As noted on this blog previously, having a functional Quality Management System (QMS) in place is simply good business. The ISO 9000:2008 standard is based on eight quality management principles, which are:

1) Customer Focus                                                          5) System Approach to Management
2) Leadership                                                                  6) Continual Improvement
3) Involvement of People                                            7) Factual Approach to Decision Making
4) Process Approach                                                       8) Mutually Beneficial Supplier Relationships

These broad categories represent the most basic tenets of a successful QMS. While there is not a single universal QMS model that will fit all businesses, the main principles should always be considered. Today, I am going to start a new series of posts that takes a deeper look at the basic principles of a QMS and applies them to an unusual business, but one that is near and dear to my heart – the Philadelphia Eagles. Why should a sports team consider quality management principles? One big reason is that although a professional sports team’s product is primarily entertainment it is still a business. The performance of the business year in and year out  can have a  substantial effect on revenue from various sources for itself and its economic ecosystem (i.e. the city where it’s located).

As noted above, the first principle of a QMS is customer focus. A business does not operate in a vacuum, but rather it must fill a need. A great business will fill that need better than its competitors. The most tangible product of a successful operation is happy customers. As the principle states, all “Organizations … should understand current and future needs, should meet customer requirements and strive to meet customer expectations.” In professional sports, it is easy to determine how you are doing compared to the competition because performance is literally measured in wins and losses. The win/loss record in turn drives a secondary yet critical measure of success and that is customer satisfaction, which can be expressed through ticket and merchandise sales, web boards, or local radio call-in shows. In the case of the Eagles, the roughly 6.5 million residents of the Delaware Valley – as well as numerous ex-pats throughout the world in places like Los Ranchos, NM – are happy to let management know how they are doing.

In some areas the the 2011 Eagles can show evidence that they were a customer focused organization. The team acquired several players during the off season with the goal of having a team that would play in the Super Bowl. Unfortunately for fans, the team that started the year with high aspirations needed a late season surge to attain a mediocre 8-8 record. So while you can make the case that the Eagles were customer focused as evidenced by their investment in new personnel, the team failed to effectively manage customer expectations since they completely missed the play-offs. The team repeatedly frustrated fans with their inability to play competitively for four quarters on a consistent basis.

The Eagles were not a bunch of scrappy ne’er-do-wells with little chance or expectation of success. Their roster included ten former Pro Bowl players. If they had managed to hold just one fourth quarter lead, they would have won the NFC East with a still underwhelming 9-7 record and hosted a play-off game. With four consecutive wins to end the season, who can say how the Eagles would have fared once they reached the post-season?

What is the bottom-line impact of the Eagles’ poor performance this season? According to the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau, it starts around $10 million. At least, that is the amount of money that a single home play-off game is estimated to bring in to the city. Furthermore, there is the lost goodwill and support for the customers. Instead of cheering the team on through a post-season run and buying championship merchandise, some fans are instead putting their efforts (through chants, mobile billboards, and t-shirts) towards calling for the firing of head coach Andy Reid.

So the bottom line for your business is are you making the right investments in your product or service offerings, do your customers know what to expect from you, and do you have a means of determining how well you are fulfilling your customer’s expectations? These questions might not be easy to answer, but you should ask and answer them nonetheless. Periodically you should reassess your answers as you collect new data, and use the information to continuously improve on this important QMS principle of being a customer focused organization.

Meanwhile I will have to wait until next year when the Eagles will have another chance to meet and hopefully surpass my expectations.