WHAT IS A QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM AND WHAT IS IT FOR?
What is a Quality Management System and what is it for?
WHAT IS A QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM?
The main requirement for your company to achieve ISO 9001 certification is to have a quality management system (QMS) implemented and in force, however, it is not easy to develop it effectively, so here we explain how it is formed and the benefits of having it.
A quality management system can be defined as the set of ordered and coordinated activities that allow to offer quality products or services for customer satisfaction; this system is based on planning, control and continuous improvement, so that they can meet the requirements and exceed customer expectations.
5 BASIC ELEMENTS FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF AN SGC
Organizational Structure
It is the system used to define the hierarchy within your organization, that is, it identifies each position, defines its function and establishes the follow-up to each area. The type of structure used will depend on the type of your organization, its functions and scope.
Planning
This is the process of designing, developing and executing a series of plans to achieve your specific goals or objectives in order to stay relevant. It is important that you consider the competition and the external and internal context of your company.
Resources
These are the assets or supplies used to carry out the planned processes. Utility, limited availability and the potential for depletion or consumption are inherent characteristics of any resource, so they must be considered in planning.
Processes
It is defined as the orderly succession of actions to reach a certain point. Depending on the activities involved in each process will depend on the time it takes to complete.
Procedures
A procedure is the specific way in which an action is carried out and is closely linked to the method, which means that the actions must be performed in a predefined way, so that the results are repeatable in each execution.
From this, the organization must establish, implement, execute, maintain and continuously seek a way to improve the Quality Management System to keep it in accordance with the current ISO 9001 international standard.
At the moment of establishing your QMS you must take some important considerations such as:
- Defining the inputs and outputs of each process.
- Specifying the sequence of the processes and the interaction.
- Execute the appropriate criteria and procedures to ensure effectiveness.
- Keeping track of the necessary resources.
- Assigning roles and responsibilities according to the established hierarchy.
- Stipulate actions to manage risks and opportunities.
- Evaluate the execution of the processes and consider possible improvements.
- Maintain the Management System in continuous improvement
In order for your QMS to be efficient and continue with its continuous improvement, it is important that your organization keeps documented all the information related to its processes in order to support the operation and certify that the execution of the processes is according to plan.
WHY IMPLEMENT YOUR QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM?
Having a good QMS in place ensures you some advantages such as:
- Guaranteeing the good functioning of your company and the fulfillment of the objectives. For this, it is necessary that the objectives related to the quality of the system are in accordance with the general objectives.
- Facilitate the management of the development of activities based on the quality principle. A QMS allows a comprehensive analysis of performance and the detection of opportunities for improvement, which, if successfully resolved, will be reflected significantly in your company’s performance indicators.
- Improvement in the planning of the required processes, as well as the synergy between the members of your organization.
It is important to consider that, once your QMS is ready, it will undergo a Conformity Assessment according to ISO 9001:2015.
If your goal is to achieve ISO 9001 Certification, you should implement your quality management system suitable for your company and contact QAlliance, we will support and guide you successfully to obtain your certificate.