What quality management practices are needed to achieve excellence, again and again?

Today, more than ever, companies have to use strategies to stand out from the crowd and make themselves memorable in the minds of volatile consumers. Consumers are spoilt for choice, and given the same conditions of access to products or services (particularly in terms of price), they will naturally gravitate towards the highest-quality offering.

With this in mind, organisations are realising the benefits of introducing a quality management process, with the aim of generating value and customer satisfaction.

There are a number of standards for implementing this approach, starting with ISO 9001, which sets out the main principles of the QMS ( Quality Management System). In this article, we look at these key principles in detail, with the added bonus of advice and tools to help you put them into practice.

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Definition of quality management

What is Quality Management?

Quality Management (QM) refers to all the practices designed to ensure the quality of the products and services offered by a company, in line with the expectations of its stakeholders. This quest for quality affects various aspects, in particular :

• production;
• customer satisfaction
• internal processes
• human resources
• regulatory compliance
• profitability.

What is the main objective of quality management? To offer consumers the best possible experience , while taking into account time and cost constraints. At the same time, faced with an ever-increasing number of strict regulations, QM addresses compliance issues.

Quality management is strongly associated with QMS ( Quality Management System), which is similar to a documented and standardised tool (where QM is a more global approach).

💡Note: quality management often includes risk management, with a view to anticipating problems likely to affect the performance of procedures. In fact, a proactive approach makes each stage safer, and reduces the costs associated with potential failures!

👉 Diagram explaining the 4 types of quality:

Differences from quality assurance

While the two concepts remain closely related, quality management differs from quality assurance (QA). The latter focuses more on the proactive implementation of procedures designed to ensure compliance with predefined requirements.

The aim? To give consumers the confidence to choose your brand over another.

Differences with quality control

Quality control (QC) is more about reaction.

It involves testing, checking that the product or service supplied meets the quality expectations agreed by industry standards and your own objectives.

Naturally, any necessary corrections will have to be made afterwards.

☝️ In short, QC and QA are sub-processes of QM.

Importance and challenges of quality management

Acquiring and retaining customers

In the face of competitive pressure, it is often difficult to stand out from the crowd. Especially at a time when consumers are becoming ever more demanding!

To stand out from the crowd, and so acquire and retain more customers in the long term, you need to be uncompromising about the quality of your products and/or services. This applies to all points of contact with consumers (customer service, production, etc.).

In short, you must constantly strive to improve the customer experience.

Complying with legal requirements

Another crucial issue is compliance with legal requirements and other standards.

And with good reason, all sectors are affected by this type of obligation: marketing (and not only!) with the RGPD, the food industry with the Hygiene Package, etc.

By complying with regulations, you can protect yourself from legal risks, and the (sometimes disastrous!) consequences in terms of costs and reputation.

Increase your profitability

Finally, quality management has a direct impact on your organisation's profitability.

By optimising your internal processes (to reduce waste, limit errors, etc.), you reduce costs and boost overall efficiency and productivity.

Add to this the increase in sales resulting from customer satisfaction, and you have a happy balance that promises fine growth over the long term.

What are the 7 principles of quality management?

Quality management: definition of ISO 9001

Quality management is still closely linked to compliance with quality standards, the best-known and most recognised of which is the 2015 version of ISO 9001.

ISO 9001 provides a structured framework for implementing a quality management system and is based on 7 principles:

• customer focus
• leadership;
• employee involvement
• process approach
• continuous improvement
• evidence-based decision-making;
• stakeholder relations management.

👉 Let's go through these 7 principles with the benefits to be gained, and examples of actions to be deployed.

Principle 1 - Customer focus

This principle aims to meet and exceed customer needs by providing quality products or services.

👍 Benefits :

• increased customer loyalty and lasting customer satisfaction ;
• increased business opportunities;
• a better understanding of market expectations.

⚙️ Actions to be implemented:

• organise satisfaction surveys ;
• tailor your offering to your customers' wishes;
• maintain proactive and reactive communication with them.

Principle 2 - Leadership

This principle underlines the importance of strong management that sets out a clear vision. It is about fostering a culture of quality, committing the whole organisation to common goals.

👍 Benefits:

• alignment of organisational objectives with the quality strategy ;
• boosting team motivation
• orientation of the company's culture towards quality.

⚙️ Actions to be implemented:

• Define clear values and make them a reality;
• Encourage managers to set an example;
• set measurable quality objectives and monitor their progress (via OKRs, for example).

