What is SQDI? The Complete Guide to Safety, Quality, Delivery and Improvement in Manufacturing

What is the SQDI Framework?

The SQDI — Safety, Quality, Delivery, Improvement — is a visual management tool that helps increase oversight and productivity. In some cases, the “I” in SQDI may also represent Innovation or Inventory, depending on an organisation’s specific priorities. It can track and report on the performance indicators in real time, which can lead to ongoing improvements on the manufacturing floor.

An example of SQDI board

The four pillars of SQDI board

Safety

Digital SQDI board tracks accidents and records the serious near-miss that occurred onsite. BSC analyses health and safety records and gives you a clear idea about the safety measures and to identify areas that require more attention.

Quality

Quality metrics in an SQDI solutions help organisations to measure the defect level of incoming and in house products as perceived and measured by the customer. Using quality metrics, organisations can easily manage and track quality related processes.

Delivery

SQDI digital system monitors all delivery processes OTIF (On time in Full) from suppliers to customers. All the warehouse processes and stock moves are analysed, and the system gives the appropriate data to the management team.

In SQDI, the “I” can represent Improvement, Innovation, or Inventory, depending on the organisation’s focus and needs:

Improvement

SQDI software encourages continuous improvement by identifying inefficiencies in processes and highlighting areas for optimisation. It captures trends and tracks improvement initiatives, enabling organisations to implement changes effectively. This fosters a proactive culture where teams are empowered to elevate operational standards regularly.

Innovation

SQDI encourages forward-thinking by highlighting opportunities for new processes, technologies, and ideas. It enables organisations to adapt faster, remain competitive, and create value through fresh solutions.

Inventory

SQDI provides real-time visibility into stock levels, material flow, and supply chain performance. This reduces waste, improves forecasting, and ensures resources are used efficiently.

What are the uses of the SQDI board?

• Comprehensively track metrics
• Generate Continuous improvement initiatives
• Provide visual displays for quick understanding
• Give real-time Data Integration
• Support lean manufacturing activities
• Enhance team collaboration and accountability

Features of the digital SQDI Board

• Real-Time Data Display: Immediate availability of real-time and timely-updated safety, quality, delivery and improvement metrics with instant integration from MES and or ERP systems.
• Customisable KPIs: Each SQDI category has a specific KPI, and hence, their KPIs should be developed to match operational goals appropriately.
• Historical Data and Trends: Information on past performance enables teams to measure the enhanced results in the future, which can also be useful in the planning process.
• Automated Alerts: Real-time notifications will be produced if there are any deviations from safety, quality, or delivery metrics to address the issues immediately.
• Collaboration Tools: The design includes fixed communication platforms and huddle spaces where development teams can discuss work in progress and assign tasks.

Benefits of using an SQDI board for manufacturing teams

SQDI visual management system boost the productivity and operational efficiency of a manufacturing company in several ways. They are:

• Enhanced Safety Standards: Organisations can build a safer work environment by proactively resolving risks and continuously tracking safety metrics. The safety metrics included are near-misses and incident rates.
• Quality Control:

How does SQDI differ from the traditional SQCDP and SQDIP?

SQDI is a variation of well-known visual management frameworks such as SQDIP and SQCDP, designed to help teams monitor key performance areas effectively. While SQCDP (Safety, Quality, Cost, Delivery, People) is widely used in manufacturing to track critical KPIs, SQDI shifts the focus slightly — aligning more closely with the SQDIP model by emphasising Safety, Quality, Delivery, Inventory, and People.

While comparing SQDI with SQCD, SQDI narrows its focus by emphasising improvement or innovation as one of its principal goals but does not recognise Cost and People as part of its formula. This aids the teams in focusing more on optimising processes and further work to improve the standard of the operation all the time. Given this approach, SQDI focuses on these four pillars, which is a highly efficient and effective means that corresponds to the lean and continuous improvement philosophies. More emphasis on improvement makes it an ideal tool for today's rapidly developing manufacturing world. Additionally, by fostering a culture of innovation, SQDI equips teams to anticipate and adapt to market changes, maintaining competitive advantage while addressing complex challenges effectively.

