Quality Management: understanding Quality Management

Quality Management may be defined as the process through which organizations apply statistical process control mechanisms in order to improve the quality and standards of goods and services that are manufactured. Closely related to Quality Management is tqm, also known as total quality management. This is basically a management strategy that is applied in businesses in order to create awareness of high quality in most organizational processes. Quality Management features three main components including quality assurance, quality improvement and quality control. Quality management is focused not only on the quality of products and services but also on continuous improvement of quality standards. Most methods that are now being used for Quality Management, quality system and quality manufacturing system take into consideration the need for high quality as an essential attribute in services and products that are manufactured by companies and organizations. Quality Management usually involves the successful improvement of quality of services and products. This is usually done through quality training processes where one can also acquire lessons on quality process and process management. One tool that is used for ensuring auditing quality in Quality Management is the MasterControlQAAD(TM) software. Besides using tools to carry out Quality Management successfully, one can also consider applying project management. This will help ensure continuous quality improvement. The other way through which organizations can improve quality of process and service output is by using six sigma. This is basically a business management strategy that helps identify and remove defects and variations in the manufacturing process. It also helps guarantee Quality Management. It works by using a set of high quality business management and overall management methods to ensure quality and guarantee Quality Management. Most products and services to which Quality Management is applied are certified with iso certificates. Some of the iso certificates that guarantee that a product or service has undertaken Quality Management, change management and process improvement is iso 9001. iso 9001 and iso 14001:2004 set down specific guidelines for environmental management systems and Quality Management. Other guidelines can be found in other generic process management philosophies such as the lean management that follows iso 9000 quality improvement standards aimed at guaranteeing total quality to its quality systems. The other mode through which organizations guarantee Quality Management is by use of a quality plan that meets iso 14000 and iso 14001 iso certification requirements. The other iso certification that guarantees product quality in Quality Management include iso 9001 2000. In order to meet supplier quality in Quality Management systems, there are several iso training sessions that are offered. These meet iso standards. An organization that is in need of Quality Management for its products and services may also consider using a quality manual for its day to day Quality Management plans. Such a manual will usually have guidelines for iso quality. However, when applying the guidelines in the manual, regard must be had to quality audit measures aimed at guaranteeing Quality Management for the organization. Quality Management also involves knowledge of as9100 and iso 13485 that are commonly applicable in supplier management. Quality Management programs that are iso certified help offer quality policy to existing iso 9001 certifications and quality management system that meet iso 9000 and ts16949 requirements. Quality companies that are aimed at ensuring Quality Management for the products and services that they manufacture also use quality management software that guarantees managing quality. In order to enhance Quality Management, the software guarantees quality procedures through its high rate of functionality. Besides such software, an organization can adopt quality assurance training and also offer quality consulting to its members in order to guarantee Quality Management to its products and services. There are also several quality project management plans, which meet iso standards such as iso 9002 that are available today. Such plans are usually developed with a view to developing flexible, affordable and scalable management solutions to companies that seek to uphold Quality Management for their products and services. Such plans feature quality management systems that offer quality control management and quality assurance management through quality a management plan. Other quality objectives that can be obtained through iso 9001 training thus meeting iso 9000 certification use project management skills to improve Quality Management for the manufactured products and services.

Backgroup And Future Of ISO 9001:2008

ISO 9001 serves as the basis for benchmarking an organization's quality management system. Quality management should not be confused with terms such as quality assurance" or quality control. Quality management measures the overall management function in determining the organization's quality policy, its objectives, and its responsibilities, as well as the quality policy implementation through means such as quality assurance and quality control. Quality assurance measures all planned and systematic activities implemented within the organizations quality system. Quality control is the operational techniques and activities used to fulfil quality requirements (e.g., meeting a customer's specifications or requirements for a given product or service). Revision of the ISO 9000 standards has been under discussion for a number of years. Soon after the 1994 revisions, ISO Technical Committee 176 began the task of overcoming the standard's manufacturing bias while, at the same time, overcoming other persistent criticisms that the standard did not adequately cover all aspects of the QMS. The development of ISO 9001:2000 has been a particularly interesting process to behold. It is an object lesson in consensus building. ISO Technical Committee 176, with the participation of various national standards bodies, has actually managed to overcome criticisms from apparently opposite directions and written a document that appears to be acceptable to the great majority of ISO's member bodies. The manufacturing industry criticized the older versions of ISO 9001 for its failure to include a large range of quality management requirements in the standard. Some manufacturing industries considered ISO 9001 to be so inadequate that they developed their own expanded, industry-specific versions of the ISO 9001 standard. ISO was also criticized by non-manufacturing industries for catering to the manufacturing industries. Everything about the older versions of ISO 9001 seemed overwhelmingly rooted in a manufacturing environment. The ISO technical committee found itself in a dilemma and then found a way out. ISO 9001:2000 appears to have actually reached a satisfactory compromise in which the language is generic enough to be applicable to industries other than manufacturing yet specific enough to satisfy the particular concerns of the manufacturing industry. As far as actual implementation of the new standard was concerned, ISO Technical Committee 176 recommended that implementation of ISO 9001:2000 could begin as early as the fourth quarter of 1999 -- one full year in advance of the standard's scheduled publication. The ISO technical committee made this recommendation because ISO works through a lengthy consultative process to achieve a consensus. Once a consensus was obtained (in early 1999), further changes became improbable.

