Cultivating a Culture of Quality: Lessons from Boeing and Volkswagen for Engineering Excellence

TL;DR

A strong culture of quality and technical excellence is essential for building reliable and valuable software products, as shown by the negative consequences at Boeing and Volkswagen when profit was prioritised over quality. Relying solely on frameworks like Agile is not enough; the real difference comes from collective commitment to quality, ethical leadership, and applying sound engineering principles. Development managers should focus on fostering this culture within their teams to ensure long-term success and avoid costly mistakes.

29 November 2024
Written by Martin Hinshelwood
3 minute read
Principle Engineering Excellence Technical Leadership
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Building a culture of quality within your organisation is not a solo endeavour; it requires a collective commitment from every individual involved. Each person must demonstrate their own technical excellence, leadership, and engineering capability. When individuals embody these qualities, they set a standard that others are likely to emulate. The more people in your organisation adopt this mindset, the quicker it becomes the norm.

Reflecting on this, I often think about the Boeing story, which serves as a cautionary tale. For years, Boeing was synonymous with engineering excellence and technical leadership. Their mantra, “if it’s not Boeing, I’m not going,” epitomised their commitment to quality. They were the gold standard in the aviation industry, known for their superior build quality and safety.

However, everything changed when Boeing acquired McDonnell Douglas. The shift in leadership brought a new focus, revenue extraction rather than value creation. Over the next 15 to 20 years, this change decimated Boeing’s culture of quality. Employees began to express concerns about safety, with some even joking about having a “death wish” when flying on their planes. This is not the sentiment you want from the engineers responsible for building life-critical products.

So, why does this matter in the context of software development? Much of the software we use has a significant impact on our quality of life and the world around us. We want these products to be developed within a culture that prioritises quality, integrity, and value, not one that cuts corners for the sake of profit.

To create exceptional products, we must focus on what truly matters. Agile frameworks are often touted as the solution to our problems, but they can also become part of the issue. These frameworks are merely tools; it’s the culture within our organisation that determines how effectively we use them. A hammer can drive a nail or be used to cause harm, it’s all about how we choose to wield it.

Consider the Volkswagen scandal, where an engineer manipulated code to produce false emissions results. This decision stemmed from a lack of a quality-driven culture. If your organisation fosters a culture of quality, such unethical choices are far less likely to occur.

Our focus should be on cultivating a culture of engineering excellence and technical leadership. This involves building a deep understanding of the principles that underpin our work and applying empirical learnings to our unique contexts. Every organisation is different, and with the right knowledge, we can make informed decisions that lead to better outcomes.

This is where Naked Agility can assist you and your organisation. While we cannot do the work for you, we can guide you in understanding the theories and practices that apply to your situation. Together, we can identify what constitutes good engineering decisions versus poor ones.

In conclusion, let’s commit to building a culture of quality and technical excellence within our organisations. By doing so, we can ensure that the products we create are not only exceptional but also safe and reliable. It’s time to prioritise quality over profit and foster an environment where integrity and excellence thrive.

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