Principle 3 - Employee involvement

Quality is based on employee commitment. They must be given responsibility and encouraged to contribute actively to continuous improvement.

👍 Benefits :

• optimising operational efficiency ;
• skills development and talent enhancement;
• a positive working climate supporting innovation and collaboration.

⚙️ Actions to be implemented:

• plan quality awareness training ;
• Encourage recognition of individual and collective contributions;
• involve employees in problem-solving.

Principle 4 - Process approach

This principle advocates the interconnection of processes, in favour of effective management of quality-related activities.

👍 Benefits :

• greater consistency in operations ;
• fewer errors and less waste ;
• better risk management.

⚙️ Actions to be implemented:

• Map and document the organisation's key processes;
• Define performance indicators for each process;
• rationalise interactions between procedures.

Principle 5 - Continuous improvement

The constant quest for improvement guarantees the sustainability of the quality management system, even in the face of market developments and new regulatory requirements.

👍 Benefits :

• the ability to adapt to change, whatever the circumstances ;
• Maintaining profitability, even when unforeseen events occur;
• enhanced competitiveness.

⚙️ Actions to be implemented:

• Implement continuous improvement cycles (PDCA);
• analyse feedback to identify areas for improvement;
• encourage a culture of innovation.

Principle 6 - Evidence-based decision-making

All decisions relating to quality management must be based on the analysis of reliable data, in order to ensure the relevance of the actions deployed.

👍 Benefits :

• decisions made in line with the reality on the ground ;
• Reduced uncertainty and risk;
• continuous improvement based on concrete facts.

⚙️ Actions to be implemented:

• Regularly collect data on processes and performance;
• Regularly analyse quality-related KPIs and make decisions based on these analyses;
• use specific tools, such as dashboards.

Principle 7 - Managing relations with interested parties

It is important to proactively manage relationships with the various quality-related stakeholders (customers, suppliers, partners, etc.) if you want to mutually generate value and satisfy your common interests.

👍 Benefits :

• increased trust with your partners ;
• optimisation of the supply chain
• better anticipation of stakeholder expectations.

⚙️ Actions to be implemented:

• understand the expectations of the various stakeholders ;
• Establish clear partnership agreements and commitments;
• communicate regularly and transparently with stakeholders.

How do you set up a QMS, or Quality Management System?

As a reminder, the QMS stands for Quality Management System, and refers to the quality management system or process deployed in a standardised manner.

👉 Find out the steps to follow to set up your own:

Step 1 - Define the company's objectives and expectations

Like many operations, QMS starts by defining clear objectives that are aligned with the company's overall strategy. In this way, you identify the direction you want to take, so that you can prioritise your actions more effectively.

To do this, you need to analyse the needs of your stakeholders. Customers, suppliers, employees... take into account the requirements of all of them, as well as those inherent in the applicable standards.

Once you have defined your expectations, formalise and communicate your quality policy to your teams.

Stage 2 - Analyse the existing system and identify potential gaps

Before improving the existing system, you need to understand your strengths and weaknesses!

So it's a good idea to take an in-depth look at your current processes to identify any gaps with the objectives you've defined. Internal audits, interviews and data analysis are invaluable tools in this respect.

💡 Tip : we recommend that you draw up a detailed process map. It will help you to better understand how your business works, and therefore to focus on the most critical areas.

Step 3 - Implement your action plan

A structured action plan guides improvement operations by formalising :

• the tasks to be carried out
• the people responsible;
• the deadlines.

Bear in mind that each of these actions must have a measurable impact on quality. In addition, always prioritise initiatives according to their degree of relevance to the objectives set.

💡 Note: implementing a QMS relies on the quality players within the organisation. While, as we have seen, everyone has a role to play, certain stakeholders will have a greater influence on the results. These include

• Management: although they delegate quality management itself, it is they who elevate it among the company's values and thereby give impetus to the movement. It also plays a major role in identifying strategic objectives.
  
  
• the quality management manager: this is quite simply the conductor of the process, ensuring that everything runs smoothly.
  
  
• employees: yes, everyone, in their own way, contributes to the continuous improvement of quality management!

Quality management tools

There are a plethora of tools to support quality management! And for every link in the chain of your procedure.

We're not going to go into them all here, because we've already got a great article on the subject 😉 13 quality tools to monitor your projects and quickly identify risks.