ISO 9000 Quality Standards

In 1987, mounting concern on global quality issues led the International Organization for Standardization, or ISO, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, to establish a series of international quality standards. Called the ISO 9000 Series of Standards, the series is not specific to any one industry, but when used with proper industry-specific standards, helps build a strong foundation for a quality system. The idea behind ISO is to promote standardization which will facilitate the international exchange of goods and services.
Currently, ISO 9000 certification is voluntary and not required or mandated in any country. However, the European community has recently required that quality systems of many suppliers of products related to health, safety, and the environment be formally registered, by a third party, according to the ISO 9000 Series standard. This action has made adoption of the ISO standards a prerequisite for doing business in Europe. Countries in Asia, Africa, and South America are more and more considering adoption of these standards as a means to increased trade among themselves and the United States. Over 20,000 companies have been registered worldwide, and at least 52 nations are implementing the standards.
In the U.S., the ISO 9000 Series of Standards was adopted in precise format as the ANSI/ASQC Q90 series of standards. The series comprises five individual, but related, international standards on quality management and quality assurance, known as ISO 9000, 9001, 9002, 9003, and 9004. For a company's quality system to become registered in one or more of these standards involves having an accredited, independent third party conduct an audit of the company's operations against the requirements of the ISO 9000 standards. Upon successful completion of this audit, the company will receive a registration certificate that identifies its quality system as being in compliance with ISO 9000 standards.

Quality Standards ISO 9001:2008

Quality Standard were developed to assist companies control quality and maintain a high standard of customer satisfaction. Quality has become a lot more than that, quality standards can assist your company with good management practices, reduce risk and increase profit margins.
A good quality system should not be written just to satisfy the accreditation process, but should be written with the company’s business practices in mind and to enhance procedures and policies to ensure sound operation.
The principles of the ISO Quality System can be applied to every company, regardless of its size, type or industry. Having a good quality system in place will ensure that your products, services are of the highest standards, your customers are happy and the future of your organisation is heading in the right direction.
What is ISO?ISO is the International Organization for Standardization, based in Switzerland it was established in 1947 to develop common international standards. It has members from over 140 countries worldwide, comprising of .
ISO published its first standards in 1987 and revised in 1994. ISO 9000 refers to the set of quality management standards. The 1994 standards are known as ISO9001. A new set of standards were released in November 2001, these are known as ISO 9001:2000. The transition from an existing ISO 9001 standard to a ISO 2000 standard can be achieved relatively easily. If you are starting a new Quality Management System, it would be best to use the new ISO 2000 standards.
What is the difference between ISO 9000 and ISO 14000?ISO 9000 is primarily concerned with quality management. In plain English this means anything that affects a product or service required by a customer and what that organisation does to ensure that a certain standard of quality is achieved and maintained.
ISO 14000 is primarily concerned with the environment. In plain English, what an organisation does to manage the impact of its activities on the environment.

ISO 9000 series of standards

ISO 9001 is one of a series of quality management system standards. It can help bring out the best in your organization by enabling you to understand your processes for delivering your products/services to your customers. The ISO 9001 series of standards consist of:
- ISO 9000 – Fundamentals and Vocabulary: this introduces the user to the concepts behind the management systems and specifies the terminology used.- ISO 9001 – Requirements: this sets out the criteria you will need to meet if you wish to operate in accordance with the standard and gain certification.- ISO 9004 – Guidelines for performance improvement: based upon the eight quality management principles, these are designed to be used by senior management as a framework to guide their organizations towards improved performance by considering the needs of all interested parties, not just customers.
ISO 9001 is suitable for any organization looking to improve the way it is operated and managed, regardless of size or sector. However, the best returns on investment come from those companies that are prepared to implement it throughout their organization rather than at particular sites, departments or divisions.

Why is ISO 9000 Important?

ISO 9000 is important because of its orientation. While the content itself is useful and important, the content alone does not account for its widespread appeal.
ISO 9000 is important because of its international orientation. Currently, ISO 9000 is supported by national standards bodies from more than 150 countries. This makes it the logical choice for any organization that does business internationally or that serves customers who demand an international standard of excellence.
ISO is also important because of its systemic orientation. We think this is crucial. Many people wrongly emphasize motivational and attitudinal factors. The assumption is that quality can only be created if workers are motivated and have the right attitude. This is fine, but it doesn’t go far enough. Unless you institutionalize the right attitude by supporting it with the right policies, procedures, records, technologies, resources, and structures, you will never achieve the standards of quality that other organizations seem to be able to achieve. Unless you establish a quality attitude by creating a quality management system, you will never achieve a world-class standard of quality.
Simply put, if you want to have a quality attitude you must have a quality system. This is what ISO recognizes, and this is why ISO 9000 is important.