"A quality management system (QMS) is a collection of business processes focused on consistently meeting customer requirements and enhancing their satisfaction."
Techniques for maintaining and improving product quality, including statistical process control and quality management systems.
Statistical Process Control (SPC): Using statistical methods to monitor and control production processes to ensure consistent and quality outcomes.
Six Sigma: A set of techniques and tools used to improve processes and products by reducing defects and variation.
Total Quality Management (TQM): A management approach to long-term success through customer satisfaction and continuous improvement.
Lean Manufacturing: A systematic approach to minimize waste and maximize value in production processes, resulting in increased efficiency and quality.
ISO 9001: A set of standards for quality management systems that provide a framework for consistent and effective operations.
Root Cause Analysis: Identifying the underlying cause of problems and addressing them to prevent recurrence.
Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA): Analyzing potential failures and their impact to eliminate or mitigate risks.
Design of Experiments (DOE): Using statistical methods to systematically test and optimize design parameters to improve quality and efficiency.
Process Mapping: Identifying and visualizing the steps and flow of production processes to optimize efficiency and reduce waste.
Quality Auditing: Systematic examination of processes and procedures to ensure compliance with quality standards and identify areas for improvement.
Quality Control Tools and Techniques: Various tools and techniques used to identify and correct quality problems or defects.
Supplier Management: Ensuring quality standards are met by suppliers and establishing effective communication and collaboration.
Quality Metrics: Measuring and monitoring performance indicators to assess the effectiveness of quality management practices.
Customer Satisfaction: Understanding and meeting customer needs and expectations to improve satisfaction and loyalty.
Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) Management: Identifying and managing risks and hazards to ensure a safe and sustainable workplace.
Statistical Quality Control: Statistical methods are used to measure and analyze the quality of production output to ensure it meets or exceeds the required standards. It includes techniques like control charts and quality control tools like Pareto chart and Ishikawa diagram.
Six Sigma: This method uses a range of statistical tools to identify and minimize defects within a production process. It involves defining, measuring, analyzing, improving, and controlling a process to reduce wastage and improve efficiency.
Total Quality Management: This approach emphasizes on customer satisfaction and continuous improvement. It involves a comprehensive approach to quality that involves all parts of an organization.
Lean Management: Lean management focuses on reducing waste and increasing efficiency by optimizing process flow. It involves the use of various tools like Kanban, Value Stream Mapping, and 5S.
Quality Audits: Quality audits verify whether the production process is adhering to the company's quality assurance standards or not. These audits can be internal or external, and they investigate the entire process from inputs to outputs.
Quality Circles: Quality circles are small groups of employees who meet regularly to identify and resolve quality-related issues in production.
Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA): FMEA involves identifying and analyzing potential failures and their effects on a production process. The objective is to identify potential problems and correct them before they occur.
Continuous Improvement: Continuous improvement involves making incremental improvements to production processes over time. It includes regular feedback from employees, process analysis, and incremental changes to improve production quality.
Inspection and Testing: Inspection and testing involves checking the quality of production output by inspecting and testing products before they are shipped to customers.
Process Capability: Process capability refers to the ability of a production process to produce output within the required specifications. It involves the use of statistical tools to calculate process performance and identify areas for improvement.
"It is aligned with an organization's purpose and strategic direction."
"It is expressed as the organizational goals and aspirations, policies, processes, documented information, and resources needed to implement and maintain it."
"Early quality management systems emphasized predictable outcomes of an industrial product production line, using simple statistics and random sampling."
"Labor inputs were typically the most costly inputs in most industrialized societies, so focus shifted to team cooperation and dynamics, especially the early signaling of problems via a continual improvement cycle."
"In the 21st century, QMS has tended to converge with sustainability and transparency initiatives."
"Both investor and customer satisfaction and perceived quality are increasingly tied to these factors."
"Of QMS regimes, the ISO 9000 family of standards is probably the most widely implemented worldwide."
"The ISO 19011 audit regime applies to both and deals with quality and sustainability and their integration."
"Other QMS, e.g. Natural Step, focus on sustainability issues."
"The Natural Step approach assumes that other quality problems will be reduced as a result of the systematic thinking, transparency, documentation, and diagnostic discipline."
"The term 'Quality Management System' and the initialism 'QMS' were invented in 1991 by Ken Croucher, a British management consultant working on designing and implementing a generic model of a QMS within the IT industry."