Expert quality management and ISO 9001 certification solutions tailored to you.

Quality Management Systems is a leading UK business process and ISO 9001 quality management system specialist. QMS delivers a comprehensive range of world-class quality management solutions including the implementation of ISO9001 based management frameworks, standards certification, auditing, training and QMS software solutions to organisations of all types, structures and sizes throughout the United Kingdom and internationally.

Our experienced management systems specialists work closely with clients to develop practical, cost effective quality management frameworks that integrate seamlessly with existing organisational processes. By offering individually tailored solutions we help clients improve their approach to quality assurance, product and service delivery, and achieve ISO 9001 certification quickly and efficiently.

By focusing on the needs of our clients, what they do and how they do it, our specialists ensure management processes are streamlined at every opportunity to support and improve core business activities and support processes. As a result our quality management frameworks are developed to support and improve what you do, they are simple and easy to use, and are proven to deliver a number of significant benefits to organisations whatever the size, structure or market sector.

If you would like to learn more about our QMS solutions, and how we can help you develop world-class quality management processes please get in touch today.

Benefiting from an ISO 9001 Quality Management System

Our carefully tailored quality frameworks and ISO 9001 implementation and certification solutions can help deliver a number of important benefits to organisations including:

UK & International Capabilities

Our expert quality assurance focused services are delivered by experienced management systems specialists who combine comprehensive capabilities with practical know-how across their specialist areas of expertise to deliver real performance improvements to clients.

Our main offices are located in London and Manchester and these are further supported by regional teams of specially trained process management and standards implementation specialists who deliver expert advice and support solutions to meet the highest standards of performance expected by our clients.

Contact QMS today to learn how our expert quality management and ISO 9001 implementation and accreditation solutions can help you achieve a clear and usable quality management system that delivers effective and efficient quality management processes. To speak with one of our experts call us on 0330 223 25 85 or simply use the button below to get our full contact details or submit our contact form.

What is Quality Management?

For any aspiring organisation, whatever the size, structure or market sector, a well-planned, practical quality management system or QMS can prove to be a very powerful business tool, helping to ensure the best results or outcomes are achieved consistently, whether this relates to the organisation itself, an individual task, a process, products or services.

Plan – Do – Check – Act

An effective QMS brings into play four separate elements – Plan – Do – Check – Act or the PDCA cycle. When all these elements come together successfully they help to ensure the best organisational outcomes can be achieved, and as importantly, they can be maintained consistently over time.

Quality Management Principles

Generally, there are a number of major principles that must be carefully followed if one is to build an effective quality management system. Different organisations and individual tasks or processes may demand some or all of these principles, and some may be considered to be more important than others.

Whilst understanding these principles is often key to the success of a quality system it is also important to recognise that taking a pragmatic, flexible approach to the implementation of a QMS is essential to its continued success. All too often we see the impact of poorly constructed, overly complex management systems that often struggle to maintain stakeholder support and so fail to deliver long-term. It is also important to recognise that these principles should be tailored to the task at hand, regardless of the size or structure of the organisation, business type, industry sector, task or procedure being reviewed.

The major principles of any quality management system to consider include:

Why Adopt an ISO 9001 Quality Management System?

There are a whole range of organisational benefits associated with good, well structured quality management processes including:

There are lots of other benefits that a good quality management system brings, for instance, a product launch may achieve greater success when quality management principles are followed. Since these can be applied well ahead of the product launch, many potential issues can be identified and smoothed out before they have a chance to create problems.

It is also likely that a business applying these quality management principles will achieve greater levels of customer satisfaction. Since any business will be reliant upon this to drive future sales and profitability, it could be a make-or-break issue. It is also more likely to generate positive news and reactions about the business, which can in turn bring in more customers.

As a result an organisation may also achieve greater consistency in the way it approaches various tasks. This is true on a day-to-day basis as well as in reference to the long-term plans an individual business may have.

Avoiding unnecessary waste and periods of low or non-productivity is another major benefit of a good quality management system. A great deal of data can be gleaned from evidence and a solid approach to tasks and goals. This data can highlight areas where time could be better spent, not to mention the application of resources in order to get the best possible outcome.

In short, every element of an organisation and everything that must be focused on is likely to be improved when a consistent quality management system is in place.

Quality Management & ISO 9001

Any organisation wishing to implement a quality management system should seriously consider doing so using the globally recognised standard ISO 9001 which forms part of the International Organization for Standardizations ISO 9000 series of international standards and deals with quality management and quality assurance systems.

ISO 9001 is already used by many businesses around the world – many of which have seen significant improvements to their operations since implementing it for the first time.

While ISO 9001 is flexible enough to be used by any organisation, of any shape, size or structure there are a number of specialist quality management standards designed specifically for certain sectors including:

• ISO 13485 – Medical devices
• ISO 17582 – Electoral organisations at all levels of government
• ISO 18091 – Local government
• ISO/IEC 90003 – Software engineering
• ISO/TS 29001 – Petroleum, petrochemical and natural gas industries

ISO 9001:2015

ISO 9001:2015 is the latest update to this well-established quality standard. It was published in September 2015 and is now recognised as the standard bearer for quality management systems around the world. It has been specifically designed to take into account all the processes and elements mentioned above.

Watch the following video to get a good overview of the new 2015 edition of ISO 9001.

It is much easier to achieve greater success in a business, or indeed in any part of a business, when there is a consistent and proven framework to follow. ISO 9001:2015 provides this framework, giving organisations a proven method by which they can adhere to the principles of good quality management.

Contents of ISO 9001:2015

ISO 9001:2015 is made up of 10 sections that include:

• Section 1: Scope
• Section 2: Normative References
• Section 3: Terms and Definitions
• Section 4: Context of the Organisation
• Section 5: Leadership
• Section 6: Planning
• Section 7: Support
• Section 8: Operation
• Section 9: Performance Evaluation
• Section 10: Improvement

While the 2015 version of the standard maintains the same general format as previous versions its structure has been improved to allow easier integration with other ISO standards. It is also less prescriptive and places greater emphasis on organisational performance than previous versions.

Implementing ISO 9001:2015

While ISO 9001:2015 provides a strong framework to use and build upon, it is also important to realise that every organisation is unique. It is unlikely that the “one size fits all” approach will work successfully – what works for one business may not work for another. It is therefore vital to build a practical but robust quality management system that is tailored towards the needs of a particular organisation or business. It is essential that the quality framework should also be able to grow with that organisation making it easier to assess progress, and to find and implement solutions that work and drive that business further forward.

Implementing the ISO 9001:2015 quality management standard takes time and commitment, but most organisations following this route find if it is implemented correctly then it is time that is well-invested. For the long term, a good quality management framework could completely change the way an organisation approaches the future, it can help build customer, client and internal relationships, improve operational efficiencies, reduce costs, build profitability and ultimately lead to business growth.

• Manage your quality systems more effectively with our QMS software

Get Expert Quality Management Systems Support

Contact Quality Management Systems today to discuss your quality assurance and ISO 9001 standards requirements. Our experts can provide practical, cost effective advice and support on all aspects of ISO 9001 implementation, certification support, auditing, training and QMS software… all tailored to meet the needs of your organisation.

With offices in London and Manchester, supported by regional teams of specially trained management and standards implementation specialists we can deliver practical, easy to use management frameworks that work to enhance what you do

Contact QMS today for more information or for your FREE, no obligation quote.

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Further reading…

More information about quality management and the internationally recognised standard ISO 9001 … here →