Quality management

Quality Management ( QM) refers to all organizational measures designed to improve the process quality of benefits and thus the products of any kind. The term includes services in the QM services, but goes beyond the usual term and primarily affects the intra- organizational services. Quality management is a core responsibility of management. In industries such as aerospace, medical technology, parts of the health care, medical rehabilitation, or drug and food manufacturing a quality management system is mandatory.

Since about 1900 different models for standardization of quality management have been developed.

• 4.1 criticism

• 5.1 management
• 5.2 loop of quality management

Use

The economics see quality management as part of the functional area management, with the aim of the effectiveness and efficiency of work (work quality ) or increase of business processes. This material and time frame to be considered as well as to maintain or develop the quality of product or service.

Content is about the optimization of communication structures, professional solution strategies that maintain or increase the satisfaction of customers or clients as well as the motivation of the workforce, the standardization of certain business and work processes, standards for products or services, documentation, Vocational training, facilities and design of work rooms.

In the design of work processes in organizations quality management is to ensure that quality concerns occupy the space allotted. Quality refers to both the marketed products and services, as well as on the internal processes of the organization and is defined as the degree to which the product is viewed or considered process meets the requirements. These requirements can be defined explicitly, but they can also be implicitly assumed ( expectations).

Quality management leads thus not necessarily lead to a higher quality result, but represents only the specified quality. Also, the manufacturing process of a cheap product can be subject to a total quality management. Quality certifications include ISO thus say nothing about the product quality, as partially suggested by advertisements, but only on quality management in the production process.

Historical development

Models and standards

There are a number of quality management standards, which are used as a frame or as a mandatory requirement for the establishment of a quality management system. The use of the various quality standards shows strong regional and sectoral differences. Especially Asian and Anglo-Saxon manufacturers, particularly in industry, have introduced quality management methods.

EFQM and ISO 9001

The best-known quality management models are using the EFQM model and the ISO 9001, both of which have intersections in the process orientation.

The EFQM model is a European focus and also allows a certificate by an auditor - as the EN ISO. It is in contrast to ISO 9001:2008 a competitive model, which does not aim at the fulfillment of requirements, but also on the self- responsibility in the assessment. The main objective of the EFQM model is the constant improvement through innovation and learning in all parts of the company and in cooperation with other EFQM users. It is based on an ongoing world's best reactions, so that it is never possible for a business to reach the maximum number of points. There is thus compared to ISO 9001:2008 greater motivation for further improvements. EFQM can be applied not only to business enterprises, but also to services and social facilities.

Special models

• Newer quality standards such as ISO / TS 16949:2002 are geared more to the long-known and well-founded methods of the founders of industrial quality concept (W. Edwards Deming, Walter A. Shewhart ).
• For organizations with development tasks (internal IT departments, car development, machine development), there is the Capability Maturity Model Integration ( CMMI) as a specialized process model. Due to the specific focus on development organizations CMMI can enter into detail on individual process aspects.
• In the production of statistical means may be used to monitor the manufacturing process. Among the acts building upon quality strategies and Six Sigma belongs.
• In project management, own quality management practices are also used, see Quality management in project management.
• Especially for architectural and engineering services 2007 quality certificate planner was developed in cooperation with TÜV Rheinland in construction ( " QZ planners in Construction" is a registered word mark at the German Patent and Trademark Office) developed.
• In Qualitätstestierungsmodellen as LQW special requests are handled in education.
• The toughest certifications are those of the automotive industry, such as the ISO / TS 16949:2002 or its predecessor QS -9000 and VDA 6.1.

• My standards are also provided in medicine and medical technology, as described under quality assurance in medicine, in the further education sector, in the aerospace industry and in nuclear power plants.

Assessment

Many quality management models attempt to make the processes evaluated objectively. There are two fundamentally different approaches can be distinguished:

A) Certifiable standards with defined minimum requirements for an effective quality management system, such as the EN ISO 9001, which are measured by audits.

B ) self-assessment of their own quality management system and benchmarking between competitors at a quality price, such as the EFQM Excellence Award of the European Foundation for Quality Management (Industrial ), the Speyer Quality Award ( for the public sector ) or the Ludwig Erhard Prize, the German price after the rules of the EFQM high political prestige within which the effectiveness of competing quality management systems are compared.

Criticism

Critical is often commented that only externally audited and certified quality management models stand up to objective criteria, as is often valued at a self-assessment in favor of their own situation.

• From auditors issued certificates, for example, the three possible certificates of EFQM, so a focus on external audits instead of self-assessments.
• The social scientist Bettina Warzecha argues that can not be complex workflows mapped by key figures: it is a myth that industrial processes are controlled by quality management.

Structure

Quality management is a self-referential process, that is, the method to improve their subject can also be applied to the quality management process itself.

Management

In the QM as a management task can be defined:

• Quality Policy
• Objectives
• Responsibilities

It is in the interest of management to lay down clear descriptions, otherwise it can be held personally accountable for the damage incurred by the product responsible.

Control loop of the quality management

Great emphasis is placed on continuous improvement of processes. Experience from flowing back into the planning so that a control loop ( Deming ) arises:

• Quality planning - it is determined and set the framework for the quality management an actual state. Then concepts and processes are developed.
• Quality Control - the results obtained in the planning phase will be implemented (QFD, FMEA ).
• Quality Assurance - evaluating qualitative and quantitative quality information (cost -benefit considerations, checking assumptions made ).
• Gain in quality - from the prior phase information obtained will be used for structural improvements and process optimization. Achievements and results are communicated.