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Why did quality become a global priority?

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History of quality

The quality movement dates back from the middle ages. It all started when Craft Guilds established standards to differentiate their goods, and performed inspection to check whether the work was performed as required. The industrial revolution made quality control more prominent, as the need for better quality products and competition grew rapidly. Since 1900, different tools, methodologies, standards and frameworks on quality were established. These quality techniques are considered the basics for quality management and they were developed by different experts such as Frederick W. Taylor, Walter Shewhart, Edwards Deming, and Joseph Juran.

Throughout the 50s and 60s, Japan did not only put into use the quality methodologies of the Western experts, but also developed their own. Kaizan is a methodology which was developed by Japanese professionals during that time. This methodology aims continuous improvement of the processes within organizations. Kaizen soon became the philosophy for quality management, because the Japanese success led many organizations to undertake quality initiatives.

The Japanese success brought crises to American organizations because they were offering higher quality products for lower prices. US companies managed to overcome the crises of the late 80s, early 90s through quality initiatives. Quality tools and methodologies became major influences for businesses not only in the US, but also in Europe, Latin America, Asia and Middle East. US approach on quality involved change in the entire organization, which soon came to be known as Total Quality Management.

From the late 90s, there was no differentiation between manufacturing and service industries with regards to quality management. This came as a result of similar quality tools being used for both industries. In addition, many quality tools and techniques are used as part of quality systems. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) published standards on quality management which are widely used worldwide. One of the most used ISO standard is ISO 9001, which is a Quality Management System that serves to address various issues of quality management.

Benefits of quality management

Quality can be defined as conformity to a requirement. However, various definitions are given for quality as it is understood differently by different people. Quality management has become an important part of almost all businesses in today’s highly competitive and quick changing marketplace. Quality represents a philosophy which does not only cover product, but also process and people based improvements. The reason why quality became highly important to organizations is because of globalization, shifting customer value expectations, technological innovations, and population growth. In order to keep up with the global competition, customer demands, and fast changing technological innovations organizations implement quality systems, which aim continuous improvement. Among many other benefits, quality management leads to:

• Improved organizational effectiveness and efficiency • Employee loyalty• Greater customer satisfaction • Higher productivity• Increased market share• Improved profitability• Improved organizational culture

The most successful organizations which remain competitive in today’s economy are those who undertake quality initiatives. Poor quality management can have a negative effect on organizations, such as business failure. Businesses should aim at improving their performance by employing the techniques that lead to the abovementioned benefits.

Conclusion

Quality has become a global priority as many organizations have benefited from its practices. Quality commitment is related to the intent to stay in business due to increased global competition. Quality management is crucial for the success of every organization, which is why many organizations engage in the process of continual improvement to secure their future. Companies which pay attention to quality management have proven to be more successful and competitive.

ISO has developed different standards which aim at improving quality in organizations. One of the most used ISO standard worldwide is ISO 9001 (Quality Management System - QMS). ISO 9000 family addresses various aspects of quality management for organizations who want to ensure that their products and services meet customer’s requirements.

PECB (Professional Evaluation and Certification Board) is a certification body for persons on wide range of international standards. It offers ISO 9001 training and certification services for professionals wanting to gain a comprehensive knowledge in quality management, its principles, core subjects and issues. This training suits quality professionals, project managers or consultants wanting to prepare and to support an organization in the integration of a quality management system throughout the organization. In addition, ISO 9001 training can also be followed by auditors wanting to perform and lead quality management certification audits, and staff involved in the implementation of the ISO 9001 standard.

ISO 9001 and Quality Management Trainings offered by PECB:• Certified ISO 9001 Lead Implementer (5 days)• Certified ISO 9001 Lead Auditor (5 days)• Certified ISO 9001 Foundation (2 days)• ISO 9001 Introduction (1 day)

ISO 9001 Lead Auditor, ISO 9001 Lead Implementer and ISO 9001 Master are certification schemes accredited by ANSI ISO/IEC 17024.

Lorika Bina is the Quality, Management and Risk (QMR) Product Manager at PECB. She is in charge of developing and maintaining training courses related to QMR. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact Lorika at qmr@pecb.org.

For further information, please visit www.pecb.org/en/

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