Quality Management Systems and Vocational Education Assessment

The purpose of this paper is to propose on outline for evaluating the quality improvement initiative and financial implications, along with giving a description of specific metrics. A recommendation will be discussed as to how the organization can represent the data related to the quality improvement issue for ongoing monitoring. Also, there will be an explanation of how the organization can create an integrated view of performance that links finance and quality.

The concept of total quality management (TQM) has been applied to education, most notably by Edward Sallis. In attempting to apply quality management to education, however, Sallis proposes a compelling reason for why TQM should be applied to education, and that is, accountability”.

Yasin and Alavi (1999) conducted a quantitative study to determine if Total Quality Management (TQM) can produce quality improvement

ISO 9000 is a set of international standards of programme management. ISO 9000 certifies whether a factory, laboratory, or office has met the quality standards of the

“ISO is commonly known as ‘International Organization for Standardization’, the ISO 9001:2000 standard is used for quality systems audited by outside auditors. This standard is applicable for manufacturing companies not only for software. This standard is given based on the documentation, design, production, testing, servicing and other processes.” (Testing Excellence.com, 2009).

Each of the major courses built upon the previous and provided the groundwork needed to become an expert in quality management. The Total Quality Management (TQM) course laid the foundation I needed to understand the history of quality management and its importance in continuous process improvement. TQM taught me the management approach needed to transform organizations through the use of continuous improvement. The Team Management course taught me how to direct teams in a continuous improvement environment. In addition, I learned how to organize and lead mobile teams through effective communication strategies, developing mission and vision statements, and by setting clear objectives. The Organizational Leadership course built upon the knowledge and skills I gained from the Team Management course. This course taught me the skills needed to facilitate

The original ISO 9000(1987) was structured similar to the British Standard BS 5750 with 3 representations for quality management, the choice of which was emphasized on the scope of happenings within the organization. US Defense and other military standards influenced the language of the first forming of the standards, therefore if was more applicable to manufacturing and the rigorous demands of the manufacturing process of the factory floor. With its framework of twenty requirements, the importance is placed upon the controlling of procedures, instead of the inclusive process of management, which had been the original commitment.

Total quality management (TQM) is the organization-wide effort to install and make permanent a climate in which it continuously improves its ability to deliver high-quality products and services to customers. While there is no widely agreed-upon approach, TQM efforts typically draw heavily on the previously-developed tools and techniques of quality control. As a business phenomenon, TQM enjoyed widespread attention during the late 1980s and early 1990s before being overshadowed by ISO 9000, Lean manufacturing, and Six Sigma

This paper I have written contains a lot of information about ISO 9000 and Quality Management Systems. I will first talk about some of the history and origins of the ISO phenomenon. I will also mention some of the changes and elements of the Quality Management Systems, financial issues, pros and cons of being certified, and the relationship ISO 9000 has with ISO 14000.

Organizations that manufacture goods and services are always concerned with the quality of the goods and the strategies for continued improvements. Improvements in quality are synonymous with increased sales, reduced cost, and increased overall profitability (Heizer & Render, 2014). Quality has several definitions based on who you ask what research you do. Heizer and Render (2014) stated that quality falls into three categories, user based, and manufacturing based, and product based. The quality of a product will directly influence an organizations reputation, liability, and global implications. For all these reasons, ISO 9000 international quality standards were developed. In this paper, I will introduce ISO 9000 and explain exactly what this quality management system does. Additionally, I will present the benefits of ISO 9000 and why the standards have been embraced worldwide. Finally, I will discuss the latest updates to ISO 9000 and explain the principals of the latest revision.

This was to be done through minimizing the errors incurred either in their production line, or, more importantly, in the supplier’s production line. The British Ministry of Defense insisted that the supplier provide a log describing in detail the process of production, checking beforehand if any faults or mistakes were incurred. On the other side of the globe, the US military also required such auditing on the processes of manufacturing and thus adopted a very similar way of inspection, later to be adopted by NASA and NATO. With globalization and the growth in mass production came the need for equivalent QMS standards for industry. In 1971, the British Standard BS 9000 was developed as a quality assurance standard for the electronics industry; BS 5179 followed thereafter providing Guidelines for Quality Assurance (The British Assessment Bureau, 2012). This standard was later reviewed by the British Standards Institute (BSI) and delegates from industry to form BS 5750, later to become ISO 9000. In 1987, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) adopted BS 5750, and, with minor reviews, renamed it to become ISO 9000. Since 1987, the ISO 9000 family of standards has been reviewed multiple times; with a new edition being published every couple of years, keeping the standards up to date with modern day technology and ways of production.

ISO 9001:2008 specifies requirements for a quality management system where an organization 1) needs to demonstrate its ability to consistently provide product that meets customer and applicable statutory and regulatory requirements, and 2) aims to enhance customer satisfaction through the effective application of the system, including processes for continual improvement of the system and the assurance of conformity to customer and applicable statutory and regulatory requirements.

This document is an overview of the ISO 9001:2008 international standard for quality management systems developed by the International Organization for Standardization with the intent to give specific requirements to companies and organizations on methods to enhance customer satisfaction and meet statutory and regulatory requirements by improving effectiveness and performance of their quality management systems. The overview will cover the requirement, certification procedures and benefits of ISO9001 certification.

ISO 9001:2000 makes specification regarding a quality management system wherein an organization (i) is required to exhibit its capability to consistently deliver products that fulfils customer and the relevant regulatory mandates, and (ii) focuses on enhancement of customer satisfaction by effective application of the system and processes for continuous improvement of the system and the guarantee of adherence to customer and pertinent regulatory requirements. Each and every requirement of this International Standard is generic in nature and is intended to be applicable to all enterprises irrespective of type, size and product provided. In case any provisions of this international standard are unable to be applied to any organization because of the inherent nature of an organization and its product, exclusion criteria can be applied. In cases where exclusions are made, claims of adherence to this International Standard are not acceptable unless these exclusions are restricted to mandates within clause 7, and these exclusions do not impact the enterprise's ability, or responsibility to deliver products which are able to meet customer and related regulatory needs. (International Organization for Standardization, 2011a)

There are several business organizations operating around the world, competition is at its peak, products and services offered are so closely similar that identifying the difference between them is difficult, but there is only one way differentiation is made in today’s market, in the larger prospective, and that differentiation is the difference in quality offered. Ali et al., (2010) points, out that the properties of a service or product that the buyer or user purchases and the value given to it by them is the quality of that product or service. Koch (2003) suggests that quality is a process of developing a product or service, building relationship through assessment, anticipation and the fulfillment of the stakeholders implied needs. It is here where the real market is, real competition, customers, profits, market share and success lies. Organizations that deliver quality are always desired by their customers. In order to survive in this