Quality management oversees all activities and tasks that need to be performed to maintain the desired level of excellence. To achieve this, it is necessary to establish a quality policy, create and implement a quality assurance (QA) plan, and work with Quality Control (QC).
Depending on the source or the place where it is implemented, this act can also be called Total Quality Management (TQM). In any case, the ultimate goal of the quality manager is to ensure that all stakeholders of a given organization are working together to improve the company’s processes, products, services, and culture.
The quality management process includes the creation of a set of guidelines aimed at ensuring that the products and services offered by the company meet the necessary standards and the desired purpose.
Next, we will discuss how quality management emerged, its objectives, and outline its 8 principles.
How Quality Management emerged
The idea of managing product quality dates back to the Middle Ages, when a guild system existed to achieve this goal. When someone with the means needed a higher-quality item, they would seek out someone with the status of a master craftsman.
A few centuries later, during the Industrial Revolution, the notion of quality slowly evolved to focus on factory inspections and the removal of defective goods. In 1911, the American mechanical engineer Frederick Winslow Taylor published the book The Principles of Scientific Management, one of the first systematic studies on manufacturing efficiency.
In 1924, the American electrical engineer Walter Shewhart—then an employee of Western Electric—proposed a method for statistical quality control. This is where W. Edwards Deming, an American statistician considered the father of quality management, enters the story.
Deming applied the methods proposed by Shewhart during World War II, helping the armed forces speed up their inspections without sacrificing safety. After the war ended, W. Edwards Deming moved to Japan, and his methods were instrumental in aiding the country’s recovery in the following decades.
This led to the development of the Toyota Production System, which resulted in Japan surpassing the U.S. in car and electronics manufacturing during the 1970s. Since then, American and global companies have begun implementing their own Quality Management Systems, significantly improving the quality of their products.
What are the objectives of Quality Management?
Quality management seeks to improve the safety and quality of the products and services offered by companies that adopt this philosophy. To achieve this, processes and quality indicators across various sectors of the company must be monitored—something that becomes much more practical when you have a digital system specifically designed for this purpose.
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Since the late 20th century, companies have increasingly focused on improving the quality of processes and products—with companies across various industries creating their own Quality Management Systems and adhering to standards such as ISO 9001.
Here are some of the objectives these companies aim to achieve through quality management:
- Cost management by avoiding preventable errors;
- Greater organizational effectiveness;
- Better customer service;
- Achievement of organizational goals and objectives;
- Increased customer satisfaction;
- Strengthening a safety culture with risk awareness;
- Understanding the performance of teams and employees.
Especially during its implementation, a Quality Management System will identify areas for improvement and reveal potential risks within an organization. Based on this knowledge, senior management can make more informed decisions about process improvements and which risks need to be addressed most urgently.
The 8 Principles of Quality Management
The principles of quality management are the foundation of the ISO 9001 certification, the most well-known international standard for quality management. They include elements that every company should have, such as customer focus, continuous improvement, and leadership involvement.
Below, we will discuss in detail the principles that your organization should keep in mind to deliver the highest quality products and services.
1. Customer focus
Companies must understand customer needs and expectations regarding price, product, delivery time, and reliability. The goal is to meet and exceed these expectations.
Customer focus is one of the fundamental pillars of ISO 9001. The standard emphasizes that the sustainable success of an organization depends on its ability to attract and retain customer trust and other stakeholders.
Every interaction with the customer is an opportunity to create value, and understanding current and future customer needs is crucial for ongoing success.
ISO 9001 also highlights the importance of increasing customer satisfaction as a central objective. This involves not only meeting expectations but also exceeding them, which can result in benefits such as increased loyalty, repeat business, and improved organizational reputation.
2. Leadership
Leaders must understand the needs of their team, fostering commitment and building trust. They should communicate the company’s goals and develop strategies to achieve them.
Leadership is a crucial element for the success of a Quality Management System (QMS). ISO 9001 emphasizes that top management must demonstrate leadership and commitment to the QMS.
This includes establishing a clear vision, aligning organizational goals with customer needs, and creating an environment that encourages active employee participation.
3. Engagement of people
Employees must take responsibility and engage with the company’s problems, contributing to improvements. Leadership should include them in decision-making and competency development.
In ISO 9001, the engagement of people is essential for the success of the QMS. The standard emphasizes that competent, empowered, and engaged people are key to increasing the company’s ability to create and deliver value—and this is necessary at all levels of the organization.
Engagement is not limited to task execution but also includes active participation in identifying problems and implementing solutions. Employee engagement contributes to the continuous improvement of processes and the effectiveness of the QMS.
4. Process approach
Well-defined processes—with controlled inputs and outputs and clear responsibilities—bring benefits such as accurate results, shorter production cycles, cost reduction, and error prevention.
ISO 9001 highlights that consistent and predictable results are achieved more effectively and efficiently when activities are understood and managed as interrelated processes that function as a coherent system.
This means that each process should be clearly defined, with well-controlled inputs and outputs and clearly assigned responsibilities.
The process approach involves applying the PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) cycle to ensure continuous improvement. The PDCA cycle helps plan, execute, check, and act on processes, ensuring they are continuously monitored and improved.
5. Systemic approach to management
Plans aligned with the company’s objectives, focusing on process effectiveness, generate improvement actions. Processes should be managed as an interconnected system.
The systemic approach to management ensures that all organizational processes are aligned and function cohesively. The standard emphasizes that the effectiveness and efficiency of an organization depend on a systemic approach to managing interrelated processes.
This means that processes should not be viewed in isolation but as parts of an integrated system working together to achieve the company’s strategic objectives.
6. Continuous improvement
Continuous improvement should be a constant in the organization. Linking it to products, processes, and systems motivates people and creates a culture of overcoming barriers, making the company more competitive.
This is a central principle aimed at increasing the organization’s ability to meet customer requirements and expectations consistently. Continuous improvement should be a permanent goal of the organization, encompassing all aspects of the QMS, including products, processes, and services.
Improvement decisions should be based on data analysis and accurate information, allowing a clear understanding of processes and areas needing enhancement. Use quality tools such as root cause analysis and statistical process control to identify improvement opportunities and implement effective solutions.
7. Fact-based decision making
Decisions based on data allow for a better understanding of processes and the prevention of future problems. A fact-based approach to decision-making ensures that decisions are effective and based on accurate and reliable information.
Data and information analysis is essential to understanding process performance and identifying areas for improvement. This helps avoid decisions based on assumptions or intuition, which can lead to inconsistent results.
Organizations should collect and analyze data from various sources, including customer feedback, internal audits, process performance measurements, and results of corrective and preventive actions.
8. Mutually beneficial supplier relationships
Identifying key suppliers and establishing consistent partnerships increases product quality, contributing to meeting deadlines and customer satisfaction.
A partnership relationship with suppliers can increase the ability of both parties to create value. This means that by working together, the organization and its suppliers can improve product and service quality, reduce costs, and increase market competitiveness.
Conclusion
Quality management is much more than just a set of standards and practices: it is a philosophy that permeates the entire organization in the pursuit of excellence in processes, products, and services. With a structured approach based on the 8 fundamental principles, companies can exceed customer expectations, strengthen stakeholder trust, and build a solid foundation for sustainable growth.
Adopting an effective Quality Management System is an investment in the future of the organization, ensuring greater market competitiveness, higher customer satisfaction, and an internal culture that promotes continuous improvement. By applying these principles, you will be equipped to face quality challenges with confidence and effectiveness—transforming your organization into a benchmark for the industry.
The journey toward quality is continuous, and each step taken brings significant benefits for both the company and its customers.
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