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Have you noticed how food delivery has changed over the years? There was a time when the packaging was bad, food got delivered late or the delivery prices were too high. Now, the process is more streamlined. Restaurants not only provide well-packaged food but also provide cutlery and tissues, enhancing the ‘ordering-in’ experience.
Paying attention to every little detail has become a growing priority with the majority of businesses today. The process of ensuring high-quality products or services is also known as quality management. Read on to explore this concept in detail.
Definition Of Quality Management
Quality management is the process of overseeing all tasks and activities within an organization to ensure the desired level of excellence. The quality of a product or service is measured in terms of performance, reliability and durability. An effective system for managing quality helps drive business goals through necessary policies, resources and standard operating procedures.
A Quality Management System (QMS) is a formalized system that documents procedures, processes and responsibilities to adhere to policies and achieve quality objectives. It helps coordinate and direct an organization’s activities to meet regulatory requirements and customer satisfaction, in addition to continuously improving business effectiveness and efficiency. In short, adopting QMS can improve profitability, compliance and develop a quality-driven culture.
Let’s look at some real-world examples of quality management to understand the meaning of QMS in greater detail:
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Toyota Motors, one of the leading automobile providers, implemented a ‘just-in-time’ process. They decided to keep just enough inventory open to meet customer orders. Therefore, there was optimal utilization of resources, which reduced additional costs.
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Another widely popular QMS tool is the ISO 9001 certification that specifies the scope of quality within an organization. Whether it’s manufacturing, design or food provision, the ISO 9001 highlights the requirements for a good QMS.
Elements Of Quality Management
QMS aims to ensure that an organization’s stakeholders work together to achieve long-term business success. An effective QMS consists of four essential components.
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Quality Planning:
The process of identifying quality standards of a project and planning how to meet them.
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Quality Improvement:
The purposeful change of a process to improve the reliability or durability of the outcome.
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Quality Control:
The continuous effort to improve operational techniques and activities for achieving a desirable standard of excellence.
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Quality Assurance:
The systematic or planned actions necessary to offer sufficient confidence that quality requirements will be fulfilled.
Importance Of Quality Management
QMS is essential for every organization because it not only builds customer loyalty but also improves employee engagement. It helps prioritize both internal and external stakeholders’ relations with the organization. Here are the advantages of having a strong QMS in your organization:
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Quality management tools help organizations monitor customers’ feedback and meet their needs and expectations. It helps eliminate product defects and create a continuous cycle of improvement. Superior quality products lead to increased customer satisfaction and happy customers could, in turn, bring in more customers. For example, many customers organically promote products through word-of-mouth marketing, influencing and encouraging other people to purchase the same product.
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Quality management helps reduce overall quality costs. In other words, it aims to produce superior quality products and services so that no additional costs are borne later. It helps meet the organization’s requirements (for example, compliance) with the help of regulations and the provision of products or services in the most cost-efficient manner, leading to expansion, growth and profit.
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Quality management ensures higher productivity and job satisfaction. Higher customer satisfaction and proper utilization of resources drive business growth. Profitable outcomes and increased revenues enable organizations to offer superior quality resources, high-end infrastructure and excellent technology—all of which are instrumental to motivating employees. With improved standards of work and better working conditions, employees are encouraged to maximize their output.
Conclusion
External gains like customer loyalty, increased market share and profitability are only possible when you aim for internal gains—increased job satisfaction, effective teamwork and better workplace culture. You can start by helping employees find meaning in their work, encourage collaboration and promote effective communication.
Harappa Education’s Managing Teamwork course is designed to help you understand your team’s goals and expectations. You’ll not only learn to collaborate with multiple stakeholders but also encourage cross-functional collaboration among team members. The Bruce Tuckman Model will guide you through the various stages of team formation and growth. The GRIN Framework (Goals, Roles, Interdependence, and Norms) will help you understand the fundamental characteristics of an effective team. Before you win at the marketplace, win at the workplace!
Explore topics such as Functions of Management, Principles of TQM, Management Styles, List of Management Skills & MBWA from our Harappa Diaries section and manage your workplace effectively.
