Developing and implementing ISO 9001:2015 QMS – 01 – Leadership and Commitment from Top Management

Developing and implementing ISO 9001:2015 QMS – 01 – Leadership and Commitment from Top Management 

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It is a strategic decision for an organization to adopt and implement ISO 9001:2015 QMS standard. Once the top management of an organization takes a decision to develop and implement ISO 9001:2015 QMS standard, following three things from the top management will facilitate proper development and implementation of ISO 9001:2015 QMS standard:

 

-        Leadership role

 

-        Commitment

 

-        Active role

 

It is necessary for the top management to demonstrate leadership and commitment to implement ISO 9001:2015 QMS standard. The top management of the organization must be convinced that implementing ISO 9001:2015 QMS standard will provide a number potential benefits to the organization. The top management must know that although certification is not mandatory or a requirement of the standard, however certification will enable the organization to demonstrate a visible commitment to quality of product, quality of service, quality management system and sustainable development initiatives. The top management must be aware of the overview of ISO 9001:2015 QMS standard, for which the top management should attend a presentation training that covers following issues:

 

-        ISO 9001:2015 QMS Overview

 

-        Importance of understanding the organization and its context

 

-        Risk-based thinking

 

-        Identification of goals and expectations

 

-        Leadership role

 

-        Quality policy

 

-        Quality objectives

 

-        Engaging persons for contribute to the quality management system’s effectiveness

 

-        Establishing a steering committee

 

-        Establishing a task force

 

-        Appointing a consultant

 

-        Implementation process

 

Presentation training covering the above issues can be organized by personnel, who is well aware of ISO 9001:2015 AMS standard and is able to interpretate and explain the requirements of ISO 9001:2015 QMS standard. An outside consultant or trainer may be asked to organize such training. If the top management is not able to attend an overview training, then it can read relevant literature, books and publications. In this connection, reading of ‘Training Handbook on ISO 9001:2015 QMS Awareness’ (ASIN - B093YFFY7Z, available at Amazon) is suggested. In the year 2015, International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has published an informative free brochure to ISO 9001 "ISO 9001 - Debunking the myths" that clarifies some of the misconceptions around its implementation and use. It can be downloaded from the ISO's website. Its reading will be useful. There are many other books and publications available.

 

The top management of the organization should demonstrate leadership, commitment and determination to implement ISO 9001:2015 QMS standard by involving themselves actively in the following tasks:

 

-        Ensuring people in the organization understand the importance of meeting requirements

 

-        Establishing the organization’s quality policy and quality objectives

 

-        Integrating quality management system requirements into the organization’s business processes

 

-        Promoting the use of the process approach and risk-based thinking

 

-        Engaging, directing and supporting people in the organization

 

-        Providing necessary resources

 

-        Promoting improvements

 

-        Performing management reviews at planned intervals to ensure continuing suitability, adequacy, effectiveness and alignment of organization’s quality management system with the strategic direction of the organization

 

The top management of the organization should identify objectives or goals it wants to achieve. Typical objectives or goals may be as under:

 

-        Providing more efficient product and service

 

-        Be more profitable

 

-        Producing product and service that consistently meet requirements

 

-        Achieving / enhancing customer satisfaction

 

-        More business for the organization

 

-        Maintaining / enhancing market share (business)

 

-        Improving processes in the organization

 

-        Improving communication

 

-        Improving morale of the people in the organization

 

-        Reducing cost

 

-        Reducing liabilities

 

-        Reducing waste

 

-        Reducing rework

 

-        Increasing confidence in the production process

 

-        Technical upgradation

 

The top management needs to ensure that intended results are achieved, so the top management must take all possible steps to develop and implement quality management system in the organization according to ISO 9001:2015 QMS standard. In this connection, requirements stated in the standard and requirements determined by the organization need to be fulfilled.

 

In nutshell, the top management should have overview knowledge of ISO 9001:2015 quality management system and it should actively involve itself in ISO 9001:2015 QMS implementation process in the organization by guiding, directing and motivating its people. Focusing on leadership and commitment from top management is a crucial aspect of successfully implementing a QMS, and it sets the tone for the entire organization's commitment to quality and continual improvement.

 

Best wishes,

Keshav Ram Singhal

 

Please have your comments / reaction.

