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Quality Quote: The fastest way to starve a horse is to assign two people to feed it

Quality Quote: The fastest way to starve a horse is to assign two people to feed it. Author Unknown.

The point here isn’t about hungry horses. It is about the allocation and distribution of responsibilities. If one person responsible = one person is wholly and solely accountable. If two people are responsible, the responsibility is shared 50/50 and so on, so that the more people responsible, the less accountable they feel for ensuring the requirement is fulfilled or completed.

So when allocating responsibilities for Quality Management System (QMS) requirements (eg Corrective Actions) always ensure one person is appointed with primary ownership for the action/delivery of responsibility requirements.

Eberhard grossgasteiger 38 XHFO6ycI unsplash
Quality Quote: “The fastest way to starve a horse is to assign two people to feed it” — a reminder to assign single, primary ownership for QMS requirements like Corrective Actions.

Related guide: Clause 4.4: map your business like Google Maps, on giving every process one clear owner.

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More quality quotes

The Ford V8 badge on a red engine blockAttributed to Henry FordBlack and white portrait of W. Edwards Deming“Without data, you are just another person with an opinion”Looking upward through a series of white concentric arches“If you keep cutting corners, eventually you will end up going in circles”Black and white portrait of Mahatma GandhiAn eye for an eye will make the whole world blindA United States flagThose who do not learn history are doomed to repeat itViolinists playing together in an orchestraTEAM Together Everyone Achieves More

Looking for something more substantial? Browse our ISO articles.

General guidance only. This article is general information, not legal, financial, safety or compliance advice, and it does not take account of your specific circumstances. Streamline ISO Consultants are ISO management-system consultants, not lawyers or licensed advisers. Standards, laws and regulator guidance change, and details were correct only at the time of writing. Always seek professional advice before acting. See our full Disclaimer.

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Filed Under: Articles, Quality Quote Tagged With: #qualityquote

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