FOSS &
QualiWare
Revitalizing FOSSway:
A Journey towards a Living Quality Management System
The Danish company FOSS has clients worldwide – from large industrial factories to French wine growers. FOSS specializes in crafting instruments for food-related businesses, ensuring that farmers receive fair compensation for their produce, consumers are safeguarded against health hazards, and industries maintain stable and reliable processes. With over 99% of their products being exported worldwide, FOSS plays an important role in the global food industry. In the heart of FOSS a transformative journey is underway.
The FOSSway Revolution
FOSS' internal quality system is called FOSSway, built in QualiWare two decades ago, serving as the backbone for managing FOSS's extensive array of processes and instructions. The story of FOSSway took a significant turn about a year ago.
In this article, Nina and Thomas, quality assurance experts at FOSS, share the process of revitalizing FOSSway, the company's quality management system. Thomas has been with FOSS for two decades, while Nina, with experience in supporting the implementation of a quality management system in a larger Danish company, joined FOSS a year ago. Together, Nina and Thomas manage the revitalization of FOSSway, supported by essential stakeholders in the organization.
Two decades with FOSSway
FOSSway was originally built in QualiWare in connection with an ISO9001 certification two decades ago. At that time, FOSS was small enough that everyone knew each other and what each other was doing. Perhaps this was one reason why, over time, updating the content in the system was forgotten – because people could just talk to each other. But this trend became self-reinforcing: If FOSS employees couldn't be sure that the information in FOSSway was up-to-date or that the links were functional, they simply stopped using the system, leading to further neglect.
Simultaneously, FOSS experienced significant growth. It became increasingly clear that a functional quality management system was essential.
A Cultural Shift
A critical realization surfaced: for a quality management system to thrive, it needed to be a living, breathing entity, not merely a set of static documents.
One of the initial hurdles was the absence of clear ownership and outdated information within FOSSway.
The Quality Assurance team recognized that the solution lay in fostering a cultural shift within the organization. They needed top-level leadership support, defined process ownership, and licenses for everyone in the organization worldwide to view and manage their own processes.
Ownership and Engagement
Nina and Thomas initiated an extensive clean-up operation, identifying orphaned documents and assigning responsible owners.
A pivotal step involved creating an e-learning module, educating all employees about the significance of FOSSway and their role in maintaining its vitality. Furthermore, the implementation of clear roles and responsibilities, coupled with top-level leadership support, facilitated a more engaged workforce.
Regular newsletters and subscriptions for all employees enhanced accessibility and streamlined information retrieval. Training sessions empowered process owners. Nina and Thomas also created manuals to make it easier for everyone to manage their processes in FOSSway.
Challenges
During the revitalization of FOSSway in the organization, Nina and Thomas encountered a significant challenge related to the diverse functionalities offered by QualiWare. "We're utilizing only 7% of the tool's full potential, and there are numerous options available for various tasks. This complexity can be confusing for some users," Nina explains. To address this issue, they adopted a highly pedagogical approach in their QualiWare manuals and ‘How-to’ videos. They focused on describing a single option to prevent confusion among users.
Looking Ahead: Achieving a robust and living FOSSway
The pursuit of a robust quality management system remains a priority at FOSS. The envisioned future entails seamlessly connecting all documents and processes, allowing employees to navigate effortlessly and find essential information.
The crucial factor here is maintaining continuous engagement and taking proactive ownership. To facilitate this, FOSS introduced the notification feature in QualiWare. This feature sends reminders, when the process owner needs to take action to review documents and processes, thereby ensuring the system's ongoing efficiency and relevance.
Crucial Top-level leadership support
Reflecting on their journey, Nina and Thomas offer advice to organizations aiming to breathe life into their quality management systems: They emphasize the critical role of top-level leadership in setting the tone and fostering a culture of active participation. Establishing clear ownership and roles are fundamental steps toward maintaining a vibrant and dynamic quality management system in any organization.
