Small steps, big impact

Quality optimization is a continuous learning process, sometimes accentuated by unexpected challenges - as is the case at ibw in Wohlen. At the beginning of the 2000s, the Aargau-based company drew up a large number of quality management documents and posted them on the intranet. So far, so exemplary. However, the document structure chosen for data management subsequently proved to be complicated and not very user-friendly in everyday life. It was hard to find the documents you were looking for.

The employees of ibw suffered from this situation. The SME with 90 employees supplies a significant catchment area in and around Wohlen with electricity, water and gas. In addition, ibw provides a wide range of services and also owns its own electrical shop, the ibw Shop. Among other things, the company is justifiably proud of the outstanding proportion of self-produced solar energy in Switzerland.

Where are the contracts?
In order to fulfil its tasks, ibw has concluded around 800 contracts with third parties. Sometimes it's about the location of a distribution cabin, sometimes it's about a water reservoir, sometimes it's about pipeline rights, sometimes it's about a maintenance agreement with external testing institutes and much more. Seven years ago, this wide variety of contracts was still filed in conventional folders - and in some cases in different offices.

Rolf Häusler, responsible for occupational safety, quality management and special projects at ibw, recalls: "Our business, division and project managers often rummaged through the various folders looking for any contracts. As these were not digitally recorded, a lot of effort had to be made and there was a risk that we would miss important contract deadlines."

But now properly
The ibw management commissioned Häusler to set up a functioning electronic contract management system. He evaluated various providers and also attended a workshop held by IQS AG in Zofingen. With its electronic quality assistant IQSoft, the company is regarded throughout Switzerland as a leader in digital quality management. The program has been continuously developed for 25 years and, above all, the customer only buys what he needs with this software solution.

Modular?
Rolf Häusler: "I was enthusiastic right from the start. The structure with modules that can be purchased individually is a strong argument. IQS AG is also a manageable company. You always work with the same people. I like that."

Häusler advised his management to make the purchase. At the end of 2013, they purchased the basic platform and the contract management module. A short training session followed, and then it was time to enter the contracts.

Wonderful
So what has improved with the introduction of the contract module? "First of all, the endless searching has come to an end. All contracts can be retrieved according to several criteria! Our project managers confirm again and again: This function is worth its weight in gold."

Rolf Häusler and his colleagues benefit from two main advantages of the IQSoft architecture. Thanks to the full text search, every detail of the captured documents is available with just one or two clicks. And the contract module can be adapted to individual needs regardless of the industry.

"We're in a great place"
Anyone who wants to view an easement agreement at ibw can choose from four assignments: Object search, municipality, rights and - particularly useful - parcel number. Other contracts can also be viewed immediately. "It's very easy to find anything now. We're at a great level," says Häusler.

For employees who work with contracts, this "new" service is enormously useful. And even more so for quality manager Häusler: "Every six months, I use IQSoft to make a quick overall evaluation. We know at a glance what deadlines we have and can decide specifically whether contracts should be extended or not."

Another advantage of the digital assistant: precise access rights. In the paper age, "people had access to folders that had nothing to do with the contracts," says Häusler. "Now that's a thing of the past: everyone only sees what they're supposed to see.

Seamless resource management
End of 2015: Rolf Häusler set himself and his company another challenging goal: the introduction of electronically controlled operating and test equipment management. He did not like the fact that there was no systematic documentation of function checks - not even for the operating equipment. In consultation with the management, he purchased the IQSoft module for equipment management. Since then, all maintenance and inspections have been recorded and are easily traceable.

The right decision at the right time
It probably comes as no surprise that Rolf Häusler is a sought-after contact for audits. His colleagues need complete proof of quality, for example for the auditors of the Swiss Federal Inspectorate for Heavy Current Installations (ESTI): "I deliver this at the push of a button. The auditors are always very satisfied."

In Häusler's industry, what can be observed in many places is true: Standards are constantly being tightened. "I would say that we stepped on the gas at exactly the right time, perhaps even a little earlier than some of our competitors.

It pays to take precautions
Hans-Peter Kost, Chairman of the Board of Directors of IQS AG, also emphasizes the importance of continuous improvement in every SME: "There are clear guidelines. In case of an accident, the law does not grab the quality manager, but the management. To put it casually: if something happens and you can't prove that training has been done and operating equipment has been maintained, you have a problem."

Good training as a platform for more safety
As the safety officer of his company, Rolf Häusler strongly appeals to the responsibility of the business and division managers. However, he says pragmatically that there is still room for improvement: "Not only with regard to the machines. We also want to prove what training is being done."

Häusler became aware of the topic of training through his involvement in the commission for occupational safety in the VSE, the umbrella organisation of his industry. As a result, he developed a training concept for ibw:

"It wasn't that training wasn't being done. They were also recorded, but via Excel - one file per employee. A quick overview was difficult to obtain, and especially the training courses that recurred periodically according to the training concept could not be planned in advance. In the summer of 2018, ibw therefore acquired the EDUC training management system: "With this module, we retroactively recorded all the courses we had taken back to 2002.

The effect is not only the verifiability demanded by auditors. Due to the newly gained overview, it is now clear to all business and division managers without much effort which training courses are to be planned and budgeted.

Summer 2019: Time for the classic
The contract module was activated in 2014 in line with requirements. The decision for testing and equipment control was security-driven in 2015, as was the optimisation of training in 2016. However, ibw has only been relying on comprehensive document management - the classic of digital quality management - since mid-2019.

Everything for everyone with two clicks
Rolf Häusler: "In 2018 and 2019, I renumbered the approximately 400 quality management documents according to the newly defined process architecture of ibw, provided them with a new layout and linked them to IQSoft. The documents can be accessed from any PC via the simply structured process graphic or via various search functions. This works flawlessly. Everyone can retrieve everything with two clicks." It's no coincidence that document management is now the best-used IQSoft function at ibw.

From the small to the big. Häusler likes it: "I feel a new dynamic. That's good!"