Quick guide: SQDI vs. SQDCM

As you may notice, SQDI is derived from SQDCM; it may be useful to compare the two to help yourself if you are familiar with SQDCM.

What tools and technologies complement an SQDI board?

A digital SQDI board can be enhanced by integration with other tools and technologies, such as:

• MES (Manufacturing Execution Systems): This is used to monitor real-time production statistics and connect them to SQDI.
• ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) systems: These are used to align the financial and operational data with the key performance indicators on the board.
• KPI Dashboards: For a more personalised view of such parameters and their evolution over time.
• Automation tools: To decrease the possibility of errors and enhance accuracy during data collection and metric calculation.

How does the SQDI framework align with lean manufacturing?

The core principle of lean manufacturing is the elimination of waste and enhancing efficiency. The SQDI framework is closely aligned with these principles by providing scope for continuous improvement, which is one of the other significant aspects of lean manufacturing. Hence, it can be said that SQDI closely aligns with lean values. It also offers detailed work-in-progress information to the teams to drive enhancement initiatives in real-time. Through the process of implementing a regular check or assessment on every aspect of the production, SQDI assists in the advancement of lean objectives for a no-waste approach to processes. It also supports the lean manufacturing principles by fostering a culture of innovation and creativity that drives efficiency optimisation and waste elimination.

Why are continuous improvement metrics important?

Continuous improvement metrics are key in an organisation because they offer a way through which the organisation can constantly evaluate and improve its processes, products and or services with a view of realising long-term development and competitiveness. Regular use of improvement allows an organisation to spot existing gaps, thus catering to any changes in the market, as well as providing strategic solutions. All these metrics encourage innovation and accountability, which means that employees want to bring their proposals that would help to improve organisational efficiency. Further, when carrying out continuous improvement metrics tracking, companies can identify areas for improvement and make data-driven decisions, which will allow them to improve customer satisfaction, reduce waste, and achieve overall sustainable success in a dynamic business environment.

For example,

Customer satisfaction is one of the metrics used to measure continuous improvement. The company can measure customer satisfaction by analysing customer complaints and experiences. If customer satisfaction is not reaching a certain point, the company can take necessary actions to make improvements permanently.

What are the key metrics included in each SQDI category?

Safety

• Incident rates
• Audit scores
• Near misses
• Injury rates
• Safety violations
• Lost time injury frequency rate (LTIFR)
• Safety training completion rate
• Corrective action closure rate
• Safety observation reports submitted

Quality

• Customer complaints
• Cost of quality
• Defect rates
• Rework percentages
• Scrap rate
• Yield
• First Pass Yield (FPY)

Real-World Application: SQDI on the Manufacturing Floor- an example

Background: A mid-sized manufacturer producing industrial components was facing persistent challenges on the shop floor. Despite regular reports, issues like recurring defects, missed delivery targets, and unclear accountability were slowing progress. The workforce felt disconnected from the bigger picture, and leadership struggled to pinpoint bottlenecks until they had already caused delays.

Challenge:

The existing performance tracking system relied heavily on spreadsheets and weekly review meetings. This created two key problems:

• Lack of real-time visibility into production bottlenecks, leading to delays in corrective action.
• Limited workforce engagement, since frontline teams could not easily see how their daily work affected Safety, Quality, Delivery, and Improvement goals.

Solution: Implementing SQDI boards

The company introduced SQDI visual management boards across the production floor. By consolidating key metrics—Safety incidents, Quality checks, Delivery status, and Improvement initiatives—the board provided a live snapshot of operations.

• Improvement focus: The board highlighted recurring quality issues in a machining process. With problems visible at a glance, teams launched immediate root cause analysis and corrective action, reducing defects by 30%.
• Delivery alignment: Delays in assembly were flagged daily, enabling supervisors to reallocate resources before targets were missed.
• Workforce engagement: Employees began using the board to suggest small improvement ideas, some of which turned into innovative process changes.
• Inventory visibility (Optional “I”): Material shortages that once went unnoticed until too late were now flagged in real time, helping procurement act before production was disrupted.