What is a QMS?

“A quality management system (QMS) is a collection of business processes focused on consistently meeting customer requirements and enhancing their satisfaction. It is aligned with an organization’s purpose and strategic direction”.
A QMS is defined as an extensive system meant to document important processes and procedures and facilitate the implementation of these procedures to achieve high-quality outputs that align with a company’s goals and objectives. A QMS aids in coordinating and directing the activities of a business in order to achieve customer satisfaction and meet international requirements, to enhance efficiency and work towards continual improvement.

What is the Purpose of a QMS?

A quality management system is not simply a group of documents your organization refers to, it is a whole system that aims to incorporate conformance to international standards of excellence and, through the process, takes a look at executions, costs and conveyance. In doing so, and in succeeding to continually improve upon company procedures and consequently products, the system brings about a whole array of advantages. A QMS integrates the various internal processes within the organization and intends to provide a process approach for project execution. A process-based QMS enables your organization to identify, measure, control and improve the various core business processes that will ultimately lead to improved business performance. – Source

Increasingly, top QMS have attempted to converge initiatives revolving around sustainability and transparency as they recognize that customer and investor satisfaction are tied to these factors. Out of the top regimes, the ISO 9000 family of standards is considered the top international standard and deals with both quality and sustainability integration in company values.

What are the Advantages of a QMS?

“A well-designed and implemented quality management system can help you plan, simplify, and control your operations”

The popularity of QMS can be credited to the many advantages that incorporating a quality management system into company policy has proven to bring about. Alongside showcasing an immense dedication to providing quality products and services, having a QMS in the company allows you to establish a brand identity, create consumer loyalty, and consistently meet client necessities and improve upon existing frameworks. A quality management system operates as a basic framework to help organizations manage services and document relevant changes and corrective measures for internal and external audits.

The ISO9000 Store describes the purpose and advantages of a QMS as “At its core, a quality management system is an integrative element, uniting diverse aspects of a company into a unified purpose of delivering products/services in their best form. Rather than be seen as a cost burden, an effective quality management system is viewed as a key component of success.”

Quality management systems focus on:

Being centred on the customer or consumer of the good or service, actively providing that customer with the best value possible.

Some type of continuous improvement program, which implies that there is not a “perfect” state, all processes can be continually improved upon.

An efficiency imperative that says waste must be reduced and all resources maximized.

Top management is to support and provide adequate resources to achieve goals.

It aids or facilitates a clear understanding of expectations between all participants.

Measurement and accurate data collection are incorporated to support data-driven decision making.

Documentation of QMS processes is maintained and controlled. – Source

Looking for tips on how to implement a QMS, check out these resources:

Top 10 Tips for Implementing an ISO 9001 Management System – By ISO Update

12 Steps to Implementing a Quality Management System – by Thriving Small Business

Implementing ISO 9001 Improves Business Performance – by ISO Global

ISO Terms Explained

To the novice quality manager, ISO jargon can be extremely overwhelming. What is an NCR? What do you mean by OFI? Are we certified or accredited? But before you go and pull out your hair, let’s take a moment to go over some of the most frequently used terms and their definitions with regards to ISO and Management System Certification.