Quality manager: how mature is your quality system?

Your quality system has been around since the 1990s. First as paper manuals for all department managers, later as digital PDF documents on the central disk. As a quality manager you must always inspire the organization to keep all quality documentation up to date. Much is in your hands and the organization only starts 'running' one week before the external audit.
Does it ring a bell? Take a look at the next steps in making your management system mature.

Quality system - the maturity stages

At a high level, the following maturity stages can be distinguished in a quality system:

1. Ad hoc
   Understanding of quality management is limited. Process quality control is fragmented and problems are widely ignored. There is a lot of ignorance about quality and there is a belief that everything is good. There are no formal responsibilities and no accountability is given. Documentation of processes and methods is limited and often outdated. Communication by email and access to quality data and documentation is difficult.
    
2. Reactive
   In addition to the quality manager, only a limited number of people are involved in quality management. Quality data is collected in a limited way, usually in separate spreadsheets. Users wait for problems to arise and then respond. Important quality problems are recorded, but insufficiently analyzed to prevent recurrence. There is limited integration.
    
3. Managed
   Quality management is important throughout the organization, not just for the quality manager. Audits and checks are carried out regularly. KPIs have been defined and are being managed accordingly. Ownership and responsibilities have been established.
    
4. Proactive
   Quality data is available and accessible throughout the organization. Working methods are up-to-date and described in a practical way-of-working and are also accessible throughout the organization. Problems are recognized and are being analyzed. Actions are identified and executed to prevent recurrence.
    
5. Integrated and optimizedQuality management has management attention and is a value within the organization. Full process integration supports proactive, risk-based quality decisions. Quality data is mutually correlated, if necessary with artificial intelligence. Collaboration is the key to success to drive positive business and customer outcomes.

Quality manager: already familiar with this?

On the IT side, developments are even faster than in the worlf of certification: mobile working, social quality systems, straight from the cloud. Quite different from the collection of process descriptions, procedures, instructions and forms. Printed and bundled in the manual in the cupboard of each department manager…. A digital (quality) management system can do so much more, apart from the various 'ISO standards'.

An overview of 'standard' functionalities of a mature management system:

Just try it, prepare our cloud solution as a trial in 60 seconds our cloud solution ready, software tool for management systems: documentation, risk analysis, reports, audits, supplier assessments, ... And look for the differences with your current way-of-working ... ...