Everyone says they don’t want a quality function that serves as “the cops.” A group that only focuses on audits, metrics, and compliance. Please make no mistake, that enforcement is part of the job, and while those are critical functions, merely performing those tasks exclusively will never take your quality organization to where it needs to be.
The real opportunity lies in quality becoming a business partner, shaping strategy, enabling growth, and strengthening trust with customers. A visible way to become a partner is by aligning quality objectives with business goals through the company’s goal-setting process, making quality a true business partner.
From Silos to Partnership
When quality objectives are developed in a silo, they start to sound like internal scorekeeping: “We will reduce complaints by 10%.” Goals like these don’t inspire anyone (other than a few folks in QA), and they only show abstract effects on the business. “I know if I reduce complaints, fewer customers are unhappy so we must be doing good.”
It is hard work, but you need to find ways to have quality goals that clearly bring business value. Once you start to do that, you are on your way to being called “partner.”
Building on that example, here is one approach to take.
Reframe that type of annual quality goal to:
“We will work with post-market, marketing, and sales to identify the top three complaint codes needing action and put in place plans to address them.”
This subtle shift does three things:
- Forces cross-functional ownership (quality will no longer tackle complaints alone).
- Aligns directly with customer experience (marketing and sales hear the voice of the customer daily and will gladly tell you what they think is essential).
- Creates actionable, visible outcomes that resonate deeply with executives and the field.
The Pro-Tip here is: If you have sales and marketing on your side, you are golden! Especially when the result is better collaboration, faster resolution of systemic issues, and a direct connection between quality metrics and business results.
How to Make Quality a Business Partner
Co-create goals with other functions
Bring quality, R&D, operations, sales, and marketing together in the same room when setting goals. Ask: What are your most significant problems, and how can quality help eliminate them?
Translate metrics into impact.
Instead of only tracking defects or deviations, connect quality data to cycle time, downtime, customer retention, speed to market, or brand reputation. This makes quality visible at the boardroom level.
Shift from enforcement to enablement.
Quality teams add the most value when they help the business make informed, risk-based decisions—not just when they say “yes” or “no.”
Celebrate joint wins
When a quality initiative reduces service costs or accelerates a launch, share the credit with all functions involved. This reinforces the idea of quality as a growth enabler, not a roadblock.
Long-Term Payoff
Organizations that treat quality as a business partner consistently achieve stronger performance, characterized by fewer surprises, more resilient operations, and deeper customer trust. Strategic quality planning isn’t about compliance alone—it’s about creating alignment so that every quality objective moves the company closer to its mission.
Reflection for Leaders
When reviewing your next set of annual goals, ask yourself: Do these position quality as a partner to the business—or merely as a regulator? The answer will shape not just compliance, but your long-term success. ur organization develops robust, inspection-ready design controls that foster innovation and safeguard patient care.
How Compliance Architects Can Help
At Compliance Architects, we specialize in helping life science companies move beyond a compliance-only mindset to create quality organizations that drive business value. Our services are designed to help you translate quality into measurable business outcomes:
- Quality Management System (QMS) Design & Gap Analysis – Align your processes and goals so quality supports both regulatory requirements and strategic objectives.
- Inspection Readiness & Remediation – Build inspection-ready systems and address compliance risks without losing focus on business growth.
- Supplier Oversight & Auditing – Strengthen relationships and mitigate risks across your supply chain to support customer trust and brand reputation.
- Training & Organizational Development – Equip your teams with the skills to see quality as an enabler of success, not just enforcement.
By integrating these services into your operations, we help position quality as a true business partner—one that enables faster innovation, more substantial compliance confidence, and deeper alignment with your company’s mission.
