fbpx

That may sound like a contradiction in terms, particularly if you’ve ever read a management system standard document! They’re not the simplest of things to comprehend but that doesn’t mean your management system has to be just as hard work. Keep your quality management simple.

Keep it simple!

A quality management system is mainly focused on customer satisfaction, in which a healthy amount of risk management is introduced for a good dose.

The vast majority of business owners want happy customers and lower risks right? So think about the steps that you naturally take to ensure these are achieved and hey presto! you have the basis for implementing your system.

You don’t have to reinvent the wheel. It is not necessary to make a shoehorn in extra forms, registers, checks or balances to meet a theoretical need. Start with what you have and keep it simple.

Mandatory requirements

Among the mandatory requirements of a formally certified quality management system are a quality policy and quality objectives. Even if you have no need for a formally certified system, your business can still benefit from having these in place.

Your customers will be happy that you’re demonstrating your commitment to quality. Your business will have additional direction and purpose created by your quality objectives.

Be authentic

The remaining requirements of a quality management system include sufficient process documentation that you can be sure things are working to plan. You will define the measures of success and when and how these are to be monitored and evaluated.

Don’t be tempted to download a template package. Yes, I know it’s free and it promises to be super easy. The reality is it will never be anything more than a burden. Be authentic. Write your own.

Simply the best

The best systems are the simplest ones. Simplicity doesn’t mean that something isn’t fit for purpose. Conversely, just because something is complicated doesn’t mean it’s better.

The best person to write your policies and processes is you. You can employ the services of a consultant to coach and guide you. They may even do some writing for you but ultimately you know your business best.

If you’re a slightly bigger business with segregated duties and responsibilities, get the process owners to do the writing. Process owners are the people who operate and/or manage an activity on a daily basis. The experts.

 

This article has been written by Lucy Payne of valeqms.co.uk

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.