What Is the ISO 9001 QMS?

The key objective of an ISO 9001 Quality Management System is to meet customers' requirements while simultaneously trying to exceed their expectations. The most obvious benefits include better customer satisfaction and loyalty (along with an expanded customer base), more repeat business and improved company reputation, increased revenue and market share.

What you can do?

Set company and departmental goals linked specifically to customer needs and expectations; ensure that staff at all levels within the company are aware of these needs and expectations.

Monitor customer satisfaction and take corrective action where necessary. Quickly addressing problems (regardless of their relative importance) almost always leads to improved customer satisfaction.

Maintain active relationships with customers and view interactions with them as a chance to learn and create more value for them. Consider their future needs, too, as this will help your company adapt and retain its edge.

Characteristics of good leadership typically include vision, courage, integrity and planning. In the context of an ISO 9001 system, strong leadership involves aligning the organization to the needs of the market and evolving a culture in which staff are motivated to pursue the company's strategic objectives. Strong, focused leadership ensures better communication throughout the company, along with improved coordination of operational processes and continual improvement of the QMS.

Tips: what you can do

Cultivate a work environment that's fair and honest, and ensure all employees are familiar with the company's mission and strategic objectives. Ensure too that people within the organization are committed to quality and awarded due recognition for their contributions.

Lead by example: managers must be good examples of those who can "walk the talk" rather than simply "talk the talk". Senior management (which ISO refers to as top management) must take responsibility for managing and directing the QMS rather than simply showing commitment to it.

Training should be provided where appropriate and an environment cultivated in which staff are encouraged to seek greater responsibility and autonomy

ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) defines "people" as senior managers, mid-level executives, supervisors, employees and other ancillary staff. Engaging people throughout the company leads to better organizational efficiency and effectiveness, and increased job satisfaction. Additional benefits include enhanced trust in the company (as well as increased motivation and commitment), better collaboration and teamwork.

Tips: what you can do

Make sure all people are made aware of the relevance and importance of their individual contributions. Specifically, people must understand and appreciate the extent to which they impact on the effectiveness of the Quality Management System and resulting organizational performance. Encourage collaboration, knowledge sharing and teamwork activities; give people sufficient room to grow and develop from their mutual interactions.

People should be encouraged to evaluate themselves and their performance. This type of self-assessment is surprisingly empowering: not only does it give people an opportunity to see for themselves what they're doing well, it also helps them identify areas for improvement.

Company-wide surveys are an excellent way to assess both job satisfaction and the extent to which people believe the organization is achieving its quality objectives. The results of these surveys should be communicated back to the relevant people and appropriate action taken where necessary.

This principle stresses that in order to achieve predictable results, company-wide activities must be viewed as a collection of interrelated processes which together form a robust Quality Management System. The process approach spawns greater consistency, more efficient use of resources and less barriers between different functions. Ultimately, effective process management leads to improved performance and increased corporate efficiency.

Tips: what you can do

First, the objectives of the QMS must be defined, along with the processes required to fulfill them. This involves determining inputs and outputs, and the people responsible for managing them. It's then necessary to assess the extent to which processes are interrelated and how the outcome of one process can affect other processes in the organization.

At all times information and statistical data must be available to operate and improve the processes. This information should also be used to monitor and evaluate the performance of the QMS.

Risk management is very important: first, potential risks must be determined (possibly with a SWOT analysis); second, actions must be taken to counter the impact any such risks may have on individual processes and the Quality Management System.

A steadfast, company-wide commitment to improve spawns a environment in which innovation can thrive; customer satisfaction is enhanced; internal and external risks can be anticipated, identified and addressed; and process performance becomes more effective and efficient.

Tips: what you can do

Seek improvement by inviting people to examine procedures and processes with a fresh perspective. In other words, encourage people to think "outside the box". Invite critical commentary and feedback, and work collaboratively to find new, improved solutions; always reward innovation and creativity.

Throughout the company, implement projects designed to promote improvement – provide employee education and/or training where necessary. Inspire people to broaden their goals or objectives, and cultivate a culture in which continuous improvement is considered a corporate norm.

Evidence-based decision making focuses on the fact that most decisions generally involve a degree of uncertainty, along with the risk of subjective interpretation and possibility of error. Better, more objective decisions are possible, however, if they stem from systematic evaluation and analysis of evidence. Decisions thus made can be implemented with far greater confidence.

Tips: what you can do

By itself, evidence-based decision making is insufficient – decisions should also be based on experience and a "gut feeling" for what's right. This tenet applies not only to senior managers but to mid-level executives and other decision-makers throughout the organization.

For obvious reasons, decisions involving evidence are only as good as the information available. Steps must be taken, then, to ensure all pertinent data is fresh, accurate and secure. This data must also be readily accessible to those who need it.

The seventh quality management principle, relationship management, describes the need for companies to manage their relationships with suppliers and other interested parties. The logic is straightforward: fair, transparent relationships lead to a better understanding of the needs and objectives of all interested parties. This in turn results in sustainable success for the organization, well-managed supply chains and improved supplier satisfaction.

Tips: what you can do

First, determine who the relevant interested parties are and their relationships with the company. These parties may include suppliers, partners, customers, investors and employees. Next, sort these relationships into some sort of order and determine whose needs are greatest and who should be given priority in terms of regular communication, feedback, etc.

Learn to distinguish between relationships that will only ever offer short-term gains and those that might offer longer-term opportunities. Prioritize accordingly, but nonetheless aim to strengthen all relationships and actively seek feedback in order to pinpoint areas for possible improvement. At the same time, recognize achievements made by suppliers (reduced delivery times, for example) and give due acknowledgement.