Quality Management Systems

Abstract

Dianna and Fred discuss the implementation and effectiveness of Quality Management Systems (QMS) and how they impact organizational performance.

Key Points

Join Dianna and Fred as they discuss the implementation and effectiveness of Quality Management Systems (QMS) and how they impact organizational performance.

Topics include:

• Define an integrated system to drive organizational decisions about quality.
• Implement systems that empower decision making at every level of the company.
• Capture your current baseline processes to help guide future improvements.
• Avoid creating quality manuals that sit on a shelf and fail to reflect actual operations.
• Scale your QMS effectively to fit your company’s unique products and services.

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Show Notes

Companies in regulated industries require Quality Management Systems (QMS), such as medical device and automotive. QMS can be voluntarily implemented by any company seeking guidance and improvement.

These systems often develop into a management philosophy built on risk-based thinking. The core goal of a QMS is to coordinate people and ensure product and service quality from start to end. A QMS helps people make sure essential information flows throughout the organization.

When a team implements QMS poorly, it becomes a burdensome checklist or a standalone document that managers review annually. But it does not reflect what the organization actually does, resulting in dysfunctional practices. Stories like “management hiding Statistical Process Control (SPC) charts from operators so they do not distract from operations” is a prime example of how companies prevent data from being used to drive meaningful quality decisions.

An effective QMS is one that a company continually reviews, ensures that the right metrics are being measured, and enables crucial decisions to be made at all levels, including on the production floor.

To build a robust and successful QMS, teams should develop it with input from the people who are using the processes, such as shift workers, to ensure buy-in and effectiveness. The documentation must capture the current baseline of how work is actually performed. The QMS acts as a touchstone that helps the company withstand changes in leadership, process, or equipment.

By defining processes and integrating systems, a team can use QMS to help prevent silo problems. Teams can also design the flow of critical information, like customer feedback, to be shared between departments such as engineering and customer service.

Ultimately, the quality management system must work for the organization, rather than being an obstacle that requires “an act of Congress” to change.