1. TOTAL QUALITY IMPROVEMENT (AGENDA ITEM 5) DECISION EXPECTED TAKE NOTE OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS AND IMPLEMENT THEM AS PART OF QUALITY PLAN. 1 34 th PAPU Administrative Council 24 May – 3 June, 2015, Khartoum, Sudan PAPU/AC/QIBD/QIWG/2015 - Doc N °

2. I. Historical development Many models in quality improvement have evolved over time  Total Quality Management,  Continuous Quality Improvement,  ISO 9000,  Sigma Si and  Lean Manufacturing (Lean Sigma Six). They are all a means to get at the same thing namely IMPROVEMENT. 2

3. II. Definition of Total Quality Improvement  This is a formal approach to the analysis of performance and systematic efforts to improve it.  It focuses on total improvement within an organization.

4. III. What is Total Quality Improvement (TQI)  Structures – Physical equipment and facilities  Processes – The systems and how they work  Personnel – Right people in the right places  Customers – Their needs and expectations  Outcome – The final product and service; the result All the above have to be measured before we can know what our quality is and how we can make it consistent.

5. IV. Total quality improvement at the post office At the post office, in order to see overall quality impact, we need to look at the following among others: 1. Leadership/Management  What quality structure do we have in place?  Do we have a quality policy in place?  Are management and staff involved in quality issues?

6. IV. Total quality improvement at the post office. Cont’d … 2. Staff  Do we have the right people in the right places?  Do they have the right training?  How are their terms and conditions of service?  Is the personnel happy with work environment?  Do they have the tools to do their work effectively and efficiently? 3. Integration of departments Are other departments aware of their role in quality? Are they in sync with the quality department/Unit/Section?

7. IV. Total quality improvement at the post office. Cont’d … 4. Mail supply chain Look at the end to end process from posting in the country of posting to delivery in the country of destination:  Transportation;  Dispatch processes at the office of exchange;  Mail handling at the airport;  Delivery;  Customs procedures;

8. IV. Total quality improvement at the post office. Cont’d … 5. Structures  How do our buildings look?  How are the posting halls and counters? These are the first points of contact for our customers and they make a big statement about who we are.  What equipment do we have in place to ensure that our customers get the best service they expect?  How accessible are our offices in terms of distance and reception?  How is the security in and around our buildings? 6. Processes Are the processes ok? Are they fast enough or do we have delays? What are the weaknesses and what are the solutions?

9. IV. Total quality improvement at the post office. Cont’d …  Customers – Do we know our customers? Do we know their needs? Are we segmenting them? What are their expectations from us? Are we answering their needs? Are their items safe when they are given to us? Do we have a complaints system in place and how fast do we settle disputes?

10. IV. Total quality improvement at the post office. Cont’d … Products and Services /Outcome  What sort of service are we giving our customers? What products are we offering our customers?  Do we have standards? Do we publish them for our customers and the public to know what they expect from us?  Do we ensure that we deliver products and services according to set standards?  Do we measure our quality?  Are our services reliable?  Are our products safe?

11. V. Some recommendations  Organize training programmes on quality, for staff. Take advantage of the UPU Trainpost programme;  Develop Internal Service Level Agreements between the different departments in which they agree on the deliverables to each other;  Put in place a Quality Structure and Policy to guide your quality work;  Involve both management and staff in quality improvement;  Have a quality team in place to steer quality in the organisation;

12. V. Some recommendations Cont’d …  Use quality tools like PLAN, DO, CHECK AND ACT (PDCA) and process mapping to assist in improving your processes;  Use Key Account Management as a tool to segment customer and give specific and specialized service to them;  Carry out customer surveys to know the needs of customers;  Diversify products and services in line with customer needs;  Develop and publish standards so all can know what is expected of you and render service in line with set standards  Improve image of working facilities both inside and outside and brand.

13. VI. Key points to remember:  Postal service is our responsibility;  Total quality improvement is a must if our organizations are to remain relevant and survive;  Quality measurement and improvement are possible. They must be structured and continuous;  We need to be committed to overall quality improvement, have the knowledge and expertise for effective quality improvement;  There is need to identify the root cause before making changes;  Be creative in developing solutions.

14. VII. Conclusion The best we can offer our customers is total quality in all aspects of the postal business. But we need commitment, knowledge and expertise to guide our improvement. This is what will make us survive in the turbulent communications market.

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