The implementation of a quality management system is both a science and an art. It uses information, but also requires the ability to get people involved. It takes an analytical approach, but innovation is also necessary. It’s a common phrase in Quality Management that if something isn’t documented, it didn’t happen. So, having a robust Quality Management System (QMS) is the need of the hour for businesses worldwide.
In this blog, we will discuss how you can effectively implement a strong Quality Management System for your company.
What is a Quality Management System (QMS)?
“A QMS is a coordinated collection of principles and procedures that an organization has implemented to improve and show that it meets the requirements needed to fulfill the needs and desires of its clients.”
The agreed declaration of the general specifications of a quality management framework is the international ISO 9001:2015 Standard.
Why is QMS Important?
Implementing a QMS could contribute to several long-term financial gains. Listed below are a few advantages of applying a QMS effectively:
- Achieve organizational goals and objectives
- Reduce blatant mistakes
- Enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty
- Manage the development of products and services more efficiently
- Ability to develop products that suit the new market trends
How Does QMS Support an Organization to Manage Cultural Issues?
Implementing a quality management system will ruffle employee feathers. It will drive them away from their comfort zone and the institutionalized systems. This is why assistance from organizational and senior management is crucial to executing a quality management strategy from the outset.
Enterprises globally have felt that having management support consistency is the best practice. Managers are encouraged to embark on a regimen of positive reinforcement during the early stages of life in the systems. This will not only promote the use of the method but would also inspire workers.
Steps to Implement Total Quality Management (TQM) System
1. Define and Map your Processes
Properly defining and mapping processes are crucial to implementing a TQM system in an organization. Creating process diagrams would push the organization’s analysis and process description with which they will be able to describe the sequence of interactions of specific processes.
2. Determine Critical Success Factors (CSF)
Significant success drivers make a company rely on the aspects that help it accomplish milestones and get a bit closer to its mission.
Specific performance-based metrics include a benchmark to assess how effectively the company is achieving targets. Some examples of CSFs are:
- Economic Achievement
- Client Happiness
- Method Development
- Share Market
- Worker Compensation
- Product Quality
3. Define your Quality Policy
Your Quality Policy communicates the organization’s responsibility to deliver high-quality products and services. It can be as simple as what consumers need. Your quality policy should include a dedicated customer service approach. Only then, your product/services will reach that consistency through which you can retain customers and improve performance.
4. Define Defects for Every Process
Defects are non-conformances that occur as a product flaw or process fault. It must be measured and rectified if a deficiency exists. Identify what corrective action should be taken. One can easily start defining defects by:
- Determining order volume
- Determining errors in product and method
- Defining a process to show errors
- Defining a function to report deficiencies in defined forms
6. Develop a Survey Tool
First, build a survey method for customer loyalty that is focused on figuring out what’s relevant to clients. For instance, consumers may be more concerned with a feature than an additional cost, so if you create a product and attempt to hold the price down and cut corners on quality, you are making a product that does not satisfy consumer expectations.
7. Develop Documents and Records
QMS has to have specific templates and details registered. Start by setting the minimum document required, and add as appropriate.
- Improve compulsory details according to the business model
- Establish critical practices, processes, and types of service
- Create written data and formats (records) for each process specified
8. Survey Each Customer Group
Create a personalized survey for each category of consumers. This study would help to generate data based on the understanding of the consumers.
With this, you will have a starting point for improvement and will be able to show progress as proposals for development are set in place.
9. Determine Training Needs
All have to demonstrate competence in their day-to-day work. Education is just the beginning and can also happen through on-the-job learning; it can be a classroom or e-learning. Individuals and enterprise teams should be trained in widely-acknowledged quality management training programs to gain the best out of implementing a QMS.
10. Develop an Improvement Plan
When the benchmark is set, you can build an action strategy based on each group’s customer input.
Improvement plans can be written in the style of SMART targets, with responsibilities for the follow-up of relevant teams.
Some of the Goals May Include the Following:
- The creation of processes contributes to: for example, customer wait times
- Developing leadership: Walk the Talk
- Business Training / Development: How to lead the workforce during turbulent times
- Education / Production team: Customer service
- Quality management: establishing goals, generating new knowledge that maintains the goal, and promoting responsibility for employees.
Conclusion
Verify that each employee knows the vision. Seek approaches that ensure the continuity of all internal procedures. Employees require experience to grasp standardization.
Significant performing businesses require Senior Leadership to succeed. It needs a well-defined framework, transformations, and processes. The engagement of partners is crucial to the successful execution of a quality control system.
Some of the popular Quality Management Courses that individuals and enterprise teams can take up are:
Six Sigma Green Belt Certification
