FEDEX'S 20 TIPS FOR IMPLEMENTING A QUALITY PROGRAM

     Since winning the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award in
1990, Federal Express (FedEx) Corporation has continued its
quality efforts. It emphasizes a People-Service-Profit creed:
When people are placed first, they will provide the highest
possible service, and profits will follow. FedEx also developed
20 tips for other companies implementing quality programs:

1. Know why you are in business.

2. Know why you want a quality program; do your homework and
develop a vision.

3. Strive for visible and active support for a quality program
from senior management.

4. Build the right quality staff to do the job.

5. Don't forsake quality for quantity.

6. Treat employees fairly; empower them, then give them the
structure, tools, and resources to do their jobs.

7. Treat employees fairly; empower them, then give them the
structure tools, and resources to do their jobs. [sic. Repeat in
the original]

8. Build an environment that encourages risk taking.

9. Develop a standardized training process so everyone speaks the
same language and uses compatible tools.

10. Help employees combine analytical skills with emotional
commitment.

11. Incorporate quality processes and tools in standard job
training. Make quality a regular part of the job, not something
extra.

12. Establish quality as a characteristic of every job in every
division. Encourage cross-functional training.

13. Celebrate all successes, even small ones, and learn from
mistakes. Reward employees for their commitment to quality.

14. Know your customers well so you can anticipate their needs
and delight them. Develop quantitative methods to measure custom-
er satisfaction. Use customer input to design new products and
services.

15. Design evaluation tools at the outset. Continuously measure
results to ensure that learned quality processes become a way of
life. Build in a tracking and referral system so employees can
learn from each other's quality projects and avoid duplication of
efforts.

16. Use the Baldrige Award application for a self-assessment.

17. Benchmark other organizations continually.

18. Focus efforts on key leverage points; concentrate on one
important issue at a time, rather than 20 small activities.

19. Stress continuous improvement activities that emphasize
constant attention to detail.

20. Look to the future.

For more information, contact Federal Express Corporation, 2005
Corporate Ave., First Fl., Memphis, TN 38132, (901) 395-3463, fax
(901) 3954928.

[This news item appears in the August 1993 issue of _Quali-
ty_Progress_.]