What is quality management?
Quality management is the monitoring of all activities and tasks that must be performed to maintain an optimal level of excellence. This system includes determining quality policy, planning and creating quality assurance and total quality management ( TQM ) .
An example of quality management
The most famous example of TQM is Toyota’s implementation of the Kanban system . Kanban is a physical signal that creates a chain reaction to lead to a specific action.
Toyota used this idea to implement just-in-time ( JIT ) manufacturing system . To make its assembly line more efficient, the company decided to have enough inventory on hand to fill customer orders at production time.
7 principles of quality management
Quality management principles emphasize improving your operational processes and cover fact-based measurement and decision-making to improve the quality of the product or service you provide. These principles focus on three business pillars:
- Process
- Individuals
- the product
In the following, we examine the general principles of quality management, which are the main foundations of ISO 9001 , in more detail:
1- Focus on the customer
The first principle of the quality management system requires organizations to focus on the customer and his expectations. An organization must understand customer requirements, both implicit and explicit, and make arrangements in processes to meet these requirements.
Collecting customer feedback, understanding their expectations and providing value to the customer will ensure that the customer remains loyal to your collection. A satisfied customer increases your reputation in the market and this is a big improvement.
2- Leadership of quality management
Leaders are the flag bearers of the changes needed in an organization. This principle emphasizes the role of leaders in creating unity of purpose, directing and leading quality management initiatives in the organization.
Leaders must provide the environment and resources to create an efficient quality management system in the organization and promote its principles.
3- People’s interaction
People are the most important pillar of an organization. An organization that has empowered and engaged people has mastered the perfect recipe for success.
This principle focuses on ensuring that people are competent based on skills, experience and knowledge that are able to meet customer needs.
4- Process approach
A process is a set of interrelated activities that operate using some inputs and provide the desired output. This principle of quality management encourages an organization to take a process approach to work.
Processes should be uniform throughout and ensure a predictable outcome. Adequate measurements and controls must also be in place to ensure processes achieve business objectives.
5- Improvement
This principle focuses on creating a culture of continuous improvement in the organization. The organization must reflect on its processes, analyze the data and make changes in the system to improve its results.
Continuous improvement brings new opportunities and strengthens the performance of the organization.
6- Decision-making based on evidence
Decision making requires that decisions should be based on evidence or facts and not on emotions. Mechanisms should be embedded in the organization to collect data from various sources, analyze the results of these data and make decisions based on these data.
7- Relationship management
Strong relationships with customers, suppliers, employees, and other stakeholders go a long way as long as everyone is working toward a common goal.
Establishing a correct understanding of common goals and values for a business is of great importance for efficiency and better performance every day.
Quality management standards
ISO (International Organization for Standardization) always strives to pave the way for organizations to achieve high-quality products and services. Addressing the various aspects of the quality management system, which contains some of the most well-known ISO standards, namely the ISO 9000 family, is the most important step in this direction.
What is a quality management system ( QMS )?
A quality management system (QMS) consists of policies and procedures that provide a formal framework for the organization’s overall way of doing business; It also explains how to meet the requirements of the ISO 9001 standard.
What are the benefits of QMS ?
A good quality management system should be simple and traceable. When properly developed, a QMS provides many benefits that allow you to run your business better. This system helps you to:
- Have better management control.
- Implement business best practices.
- Increase your operational performance.
- Facilitate business communication.
- Ensure that new employees are onboarded quickly and easily.
- Achieve a consistent level of service and product delivery.
- Increase employee morale and motivation.
- Support future business growth.
- Drive continuous improvement based on objective measurement.
How to develop a QMS and get ISO 9001 certification?
Before beginning the development of a quality management system, it is essential to ensure that top management fully supports the system and is committed to supporting the development, implementation, and ongoing maintenance of the system. Here are the steps you should follow to develop a QMS:
Step 1 – Designate a leader for the quality management project
You must choose a leader who is interested in quality management and business improvement to drive it forward.
Step 2 – Identify the main tasks
Identify the main functions in the business and list the associated processes for each function.
Step 3 – Document the business processes
Document processes and identify relevant responsibilities and records. This includes:
Step 4 – Check the system according to the standard
After documenting the processes, review the procedures against the standard to ensure that all requirements are met.
Step 5 – Management approval
Make sure management reviews and approves the entire system. Management approval must be documented and recorded.
Step 6 – Quality management training
System documentation can now be officially released to employees. Employees should be trained in the use of documents and aware of their responsibilities in relation to the quality management system.
Step 7 – Do an internal audit of the system
Once you have successfully implemented the system, you should conduct an internal audit. The purpose of internal audit is to determine the compliance of work processes with documented procedures.
Step 8 – Hold a management review meeting
This meeting should review the results of internal audits, any changes to the business and quality management system, customer feedback, and other areas specified in the standard.
Step 9 – Work with a consulting or certification body
Hire a certification body to conduct a certification audit. Get your certificate after passing the audit.
Tips for QMS development
When developing your system, it’s important to remember that you don’t have to reinvent the way you do business just because you’re implementing a quality management system. Just enough:
- Keep your system simple and document how your business works
- Ensure strong leadership and management commitment to the process
- Appoint the right person as the system coordinator
- Involve all employees in this process