quality & principles

Principles and Quality History

Quality Standards can be traced back to the Middle Ages, when craftsmen formed Craft Guilds. By purchasing from members of these Guilds, the customers were assured of a high level of craftsmanship. If a member fell below the standard criteria, he was expelled from the Guild.

The first major development towards Quality Assurance came in 1968 with AQAP systems for quality control in the Ministry of Defence. The BS 5750 standard was issued in 1979. National and International quality standards were revised in 1987, and all were incorporated under the International ISO 9000 series of standards. At the end of 2000 the ISO series of quality standards were once more revised to the current BS EN ISO 9001:2000 series of standards incorporating many improvements, such as client focussing and performance measurement.

Significance

In the UK and overseas many companies are currently being approved to the BS EN ISO 9001 standard at an accelerated rate. Most of these companies then proceed to request BS EN ISO 9001:2000 approval from their suppliers and subcontractors. Some of your competitors who have already obtained approval to BS EN ISO 9001:2000 now have an important competitive edge over yourself.

Quality Assurance, represented by the 'Registered Firm' emblem or similar logos on your company's letterhead, is a formidable competitive weapon. An external organisation of high repute, confirming your level of attainment, may have greater influence than merely price.

What is quality management system?

In small to medium sized organisations, communication and sharing the business strategy and practices may be relatively straightforward. As the organisation develops and grows the structure becomes more complex and the 'company way' needs to be documented so that everyone shares a common view of how the organisation delivers quality to its clients.

The Quality Management System is a set of working procedures and practices used by those involved, interfaced with the standard by a Quality Manual.

It defines responsibilities, duties and authority. It requires a disciplined approach to all aspects of achieving quality of service and performance.

'This documentation is known as a quality management system'

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