David Isaacson

Article / Updated 05-02-2023

In this article you will learn: What is a quality management system? What are the benefits of a good quality system? Why is data important in quality management? What is a challenge in implementing a quality management system? How does a good quality management system impact decision-making? What is a quality management system? A quality management system (QMS) is a strategic discipline that requires a framework, significant financial and resource investments, and an enterprise-wide commitment. Companies today recognize that quality isn’t just a vague attribute to claim in marketing materials or on a website. Quality is a key business driver that is essential to success. What are the benefits of a good quality system? It helps organizations to: Improve their processes and products Reduce costs Boost the customer experience Meet key compliance requirements Organizations are turning to digital solutions to automate quality management. A quality management system enables organizations to: Automatically document, manage, and control the structure, processes, roles, responsibilities, and procedures required to ensure quality management Centralize quality data enterprise-wide so that organizations can analyze and act upon it Access and understand data not only within the organization, but also external data residing with suppliers and other partners Why is data important in quality management? The key to leveraging a QMS for better business outcomes is data. Even the most advanced QMS is useless without effective data. Data gathered across the connected ecosystem – from manufacturing floors to business offices – provides the insights to boost efficiency, productivity, and quality. An effective QMS can help companies more easily collect, integrate, and act upon data to automate best practices and processes and boost quality enterprise-wide. This is crucial since, with all the different systems in use from product design to delivery, sharing data to derive insights can seem like an insurmountable task. What is a challenge in implementing a quality management system? Many organizations don’t have sufficient data or the processes in place to get insights on the products they build to make informed decisions or mitigate risk. They’re delivering what they think they should provide, or what’s required by law, but without the data-driven insights to help them reach the next level. How does a good quality management system impact decision-making? The next evolution of effective quality management is connected quality that arms companies with the data and automation needed to improve decision-making at every stage of the product lifecycle and empower employees to deliver the highest quality. Today’s quality management systems can enable companies to more easily and accurately automate quality processes to reach new levels of product excellence, brand reputation, and competitive leadership. And it requires an approach that involves the entire organization in order to succeed. References 10 Steps to Using Data to Improve Business Decisions Data Analysis and Decision-Making Tips for Making Good Business Decisions About the Book Wiley has recently published Advanced Quality Management for Dummies, ETQ Special 2nd Edition. The book provides a dynamic introduction to comprehensive quality management and helps business leaders discover the steps required to select and implement a QMS that can bring a quality culture to an organization and create more satisfied customers. Download ETQ’s Advanced QMS For Dummies eBook to discover more about the operational and business impact of a QMS, plus best practices for selecting and deploying the right QMS for your organization.