How the Concept of Quality Management System has been Evolving?

Many businesses are putting effort into implementing an ISO certified Quality management system without having the right insight into the quality management concept. Go through this article to explore the concept in detail.

For many companies, the implementation of a management system is more like a nightmare. At first, it seems that two gnarled nests of the paperwork, which are deeply intertwined but difficult to maintain the quality continuously.

However, an entrepreneur must know “where there are inefficiency and difficulty, there’s an opportunity. Keeping the difficulties aside, many companies are connecting manufacturing, standardization, documentation, and compliance to optimize the major business metrics. These business metrics can reduce the risk and up their returns.

You might be thinking of how such unification can be made. The International Organization for Standardization or ISO developed ISO 9001 standard. This standard provides a framework that can help the organization integrate diverse quality-related operations. The way ISO 27001 certification requires an organization to fulfill certainly, ISO 9001 also seeks for some requirements revolve around the QMS. All the requirements of this standard are structured on the implementation of a proficient Quality System or QMS.

Here, I am going to explain the concept of QMS in detail. Let’s start with a formal definition of the QMS.

QMS is a set of policies and procedures, which are essential for planning and executing the production and development at the heart of the business areas of an organization; for instance, the areas that can affect the organization’s ability to meet the customer’s requirements and excel customer satisfaction.

Implementation of a QMS does not make you eligible for gaining the ISO 9001 Standard or Certification. To gain the certification, your Quality Management System should fulfill the requirements of the ISO standard. If you want to understand these requirements, you must have a look at the sections stated in the ISO 9001 standard. These sections are:

• Scope

• Normative References

• Terms and Definition

• Context or Organization

• Leadership

• Planning

• Support

• Operation

• Performance Evaluation

• Improvement

The ISO 9001 Quality Management Standard has been revised in 2015. This standard has insisted on certain aspects. Such aspects are:

• Introduction of new ISO Structure or Annex SL to align the ISO 9001 standard with other standards such as ISO 14001, ISO 45001 etc.

• Strengthening the relationship between the organizations and the quality management systems

• Promoting a process approach to produce the most sought after quality outcomes

• Insisting on quality performance

• Emphasizing on the involvement of the top management

• Customer satisfaction is of immense importance

Every ISO standard, be it ISO 27001 certification or ISO 9001 certification, is surrounded by a number of myths. Let’s decipher what a QMS does not do:

• Does not depend on the size of your organization

• Does not depend on your industry

• Does not act as a product standard

• Does not act as a personal standard

• Does not perform like a membership group

Even when a business decides to opt for the ISO 9001 standard, confusion holds a grip on them. Most of the businesses find it difficult whether they should employ their in-house resources or outsource the services. Every method has pros and cons. Let’s look at them one by one.

• Reduces expenses

• May lack competence and skills required for the standard

• Can be time-consuming

• The process may end up with the mess

Hiring external resources might be expensive but it is safer than the previous method. Why? Because, when you are hiring external resources, it is sure that you would hire proficient ISO quality consultants having years of experience in ISO industry. In such a case, the chances of failure are less.

• Efficient method

• Professional guidance

• Quick result

• Organized process

• Expensive

Before choosing one method, have a look at your business; consider your requirements and the budget. Take enough time to choose the best way of implementing the QMS as per the ISO 9001 Standard.

The concept of QMS is not an obscure one. All you need is to gather knowledge about the ISO standard and QMS. QMS has an intricate relationship with the ISO 9001 Standard. Hence, it is important for you to clear the concept before starting the implementation process.

Damon Anderson is a Quality Assurance Analyst who is adept with ISO 27001 Certification, ISO 20000, ISO 13485, and ISO 17025 accreditation. He has wide knowledge in Quality Management System. In fact, he has produced a dozen of article and blogs on ISO QMS.

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