By Rai Chowdhary
A 2022 CQI Workforce Study revealed that fewer than two in five quality professionals felt highly valued by other teams. Quality is often perceived as the department of “failed engineers” or the “police.”
That second statement is not hearsay. I heard it firsthand in the 1990s from an ex-automotive business leader.
These stereotypes are not anomalies; they are indicators of dysfunctions that have quietly eroded the profession’s vitality over decades.
On the other hand, AI-assisted queries and numerous interviews conducted by this author showed:
- Despite ranking among the top three functions in executive surveys, quality is still viewed as reactive and non-strategic.
- A vast majority of new college graduates do not list quality as a career path of choice.
- “Quality” as a standalone subject is hardly included in undergraduate curriculums (<10%).
- Many quality professionals lack an understanding of the business side of their organizations and/or lack general business acumen.
- Quality ranked in the top quartile of professions that need to improve business acumen.
When a vital discipline lacks recognition and strategic support, its decline becomes inevitable. But decline is not destiny. Much can be done to reverse the trend.
The future state
Imagine quality professionals being fluent in business strategy, able to speak the language of metrics and influence decisions at the highest level. They would be invited to be on just about every team engaged in improving the business.
This multi-part series, “Business Acumen for the Quality Professional,” will explore two critical gaps: the lack of business fluency and the reactive perception of quality. It will be complemented with online presentations on the topic to deepen engagement and application.
Join me in the forthcoming parts of this series as we reframe quality from a reactive necessity to a strategic force—one that is fluent in business, trusted by executives, and indispensable to growth.
About the author
Rai Chowdhary is an entrepreneur and an aficionado of excellence. He is well-known from his books, seminars, workshops, and speeches, which he delivers across the world. On that journey, Chowdhary has served world-leading organizations, from Fortune 100 corporations to smaller outfits as well. As an inventor he has several new products, technologies, and patents to his credit, and as an author he has been actively publishing books since 2005. Chowdhary is certified as a Six Sigma Black Belt, a quality engineer, a quality manager, and an Exemplar Global auditor for ISO 9001 as well as ISO 13485. He is founder and CEO of The KPI System, and is working on his ninth start-up.