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Has anyone seen any survey data on the size of the quality department relative to the rest of the organization? For example, how many "Quality people" per 100 employees, or how many people are in the quality department as a percentage of the total organization size. I realize there will be a large range and lots of factors that go into deciding on a size. The few estimates I have seen range from 1-10%, but I am looking for more scientific data ideally broken down by industry.
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Excellent question Alex,one that I've been searching for an answer for some time. As a Quality Manager within a global organization with a significant amount of product and process diversification from segment to segment all over the world, we (QM's) have attempted to establish this criteria as a measure of justification (if you will) for resource management/support. From my standpoint, therein lies my interest in any feedback. While this wasn't the answer you were hoping for, I second your motion and will be watching for feedback!
664 Posts
Alex Tielker, I am also interested in any information you receive on this subject. It seems like industry would really be a significant variable in this data. I will be watching this thread in hops of learning where to find this kind of information.
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Alex,
You are absolutely right. There are a lot of factors that go into the size of a quality department. The trend since the 80's is they are getting smaller and I expect that trend to continue. Here is an article from the 2018 ASQ Salary Survey that begins to answer your question:
Infrastructure Inquiry
You can also explore the ASQ.org resource library for more information:
Quality Department Staff Size
You are absolutely right. There are a lot of factors that go into the size of a quality department. The trend since the 80's is they are getting smaller and I expect that trend to continue. Here is an article from the 2018 ASQ Salary Survey that begins to answer your question:
Infrastructure Inquiry
You can also explore the ASQ.org resource library for more information:
Quality Department Staff Size
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If Jerry Rice suggestion doesn't work. For a quick and dirty look up a few companies by Industry on LinkedIn, note the number of employees. Then search the same company by title with the word Quality.
Marie Squier , if you're attempting to benchmark it may not work. From CQIA, studies I recall that failure costs are 7X higher than prevention costs. So, to benchmark you'd likely have to know if the quality dept is focused more on failure costs or has resources to shift focus to prevention costs. Showing the financial return of shifting costs from failure to prevention may be a better way to argue for resources. See Indiana Quality Council CQIA Primer, VI-7-VI-17
Marie Squier , if you're attempting to benchmark it may not work. From CQIA, studies I recall that failure costs are 7X higher than prevention costs. So, to benchmark you'd likely have to know if the quality dept is focused more on failure costs or has resources to shift focus to prevention costs. Showing the financial return of shifting costs from failure to prevention may be a better way to argue for resources. See Indiana Quality Council CQIA Primer, VI-7-VI-17
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Thank you for all the suggestions, particularly Jerry Rice. The links you suggested are very close to what I need. Much appreciated.
