I mean there should not be Quality Function at all
People should operate according to quality principles bearing in mind customer's satisfaction and that's all they have to do.
I know it seems a crazy idea, but IMHO it's the Mission Accomplished statement of a QM.
Couldn’t agree more - my personal mantra is that "My job is to work myself out of a job"
Admittedly I am sure this will take some time but to give a few examples of where I have worked myself out of a job:
1. Customer & Internal Complaints / Corrective Actions - traditionally the remit of a quality manger - the only thing I do with complaints is click a button which produces trend analysis for review. This was a tough nut to crack but a database system now ensures data / timescales / reminders all run automatically and are completed by line management / operators involved in issue.
2. Process Capability Studies - Spreadsheet system set up which is now managed & run by Line Management & Operators - they after all are the process owners who have most impact on Cpk etc. I will occasionally review this data against other indicators - waste / complaints / downtime etc but in truth it runs itself
3. Internal Audits : I review the schedule with internal auditors but effectively this is a self-managed team.
I could go on and on but suffice it to say, my role is as a facilitator and a strategic thinker - Quality has to be ingrained within the culture of an organisation - if it is not then we have failed.. :P