The eight principles of quality management Quality – that is the quality of processes and results – is and will continue to be an essential competitive factor, if not the most decisive one. When it comes to achieving one’s own objectives as well as fulfilling customer requirements, a reliable quality management system is indispensable. 1. 2. 3. 4. Customer focus Consistent customer focus is the single most essential factor of every business success. Being “Best in Class” means predicting and exceeding customer expectations. The whole company organisation needs to be aligned accordingly. The eight principles of quality management reflect the experience of leading top managers. They provide assistance in focusing on objectives, on systematic leadership and on the continual improvement of performance. Your customers‘ needs are understood throughout the company. Your internal company are directly linked to customer expectations. You improve your company‘s ability to fulfill customer needs in day-to-day activities. You ensure that your employees have the necessary knowledge and skills to satisfy your customers. Leadership The degree to which the purpose, focus and internal environment of an organization fit together is a question of leadership. Managers create the internal environment in which people develop their skills and apply them for the benefit of the entire organization. Important tools to achieve this are management by example, the consideration of involved stakeholders inside and outside the organization and the development of a clear vision of the organization’s future. Involvement of people Every organization is only as good as its employees. To allow them to apply their abilities and release their potential, it is necessary to involve them in the decision-making process. Doing that requires promoting commitment and problemsolving skills on all levels and to encourage the employees to take the initiative in seeking opportunities for improvement. You translate your vision into measurable goals for the organization. You involve your employees in the realization of your company goals. You have a motivated, competent and stable staff. Your employees contribute actively to the improvement of your business strategy. Your employees adopt the organization‘s goals as their own goals. Your employees are involved in decision-making and the improvement of processes. Your employees are more satisfied with their work and devote their individual development potential to the service of your organization. Process approach Results can be achieved more efficiently if necessary activities and resources are bundled and managed as a process. For this purpose, individual process steps need to be defined, inputs and outputs determined and the interfaces with the organization‘s function identified. Finally, in order to ensure the smooth running of organizational processes, possible error causes need to be identified and responsibilities determined. © DQS GmbH, Germany You develop and communicate a clear vision of your organization’s future. Your processes ensure achievement of planned results and efficient use of resources. You take advantage of improvement potentials because you are aware of the essential success factors. Consistent emphasis on process orientation helps you to reduce costs and prevent errors. You take advantage of improvement potential because you are familiar with the essential success factors. www.dqscert.com The eight principles of quality management 5. 6. System approach to management Each organization is a complex entity; that is why it is important to identify, manage and understand individual processes and their interactions within the organizational workflow. This is the only way for organizations to establish objectives effectively and efficiently. You develop extensive and ambitious business plans, which combine functional and process aspects. Sub-goals of individual processes become aligned with the main goals of your organization. Monitoring the effectiveness of individual processes allows you to better identify error causes and improvement potential. You coordinate competencies and responsibilities for superordinate goals, avoid any overlapping of competencies and stimulate teamwork. Continual improvement “If you cease to improve, you cease to be good.“ Behind this simple statement lies the realization that competence and quality are not static, but dynamic values; that applies to organizations as well as to the people working there. That is why it is important for the success of an organization that continuous improvement of products and systems becomes the ultimate goal of each employee. You combine continuous improvement and strategic planning for more competitive business plans. You set realistic, measurable and ambitious goals for improvement and provide any necessary resources. Your employees become involved in the process of continual improvement. All employees of your organization are capable of improving products, processes and systems. 7. Factual approach to decision making You develop your company strategies based on facts and information. Efficient decisions are based on the analysis of data and information. Ap Taking into account relevant comparative data, you pursue more realistic and more ambitious goals. propriate decisions, based on experience and entrepreneurial intuition, You make use of recognized methods for data analysis, making results available can only be reached when these data where appropriate. You optimize your company’s processes and system performance, taking into account data and information, manage improvement processand information are reviewed and veries and prevent future problems. fied continuously 8. Mutually beneficial supplier relationships All things are interdependent; organizations particularly depend on good business relationships with their suppliers. This is the only way for both parties to make the maximum contribution to the creation of mutual value. Indispensable to that end is transparent communication, agreement on common goals while taking account of the customer‘s interests, and cooperation in the development and improvement of products. You increase your competitive advantage through the development of strategic partnerships with suppliers. You develop more ambitious goals by including your suppliers in your planning at an early stage. Through improved relationships with suppliers, you ensure reliability, punctuality and error free compliance of incoming goods. You develop and strengthen the performance capability of your suppliers through training activities and joint efforts towards continuous improvement. Successful application of the eight principles in day-to-day operations requires customized interpretation according to business sector and scope. When it comes to promoting the performance ability of management systems in a spirit of partnership, DQS is the competent partner at your side. © DQS GmbH, Germany www.dqscert.com