A new link to the QIC – Quality Interview Chain. Let’s meet Anshuman Tiwari, a Quality Leader and ASQ Influential Voice from Bangalore, India. He believes that a customer is truly the king and we need to keep evolving as quality professional to meet customer always-changing demand (Love this idea!). Enjoy the interview!
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* YOURSELF / OCCUPATION: Who are you and what you do?
I am a quality leader with a special interest in high impact process improvement and business transformation. I currently lead a team of process consultants at HSBC Global Change Delivery in Bangalore. Our team delivers large and high impact improvement and change projects for the bank, globally.
Earlier I was VP – Business Excellence for the Retail and Wealth Operations of ANZ’s global hub in India. We delivered improvements in operations and customer facing processes for products such as mortgages, cards, loans, and wealth. In my over 18 years in the industry I have worked as an Industrial Engineer, Quality Consultant, Program Manager, and Quality Head with companies ranging from textiles, consulting, Information Technology, and Financial Services. My consulting clients included companies from the Tata, Reliance, Aditya Birla, and ICICI groups and four of my clients won the Deming Application Prize.
I am on the Influential Voices program of ASQ and was recently named a New Voice in Quality (40 global quality professionals under age of 40) in recognition of my contribution and potential in the field of quality management.
My core skills include leading large quality change programs, wide-spectrum stakeholder management, and quality education. I have worked extensively with the Malcolm Baldrige Criteria, Six Sigma, and Lean. I am a Certified Manager of Quality and Org Excellence, a Certified Six Sigma MBB and a PMP.
I am a Fellow of the American Society for Quality.
* CHALLENGES: What was the biggest challenge you faced in your job and how did you handle it?
The most daunting challenge I have faced all my career is about helping leaders see value in what quality professionals do. With competition for mind-space from Finance, Human Resources, Firefighting, quality really needs to win the daily battle of relevance. We have to deliver everyday.
The most daunting challenge I have faced all my career is about helping leaders see value in what quality professionals do. With competition for mind-space from Finance, Human Resources, Firefighting, quality really needs to win the daily battle of relevance. We have to deliver everyday.
I overcome this challenge of relevance by planning small wins in all my projects. I am always conscious of showing some results to the leadership team. They lose interest easily in us.
The other major challenge is – reducing quality of quality professionals. I interview a lot and my strike rate has gone down a lot in recent years. This may of course be because I have raised my expectations but what has alarmed me is how easy people think a quality professional’s job is. Many people turn up for interviews saying ‘they’ think they can do the job and don’t back it up with any knowledge or skill.
* CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT: What are you doing to ensure you continue to grow and improve as a professional and/or as a person?
Firstly I sincerely believe that we have to keep evolving. What worked 10, or even 5 years ago doesn’t work now. ISO 9000 implementation was a skill in demand 15-20 yrs ago and then it disappeared. Training Six Sigma Black Belts was in demand 10 years ago then it wasn’t so hot. Balanced Scorecard came and went. TRIZ never gained momentum. Lean is around for some time.
Firstly I sincerely believe that we have to keep evolving. What worked 10, or even 5 years ago doesn’t work now. ISO 9000 implementation was a skill in demand 15-20 yrs ago and then it disappeared. Training Six Sigma Black Belts was in demand 10 years ago then it wasn’t so hot. Balanced Scorecard came and went. TRIZ never gained momentum. Lean is around for some time.
We have to be aware and of all this and keep re-skilling to meet customer demand. I see quality professionals as a service. We too have a customer in leadership. We have to adapt to customer needs but remain true to the needs of the profession as well.
I do certification course every alternate year. Sometimes every year. Most recently I did my PMP and before that Active Operations professional. I also make it a point to teach at training programs each year. I find this very useful. One has to prepare well to conduct training. I enjoy that process.
I write often and this helps me organize my thoughts. To me, that’s growth. To remain regular at my writing I have continued my association with ASQ Influential Voices program. I also have written three articles for quality progress in last few years. I also speak at seminars for reasons similar to writing. It helps me think and prepare.
* MOTIVATION / PASSION: What motivates you to do what you do? What are you truly passionate about?
I get immensely motivated to see processes change, for the better. I like being in discussions that are about improving processes. The processes that matter to customers are my favorite. I am most attracted to customer facing processes where we can make an impact on how and what customers buy from us.
* ADVICE / RECOMMENDATION: What advice would you pass along to others taking the same path as you? Any specific books/blogs/authors you would recommend?
The path of quality needs a lot of patience and perseverance. Some advice that I could give:
- Customer is truly the king – remain focused on customer needs
- Remain true to the profession – speak the truth and be the watchdog
- Deliver quick wins often enough to keep management interested
- Work with all people – it takes all kinds to make this world
- Have a plan but don’t obsess about it
The books I would like all quality professionals to read:
- Architect of Quality – J M Juran
- Quality is Free – Philip Crosby
- 7 Habits of Highly Effective People – Stephen Covey
- TQM – Bill Creech
- Execution – Ram Charan and Larry Bossidy
* FREE TIME: In your free time, what do you like to do to relax?
I like doing household chores. It takes me away from thinking about work. It helps me win some points from my wife!
I have also started running since last year. My personal best Half Marathon time is currently 2 h 24 mins and I plan to go 2.10 this year.
I try to read regularly. It could be books, blogs, magazines, anything. Reading is therapy. It also helps me in writing my blog as one gets ideas from what one is reading.
* HUMOR: I’m convinced that humor at work is the best remedy to reduce stress and help you with your productivity; do you have any funny stories/videos/pictures you would like to share with us?
Absolutely agree. I am known at work for my wit and humor. I don’t try hard for it but I do try and reduce stress levels in meetings. I believe timely wit and humor helps at work immensely. It makes working less stressful and also cements relationships a bit more.
Share > NOMINATE > Connect > Learn
#1 Link: Steve Hoisington – VP, Quality and Safety, Flowserve – Steve is an accomplished quality leader and respected globally for his skills on the Malcolm Baldrige program.
#2 Link: Lynn Grantham – Senior Program Manager, Coles – Lynn is a senior quality professional in Australia. She has clear views on implementing quality and I would like her voice to be heard.
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Connect with Anshuman Tiwari!
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Thank you very much ANSHUMAN TIWARI for being part of this project and sharing your experiences. I appreciate it.
