THE PERSPECTIVE OF QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT IN THE ERA OF INDUSTRY 4.0

Abstract

Purpose of the study: This study tried to examine the level of awareness and vision of prospects for the development of quality management and its corresponding systems in the era of transition to the technologies and principles of Industry 4.0 among quality management professionals of Russian companies. Methodology: The study is based on the survey conducted in April - May 2019 among the expert community in the field of quality management. A total of 50 experts from Russian industrial and service companies participated in the survey. The survey was organized in accordance with the stages of 'the Deming Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle. The data analyzed by using the Spearman correlation to determine the relationship between the understanding of current priority and anticipation of future changes in quality management concepts, principles, and tools in the era of Industry 4.0. Main Findings: The survey results show how innovative quality management methods can be applied practically with relevance to 4th industrial revolution technologies. The authors conclude that the changes in the core concepts of quality management are necessary for the Industry 4.0 era and offer a 4.0 quality definition through the revision of quality management principles. Applications of the study: The finding of this study is useful for the development of a digital transformation strategy of the business companies by showing the correlation between quality management principles awareness and implementation of digital tools. The study shows the necessity to offer interdisciplinary training for quality management professional and IT specialists on the digital transformation of quality management. Novelty/Originality of the study: The originality is in the design of the survey that covered issues that haven't been studied in correlation with each other before the influence of Industry 4.0 tools and key provisions on quality management and development strategy of the company. In the survey, the perception of new quality management principles was investigated for the first time.