Certain businesses think they can just affix a tag of quality to their products without any standards to hold it up against. For a product to be described as “high-quality”, it must have satisfied an array of explicitly defined characteristics or be in line with what is regarded as standards for that product.
Sounds straightforward right? Unfortunately, this is not as easy as it sounds.
Why does a business need to ensure the quality of their products or services?
For starters, this is the much they owe their clients/customers. These people have come to you with their money and needs, as a reputable business, the least you can do is provide them with the best products that do exactly what they are meant to do, devoid of any errors or deficiencies.
Also, with creating quality products at the forefront of their mind, the business is bound to ensure that continuously good efforts are being put into their work.
Besides, as much as you intend to keep making a profit from your business, you should also keep ensuring the quality of your products.
What is the Quality Management Principle?
According to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), “Quality management principles are a set of fundamental beliefs, norms, rules, and values that are accepted as true and can be used as a basis for quality management.”
An organization that wishes to thrive and continuously provide quality products and services must live by these principles.
The ISO has described 7 principles that can result in the end goals of the system.
Below are the 7 Quality Management Principles
- Customer focus
- Leadership
- Engagement for people
- Process approach
- Improvement
- Evidence-based decision-making
- Relationship management [1].
Let’s review each of them:
1. Customer Focus
Non-profit organizations aim to achieve whatever purpose they are made (often measured in the extent of their impact on people’s lives), and so do the profit-oriented businesses. If a business fails to satisfy its customers, chances are, they won’t be coming back. And don’t think it’s just one person.
It can take one bad review to quite possibly create a domino effect where your reputation and future sales come crashing down. For that reason, all businesses must focus on their clients and try to make them happy.
The main points to note here are to recognize the needs of the customers and ensure the organization works towards achieving them.
2.Leadership
One common comparison in the business world is that between a leader and a boss. Bosses are often regarded as people who manage other people, whereas leaders are seen as those in a position of authority who use this position to inspire others to put their best foot forward.
Having solid leadership in any organization could well be the difference between them working to achieve their goals and objectives and them just working for the next paycheck.
Sometimes, the attitude of the team members is everything in a business. A solid leadership structure equals effective and efficient work ethics.
3. Engagement of People
A collaborative work environment is invaluable in creating quality products and services. Everyone has a part to play in the success of the business. They must all work as part of a well-oiled machine for this success to happen. On that note, everyone should have respect for the other.
Effective communication could ensure that all information is received by each member of the team and so they all play their parts while paying extra attention to the goals of the organization.
4. Process Approach
According to the ISO, this is necessary to attain “Optimized performance through effective process management, efficient use of resources, and reduced cross-functional barriers.”
The major point here is that all systems and processes are somewhat related since they are all geared toward one major goal in the organization. Integrating most of these processes can further simplify the general process is to form a functional unit.
5. Improvement
It’s okay to be good at your business, but do you know what’s better than that? Getting better or improving!
This not only ensures the constant production of quality products and services but also the creation of new and exciting opportunities for a brand or business.
This requires the use of performance metrics to track progress and figure out a way to fine-tune the workings of the organization for even better results. It’s also an excellent way to learn from the mistakes made over time.
6. Evidence-Based Decision Making
Making the right decision for your business is not as easy as you think. Some businesses try to do this with a little bit of calculation and lots of luck. Unfortunately, this doesn’t always have the best results.
To make the appropriate decision for your business, it’s best to analyze all facts and data. Lay it all out on the table, and weigh the pros and cons before arriving at a decision. This increases the chances of this decision being the best you could have made under whatever circumstances you made it.
This creates better operational effectiveness and also makes it easier to review these decisions when necessary.
7. Relationship Management
All business relationships are important. This relationship could be that between the business and the customers, the business and its suppliers, and every other middle man such as auditing teams and more. And of course, there’s the relationship between the business and its team, that is, the management and the workers.
The success of the business largely depends on the workings of the people involved. An organization that manages its relationship across all levels is likely to optimize the performance of each group [2].
Just determine the relevant groups involved in the processes and established a healthy, professional, relationship with them.
Conclusion
In the words of Shigeru Mizuno, “Quality needs to be constantly improved, but it is just as necessary to make sure that quality never deteriorates,” [3].
Ultimately, the ISO provides International Standards to establish a Quality Management system, a system that strives to enhance customer satisfaction and overall quality of business services. There are seven standard principles of quality management which are all geared towards providing this quality.
If a business understands the client, has a good leadership structure, and can manage its resources properly, then it’s on its way to achieving its goals.
References
- Quality Management Principles. ISO. https://www.iso.org/files/live/sites/isoorg/files/store/en/PUB100080.pdf. Accessed 09-10-2020.
- The Principles of Quality Management. Quality Mag. https://www.qualitymag.com/articles/95380-the-principles-of-quality-management. Accessed 09-10-2020.
- 50 Quotes about Quality that Sum Up its Importance. https://www.jonble.com/blog/quotes-about-quality/. Accessed 09-10-2020.