point? If NASA rocket scientists need active Quality Assurance, so does your Demand Center.

First, let’s define Quality Assurance (QA). Without a clear definition, we will all have a slightly different view of the subject. According to the American Society for Quality (ASQ), Quality Assurance is defined as: The planned and systematic activities implemented in a quality system so that quality requirements for a product or service will be fulfilled. Now that we understand the definition, let’s look at some hallmarks of good QA in a Demand Center organization.

Hallmark #1: Culture of Quality
Is quality appreciated and held in high regard throughout your organization? If so, many of the hallmarks below will seem second nature. A culture of quality tends to permeate all departments within an organization, and affects the output of everything produced. “Good enough” is replaced by “Does it meet [insert your company name here] standards.” Do you immediately, and without question, re-work or reject anything that does not meet up to these standards? If so, you have a culture of quality. If you respect time or price over quality, you likely do not have a culture of quality.

Hallmark #2: Quality is visible everywhere all the time
Examples of quality work are on display. Awards are on display. Your co-workers talk about quality and it is the first question asked when a new idea is discussed. If your new ideas are initially met with “how fast” or “how cheaply” can the new idea be produced, you likely do not have a culture of quality. (Note: Even in a culture of quality, speed and price are important subjects, but they tend to NOT be the highest priority and are not the first question asked.)

Hallmark #3: There are defined standards and processes for quality
Notice this did not say “defined standards and processes for quality assurance.” If we go back to our definition above, quality assurance is not just a department or a check tacked on to the end of a project. That is a quality control step. Quality assurance is baked into the entire process, making sure that quality is produced and maintained in the entire production process. Whether it is a Rolls Royce engine or a six-touch nurture campaign, quality needs to be baked into the entire process to ensure that the quality control step is merely an affirmation of the quality already built into the end product. If you don’t have defined processes and standards or QA is a step in the process, you likely do not have a culture of quality.

Hallmark #4: Senior management is actively involved in quality
Quality is not so much dictated as it is lived. If senior management gives lip service to quality in town hall meetings and weekly newsletters, but every question concerning development or manufacturing concerns time or money, you definitely do not have a culture of quality.

Let’s view this from the perspective of a well-known, high-quality brand, like Rolls Royce. Imagine the meeting where engineers have an idea for a new, fuel-efficient engine. Does the meeting start with “How cheaply can we build it?” Or does it begin with, “Will this engine live up to the standards of a Rolls Royce?”

Key to delivering consistently high-quality programs, content and delivery mechanisms is creating a culture and process that promotes quality. This may force pushing back on internal clients when they fail to meet deadlines – one of the most difficult  process failures to navigate. But failure to build quality into every step of your production process leads to Demand Gen FAIL number 7: Testing, One, Two, Three.

Notes:

Quality Assurance is not a department or the final step in your delivery process.

Hallmark #1 of a high quality Demand Center is a pervasive culture of quality.

Speaking of client failure to deliver project components on time, in next week’s edition of {Demand Gen Brief} we will dig into that issue. It is by far the most common complaint I hear from demand centers concerning production timelines, and we’ll look into ways to avoid that situation in Demand Gen FAIL number 8: The Number One Complaint!