Quality is the baseline of any product or service, which can be measured in terms of performance, reliability, and durability. Quality is an important consideration that separates an organization from its competitors and helps attract and retain customers. Adopting a quality management process will allow companies to create systems and policies that will help deliver high-quality products and services.
Common quality management methods include Total Quality Management or Six Sigma, both of which focus on delivering a good quality product to customers. For customers to develop trust in your brand and products, they need to be satisfied with your products. Adhering to quality standards can give them this satisfaction. Having quality products will ensure that you survive the tough competition and pass through difficult economic times. Taking the quality management certification courses can help you understand and adopt quality management principles better.
What is a Quality Management System?
Quality management system, or QMS, is a formal system of managing documents and processes, in an organization to achieve a quality standard that will promote customer satisfaction. According to ISO (International Standards for Organizations), quality process is a “management system to direct and control an organization with regard to quality”.
A quality management methodology is primarily about the organization, its process, and the customer, and how the first two can be optimized to achieve satisfaction for the third.
QMS is used to coordinate and direct the activities of a business, allowing it to improve its effectiveness and efficiency.
QMS is a set of policies and principles, which include
- Processes improvement
- Waste management
- Reduced costs
- Facilitating and identifying training opportunities
- Staff engagement
- Setting organization-wide direction
The most widely used QMS in the world is ISO 9001. It’s also the easiest QMS to set up in-house without a consultant if you use an effective ISO 9001 certification kit.
Principles of Quality Management
When it comes to quality management, adhering to the set principles is beneficial for every organization. Below are the top quality management principles set by ISO (International Standard for Organizations) to help you get started. To get an in-depth idea of how these principles work, enrol for a Six Sigma Awareness certification training.
Customer Focus
The focus of every business is its customers, and the primary principle of quality management is customer focus. It focuses on the importance of businesses to understand their customers, including what the customers need and when they need it. Meeting customer expectations is the primary objective of this principle. When business successfully accomplishes this goal, their customer base improves, thus increasing the revenue. Adopting effective business strategies results in standardized processes and faster product development turnaround.
Leadership
Every business, regardless of its size requires strong leadership, preventing it from falling apart. That is what this principle focuses on having a clear direction of where the organization is going. It included setting up goals, targets, and objectives for the business. Employees, as well as leaders, should have a common motive to reach these objectives. Improving employee engagement for motivation is a great strategy to ensure this principle is adhered to.
Engagement of People
This principle revolves around engaging and respecting every person in the organization. When employees know that their opinions and positions are respected, it motivates them to perform better.
This enables better and efficient management, which is beneficial for people and staff at every level. Recognition, empowerment, and enhancement of company processes facilitate the engagement of people, thus helping achieve an organization’s aim.
Processes
A standardized set of processes ensure that business operations run smoothly. Properly managed processes reduce costs, develop consistency, and facilitate improvement. An efficient organization attracts more stakeholders. The best way to manage your processes is by using your resources to their optimum capacity. The best way to reach an organization’s objectives is Integration and alignment of the processes.
Continuous Improvement
For any organization, keeping pace with the constantly changing business environment. This means that continuous improvement should be an important goal for every business. The benefits of this include better ability to adopt opportunities, flexibility, and better performance. A business’s ability to stay at the top of changes will help it adapt during difficult economic times.
Logical Decision Making
Using a logical approach for making decisions on the basis of proper data analysis is good business sense. This principle is often overlooked, especially in fast-paced environments, where decisions made rashly can affect the product quality, budget, and other such factors. Making informed decisions with clarity and analysis will also improve understanding of the marketplace.
Supplier Relations
Maintaining a formal, polite relationship with your suppliers is as important as maintaining a good relationship with your customers. It promotes productivity and better work practices. Cost and resource optimization is another major benefit of following this principle.
Image Credits: Bench Accounting
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