Essential ingredients for the implementation of Quality 4.0: A narrative review of literature and future directions for research

Purpose: Quality 4.0 is concerned with managing quality in the Industry 4.0 era. Specifically, its focus is on which digital tools are used to enhance an organization’s ability to reliably give customers high-quality products. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the key ingredients for the effective implementation of Quality 4.0. Design/methodology/approach: A narrative literature review was conducted on the extant works to collate and analyse previous studies in this relatively new field. Findings: The study revealed eight key ingredients for the effective implementation of Quality 4.0 in organizations, namely: (1) handling big data, (2) improving prescriptive analytics, (3) using Quality 4.0 for effective vertical, horizontal and end-to-end integration, (4) using Quality 4.0 for strategic advantage, (5) leadership in Quality 4.0, (6) training in Quality 4.0, (7) organizational culture for Quality 4.0 and, lastly, (8) top management support for Quality 4.0. These findings have provided a steer for the future research agenda of Quality 4.0. Practical implications: Organizations can use the eight ingredients to perform a self-assessment on the current state of each element within their own organization. When implementing Quality 4.0, each ingredient should be effectively analysed, and measures taken so that the implementation of Quality 4.0 is effective. Originality/value: The paper makes the first attempt to present the key ingredients an organization should possess to effectively implement Quality 4.0.