 

To train your employees with ISO 9001:2015 QMS Awareness, please supply them “TRAINING HANDBOOK ON ISO 9001:2015QMS AWARENESS” (ASIN: B093YFFY7Z), which is available worldwide at Amazon. Please search this Training Handbook in Amazon Website of your country. 

 

 You may also supply your employees following eBooks - (i) A Concise Guide on Creating and Updating Documented Information (eBook) https://store.pothi.com/book/ebook-keshav-ram-singhal-concise-guide-creating-and-updating-documented-information/ (ii) Applying Risk-based Thinking in an Organization Implementing ISO 9001:2015 QMS (eBook) https://store.pothi.com/book/ebook-keshav-ram-singhal-applying-risk-based-thinking-organization-implementing-iso-9001-2015-q/

 

Thanks.

 

ISO 9001:2015 QMS Awareness – Increasing the power of Quality management system – Importance of Improvement

ISO 9001:2015 QMS Awareness – Increasing the power of Quality management system – Importance of Improvement

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This article deals with the importance of improvement in organizations. Continual creation of value addition in product / service is the common expectation now a days and continual improvement in product / service, therefore, is expected by consumers / users / customers.

 

There is a need of improvement in the quality management systems because:

 

(1)   Improvement is needed by consumers / users / customers because of their changing expectations.

 

(2)   Improvement is one of the seven quality management principles on which ISO 9001:2015 QMS standard is based.

 

(3)   Continual improvement is one of the requirements of ISO 9001:2015 QMS standard and organizations, implementing ISO 9001:2015 QMS standard, are required to comply with the such requirements mentioned in the standard.

 

Continual improvement is a recurring (step-by-step) activity followed by –

 

(i)              Identifying opportunities for improvement and their justification,

 

(ii)             Deciding how to improve on the available resources, and

 

(iii)            Implementing (carrying out) improvement.

 

The organization needs to continually improve the suitability, adequacy and effectiveness of its quality management system, but how the organization does such continual improvement, that’s a relevant question. In this connection, the organization should use quality policy, quality objectives, audit results, analysis of data, risk-based thinking, correction, corrective action, management review to continually improve the suitability, adequacy and effectiveness of its quality management system.

 

If an organization wishes to improve the power of its quality management system, achieve organization’s performance excellence through improvement. Following clauses specially mention improvement requirements –

 

Clause 4.4.1 – Improve the processes and the quality management system

 

Clause 5.1.1 – Top management of the organization needs to demonstrate leadership and commitment with respect to the quality management system by promoting improvement.

 

Clause 5.2.1 – Top management of the organization needs to establish, implement and maintain a quality policy that includes a commitment to continual improvement of the quality management system.

 

Clause 6.1.1 – When planning for the quality management system, the organization needs to consider the issues related to the organization and its context and the requirements related to the needs and expectations of interested parties and determine the risks and opportunities that need to be addressed to achieve improvement.

 

Clause 9.1.3 – The results of analysis need be used to evaluate the need for improvements to the quality management system.

 

Clause 9.3.2 – The management review must be planned and carried out taking into consideration of opportunities for improvement.

 

Clause 9.3.3 – The outputs of management review must include decisions and actions related to opportunities for improvement.

 

Clause 10 of ISO 9001:2015 QMS standard specifically deals with the requirements for improvement. Continual improvement is also a defined requirement of the standard (clause 10.3)

 

Why improvement needed, and what are the key benefits of improvement? ISO 9000:2015, Quality management systems – Fundamentals and vocabulary, provides the answer to these questions.

 

Why improvement needed? Because the successful organization has continuing focus on improvement. Improvement is essential to maintain the required level of performance, to react to changes and to create new opportunities.

 

Key benefits of improvement are –

 

(i)              Improved process performance,

 

(ii)             Improved organizational capability,

 

(iii)            Improved customer satisfaction,

 

(iv)           Enhanced focus on root cause analysis followed by risk-based thinking, correction and corrective action,

 

(v)             Enhanced ability to predict and react to the determined risks and opportunities,

 

(vi)           Enhanced consideration of incremental / breakthrough improvement,

 

(vii)          Regular use of improved learning for improvement,

 

(viii)         Enhanced drive for innovation,

 

(ix)           Reduction in nonconforming outputs etc.

