Diagnosis of quality problems in a footwear SME

This article presents the results of a study conducted in a footwear SME. The study aimed to characterize the state of quality in the company highlighting weaknesses and areas for improvement. The methodology employed makes use of a set of tools for data collection and analysis such as interviews, flowcharts, process analysis diagrams, efects registry matrix, Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) and cause and effect matrix. Based on the gathered data, the company procedures in quality management and the production process performance are described and analyzed. Besides reflecting the quality state in the organization the study also allowed to prioritize the elimination of auses that are responsible for poor performance.FEDER - Programa Operacional Fatores de Competitividade – COMPETE, Projeto FCOMP-01-0124-FEDERFundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT