For business owners looking to invest in quality assurance, implementing Quality Management Systems can provide the infrastructure required for sustainable output monitoring and improvements. Quality Management Systems (or QMS) can also be tailored to suit the current and evolving needs of an organisation, making them a potent investment in business growth and development planning.
But what are Quality Management Systems exactly, what do they entail, and what types of QMS frameworks are available for implementation today? Our ISO consultants at S & J Auditing & Consulting are here to answer these questions, providing you with the insights you need to start plotting your own investment in a QMS to help elevate your enterprise.
What are Quality Management Systems?
A Quality Management System (or QMS) is an organisational system designed to implement and maintain quality processes and practices and to define quality objectives. Quality Management Systems also include frameworks for business process improvements like the PDCA Cycle, which support organisations in continuously improving their processes, services, and outputs.
This emphasis on continuous improvements makes Quality Management Systems a high-value investment for future-oriented organisations, as well as a signal to third-parties and prospective stakeholders that your enterprise is building for the future.
Key QMS Frameworks Across the ISO Standards
What are some examples of Quality Management Systems? There are actually a wide variety of QMS frameworks that have been developed across the ISO’s library of standards. Whilst the ISO 9001:2015 Standard is amongst the most widely recognised and utilised, there are other Management Systems that your organisation may also be able to benefit from.
Here are some of the key QMS frameworks that we specialise in implementing here at S & J Auditing & Consulting:
ISO 9001:2015 – Quality management systems
The key Certification Standard of the wider ISO 9000 Family of Standards, ISO 9001:2015 outlines the key requirements for the implementation and management of Quality Management Systems. The ISO 9001:2015 framework is regarded as a gold standard in the development and monitoring of Quality Management Systems. This is what makes ISO 9001:2015 Certification highly sought after from organisations across all industries and sectors. A foundational understanding of ISO 9001:2015 can aid in understanding other QMS frameworks across the full library of international standards.
If you’d like to learn more about how to get ISO 9001 Certification in Australia, our ISO consultants can walk you through the key ISO guidelines that you will need to adhere to in order to ensure compliance both leading up to and following your Certification Audit with a JAZANZ Accredited Certification Body.
ISO 14001:2015 – Environmental management systems
Similar to the QMS framework outlined in ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015 outlines guidelines and requirements for the implementation, maintenance, and continuous improvement of Environmental Management Systems. ISO 14001:2015 is the defining Certification Standard of the ISO 14000 Family of Standards.
Environmental Management Systems (EMS) are designed to deliver focused environmental benefits for organisations, including improved environmental performance monitoring, more sustainable organisational practices, and new commercial and partnership opportunities with other parties that share your organisation’s environmental values.
Investments in an EMS are also becoming front and centre for many organisations in the lead-up to the UN’s 2030 deadline for their Sustainable Development Goals. With Australian economics continuing to be impacted by climate change, climate action has become a potent trust signal for consumers and partners. Showcasing your investment in climate action through the implementation of an EMS can help ensure your organisation not only enjoys cleaner processes, but greater success over the foreseeable future.
ISO 45001:2018 – Occupational health and safety management systems
Worker and workplace health and safety is an evergreen concern for most business owners. Thankfully, the ISO 45001:2018 Certification Standard provides frameworks to ensure the quality of your OH&S Management Systems.
Both the frameworks outlined in the ISO 45001:2018 Certification Standard as well as the wider ISO 45000 Family of Standards are designed to support organisations in practicing improved risk management processes, maintaining quality OH&S policies, and generally ensuring the health and wellbeing of staff and visitors across worksites.
ISO 17025:2017 – General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories
Providing frameworks for ensuring laboratory excellence and quality assurance across testing and calibration facilities, ISO 17025:2017 Certification plays an integral role in ensuring that certificates of test results or calibration are traceable to national or international standards, which is a crucial component of lab accreditation.
As testing and calibration facilities frequently solicit tenders for services or equipment, laboratory managers may already be well-versed in the value of ISO Certification for quality assurance. However, alongside looking for ISO 9001 Certification badges on supplier websites, laboratories can also greatly benefit from investing in quality assurance measures for their own operations. ISO 17025:2017 Certification provides these same quality management benefits for testing and calibration laboratories.
ISO 17024:2012 – Conformity assessment – General requirements for bodies operating certification of persons
Quality management relates not only to processes, but also to people management. This is where ISO 17024:2012 Certification can also yield great benefits.
In short, the ISO 17024:2012 Standard is the international standard for personnel certification bodies. The frameworks outlined in the ISO 17024:2012 Standard are designed to standardise processes for issuing certifications to individuals who have completed specific training or met other essential professional requirements.
The conformity assessment frameworks outlined in ISO 17024:2012 are essential for ensuring the quality of educational products and certifications issued by training organisations worldwide.
ISO 17065:2012 – Conformity assessment – Requirements for bodies certifying products, processes and services
Similarly to ISO 17024:2012, the ISO 17065:2012 Standard provides frameworks for strengthening the credibility of certifications, except this time it’s not the certification of persons, but rather the certification of products. ISO 17065:2012 Certification is sought after by product certification bodies and acts as a trust signal that the certification assessments maintained by that body meets international standards for certifying products, processes and services.
By implementing the ISO 17065:2012 frameworks, product certification bodies can demonstrate the quality and credibility of their certification assessment processes, ensuring they can maintain a strong organisational reputation and be an objective and authoritative voice in their industry or sector.
ISO 17034:2016 – General requirements for the competence of reference material producers
ISO 17034:2016 focuses on ensuring the consistency, quality, and traceability of reference materials that are used for testing and calibration purposes. This makes ISO 17034:2016 an essential investment in the quality management of testing and laboratory facilities.
By providing frameworks for the responsible production of reference materials and for the ongoing improvement of these production processes, ISO 17034:2016 Certification helps ensure that testing and calibration laboratories are operating with only the most reliable information and referential materials. This in turn, helps ensure the ongoing quality and accuracy of results of laboratory testing and certification processes.
AS 9100 – Aerospace quality management systems
Based on the requirements of Quality Management Systems as outlined in ISO 9001:2015 with additional critical aerospace requirements, AS 9100 is the international Quality Management System standard for the Aviation, Space and Defense (AS&D) industry. Implementation of AS9100 supports AS&D industry players in maintaining robust and high-quality organisational processes. This in turn supports organisations within the AS&D industry in securing aerospace contracts alongside improving their internal organisational processes, and expanding the services they offer within Australia’s dynamic AS&D sector.
Key Benefits of Quality Management Systems
All of these Quality Management Systems frameworks we’ve outlined above come with their own industry benefits and advantages that are dependent on the scope of your work within your industry or sector. But there are universal benefits to investing in Quality Management Systems for your organisation. We’ve outlined these benefits below:
Quality assurance and management
Arguably the foremost benefit of Quality Management Systems is that they provide infrastructure for quality assurance and management for your organisation. This makes it easier for your organisation to monitor and improve its quality performance on a daily basis.
Empowering staff and improving onboarding
With higher-quality processes and policies, you’ll find that it’s easier for your staff to maintain all the key responsibilities outlined in their organisational profiles. With clear-cut performance expectations and development goals, existing staff will utilise your Quality Management System to elevate and take on new responsibilities or even innovate within their division.
Similarly, having clearly defined and outlined organisational processes, policies and workflows can also help with integrating and onboarding new members of staff. In this aspect, Quality Management Systems can help not only reduce staff turnover and streamline talent acquisition, but may even aid in attracting higher quality job candidates who are expressly looking for a QMS and other trust signals when vetting prospective employers.
Stronger organisational outputs (i.e. products and services)
Investments in quality assurance translate to higher quality products and services. This in turn, allows your organisation to value your own outputs accordingly, which may result in greater profit margins and more secure revenue streams.
Higher quality products and services will also open your organisation up for more lucrative commercial opportunities, like exclusive partnerships with distributors, or the opportunity to pursue high-profile tenders.
Supporting business growth
With stronger processes, outputs, and financial performance, investments in Quality Management Systems help position organisations with all the infrastructure, resources, and data that they need to practice focused, evidence-based decision-making. This also helps ensure that business growth and development planning is always rooted in truth and that development strategies stay in alignment with organisational goals and performance objectives.
Tailor Quality Management Systems for your Business
To ensure successful implementation of a QMS and full ISO compliance, Quality Management Systems must be established using supporting documentation outlining an organisation’s processes, procedures and responsibilities (i.e. mission statements, organisational hierarchies, etc.).
As implementing ISO Standards require full engagement and a solid understanding of the guidelines for compliance across both supporting documentation and systems implementation and integration, progressing with the support of dedicated ISO consultants is always recommended. Our ISO consultants at S & J Auditing & Consulting can also advise you on dual or combined Certification strategies if you believe you can benefit from Certification to multiple Standards.
If you’d like to learn more about Quality Management Systems and gain expert insights into the best Quality Management Systems for your organisation, speak with our consultants at S & J Auditing & Consulting today.ey.
