A Case Study Analysis

ZAP!!, A Case Study Analysis

ZAP!! needs to be zapped. ZAP!! has a problem that will not go away. ZAP!! management has implemented a new manufacturing quality control system and would like full employee participation. However, not all employees (assemblers) participate in the weekly quality control meetings and those who do are reluctant to address the issues or express their views. ZAP!! management does not want to terminate any of the assemblers but that is one of the alternatives being suggested by the first line managers. To resolve this problem ZAP!! needs to identify the problem, identify the causes of the problem, and propose and implement possible solutions.

Identify the Problem

To identify the problem we must look at the problem from all sides thus ensuring no aspect of the problem is left uncovered. Discussions with selected members of the affected groups were held and revealed the following. A major concern for all parties is the participation in weekly quality control meetings.

An example of a simple quality control checksheet

English: Nobel laureate Richard Smalley (Rice Univ...

Meetings are sometimes held around conference tabl...

It would appear a divergence of opinion exists regarding participation by the assemblers, is it mandatory as ZAP!! management would have us believe or is it not as some of the assemblers believe? Some of the assemblers we spoke with do not understand the necessity of participating in such meetings if an employee is performing at the company standard. It would appear that the assemblers who attend the quality control meetings are split into two groups. One group of assemblers view the meetings as a way to avoid their normal jobs, while the second group of assemblers view the quality control meetings as an "intrusion" that prevents them from being productive. Another area of concern regarding the assemblers' participation is one of clarity. At this point in time it is unclear if the assemblers fully understand that ZAP!!...