By Rai Chowdhary
In the first part of this series of articles, we considered the current state of how organizations view the quality function. Here in part two, we will begin to look at a potential future state for quality and how the role might be reimagined through better communication with top management.
To grasp the essence of business acumen and fluency, quality professionals must understand the functional groups that drive strategic decisions—along with their language, priorities, and key performance indicators (KPIs) that shape their actions. Meaningful communication is the indispensable connective tissue that enables alignment, execution, and impact. Without it, even sound quality initiatives risk becoming nonstarters.
Business functions can be broadly divided into two groups: core functions and enabling functions.
- Core functions. Examples include sales, marketing, research and development (R&D), design and development, manufacturing, and post-sales service. These functions directly contribute to value creation and revenue generation.
- Enabling functions. Examples including purchasing, human resources, quality, regulatory affairs, and others. These functions support and optimize core activities, ensuring compliance, continuity, and strategic alignment.
In regulated or high-risk industries, quality and regulatory functions could play dual roles, influencing both operational outcomes and strategic positioning.
Cross-functional business fluency matrix
| Function |
Language/Key Terms |
Priorities | KPIs |
| Sales | Pipeline, quota, conversion rate, lead time, close rate, CRM, objections, upsell | Revenue growth, customer acquisition, deal closure, retention | Sales volume, win rate, average deal size, churn rate, quota attainment |
| Marketing | Funnel, segmentation, brand equity, campaign return on investment (ROI), positioning, customer acquisition cost (CAC), search engine optimization (SEO), engagement | Demand generation, brand awareness, lead quality, customer insights | Marketing ROI, CAC, marketing qualified leads (MQLs), conversion rate, engagement rate, net promoter score (NPS) |
| R&D | Innovation pipeline, feasibility, intellectual property (IP), proof of concept, tech readiness level (TRL) | Breakthrough innovation, IP creation, feasibility, long-term differentiation | No. of patents filed, spend vs. revenue, time to proof-of-concept |
| Design & Development | Requirements, specs, prototyping, design for manufacturability/assembly (DFM/DFA), iteration, bill of materials (BOM), usability, validation | Product functionality, manufacturability, user experience, speed to launch | Time to prototype, design iterations, defect rate, validation success rate |
| Manufacturing | Throughput, takt time, yield, overall equipment effectiveness (OEE), downtime, scrap rate, lean, standard operating procedures | Efficiency, cost control, quality consistency, delivery reliability | OEE, yield percentage, cycle time, cost per unit, downtime percentage, first-pass yield |
| Post-Sales Service | Service level agreement (SLA), ticketing, resolution time, customer satisfaction score (CSAT), escalation, warranty, field service, retention | Customer satisfaction, issue resolution, retention, upsell opportunities | CSAT, resolution time, repeat issues, warranty claims, retention rate |
Strategic insights
Following are some key tips for quality professionals, especially what (and how) to communicate to top management:
- Sales and marketing. Speak in terms of customer impact and revenue. Think about how you can leverage conformance and compliance to show a lasting impact on customer retention, and conversion for future products. Work with the post-sales service group to surface positives that boost CSAT and bring such information to sales and marketing—this will help win new customers and open doors to upsell the company’s products.
- R&D and design. Emphasize how quality upfront (in components, materials, and processes) can reduce friction between early prototypes and minimally viable products, and how design cycle time can be reduced while enabling robust designs. After all, what good is a design if the product undergoes too many iterations before launch or runs the risk of a recall? This can sour the sweetness of being first to market.
- Manufacturing. Align with increasing product throughput, yield, and cost avoidance through reduction or prevention of rework. Demonstrate impact to their metrics to show quality’s operational value.
- Post-Sales. Frame quality as a driver of more up time at the customer’s end, retention, satisfaction, and reduced warranty and service costs.
- Finance. Although not always top of mind for quality professionals, the finance function holds significant sway with the executive team. Any savings or cost-avoidance claims—when validated and echoed by finance—carry disproportionate weight. Partnering with finance transforms quality from a compliance cost center into a strategic contributor.
Concluding comments
Building your business fluency muscle is a workout—one that quality professionals must intentionally pursue beyond the comfort of the “Quality” silo. The reward? A seat at the strategic table, where quality is no longer a cost to contain but a lever to accelerate growth, resilience, and trust.
So be bold. Learn the language of your peers. Speak in metrics that matter. Use your sharpened fluency to expand your influence, elevate your impact, and reshape how quality is perceived—from the shop floor to the boardroom.
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.