Quality Management Systems in Focus.

In our entry-level reading assignment, we looked at ‘Quality’ in general: how do we define it, and prove it to others? The proof, of course, is independent certification. What is being certified is the organisation’s Quality Management System (QMS)… but what exactly is a QMS? This next, brief article, explains.

What is a Quality Management System?

In short, a Quality Management System (QMS for short) is a dynamic, controlled, and measurable approach to business operations that evolves over time, through periods of improvement.

Every organisation has Quality management activities, whether they have been formally planned or not. An international Standard called ISO 9000 (note the subtle difference in the number) provides guidance on how to develop a formal system to manage these activities (we provide our Quality Auditor students with a personal copy of this for reference, along with the two Standards central to our Quality Auditor training courses: ISO 9001 and ISO 19,011). It’s necessary to determine activities that already exist in the organisation, and their suitability regarding the context of the organisation. ISO 9000 (along with ISO 9001 and another relative in the ‘family’, ISO 9004) can then be used to assist the organisation to develop a cohesive QMS.

A formal QMS provides a framework for planning, executing, monitoring and improving the performance of Quality management activities. The QMS does not need to be complicated! Rather, it must accurately reflect the needs of the organisation. In developing the QMS, the fundamental concepts and principles given in ISO 9000 can provide valuable guidance.

The tail shouldn't wag the dog! Photography credit: Artem Beliaikin.. 

QMS planning is not a singular event, but an ongoing process. Plans evolve as the organisation learns and circumstances change. A plan takes into account all quality activities of the organisation and ensures that it covers all guidance of ISO 9000 and requirements of ISO 9001. When the plan is approved, it is then implemented.

It’s important for an organisation to regularly monitor and evaluate both the implementation of the plan and the performance of the QMS. Carefully considered indicators facilitate these monitoring and evaluation activities.

Auditing is a means of evaluating the effectiveness of the QMS, in order to identify risks and to determine the fulfillment of requirements. In order for audits to be effective, tangible and intangible evidence needs to be collected. Actions are taken for correction and improvement based upon analysis of the evidence gathered. The knowledge gained could lead to innovation, taking QMS performance to higher levels.

The adoption of a QMS is a strategic decision for an organisation that can help to improve its overall performance and provide a sound basis for sustainable development initiatives. For further details, see your copy of ISO 9001:2015: “Introduction”.

Myth buster! A Quality Management System is just ‘compliance’ and red tape…

Sadly, some people continue to perceive formal Quality Management Systems and the certification process as an unnecessary headache, or at best, ‘a necessary evil’. It’s therefore important to take time to appreciate some of the value-adding benefits of Quality Management Systems.

Organisations that implement a formal Quality Management System (QMS) can look forward to an upturn in sales, reduction in costs and improved operating efficiency. Using a QMS will also increase staff motivation, as it provides a clear and consistent company-wide approach to delivering results – everyone understands what is expected of them to fulfil their role. By encouraging staff to have pride in customer service, take ownership of their own workstream, and by introducing Quality standards into job processes, organisations can get the best value from their team without incurring any additional labour costs.

"everyone understands what is expected of them to fulfil their role".

This ensures the delivery of high-quality projects being completed on time and within budget, exceeding client expectations. When a company decides to implement a QMS, it has already given a lot of thought to its internal processes and how it can best maximise quality and efficiency throughout its organisation. A QMS establishes agreed protocols and processes. Laying out clear guidelines which can be easily followed by anyone is fundamental to a good QMS, as it guarantees a consistent approach and makes staff training, role transition, and troubleshooting of any issues less complicated.

Six ways a QMS increases sales:

1. Implementing an effective QMS will improve customer satisfaction, through the enhanced process and customer service. In turn, this will lead to improved sales performance.
2. By establishing and demonstrating an explicit commitment to, and support of, best practice Quality values, and by defining these in a Quality policy document, organisations can empower their staff to act with greater integrity during contact with customers, guided by the employee’s ability to refer to robust policies and procedures.
3. The use of Quality systems in document and data control allows employees to always have up-to-date, accurate information on specifications and technical data.
4. In addition, customer requirements are more precisely assessed via contract review policies, which ensure a disciplined approach to specifying work. This prevents overpromising services or delivery, which in turn improves customer satisfaction levels due to greater dependability of product and service delivery.
5. Quality control during service fulfillment ensures effective inspection and testing of products and a faster, reliable response to any identified issues or customer problems.
6. Achieving third-party certification in QMS also clearly establishes an organisation’s commitment to delivering a high standard of customer service and support – often a contractual requirement.

Three ways a QMS reduces costs:

1. A successful QMS can reduce problems, waste, and a significant amount of employee time. Issues are identified sooner and access to relevant information is widely available. Ultimately, this will reduce operational costs and improve efficiency.
2. Systematic identification and resolution of issues at an early stage will reduce production defects and issues through continual improvement and analysis of Quality-related problems. This will diminish the need for mitigation after customer delivery. The ongoing process of Quality improvement also reduces wastage, as fewer defects are generated.
3. The impact on employee time of trying to fix defects and mitigate customer issues relating to these is dramatically lessened, as critical information and standard methods documentation is in place and accessible to all staff, at all times.

Three ways a QMS improves operating efficiencies:

1. The introduction of a QMS into operating standards means better control of supplier input into the production and service processes, thereby improving efficiency.
2. Improvements can also be achieved by continual review and refinement of systems and methods, thanks to more disciplined problem identification and resolution. A systematic program of regular process review can also establish more effective internal communications and will have a positive impact on interdepartmental understanding and collaboration and team building.
3. The availability of accurate, reliable, and accessible statistics for effective analysis means a superior planning future system can be provided.

In conclusion...

The potential internal staff morale, customer relations, commercial and financial benefits of implementing a QMS can often be made obvious by simply looking at the areas of improvement, and by making a subjective judgment about how well the issues involved are currently handled by the organisation.

In essence, a properly established and adhered to QMS will ensure the continual development of an organisations’ systems, processes, procedures, and working methods. It will also deliver ongoing positive results in terms of increased efficiency and effectiveness, reducing waste, improving internal communication, and clarifying roles and performance standards, as well as helping to generate additional sales as a result of ensuring a better customer experience, encouraging long-term relationships, and repeat business.