 

How improvement can be achieved? Following actions will be helpful to achieve improvement –

 

(i)              Identifying areas of improvement through analysis and evaluation of the existing situation,

 

(ii)             Establishing objectives for improvement,

 

(iii)            Searching for and evaluating possible solutions to achieve the objectives,

 

(iv)           Making a selection from the possible solutions and implementing the selected solutions,

 

(v)             Measuring, verifying, analyzing and evaluating results of the implementation of selected solutions to determine whether the established objectives have been achieved, and

 

(vi)           Formalizing changes.

 

Results should be reviewed to determine further opportunities for improvement. Accordingly, improvement is a continual activity to be undertaken by the organization. The top management of the organization has important role to play in this regard. To identify opportunities for further improvement, following actions may be useful:

 

(i)              Obtaining feedback from customers and other interested parties,

 

(ii)             Audit results, and

 

(iii)            Review of the quality management system.

 

Breakthrough improvement vs Small-step improvement

 

Improvement process may lead to breakthrough improvement or small-step ongoing improvement. Let us understand the distinction between these two, which can be understood as under:

 

(i)              In small-step ongoing improvement, people involvement working in the process remains, while in breakthrough improvement, cross-functional teams involvement remains outside routine operation.

 

(ii)             In small-step ongoing improvement size of changes remain small, while the size of changes is big in breakthrough improvement.

 

(iii)            In small-step ongoing improvement results show small improvements, while results show big jump in breakthrough improvement.

 

(iv)           Cost is low (within operating budget) in small-step ongoing improvement, while cost is high (may involve additional capital investment) in breakthrough improvement.

 

(v)             Types of changes in small-step ongoing improvement include modification in practices, procedures, equipment, elimination and simplification of activities, while types of changes in breakthrough improvement include process reengineering, major process upgrades, changes in technology, addition of new equipment etc.

 

A cross-functional team is a group of individuals from different functional areas or departments within an organization who come together to work on a specific project or solve a particular problem. Since the individuals are from different functional areas or departments, the team members bring diverse skills, expertise, and perspectives from their respective areas to collaboratively address the issue at hand. In the context of improvement activities, a cross-functional team is often assembled to tackle complex problems or pursue breakthrough improvement. The members of such team can be from different functional areas or departments, including managers, engineers, frontline employees, frontline employees, external consultants etc.

 

The purpose for forming a cross-functional team is to ensure a well-rounded and comprehensive approach to problem-solving or breakthrough improvements. By including individuals from different areas, the team can better understand the various implications of the problem and address breakthrough improvement. On the other hand, in small-step ongoing improvement, the focus is generally on continual improvement or enhancement to existing processes. In such cases, the improvement activities often involve people who are directly working with the process.   

 

Create Awareness

 

It is necessary to create people awareness in the organization on continual improvement and this may be created by forming small groups in the organization, selecting their group leaders, allowing people to control and improve their workplace and developing people’s knowledge, experience and skills. The role of the top management is important in continual improvement of the effectiveness of the quality management system and the top management should take effective steps to do so.

 

Best wishes,

Keshav Ram Singhal

 

Please have your comments / reaction.

 

To train your employees with ISO 9001:2015 QMS Awareness, please supply them “TRAINING HANDBOOK ON ISO 9001:2015QMS AWARENESS” (ASIN: B093YFFY7Z), which is available worldwide at Amazon. Please search this Training Handbook in Amazon Website of your country. 

 

 You may also supply your employees following eBooks - (i) A Concise Guide on Creating and Updating Documented Information (eBook) https://store.pothi.com/book/ebook-keshav-ram-singhal-concise-guide-creating-and-updating-documented-information/ (ii) Applying Risk-based Thinking in an Organization Implementing ISO 9001:2015 QMS (eBook) https://store.pothi.com/book/ebook-keshav-ram-singhal-applying-risk-based-thinking-organization-implementing-iso-9001-2015-q/

 

Thanks.

Historical Background: Origin of Quality in India – 02

Historical Background: Origin of Quality in India – 02

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India too witnessed urbanization and industrial expansion in the twentieth century. Manufacturers in India started understanding the importance of quality.

 

The importance of quality was emphasized by many world leaders in the twentieth century. Mahatma Gandhi had mentioned quality on many occasions during the Swadeshi movement. He had said - "It is the quality of our work which will please God and not the quantity.” He was one who emphasized practicing quality in daily life. For emphasizing the importance of customer and his needs, Mahatma Gandhi said, “A customer is the most important visitor in our premises. He is not dependent on us; we are dependent on him. He is not an interruption in our work, he is the purpose of it. He is not an outsider in our business, he is part of it."

