Don't Know Much About Quality

But I do know how to help out.

Some of you may remember me from Scott's previous columns; I'm the one who's usually with him when quality-related tragedy strikes. (Who can forget the Wal-Mart incident? I certainly can't.) If you don't remember me or know me already, I'm his wife of 11 years and mother of his three beautiful, perfect, gifted children. (He's such a braggart.) Why on earth am I writing Scott's column? Well, as I write this, our family is winding down from a very enjoyable Father's Day—but it didn't start out that way. One of the first words uttered this morning at our house was a "D" word, but it wasn't "Dad"—it was "deadline."

I always know when it's Scott's time of the month because he gets irritable (and a little weepy) about three days out; this month was no exception. The grumbling usually begins right after dinner three days from deadline as he excuses himself from his nightly Dad duties to begin his column. The next evening he makes similar excuses, and the night after that I know it's serious when he adds, "I've really got to write my column tonight."

Usually I leave him alone except to deliver goodies and run interference when the kids try to pester him as he holes up in the office to write his 800 words. (After 11 years and hundreds of columns, I know the word count by heart.) This morning the grumbling began as soon as he joined us for breakfast, and I sensed that a fun Father's Day was in jeopardy.

I know it's difficult to come up with something interesting and witty to write about every month, so this month, in the spirit of Father's Day, I half-jokingly offered to write his column. He readily agreed and practically locked me in the office.

So here I am, and what do I know about quality? Not so much. But I do know how to help out. In fact, I've jumped in to help our friends at Quality Digest lots of times by bringing meals to hungry editors on deadline and assembling hundreds of media kits assembly-line style. You may even have accepted an offer for a free Quality Digest subscription from me at a trade show, because I used to offer to sit in the booth so the editors and sales reps could do the real work of covering the show and meeting with clients. Of course that was Heidi B.C. (before children); now I care for our three little ones full-time, but I'm not too busy to help Scott out when he needs me.

I don't pretend to know much about quality control, but before I was blessed with the aforementioned children, I ran a business and had (lots of) jobs, so I do know how a well-run business should function. That often means taking up the slack for co-workers and management when it's necessary. It also means anticipating your customers' needs, especially in your absence.

As the summer comes into full swing, I'm sure many of you are taking vacation time (and if you're not, you should be; you've earned it). During these slow summer months while your co-workers are out of the office, what can you do to take up some slack, keep your customers happy, and avoid losing precious momentum in your business?

We all know the dread of coming back to work after a much-needed break to a mountain of messages, e-mails, and paperwork that's accumulated in our absence. It's enough to make you regret taking the time off. But imagine returning from vacation to find that someone has fielded a few of your calls or addressed some client/customer/vendor issues for you. Not only does it lighten your load, but it also means that your client/customer/vendor didn't have to wait a week to get the help that they needed. Again, I may not know much about manufacturing, but I do know how frustrating it is to call and get a voice-mail message that says the person I need is out for a week and no one else is available to help me.

As for that precious momentum, there's no reason for your company goals to be put on hold during the summer months. You can take a course you've been putting off, order a new quality manual to read by the pool, or rally the staffers who didn't take vacation time for a little in-house training. When fall rolls around, you'll be glad you didn't waste your summer waiting for your co-workers to return to get things done.

Of course, there's no need to get carried away. I don't plan on writing Scott's column again for a very long time. (Now that I've done it, I understand why he gets so grumpy.)

How do you deal with the summer slowdown? Do your co-workers pitch in to help, is it every man (or woman) for him- (or her-) self, or are you on your own? Post your thoughts on Scott's blog at www.qualitycurmudgeon.com. Oh, and don't forget to share your quality hacks at www.qualityhacks.com.

About the author
Heidi Paton is a long-time Quality Digest reader who would prefer that we not refer to her as "Mrs. Curmudgeon." Oh, well.