Introduction
The ability of an organization to produce quality standard goods that meet regulatory and customers’ requirements will determine its longevity. To achieve this, such organizations need to have a streamlined process that adheres to the guidelines stipulated in the ISO: 9001 standards. Organizations use these standards to not only demonstrate quality and compliance but to show continuous improvements.
ISO: 9001 leads to improved quality and increased efficiency since it streamlines processes. It introduces a quality management system that boosts profitability to client organizations, and ensures the reduction of overhead costs and quality of operation, resulting in superior products. With this said, let us delve into the deep and look at the various quality management systems.
Different Quality Management System
There exist various quality management systems across industries. Despite the variations in the systems, they aim to serve the same function, to increase efficiency and profitability to client organizations. Below are some of the different Quality Management Systems.
ISO 9001- This is a system that cuts across all industries.
AS 9100D– This is a Quality certification for the Aerospace industry, awarded to organizations that conduct business in such an industry. They include suppliers, manufacturers, and contractors. They majorly centre on product quality and safety concerns.
ISO 27001– A Quality Management System that aids organizations in managing their information security. Such information includes financial information, employee details, intellectual property, and other information entrusted to organizations by third parties.
ISO 13485– A quality Management System that ensures players in the medical field have the necessary medical equipment that consistently meets regulatory requirements.
IATF 16949– A quality management system related to the automotive sector. It’s a system that provides for continuous improvement by emphasizing defect prevention and the reduction of waste along the supply chain.
ISO 22000– This is a food safety management system applied to any organization that is in the food chain, in other words, from farm to fork. It provides consumers with the confidence that their food products are safe and that the ingredients obtained from their suppliers are also safe.
ISO 20000-A global standard that defines the requirement I.T service management (ISM) system
For organizations looking for an active Quality Management System, the following principles need addressing;
Seven Principles of a Quality Management System
Customer focus– The system should be able to meet and exceed the customer’s expectation
Leadership– There should be unity of purpose established by leaders in all departments through the creation of an atmosphere where people engage in achieving organizational goals.
People engagement– Engaged and empowered people at all levels are essential in the creation and delivery of value
Process approach-Consistent output gets achieved when processes get understood as interrelated functions in a coherent system
Improvement-Successful organizations always centre on improved performances.
Relationship management-To ensure organizational success, organizations should manage their relationship with its interested parties such as suppliers.
Evidence-based decision making-Decisions implemented based on analysis of data are more likely to produce favoured results.
Why Have a Quality Management System?
Most people ask if it’s necessary to have such a system in place. The answer is yes. For organizations to experience longevity, they must have this system in place to improve its effectiveness and efficiency. It will also direct the entity’s activities to meet both the customer and regulatory requirements.
Quality Management Standards
Further to this, it means that an effective system must have a quality management standard. These are guidelines, specifications, or characteristics that products and services should consistently meet to ensure their quality matches expectations, and that the products are fit for purpose- meet their user’s needs. Under the ISO definition, it merely states that;
A product is only rated as quality when, and only if it can satisfy the stated or implied needs.
Currently, we do have a total of eight ISO standards spanning different sectors, namely; Services, Health and medical, Safety and Security, industry, Quality, General Management, Environmental and Energy, and finally Information Technology.
Conclusion
For organizations with long term objectives, they must acquire ISO 9001 Certification so that they can streamline their operations, reduce overheads, and secure their bottom line. Having such a system in place ensures they meet and exceed their client’s expectations, thus propping themselves up for more growth.