Quality Management System

A quality management system, or QMS, can be defined as a set of business processes, procedures, and policies to deliver high value and customer satisfaction. Operations, processes, business offerings, and company ethics are included in QMS. This comprehensive system is extremely beneficial for the organization implementing it in all areas.

The QMS is aligned with ISO 9001:2015 and considers the goals and objectives of a company. It is constantly updated to include new market and technology trends, as it is important to cater to newer needs and customer requirements. In addition, many firms use QMS softwares for better employment of QMS.

• A quality management system is a set of organizational processes and policies established to improve the overall quality of business processes and offerings.
• Implementing a QMS is often a part of ISO 9001:2015, and a certified quality management system can be extremely helpful for a firm to gain the trust and confidence of industry partners, suppliers, and customers.
• The quality management system elements include objectives, human resources, data management, etc.
• The benefits of a QMS include reduced cost and waste, disciplined use of resources, risk management, and organized procedure.

A quality management system is one of the various tools organizations use to ensure the smooth functioning of the firm. The main reason firms implement QMS is due to the comprehensive nature of the system, and by comprehensive, we mean the ability of the firm to consider all the aspects of a business.

The emergence of such a system can be traced to management philosophers and theorists who emphasized the significance of quality in the business. However, from the era of mass production during the industrial revolution, when people had to buy what was sold, the world has come a long way where quality is considered the most important determinant of the success of a business.

Total quality management, a prominent management approach, is integrated into QMS. But the principles and objectives are mostly the same. Both aim to be versatile and advantageous to the organization through integration and collaboration, responsiveness, and customer satisfaction.

The quality of a firm is a mix of the internal processes, the quality of materials used, and the ethics and morals of the firm. Altogether these can affect the standards and policies of the company. For this reason, many firms have a pre-planned QMS. In addition, some even use quality management system software, which eases its implementation.

QMS software focuses on four main factors: document management, regulatory compliance, feedback loops, and training and skill management. Accordingly, all these are managed in real-time, making it easier for the management to identify the pain points and improve the system. Moreover, quality management system software includes real-time monitoring, risk mitigation, increased efficiency and productivity, management of consistency, and integration of employees. The software works similarly to enterprise resource planning (ERP) and management information system (MIS) softwares.

Elements Of A QMS

Some of the important quality management system elements are as follows:

Different industries and sectors employ different types of QMS and standards. Nevertheless, let's look at some of the most common ones.

Consider this example of a certified QMS. Electrovaya, a storage battery manufacturing company specializing in lithium-ion batteries, received the ISO 9001:2015 certification for its quality management system. Undoubtedly, the certification is based on lithium-ion batteries' manufacture, design, repair, and supply.

The certification will help the company work with new partners and instill trust in third parties regarding the quality assurance and processes of Electrovaya.

QMS has many benefits, which is why many firms opt to employ the system. Specifically, the main advantages are:

• Reduction in costs
• Risk prevention and mitigation
• Waste management
• Efficient allocation and usage of resources
• Organized and standardized processes
• Inter and intra-organizational integration and collaboration

This has been a guide to What is Quality Management System (QMS) and its definition. Here, we explain its types, an example, and benefits. You may also find some useful articles here -

• Enterprise Risk Management
• Total Quality Management
• Quality of Conformance