 

The evolution of formal quality management system in India started in the mid-twentieth century with the establishment of various industrial organizations and the increasing focus on industrial development. The adoption and implementation of international quality standards, such as ISO 9000 series, gained momentum in 1990s that contributed to the growth of quality management practices in Indian industries.

 

In the twilight years of British rule in India, when the country was faced with the gigantic task of building up the industrial infrastructure, it was the Institution of Engineers (India), which prepared the first draft of the Constitution of an Institution which could take up the task of formulation of National Standards, and thereafter the Department of Industries and Supplies issued a memorandum on 03 September 1946, formally announcing the setting up of an organization called the “Indian Standards Institution” that came into existence on the 06 January 1947.

 

In the initial years, the Indian Standards Institution concentrated on standardization activity. To provide the advantages of standardization to common consumers, the Indian Standards Institution started operating the Certification Marks Scheme under the Indian Standards Institution (Certification Marks) Act, 1952. The Scheme, which was formally launched by ISI in 1955-56, enabled it to grant licences to manufacturers producing goods in conformity with Indian Standards and to apply ISI Mark on their products. To meet the requirements of the Certification Marks Scheme, the nucleus of a laboratory was started in 1963. While the product certification was being operated under the Indian Standards Institution (Certification Marks) Act, 1952, the formulation of standards and other related work were not governed by any legislation. To start with the formulation of standards and other related work, a Bill was therefore introduced in Indian Parliament on 26 November 1986, and thus through an act of Parliament dated 26 November 1986, Bureau of Indian standards (BIS) came into existence on 1 April 1987, with a broadened scope and more powers taking over the staff, assets, liabilities and functions of erstwhile ISI. Through this change over, the government envisaged building a climate for quality culture and consciousness and greater participation of consumers in formulation and implementation of national standards.

 

The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is the national standards body of India and plays a pivotal role in the development and awareness of standards in the country. BIS was established in 1986 and operates under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution. BIS formulates and publishes Indian Standards (IS) across various sectors to ensure quality, safety, and reliability of products and services. BIS, the national standards body, is the member of International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and represents India. More information on BIS can be found on its website by clicking THIS LINK.

 

India also witnessed the establishment of several quality-related organizations aimed at promoting and enhancing quality practices across industries and organizations. Some notable organizations include:

 

National Centre for Quality Management (NCQM) – National Centre for Quality Management (NCQM) was established in 1985 by a group of eminent industrialists and professionals as a not-for-profit organization devoted to promote quality at National level. It is a premier professional institution engaged in promoting Quality culture in Indian economy and foster quality excellence in organizations through services like training, education, seminars, publications, research and advisory services. It is a society registered under Bombay Public Trust Act, 1950. To improve professional competence in Total Quality Management, it pursues PG Diploma in TQM and Diploma in TQM courses. To promote quality values among educational institutions in our country and to encourage Quality Improvement Teams in Educational Institutions in our country, NCQM has instituted Best Education Quality Enhancement Team (BEQET) Awards. More information about the organization can be found on its website by clicking THE NCQM LINK.

 

Quality Circle Forum of India (QCFI) – Quality Circle Forum of India (QCFI) is recognized as the institution representing the Quality Circle Movement in India. It was established on 31 December 1982 and registered as a non-profit and non-political organization under AP Public Society’s Act. The organization has successfully implemented Quality concepts under the TQM umbrella across several industries in India.

 

Quality Circle Forum of India represents India in the 14 nation International Committee that has been set up for organizing International conventions on Quality Concept Circle, annually. Quality Circle Forum of India has organized three International convention in India. In addition, chapter convention and National convention are held every year, where members present case studies and technical papers are discussed by leading Quality Concept Practitioners. Fourteen coordinating organizations are:

 

Group A -

(1) China Association for Quality, China

(2) Hong Kong Productivity Council, Hong Kong

(3) Union of Japanese Scientists and Engineers, Japan

(4) Korean Standards Association, Korea

(5) Quality and Productivity Association of the Philippines, Phillipines

(6) The Association of Pioneer Quality Control Research, Tiwan

 

