Quality Management System

What is Quality
A degree of excellence (OED) The meaning used by the general public. Freedom from deficiencies or defects (Juran) The meaning used by those making a product or delivering a service. Conformity to requirements (Crosby) The meaning used by those designing a product or a service or assessing conformity. Fitness for use (Juran) The meaning used by those accepting a product or service. Fitness for purpose (Sales and Supply of Goods Act 1994) The meaning used by those selling and purchasing goods. The degree to which a set of inherent characteristics fulfils requirements (ISO 9000:2005) The meaning used by those managing or assessing the achievement of quality. Sustained satisfaction (Deming) The meaning used by those in upper management using quality for competitive advantage. Achievement of quality depends on: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Understanding customer needs and expectations, i.e., a customer focus; Creating a unity of purpose and a quality culture, i.e., leadership; Developing and motivating the people, i.e., involvement of people; Managing processes effectively, i.e., the process approach; Understanding interactions and interdependencies, i.e., the systems approach; Continually seeking better ways of improvement; doing things, i.e., continual

Basing decisions on facts, i.e., the factual approach; Realizing that you need others to succeed, i.e., mutual beneficial relationships.

3 Ways to customers can select supplier

a) Purely on the basis of past performance, reputation or recommendation. This option is often selected for general services, inexpensive or non-critical products

coupled with some basic receipt or service completion checks. b) By assessing the capability of potential suppliers themselves. This option is often selected for bespoke services and products where quality verification by the purchaser is possible. c) On the basis of an assessment of capability performed by a third party. This option is often selected for professional services and complex or critical products where the quality cannot be verified by external examination of the output alone.

APPROACH TO DOCUMENTATION
Document what you do, do what you document and prove it. Primarily, ISO 9001 is to be used to assess the organizations ability to meet customer, statutory and regulatory requirements applicable to the product, and the organizations own requirements (Clause 0.1).