PERSONNEL QUALIFICATION STANDARDS Personnel  Qualification  Standards  (PQS)  is  a compilation   of   minimum   knowledge   and   skills necessary  to  qualify  for  a  specific  watch  station, maintain  specific  equipment,  or  perform  as  a  team member  within  a  unit.  The  PQS  program  is  not  a stand-alone  training  program  but  provides  a  key element of a well-structured and dynamic unit-training program (OPNAVINST 3500.34). PQS is used in the aviation and surface communities, but is not applicable to  nuclear  propulsion  or  the  fleet  ballistic  missile weapons systems. It   is   the   individual   Sailor’s   responsibility   to maintain and complete the sign-off pages of PQS sheets. Your responsibility will be to help guide the individual through the program. This guidance involves keeping an accurate record of their progress through a point system. There are two methods of record keeping—hard copy (chart) and automated data processing (computer). Each method is valid, and the method used is dictated by the command.  Regardless  of  which  method  is  used,  the same information is entered for tracking the individual’s progress.   For   detailed   information,   consult   the Personnel Qualification Standards (PQS) Management Guide, NAVEDTRA 43100-1. CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT A major problem facing the armed services today is  the  lack  of  money.  Our  budgets  are  not  going  to increase in the near future. Indeed, they will probably continue  to  shrink.  Although  our  present  system  of doing business is adequate, it will not allow for many improvements   in   production.   We   have   done   an excellent  job  with  our  present  system.  To  make  our dollars go further will mean a change in the way we do business. Today’s leaders must set their sights on improving the  entire  system.  Increased  productivity  and  better quality through leadership is the primary goal of the continuous improvement program. The  focus  of  continuous  improvement  is  the process  by  which  work  gets  done.  The  person  most familiar  with  the  process  is  the  individual  worker responsible  for  making  it  work.  Often,  a  process  is either  unwieldy  or  just  plain  unworkable.  In  a  rigid bureaucracy,  it  is  nearly  impossible  for  workers  to persuade  upper  levels  that  there  is  a  need  to  change procedures.  Under  continuous  improvement,  leaders are   responsible   for   making   job   improvement suggestions as easy as possible for workers. Supervisors and managers should monitor the work process so that they can respond to suggestions from the work force concerning unworkable procedures. Sailors are good at coming up with nonstandard (but workable) solutions to problems. In some cases, those solutions result  in  unsafe  practices;  however,  they  often  are extremely practical. We must develop the ability to find improvements   and   include   them   into   standard procedures;  doing  so  serves  a  dual  purpose.  First,  it makes sure the recommended improvement is easy to use and meets all applicable standards. Second, it makes the improved method available to everyone involved in the  process.  Total  quality  leadership  is  a  practical application of “working smarter, not harder.” A  popular  myth  among  military  leaders  is  that increased   quality   results   in   increased   costs   and decreased  productivity.  In  reality,  improved  quality ultimately  results  in  decreased  costs  and  increased productivity.  How  can  that  be?  A  focus  on  quality extends  the  time  between  failures  in  equipment  and improves the efficiency of our operations. It reduces rework  requirements  as  well  as  the  need  for  special waivers  of  standards.  It  also  reduces  mistakes  and produces monetary savings through more efficient use of scarce resources. Continuous   improvement   has   several   direct benefits: ·   Increased   pride   of   workmanship   among individual workers ·   Increased readiness ·   Improved   sustainability   because   of   extended time between equipment failures ·   Greater mission survivability ·   Better justification for budgets because of more efficient operations ·   Streamlined   maintenance   and   production processes The    essential    ingredient    of    continuous improvement   success   is   leadership   involvement. Management  controls  the  process  that  accomplishes the  mission.  Quality,  however,  is  in  the  hands  of  the workers who do the job. Leaders, therefore, must drive out  the  natural  fear  of  change  and  innovation  that  is part  of  most  people’s  basic  psychology.  Total  quality leadership requires acceptance and a total effort from the top down. 1-13