Group B -

(7) Bangladesh Society for Total Quality Management, Bangladesh

(8) Quality Circle Forum of India, India

(9) Indonesian Quality Management Association, Indonesia

(10) Malaysia Productivity Corporation, Malaysia

(11) National Productivity and Competitiveness Council of Mauritius, Mauritius

(12) Singapore Productivity Association, Singapore

(13) Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Quality and Productivity, Sri Lanka

(14) The Association of QC Headquarters of Thailand, Thailand

 

Quality Circle Forum of India conducts In-house training and orientation programs based on Quality Circles integrated with Total Quality Management and related concepts including Quality circle, Lean quality circle, 5S - Workplace management, Trainers' training, Modern quality concepts etc. Quality Circle Forum of India has its online book store having more than 25 QCFI publications. More information about the organization can be found on its website by clicking THIS QCFI LINK. 

 

Indian Institute of Quality Management – Indian Institute of Quality Management (IIQM) is a division of Electronics Test and Development Centre, Jaipur (Rajasthan, India), which operates under STQC Directorate, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. IIQM provides training to people, industries and users in the area of Quality management, Laboratory management, IT services, Information security management system etc. Indian Institute of Quality Management (IIQM) was established in 1994 and since then it has trained more than 25000 professionals. More information about the organization can be found on its website by clicking THIS IIQM LINK. 

 

During the last decade of 20^th century, in India, to meet the product and service quality challenges and to realize export potential in those days, both private and public sector Indian companies were required to resolve quality and quality management issues. In this direction, following major Indian national quality awards had also proven highly effective in those days:

 

(1)   Golden Peacock Award – Instituted by Institute of Directors, New Delhi. Meant for large, medium and small enterprises.

 

(2)   Rajiv Gandhi National Quality Award – Institute by Bureau of Indian Standards, New Delhi. Meant for manufacturing and service organizations.

 

(3)   CII-EXIM Award – Institute by Confederation of Indian Industry and Export-Import Bank of India. Meant for large, medium and small enterprises.

 

(4)   IMC Ramakrishna Bajaj Award – Instituted by Indian Merchants’ Chamber, Bombay. Meant for manufacturing organizations, service organizations and small businesses.

 

(5)   FICCI Quality Systems Excellence Awards – Instituted by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). Awards recognized organizations for their excellence in quality management systems.

 

(6)   Vishwakarma Rashtriya Puraskar – Instituted by the Ministry of Labour, Government of India, to recognize the outstanding performance in the field of industrial safety, health, and environmental management. Was first instituted in 1989. The award aims to promote and encourage the implementation of best practices and standards in workplace safety and employee welfare.

 

(7)   National Awards for Quality Products – Instituted by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), Government of India. The award aims to recognize outstanding quality products in various categories.

 

(8)   Niryat Shree and Niryat Bandhu Awards – Instituted by the Federation of Indian Export Organizations (FIEO) and the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT). The award aims to recognize excellence in exports and to promote quality consciousness among exporters.

 

One area of the Indian economy in which quality had played a major role was the software industry, in which Indian software industry experienced remarkable growth during the last few years of twentieth century. Quality played a crucial role in the success of the Indian software sector as it helped build a reputation for delivering high-quality software services and products to global clients. Companies in the information technology and software industry also focused on international quality standards such as ISO 9001 and CMMI (Capability Maturity Model Integration) to improve their processes and thus, ensure consistent quality in software development and services.

 

These national awards and initiatives played a crucial role in recognizing and promoting quality excellence in various sectors of Indian economy and were also instrumental in creating a culture of quality awareness at national level, encouraging Indian organizations to adopt best management practices, improve their processes, and provide products and services that meet international standards and ultimate enhance customer satisfaction and also enhance their competitiveness in both domestic and global markets.

 

In the last two decades of twentieth century, many certification bodies, consultancy organizations and individual consultants started functioning in India, who have contributed a lot in the quality movement of India. With the popularity of quality system certification, a need had been felt for the establishment of an accreditation body in the country to establish internationally acceptable mechanism for recognition of conformity assessment results. Quality Council of India (QCI) started functioning in 1998, for which more details will be provided in forthcoming article.

 

 

More content later on ….. Please wait for the forthcoming article on this topic.

 

Thank you,

 

Keshav Ram Singhal

 

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