Capturing your problem is the most important step in QMS

Introduction

Capturing your problem is the most important step in QMS A new QMS or Quality management system in an organization overhauls to enhance its whole array of business activities. Its implementation, undoubtedly, is immensely challenging, while involving a radical shift in employees’ mindset and sprawling new investments. Every company possesses a unique set of quality-related problems which it seeks to address through QMS.  Therefore, it imperative that before implementing the new Quality solution, the top management captures its problems which require redressal. This act is advised to prevent a host of wastages over business time, efforts and resources.

Reasons why problem-capturing is essential

The discussion below attempts to make sense as to why the capturing problem is critical to QMS.

Helps set priorities, plans & goals

A QMS needs a well-defined structure, based on specific objectives, plans, and goals. The problem areas related to quality need to be highlighted so that QMS plans can integrate solutions for solving them. The overarching QMS then assumes a realistic base, while doing away things that are unnecessary. The employees can work with the QMS with more clarity and design result oriented action-plans, entailing processes and physical operations. When the entire workforce reckons the reasons for implementing QMS, their work gains more traction, ensuring quality output from its tasks.

Clarifies QMS operations

Once quality problems are defined, elaborate and effective quality plans and sub-plans can be mapped for a productive implementation of QMS. The vision for workers is thus clarified helping them produce better qualitative and quantitative results. A QMS plan offers solutions to problems by suggesting standard processes and practices. It also helps define processes, process owners, and the necessary tasks to capture data for quality metrics such as – Quality, Efficiency, Compliance, Maintenance, Reducing Production Costs etc.

Helps in continual improvement

When a QMS in part works specifically towards improving the lacking areas, it needs to look out for metrics and reports based on quantifiable data. A QMS software could be of immense help to an organisation to track its progress on various processes at different levels of operations and manufacturing. This, in turn help the management to scale the levels to which their existing problems are being solved, based on which future plans for improvement can be devised. Periodic reviews become an inherent part of QMS contributing to the cause of continual improvement.

Reviews and audits become more focused

An audit is an essential QMS tool to take stock of a company’s progress of its quality related activities. The awareness of the problem, sensitisation of staff over it and solutions-oriented tasks streamline QMS functioning. Hence, audits can be conducted with more clarity, with a special focus on assessing the progress of an organisation in areas where it’s weak – the problem areas. Their analysis helps the staff to see deficiencies in performance, and thereupon take corrective measures.

Gears up QMS towards better customer satisfaction

Any organisation that serves customers quality products and services ought to rise. On the other hand, if it ignores or fails to work upon the problematic quality areas would be unable to win customer trust. Hence, it is essential for a workplace to understand its specific quality weaknesses before the adoption and implementation of QMS. A system streamlined to work towards eradicating inefficient quality-related processes would eventually deliver output for better customer satisfaction.

Conclusion

Ignoring quality related problems or their inefficient handling by the QMS would only result in an inferior-quality yield, thus leaving customers wanting. In contrast, their effective dealing through a QMS would ensure customer satisfaction.  Hence, capturing problems is the most critical step before QMS implementation.