Quality Management is more than an option in the current business climate of fierce competition. Companies that want to achieve excellence and create sustainable growth are guided by systematic patterns to ascertain that the product and services fulfill consumer needs. These Eight Quality Management Principles (8 QMPs) offer a good framework basis to construct an effective Quality Management System (QMS) as explained by ISO 9001, ISO 9000 standards. In this guide, we are going to examine each principle closely, explain why each of them is important, and demonstrate how the principle promotes the organizational success.
1 Customer Focus – The Heart of Quality Management
Customer Focus is the first and the most significant principle of quality management. The success of an organization has to do with the effectiveness with which the organization observes and addresses the needs of its customers. Customer satisfaction can be used to enhance customer loyalty, trust and further foster repeat business, as companies will focus on such goals. Our customer focus strategy would involve carrying out frequent surveys, feedbacks and adjusting the products or services according to the needs of the market. Customer satisfaction is one of the core performance indices in ISO 9001 and thus, this principle is the focal point in any ISO 9001 quality management system.
2. Leadership – Setting the Direction for Success
Good leadership helps develop a clear vision, strategic direction, and facilitative environment regarding the performance of the organization in terms of quality goals. The management has to inculcate an environment where all people are interested in quality.
In ISO 9001:2015, leadership is used instead of outdated concept of management commitment where the top management plays an active role. Great leadership motivates the team, manages resources properly, and synchronizes processes with the mission of the company, which permits achieving quality targets on a regular basis.
3. Engagement of People – Building a Skilled and Committed Workforce
Without people there is no organization. The Engagement of People principle emphasizes the need to have all those who are employees involved. Empowered, trained and rewarded employees make the workplace their own and aim at improving constantly.
The requirement of a quality-oriented includes unrestricted communication, teamwork and skills growth. Workers with a high level of engagement can become more productive, innovative and ready to comply with the quality policy of the organization.
4. Process Approach – Streamlining for Efficiency
Process Approach entails the management of activities based on process relationships that contribute as a functioning system. Organizations do not regard names of activities in isolation and it is instead regarded as a linked series of actions to a unified performance. Through this principle, businesses are better able to achieve efficiencies, eliminate waste and get predictable outcomes. The process approach is core to the ISO 9001 since it defines that all processes are tracked, monitored, and measured to be at the most efficient level.
5. Improvement – Driving Continuous Growth
It is not that improvement is a once-in-a-while program, improvement is a necessity. The Improvement principle keeps organizations in good shape since requirements in the market shift and also the changing technologies and the changing expectations of the customers. Continual improvement is possible when a wrong action is corrected under ISO 9001 by undertaking a corrective action, through innovation and by performing reviews on regular basis. An improvement culture assists organizations to minimize mistakes, maximize output and customer satisfaction.
6. Evidence Based Decision Making – Relying on Facts, Not Assumptions
It is paramount that one makes good decisions using precise information and analysis when it comes to quality management. The Evidence-Based Decision Making principle guarantees that the approaches and initiatives are not left to speculations and assumptions. The application of work tools like KPIs, quality audits, and performance reports allows companies to note trends, resolve all issues efficiently and make decisions to guide the business based on information gathered.
7. Relationship Management – Building Strong Partnerships
There is no organization working in a vacuum; the company relies on relationships with suppliers, partners and other interested parties. The Relationship Management concept is concerned with the development of mutually beneficial relationships to add value and performance. In ISO, excellent relationship ties with suppliers are required to achieve stability in the chain of supply and continuous quality of products. Positive relations lead to trust, these minimize risks and make it easier to solve problems together.
8. System Approach to Management – Aligning for Excellence
A System Approach to Management is the idea of the identification, comprehension and control of connected processes as a system. This principle enhances effective efficiency of the organization since it makes each of its parts move towards joint goals.
System approach would enable companies to coordinate activities in the business in a better way, optimize available resources and have sustainable growth combined with ISO 9001 compliance.
Why the Eight Quality Management Principles Matter
The use of the 8 QMPs will enable organizations to have a solid base concerning the ISO 9001 Quality Management System. The following principles guarantee stability, effectiveness, and constant development that lead to customer satisfaction and business prosperity. Regardless of why your organization is pursuing ISO certification, which again is just one reason why an organization may want to implement it, implementing these principles is the secret to maintaining competitiveness long term.
Eight Quality Management Principles are not merely some theoretical provisions; they are practical means that can change the very principle of functioning of a certain organization. Businesses can attain excellence by putting forth the centre stage of attending to customers, leadership, people, processes, improvement, fact based decisions, relationship management and systems approach. In the case of organizations seeking to be ISO 9001:2015 certified, the principles must become incorporated into its work everyday to succeed and grow now and in the future.
Get training & certification on
