Quality management: The path to continuous improvement

When considering how a business operates, the initial things that likely spring to mind include the usual processes and departments: product development, sales, marketing, HR, and more. However, it’s important to recognize that each of these areas is influenced by an overarching system that is often underestimated – the quality management system, or QMS.

At its core, quality management is about creating a culture of excellence that permeates every facet of a company’s operations. It helps drive continuous improvement, establish compliance with regulatory authorities, while ensuring that quality is built into every aspect of your product or service. This, in turn, results in increased customer satisfaction, loyalty and, most importantly, repeat business.

Because a QMS operates quietly behind the scenes, there are many misconceptions about what it does. Let’s delve into what a quality management system is, what it should look like and why your company absolutely needs one.

What is a quality management system?

A quality management system is a collection of processes and procedures which ensure your business runs as intended and continuously delivers high-quality products and services that meet regulatory and customer requirements.

Quality is defined as the “degree to which a set of inherent characteristics of an object fulfils requirements” [ISO 9000:2015, 3.6.2]. Going by this definition, a QMS is the mechanism that optimizes the ability of your products and services to meet the expectations of the people that buy and use them. A well-integrated QMS improves communication, collaboration and consistency across your organization, while also reducing waste and promoting continuous improvement.

ISO 9001 is one of the world’s most widely recognized quality management systems. It helps companies and organizations of all sizes and sectors streamline their core quality management processes, improve performance and demonstrate their commitment to quality. The standard is based on a process approach, which involves planning what to do, doing what was planned, checking the outcomes, and then acting on those findings to make further improvements.

Interested in learning more? Discover what is a quality management system and how it can work for you.

© https://www.iso.org/quality-management