Barcode Quality: Let’s Get Real
What You Believe vs What You Know
Regarding barcode quality, what you may believe isn’t necessarily the same as what you know. Using a smartphone to “verify” a barcode is a good example.
“We don’t need a verifier. We check the barcode with our phones.”
The belief: if the smartphone decodes the barcode, the barcode is good. The reality: the smartphone reassures you of something that is worse than nothing. Yes, worse than nothing. Here is a link to an article that explains this.
Here’s another belief, called ‘History Predicts the Future’:
“We’ve never had a barcode problem…and therefore we don’t need a verifier.” This is actually better than the smartphone belief because it is based on fact.
Thin ice fact, but still…
Perfection: The Enemy of Good
The opposite extreme is the perfectionist. They have a verifier and wield it like a weapon. “I’m getting C grades—I must get A’s!” Being the best is an obsession and the barcode grade is proof. There are better, more productive places to obsess. I know, ironic talk from a barcode quality specialist. But reality has a way of intruding everywhere. So let’s talk about reality.
Then there is Reality
The reality is that barcodes must work because of the important things they do:
• Barcodes provide visibility and traceability in the supply chain
• Barcodes manage inventories in real time
• Barcodes prevent a significant number of medical mistakes and even save lives
• Barcodes make travel, entertainment, and access safer
• Barcodes make food and drug safety more accurate and efficient
The belief that your smartphone verifies your barcode is about you—it’s about making you feel better. So is the belief that the barcode must be perfect.
It’s not about you. It’s a promise to your business partners.
Hubris Make Debris
Real quality is based on identifying and controlling variables in a world made of rubber. Nobody really needs—or wants to pay for—perfection. Neither do they want to incur the risk of overconfidence. Hubris makes debris. Your hubris causes other people’s debris.
Trust and Verify
The ISO print quality grades for barcodes are not a guarantee. The ISO 4.0 (A) grade doesn’t guarantee the barcode will scan everywhere on every scanner on the planet. Neither does an F grade guarantee the barcode will fail to scan everywhere. It’s a prediction based on known, measurable parameters. It’s not perfect but it’s the best we have.
Be realistic. C grades are acceptable almost everywhere.
Verify regularly to make sure it’s a solid, steady result. We can help.
John helps companies resolve current barcode problems and avoid future barcode problems to stabilize and secure their supply chain and strengthen their trading partner relationships.
