CULTURE
The culture within an organisation can be formed due to a number of factors such as;
- Behaviour based on people interaction
- Norms resulting from working groups
- Dominant values adopted by the organisation
- Rules of the game for getting on
- Climate
The failure to address the culture of an organisation is often the reason why many management initiatives either have limited success or fail altogether. Having as understanding of an organisations culture and using that knowledge to make the steps towards a successful change is a key factor in the quality process.
COMMUNICATION
Communication is one of the key methods for changing attitudes to quality, gaining acceptance for the need for change. Good channels of communication provide relevant information, can convey good practice and generate interest and ideas.
Open lines of communication might lead to confrontation as there may be many employees who are resistant to change and it is important to train line management to deal with it.
People should not be forced to accept change but by opening up lines of communication and publishing peoples efforts to change and their results will allow change to happen more smoothly and with less resistance than with a ‘closed’ system of communication.
The three management functions are;
SYSTEMS
An appropriate documented Quality Management System will help an organisation not only achieve the objectives set out in its policy and strategy but also sustain and build upon them. It is important that leadership takes responsibility for the adoption and documentation of an appropriate management system in the organisation if they are serious about quality.
Management systems are needed in all areas of activity whether it may be a small business, manufacturing or public sector.
PROCESSES
A process is the mechanism by which inputs are converted into outputs. Although both inputs and outputs might include materials for example, they differ in some way. All work that is undertaken is a process so therefore exists in a series of customer supplier chains. What needs to be done is to define the process, monitor its performance and to forecast the required inputs and anticipated outputs to ensure that the organisation is not the weak link in the customer supplier chains.
Understanding processes so that they can be improved upon requires the use of tools or techniques known as SPC (Statistical Process Control). SPC will reveal whether a process is in ‘control’ i.e. stable with only random variation or ‘out of control’ and needing attention. It also warns when performance deteriorates and can help with long term defect reduction or elimination lf causes of variation.
PEOPLE
People are a key element in an organisations approach to total quality management in their involvement in improvement activities both individually and through involvement in teamwork.
Teams have a number of roles to play in the process of continual improvement such as;
- Aids commitment of people to total quality management
- Provide an additional means of communication between individuals and management
- Opportunity for people to participate in decision making
- Builds collective responsibility
- Aids personal development and builds confidence
- Facilitates change in management style and culture
Definition of a Quality Management System
“A set of co ordinated activities to direct and control an organisation in order to continually improve the effectiveness and efficiency of its performance” (DTI)
Or
“The organisational structure, responsibilities, procedures, processes and resources for implementing quality management” (International Standards Organisation)
Why use a Quality Management System?
Quality system standards are voluntary in the UK. If you ask companies why they use a quality system standard the main reasons given are often:
- Customers demand it
- Customers prefer it
- Good marketing tool
- Trade organisations demand it
- Helps them to run effectively and efficiently
These are all valid reasons but the main purpose of standards like the 9000 series is the provide confidence to the customer that you will meet their requirements in a consistent manner by preventing non conformity at all stages. This results in a more effective and efficient company and satisfied customers.
What is ISO 9000?
The International Standards Organisation (ISO) is an international non-governmental organisation whose principal goal is to decrease trade barriers by promoting worldwide product standardisation, such as in manufacturing practices, paper sizes and film speeds. The ISO was founded in 1947 with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.
The ISO 9000 series is a series of quality standards launched in 1987 by the International Standards Organisation and aimed at assuring quality consistency in the business of both manufacturing and service organisations.
ISO 9000 is based on the British Standard BS 5750 that was put into place in 1979 and was itself based on the British military’s procurement standards to ensure the quality of UK manufactured defence equipment.
The standards and guidelines
ISO 9000:2000, Quality Management Systems – Fundamentals and vocabulary
Purpose
- Establishes a starting point for understanding the standards and defines the fundamental terms and definitions used in the ISO family which you need to avoid misunderstanding in their use
ISO 9001:2000, Quality Management Systems. - Requirements
Purpose
- This is the requirement standard you use to assess your ability to meet customers and applicable regulatory requirements and thereby address customer satisfaction.
- It is now the only standard in the ISO 9000 family in which third party certification can be carried
ISO 9004:2000, Quality Management Systems – Guidelines for performance improvements
Purpose
- The guideline standard provides guidance for continual improvement of quality management system to benefit all parties through sustained customer satisfaction.
Basic requirements for certification
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Documentation, write down everything that has to be done, that is, rigorously develop the required documentation of procedures for carrying out any activity in the organisation.
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Performance ,use the documentation as a working tool by doing everything that is written.
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Verification, verify that in all cases the accepted written procedures are respected by all parties concerned.
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Filing, a written trace of all procedures should be retained, kept updated, and be available to all persons concerned.
Certification is by a 3rd party (ISO 9001). It can take up to two years to obtain certification and the total cost may run in to many thousand pounds. Adherence to the procedures is assessed annually by examiners accredited to the national standards setting agency.
ISO 9001:2000
The revised version of the ISO 9000 series has replaced the 20 elements previously within it with a process model, plan do-check-act structure with 5 main clauses;
The 5 main clauses are:
- Quality Management System Requirement – documents needed
- Management Responsibility – policy, objectives, planning, system, review
- Resource Management – human resources, information, facilities
- Process Management – customer satisfaction, design, purchasing, production
- Measurement, Analysis & Improvement – audit, process control, continual improvement
Customer requirements
“The organisation shall define and manage the processes necessary to ensure that product and/or service conforms to customer requirements. As a means of implementing and demonstrating the defined processes, the organisation shall establish, document and maintain a quality management system covering the requirements of this International Standard.
The nature and extent of the system documentation shall be suitable for its application.”
There are also 8 underlying principles in this standard
- Customer focus
- Leadership
- People involvement
- Process approach
- Systems approach to management
- Continual improvement
- Factual approach to decision making
- Mutually beneficial supplier relationships
Review
A Quality Management System review should take place once a year and cover the following;
- Results of audits
- Customer feedback
- Process and product conformity
- Status of preventative and corrective actions
- Follow up actions from previous management reviews
- Changes that could effect the Quality Management System
- Recommendations for improvements
Advantages of ISO 9000
- Marketing muscle, companies that obtain ISO 9000 accreditation are permitted to display the appropriate certificate. In theory a company that is certified is able to offer a superior product or service.
- Contractor selection. If a company in Asia for example is looking for a European sub-contractor and is not familiar with European business it is more likely to seek a partner that has ISO certification.
- Suppliers. Selecting a new supplier can be time consuming and costly. If a potential supplier is ISO certified then the selection process for a buyer firm can be reduced.
- Reduced customer complaints. Many operations have benefited in terms of error reduction, reduced customer complaints and reduced costs of quality.
- Eliminate waste. Adopting ISO 9000 procedures can identify existing procedures that are not necessary and can be eliminated,
Disadvantages of ISO 9000
- Bureaucratic, the emphasis on standards and procedures encourages ‘management by manual’ and over-systemised decision making
- Costly, the whole process of writing procedures, training staff and conducting internal audits is expensive and time consuming
- No guarantee that a company that is certified provides a quality service or product
References
Slack, N et al (2001) Operations Management 3rd Edition. Prentice Hall
Waller, D. (1999) Operations Management, A Supply Chain Approach. Thompson Business Press
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