The Principles right at the beginning

When we talk about “Context outside the text! ” and imagine that Management shall be experienced, it is also important to remember the Principles!

The Quality Management Principles described in the Standard – in its item 0.2 – belong to the non-auditable Requirements; that is, they do not undergo Audits such as items 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10, and this can mean, unfortunately, forgetting the theme, something that we as “Qualifiers” will not allow! As Quality Professionals, we bring the responsibilities and safeguards of the Standard into our daily lives; take it or leave it, and however radical or dramatic it may seem, it is just like that!

We know that the Principles were understood and applied when we have an active Top Management; therefore, we can relate the theme to item 5 – Leadership.

When we talk about “Principles right at the beginning! ” we are referring to a call to the responsibilities and authorities of everyone in the Organization. In this way, in each planning and new re-planning, in the continuous cycle in search of excellence, we shall remember the Principles first.

Remembering this critical tip can represent an essential slice of the success we aim for!

So, the practice I recommend is now Yes! Right Now. Regardless of the month you are reading, look into your QMS or IMS documents and identify where your Quality Management Principles are, and if you cannot find any, try to correct them! There is still time.

To support you, see the list of application benefits extracted, in total, from the ABNT NBR ISO 9000:2015 Standard (Quality Management Systems – Fundamentals and Vocabulary), when it highlights “some of the main potential benefits are” (on all seven principles):

CUSTOMER FOCUS:

 

Increased Value for the Customer;

Increased Customer Satisfaction;

Improved Customer Loyalty;

Increased repeat Business;

Improvement of the Organization’s reputation;

Expansion of the Customer base and;

Increased revenue and market share.

LEADERSHIP:

Increased Effectiveness and Efficiency in meeting the Organization’s Quality Goals;

Improvement in the coordination of the Organization’s Processes;

Improved Communication between Organization’s levels and positions;

Development and improvement of the Organization’s ability and its people to deliver the desired Results.

PEOPLE ENGAGEMENT:

Improved understanding of the Organization’s Quality Goals by their People and greater motivation to achieve them;

Greater involvement of People in Improvement activities;

Improving People’s development, initiatives, and creativity;

Improvement of People’s Satisfaction;

Improved trust and collaboration across the Organization and;

Greater attention to the Values and Culture shared throughout the Organization.

PROCESS APPROACH:

Increased ability to focus efforts on critical processes and Improvement Opportunities;

Consistent and predictable results through an aligned Process System;

Optimized performance through effective Process Management, efficient use of resources, and reduced cross-functional barriers and;

Enable the Organization to provide confidence to stakeholders concerning its Consistency, Effectiveness, and Efficiency.

 

IMPROVEMENT:

Improved Process performance, Organizational capacity, and Customer Satisfaction;

Improved focus on root cause investigation and determination, followed by prevention and Corrective Actions;

Improved ability to anticipate and react to Internal and External Risks and Opportunities;

Strengthening the consideration of both incremental and disruptive Improvements;

Reinforcement in the use of learning for Improvement; and

Improvement in pursuit of Innovation.

 

DECISION-MAKING BASED ON EVIDENCE:

 

Improvement of Decision-Making processes;

Improved Assessment of Process Performance and ability to achieve Goals;

Improved Operational Effectiveness and Efficiency;

Improved ability to critically analyze, challenge and change opinions and decisions and;

Increased ability to demonstrate the Effectiveness of previous decisions.

RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT:

Improved performance of the Organization and its Stakeholders when responding to opportunities and constraints related to each relevant Stakeholder;

Common understanding of Goals and Values among Stakeholders;

Improvement in the ability to add value to the Stakeholders through sharing resources and competencies and the Management of Risks related to Quality;

A well-managed Supply Chain, providing a steady flow of Products and Services.

 

  Always remember to put the Principles right at the beginning! Even if it creates a restart!

High Quality every day is what I wish for everyone!  

Wellington Melolima | Auditor