What is a Quality Management System (QMS)?

What  is a Quality Management System (QMS)?

A Quality Management System can be seen as a complex system consisting of all the parts and components of an organisation dealing with the quality of processes and products. A QMS can be defined as the managing structure, responsibilities, procedures, processes, and management resources to implement the principles and action lines needed to achieve the quality objectives of an organisation.

There are many definitions of a QMS (ISO 8402, 1994), but most definitions don’t provide any more information than the words ‘quality management system’. The definition of a QMS isevolving into a definition of good management. It is not an addition to an organisation. It is an integral part of its management and production.

A good QMS does not in itself make an organisation more profitable, efficient or customer focussed, but it will give to an organisation the ability to do anything better, from production to sales.

The history of QMS systems and the associated standards has meant that until recently there was considerable emphasis on documentation. Although successful in many production and assembly line environments, many other organisations found the emphasis on documentation detracted from what the QMS was trying to achieve. It is very easy to simply concentrate on the detail of the documentation process. However, a modern QMS is much more than this. It is a major contributor to helping an organisation focus on its goals – better service to users and customers, reduction of waste and rework, helping staff in all areas to ‘do it better’. This has been recognised by the ISO standards body, and the objectives are reflected in the new edition of the ISO 9000 standard, due to be published at the end of year 2000.

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The benefits of a QMS

In "Good reasons for implementing a QMS" (CERCO SWGA, 1999), a number of direct benefits of a QMS are stated:

·          improved customer satisfaction;

·          improved quality of products and services;

·          workers’ satisfaction and more commitment to the organisation;

·          better management and a more effective organisation;

·          improve relations with suppliers;

·          improved promotion of corporate image.

Besides these direct benefits, there are also several indirect benefits to identify, which give opportunities to:

·          review business goals, and assess how well the organisation is meeting those goals;

·         identify processes that are unnecessary or inefficient, and then remove or improve them;

·         review the organisational structure, clarifying managerial responsibilities;

·         improve internal communication, and business and process interfaces;

·          improve staff morale by identifying the importance of their output to the business, and by involving them in the review and improvement of their work.

These benefits and opportunities apply to any business. The specific benefits to NMAs can include:

·          removal of non-conformance from topographic data;

·          a faster registration of cadastral records; more efficient map production;

·          complete and consistent land (tenure, use, cover) records;

·          improved data and equipment supply management.

QMS and ISO9000

The ISO 9000 standard (ISO 9001,1994) provides comprehensive guidance on the principles, scope and implementation of a QMS. Each NMA must decide for itself to what extent it wishes to comply with the standard. The options are:

·          implement a QMS without reference to the standard;

·          use the principles and concepts within the standard;

·          adopt the standard and seek an ISO 9000 certificate.

Many organisations successfully adopt a QMS without an ISO 9000 certification, relying on their internal review procedures to keep the whole process on track. IS0 9000 certification leads to formal review and approval of the QMS by an outside body and, more importantly, the certification body will review the QMS every six months. Accreditation bodies are being established in a growing number of countries, sometimes with a government mandate. Certification bodies that fulfill the criteria of the accreditation system are duly accredited; relevant criteria are for instance the EN 45000 series). This independent review is very useful for identifying potential problems early, and provides an incentive to keep the QMS current and relevant.