ISO 9001 Quality Management System

ISO 9001 Quality Management System

Competition is forcing many firms to look for ways and means to continually improve themselves. In an age of information explosion, the customers are aware of product range and options available in the market and are looking for value in terms of Price and Quality. Quality is the ultimate competitive weapon in the marketplace, when the low cost provider enhances their quality, while minimizing cost, the market will follow.

If an Organization wants to reduce costs, increase market share, enhance customer satisfaction or improve the quality of its products or services. A Quality Management System will provide the framework for achieving company goals and objectives.

A company having ISO 9001 Quality Management System is recognized both by competitors and customers as one which gives importance to quality in the management of its business. Any organization with processes can implement ISO 9001 QMS and prove that it can provide quality products or services.

Work involves a process; widgets go in (inputs), get operated upon (conversion), and come out in a different form (output). Any activity or set of activities that use resources to transform inputs into  outputs is called a Process. For example, a Tailor cuts cloth according to specifications in one process and then stitches them in a second process with a stitching machine. Cloth is the input in these processes, cutting and sewing are operations and finished garment is the final output. The Tailor and the sewing machine are the resources here. Cut cloth is the output of cutting and also input of the sewing process. If both the cutting and sewing are managed in an organized way and efficient way then the resulting product, the garment will be produced more efficiently with a better quality and less chance of defects. The identification and management of processes in an organization and their interrelationships in called Process approach. Often the output of one process is the input of another process. The advantage of the Process approach is the efficient control over the value adding functions of an organization.

CTI Industries, a Canadian manufacturer of custom wire harnesses and other electro-mechanical  assemblies decreased its turnaround time and increased customer satisfaction through ISO 9001. As opposed to the norm these days of importing, the company is so efficient that it exports to countries like China, India, Brazil and Europe.

Phone On-Hold Marketing Systems Inc. delivers On-Hold Messaging, In-Store Broadcasting and Virtual Voice Mail services. Through ISO 9001 adoption, the company developed Procedures for its business functions which made life easier and work more familiar for its employees and the company also started monitoring business processes which lead to improved efficiency and increased profitability.

ISO 9001 is based on Best Business Practices collected from outstanding firms throughout the world that, if implemented and adhered to, are guaranteed to help an organization achieve its objectives of improving its key areas that lead to improving its performance. The eight quality management principles which are part of ISO 9001 are 

Customer Focus – Leadership - Involvement of People - Process Approach - System Approach to Management - Continual Improvement - Factual approach to Decision Making - Mutually beneficial Supplier Relationships.

It includes application of Statistical techniques that aim to measure, monitor and improve the characteristics of the Product or Service that the organization produces as well as the business process that produce them.

ISO 9001 QMS demands that customer requirements are analyzed and processes be developed that deliver such product as required by customer and improve upon its performance over time. It provides confidence to the organization and its customers that it is able to deliver product or service consistently that meet or exceed requirements.