Nevertheless, here's a (non-exhaustive) overview of these tools, by typology of need. 👉

To define and structure processes

• The various ISO standards (ISO 9001, ISO 14001, etc.) : these standards provide a structured framework for implementing your quality management system, ensuring that it complies with regulatory requirements and consumer expectations.
  
  
• SIPOC ( Suppliers, Inputs, Processes, Outputs, Customers): this tool is used to map a procedure by identifying suppliers, inputs, processes, outputs and customers. The aim? To have an overall view of these key quality components.
  
  
• Process mapping: this graphically represents the different stages of a procedure, in order to visualise interactions, responsibilities and, consequently, opportunities for improvement.

To analyse and improve performance

• PDCA ( Plan, Do, Check, Act): also known as the Deming wheel, this cyclical method guides continuous improvement by structuring actions into four phases: planning, implementing, checking and adjusting.
  
  
• The Pareto Law (80/20): the Pareto Law pinpoints the major causes of a problem by demonstrating that 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes. This makes it easier to prioritise corrective actions.
  
  
• The 5M (Ishikawa diagram): this diagram helps to analyse the root causes of a problem by exploring five determining factors: the material, the method, the environment, the equipment and the workforce.

To manage risks and non-conformities

• FMEA : this method assesses risks by detecting failure modes, their impact and their criticality.
  
  
• SWOT matrix ( Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats): this strategic tool analyses the internal and external factors (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) influencing an organisation's performance.
  
  
• The non-conformance management plan: this involves understanding, documenting and then dealing with any deviations from requirements, in order to prevent them recurring.

To monitor and measure quality

• Quality dashboards: these centralise the key performance indicators (KPIs) used to monitor the effectiveness of quality actions.
  
  
• Internal and external audits: these assessments check that operations comply with internal criteria and standards.
  
  
• Quality checklists: these support the systematic control of the company's requirements in terms of product and service quality.

To involve and mobilise teams

• Brainstorming: this well-known technique stimulates collective intelligence and creativity. How does it work? By bringing teams together to find all the possible ideas for solving a problem.
  
  
• The 5 Whys: this is a simple analysis tool that helps you identify the root cause of a problem by asking the question "Why? ".
  
  
• Quality training: these sessions are designed to enhance employees' skills and raise their awareness of good practice in the quality approach.

And what about software?

Unsurprisingly, when we talk about tools dedicated to quality management (and to any other company process after all), the question of software solutions quickly comes to the fore.

Various platforms have been developed to help you implement your QMS, by digitising and streamlining your processes. In particular, they are used to collect and analyse all the data in transit within the organisation, to better document quality processes and direct the associated actions.

🛠️ Take Agilium SMQ, a quality management software package for SMEs. It enables you to structure and manage your quality procedures effectively , using a wide range of functions: process mapping, risk management, supervision of audits and non-conformities, supplier evaluation, etc. Agilium SQM also optimises the monitoring of corrective actions following the identification of your areas for improvement. All through a fully customisable interface (BPM technology), capable of adapting to your own needs.

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Finally, how do you choose your quality management software?

Convinced of the benefits of software to manage your Quality Management System? Let's end this article on a high note 🤩 by revealing the 5 criteria you should consider when selecting the software that's right for you:

• ✅ Aligning the solution with your needs. First and foremost, you need to opt for a tool with features that are perfectly aligned with your needs. And therefore compatible with the structure of your company, but also and above all with your sector of activity. Let's take the example of quality standards again: they are simply not the same depending on whether you work for a software publisher or in the pharmaceutical industry.
  
  
• ✅ Scalability and flexibility. In keeping with this logic of compliance with your specific requirements, your quality software must be capable of supporting your own processes, but also your growth (and the increase in the amount of data that goes with it). And it must be able to do all this without turning your parameter changes into a gas factory!
  
  
• ✅ The power of technology. Over and above the scope of the functional coverage itself, it's great that these functions are enhanced by the latest technologies, starting with artificial intelligence and machine learning. Among other things, they will enable you to gain valuable insights.
  
  
• ✅ Ergonomics. A platform's intuitiveness makes it easier for teams to adopt it and reduces resistance to change. Focus on the clarity of the interface, but also on the degree of customisation of dashboards and the speed of access to critical data.
  
  
• ✅ Choice of service provider. We advise you to use a recognised software publisher that provides its customers with a responsive support service in the event of a problem. And it's even better if the solution has an active user community, synonymous with a wealth of online help and resources.

All that's left is to find the right software to structure your quality management procedure effectively . Your brand will become a matter of course for consumers ✨.