Do you remember your first day on the job in QA (Quality Assurance) or QC (Quality Control)?

I sure do. I started directly out of college as a QC laboratory chemist and worked my way up, but there are two things I remember well from that first day: First, my laboratory trainer kept introducing me as a “whippersnapper,” which I thought was a fish until I Googled it…talk about embarrassing. I also remember a huge, white, three-ring binder. It was well used, the cover was worn, and the pages were crinkled and faded. But what it contained! All of the QC and QA acronyms, industry guides, a compilation of experiences (even the bad ones), QC definitions, standard operating procedures, scientific references, laboratory methods…so much information! Some might call it a cheat sheet, but we called it the Holy Grail of QC. As I progressed in my career, I developed my own binder with similar information for my employees, and I strongly suggest you do the same.

Let’s take a look at a few examples of what you might want to include in yours:

When a guest enters a restaurant, whether it is a national chain or a locally owned and operated establishment, they have two expectations: great food and great service. Keep the customer happy and serve them great food and they’ll go away raving about their experience. Most of the time, this is very easy to do. People normally don’t want to cause too much of a fuss, so they’ll order straight from the menu. Sure there are times, when they may ask a general question about an item or ask for no onions or extra cheese (that would be me). There are occasions, however, when there are guest challenges that managers and owners must face. One such challenge is that of guests with allergies. This might not seem like much of a challenge, initially, but when these guests actually have questions and requests, those in charge must be ready with accurate answers and flawless execution of company policies.