Perfection as a long-term project

Ein social enterprise as a pioneer in its sector: the Swiss Living and Working Centre for the Mobility Impaired (IWAZ) provides living and working opportunities, training and further education programmes and integration measures for people with disabilities. It operates in a market-oriented manner and offers 131 sheltered workplaces and 14 training places, as well as 63 residential places for people who require care and assistance. Quality management with the help of an electronic assistant has been used here for 20 years.

A challenge solved, new possibilities discovered
Hans Peter Waffenschmidt, head of training and agogics at IWAZ, recalls: "I was just setting up our QM system and was looking for a test equipment management system for the workshop. I didn't want to use Excel like that. Then one of my employees came from a trade fair and recommended IQSoft." IQSoft was still a small number at that time and hardly known: "I had the program demonstrated to me, was impressed by its simplicity at that time, the calibration possibilities and the good price. It was purchased." The rest is a classic success story that Waffenschmidt looks back on with pleasure: "IQSoft was a kind of gymnastics apparatus for me in terms of quality. From the module for test equipment I came to document management and then to the continuous improvement process CIP. I still keep the pending list I drafted back then." Unlike many colleagues of his time, Waffenschmidt did not regard IQSoft purely as a quality assurance tool, but used it as a management system right from the start. IQSoft was not only intended to make his work easier, but also to save him time, because his boss at the time demanded a lot: "He said that I could then set up both: the training courses for the apprentices within the framework of the IV specifications and our QM system.

Quality improvement instead of quality assurance
No sooner said than done. Waffenschmidt: "Of course, it was all about quality assurance, based on the rather rigid, chapter-oriented specifications that were valid at the time. That was in line with the spirit of the times. People wanted to secure audit certificates. In many places, this was a must and an afterthought. But it was clear to us that the federal government and the cantons would soon be imposing quality requirements on us in all other departments. So, with the help of IQSoft as a management tool, we decided to immediately certify the entire operation and were one of the first institutions to choose a process-oriented approach." With this far-sighted decision and subsequent diligence in implementation, IWAZ built a solid foundation for many years to come. Although there was evolution - in the IWAZ and also on the software side - the need to once again take a giant step was not accentuated until 2013: the IWAZ switched to web-based IT. IQSoft was set up for SQL.

A new beginning and groundwork
The way was clear for web-based work. Then Hans Peter Waffenschmidt saw ISO 9001:2015 He liked what he read: "I think this standard is good. And we as an institution were faced with the task of rethinking our structure and strategy anyway. So last year we changed everything over at once."

What sounds like a quick step was in fact a phase of intensive groundwork lasting several months. The company's management structure was reconsidered, the management was slimmed down. And after 18 years of "almost no problems", the entire process landscape under IQSoft was also subjected to a thorough reassessment: "I wasn't extremely keen on changing anything. We had passed 21 SQS audits with our software at the first attempt. But for technical reasons, the web-based relaunch was simply better."

Mammoth projects are a matter for the boss for the time being
Werner Betschart, assistant and project manager at IWAZ: "Hans Peter Waffenschmidt defined the content standards, I supervised the re-design of the system with those responsible for all areas such as housing, training and production and worked closely with Colin Kost from IQS AG." Betschart and Waffenschmidt smile: "Mr. Kost probably did find us a bit special. We had very precise ideas about what the program should look like for the employees - right down to the display and font. And sometimes we wanted solutions that went to the limits of previously possible functions. But Kost probably noticed: Here you can make a difference and then always sat down right away and developed it further."

The top management at IWAZ not only demanded, they also delivered, because it was clear to everyone involved that the old system would not be switched off until the new one was running smoothly. To prepare for this change, the project management withdrew from everyday business for five days. All existing documents were looked at.

Fewer processes
Betschart: "Among other things, we asked ourselves whether all 120 processes should really live on. Today we still have 90 and the number of documents has dropped from 650 to less than 600. But be careful: You have to keep a tight rein on such a purge. Under no circumstances should an important process element be deleted! That's why it was so valuable that I was given the time to accompany the people responsible for our departments in their work on a weekly basis. I wanted to experience what mattered."

Werner Betschart thus addresses a core issue around all process-oriented quality efforts - whether with or without electronic support: Preliminary work must be done properly at every management level, otherwise the start leads to disaster. And Hans Peter Waffenschmidt is convinced: "The quality manager and his people need 100% backing from their management. It won't work otherwise."

Clarity about the further procedure
Waffenschmidt also emphasizes the value of careful task allocation: "We figured out what needed to be done and were then able to precisely delegate the tasks at hand to the quality managers in our departments. After all, as quality manager I am responsible for the system, but not for a department. How should I define criteria in nursing, for example? Our department managers did a really good job. Thanks to their suggestions, we as project supervisors were able to cleanly define all process flows."

Looking back, IWAZ is certain that this solid preparation ensured that the auditors for the recertification in November 2015 could be welcomed with great composure. Waffenschmidt and Betschart: "We had decided to renumber and link all documents and to adapt headers and footers. Mind you, we were able to transfer 80% of the old system into the new one, but it was all a nice piece of work."

Application without long working in
And how quickly does a first-time user find his way around IQSoft? Waffenschmidt: "As quickly as on the Ricardo homepage. When I present our quality and management system, I don't talk about IQSoft at all. I don't do Powerpoints either, but start the program and off we go. What happens then: People click a few times and they're where they want to be. The management of the IWAZ is aware that the new start was somewhat uncomfortable for some of those involved: "It jolted us all out of our daily routine. But we were very pleased to experience that a jolt went through the company afterwards. The motivation to achieve the best as a team has noticeably increased."

And the future? The perfectionists at IWAZ have already decided to take another look at all processes in a management seminar in 2016. And not because they are dissatisfied: "Our employees give us very positive feedback. They also come to us with small requests, which we are very happy to fulfil. And for larger tasks, we turn to the IQS AG team. We have never heard 'impossible' there in 20 years. In short: We really have a great system here, a good software and now we want to continue to refine it. That's the essence of continuous improvement. You're never done."

Recertification
The IQSoft, which Hans Peter Waffenschmidt perceived as a personal quality gymnastics tool 20 years ago, has become a top-fit support for all employees thanks to the comprehensive relaunch. The old system was irrevocably switched off before the re-certification on 20 November 2015. The SQS auditors applauded: the IWAZ is one of the first social institutions in Switzerland to be certified according to the revised ISO 9001:2015 standard. And with top marks