Análisis de herramientas de calidad para la resolución de problemas. Caso de estudio: cadena de valor de la Dirección de Bienestar Universitario de la Universidad de Cuenca

Abstract

The following propositional study was conducted at the Department of University Welfare and Human Rights at the University of Cuenca, focusing on the analysis and resolution, through quality tools or techniques, of current problems in the value chain of the 8 programs offered to students. A literature review was conducted to determine 27 relevant quality tools or techniques for problem resolution. Subsequently, interviews were conducted with the employees to stablish the process for each service and gather relevant data for generating and applying a survey to representative sample of 710 users. This helped to identify symptoms, which were categorized into 22 quality problems, and their perception was quantified regarding the experienced problems and satisfaction with the corresponding service. Finally, different appropriate quality tools or techniques were assigned to address vital problems according to the context of each program. Additionally, based on scientifically validated methodologies for continuous quality improvement, a roadmap was developed to outline the step-by-step process for problem management, aiming to guide the organization towards quality control of the offered services. The findings showed that one program had a perception of total satisfaction, six programs had a perception of satisfaction, and one program had a perception of dissatisfaction. It was concluded that the experience of problems in the service processes doesn’t always affect user satisfaction. Therefore, for future research and expanding the scope of objectives, it is highlighted the importance of understanding what is intimately associated with customer satisfaction. Additionally, it is crucial to apply the quality tools and techniques to assess their effectiveness in problem solving and to include the experience of the employees, even those students who have not utilized or have been unable to use the services, is recommended.