Who needs to be involved in setting quality standards

Quality management standards establish a framework for how a business manages its key activities. They identify an agreed way of doing something, either making a product, managing a process or delivering a service.

What are quality standards?

Quality management standards are details of requirements, specifications, guidelines and characteristics that products, services and processes should consistently meet in order to ensure:

• their quality matches expectations
• they are fit for purpose
• they meet the needs of their users

Standards are an essential element of quality management systems.

Purpose of quality management standards

Businesses use standards to satisfy their customers' quality requirements and for a range of other reasons, such as:

• ensuring safety and reliability of their products and services
• complying with regulations, often at a lower cost
• defining and controlling internal processes
• meeting environmental objectives

Businesses committed to following quality management standards are often more able to:

• increase their profits
• reduce losses or costs across the business
• improve their competitiveness
• gain market access across the world
• increase consumer loyalty

See also advantages of quality management systems.

Examples of quality management standards

ISO international standards are by far the most widely accepted set of quality standards in the world. ISO 9001:2015 specifies the requirements for a quality management system that businesses can use to develop their own quality agenda.

See also ISO 9001 quality management standard.

Other standards related to quality include:

• the remaining ISO 9000 family, including ISO 9000 and ISO 9004
• the ISO 14000 family for environmental management systems
• ISO 13485 for medical devices
• ISO 19011 for auditing management systems
• ISO/TS 16949 for automotive-related products

Standards can be very specific, applying to a particular type of product, or general such as wide-ranging management practices. Find a list of ISO management system standards.

Use of standards may be voluntary, but certain groups of customers or stakeholders may expect it. Also, some organisations and government bodies may require suppliers and partners to comply with standards as a condition of doing business.

Other types of best practice standards

Standards can help you to achieve best practice in a wide range of business activities, not just quality management. For example:

The International Organization for Standards (ISO) developed ISO 9001 to be an overarching standard focused on quality. Specifically, ISO 9001 gives us the standard that specifies requirements for a quality management system(QMS). It is the most popular standard in the series.

ISO 9001 can be applied to any organization, regardless of the industry or size. Organizations have found that using the ISO 9001 standard can drastically organize and improve processes and procedures.

Why ISO Standards Matter

When an organization adopts an ISO standard it shows the government, other businesses, and customers that the organization cares about safety. In regards to ISO 9001 adoption of the standard shows all stakeholders the quality that an organization imbues into its management systems. It is important to have standards and principles to define a basis for quality management, and even more important to stay up to date with them. ISO 9001 is particularly important as it lays the groundwork for many of the other ISO standards that an organization may seek to adopt. By adopting ISO 9001 an organization is set on an easier path to adopt other standards that may fall inside their sector.

ISO 9001, Quality Management Principles

The Cavendish Scott team has years of experience and our team knows the importance of education on these new and updated course standards. Our instructors are experienced in the field and work in situations every day where ISO comes into play. Making them excellent resources for all ISO-related questions, concerns, and solutions. It’s up to you to take the time & effort to make sure your team is participating in the ISO transition.

Customer satisfaction weighs heavily into a company’s (successful) business plan. Without our clients, let’s face it… All of us would be not be here.

Quality management is important because it focuses on how organizations can best meet the requirements and needs of their unique customers and audience. ISO 9001 is applicable for organizations of all sectors, sizes, and types. With the latest updates in 2015, it is now even more generalized for all enterprises; large and small.

ISO 9001 Benefits

Spending time implementing ISO 9001 can benefit in the possible ways (if not all):

1. Increased Productivity
   1. Your processes and procedures will be analyzed, improved, and understood. Everyone in your organization will be aligned with these processes too. Allowing more efficiency and ultimately resulting in lower internal costs.
2. Customer Satisfaction Focused
   1. With customer satisfaction at the forefront of this course, your clients are getting the royal treatment. Focusing on customer requirements and procedures will help you better understand your market. Which will lead to quality leads that can be turned into satisfied customers.
3. Unified & Organized Team
   1. Your team will operate and manage this quality management system for your organization. All processes will be clearly defined for all team members to review and fully understand. This will provide your team with confidence and clarity to perform their duties successfully. And your managers can manage the team successfully.
4. Get Compliant
   1. Certification is not required but some sectors and clients such as governments or public bodies require ISO 9001 before doing business. So it’s important to stay compliant and meet necessary statutory and regulatory requirements. Even without certification, it is extremely respected for having completed this training.

Recent Updates

ISO 9001:2008 was recently updated to ISO 9001:2015. Now is the time to start familiarizing your team with the transition. Better late than never!

The new 2015 update changes ISO 9001 to focus on ISO’s Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle. This led to a change in the majority of the ISO 9001 clauses. The first three clauses in 2008 and 2015 are practically the same, it is the next seven in 2015 that are changed to fit within the PDCA cycle.

The latest update focuses on bringing standards into the 21st century. Before the standard focused heavily on documenting processes and now it is transitioned into focusing on “managing” processes. Any organization that wants to be seen as a company committed to quality should elect to adopt ISO 9001.

For more details visit the ISO website.

ISO 9001 with Cavendish Scott

Cavendish Scott offers training, consulting, internal auditing for ISO 9001. Our instructors are experienced with every facet of the standard from the ISO 9000 base all the way to the current ISO 9001:2015 update. Cavendish Scott can provide practical solutions and situational answers to all of your ISO needs.

We have been performing audits and training for 25 years.

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Who is responsible for quality in quality management?

In general, the Project Manager / Quality Manager is responsible for the quality management process. Some projects will have specific roles for quality assurance, control, or quality experts.

Who is responsible quality standards?

In general, the project manager has overall responsibility for the quality management process. Some projects may also have specific roles for a quality assurance person or quality experts.

Who are involved in quality?

Quality is under the responsibility of company management. Quality can only be achieved if all the departments care about achieving it… Everyone in everything he/she does.

Who will use quality standards and why?

Who Uses Quality Standards? Organizations turn to standards for guidelines, definitions, and procedures that help them achieve objectives such as: Satisfying their customers' quality requirements. Ensuring their products and services are safe.