ISO 9001 Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

ISO 9001 - Coursework Example Quality Assurance (Oakland 1995) is a planned and systematic approach to ensure the quality of the product through prevention of quality problems. Total Quality Management is an organisation wide philosophy aimed at identifying and achieving the needs and expectations of all the stakeholders, with an underlying principle of continual improvement. Quality Management System (BS EN ISO 9001:2008) is a complex web of the tangible and intangible assets of an organisation. An organisation is greatly influenced by its business environment (Kotler & Keller 2006) which is made up of the micro and macro environments. The micro environment is a set of factors which are unique to the individual organisation. It consists of the organisation’s internal values, super ordinate goals, employees, customers, distribution and other intermediaries and the public, at large. Macro environment factors are uncontrollable and affect all organisations, irrespective of nature, size and industry. The vari ous elements such as the political, economic, socio-cultural, technological, demographic, international, physical etc. comprise this phenomenon. 1.2) List the reasons for implementing a Quality Management System (at least 5).   Quality Management Systems (QMS) has become a requisite in today’s hyper-competitive world. By means of a transparent and clear authority-responsibility hierarchy, the quality of leadership and management is improved resulting in a more effective organisation. This also lays the foundation for enhanced employee commitment and satisfaction and a sense of organisational ownership is fostered. There is a remarkable improvement in the quality of products which leads to greater customer satisfaction. All these benefits add up to a better corporate image with the stakeholders of the organisation such as shareholders, internal and external customers, distributors and supply chain intermediaries, government and society, at large. It is a source of sustainabl e competitive advantage. 1.3) What are the requirements for the successful implementation of a QMS within a company?   QMS to be successful must have the blessings of the top management. Quality is not a one shot activity and is resource driven. Strategic leadership, co-operation and involvement of all the employees, barring none, are the keys to effective implementation. Patience is a virtue and any undue haste or short cuts would prove detrimental to the QMS cause. Clear and elaborate documentation eases the entire quality effort. Regular monitoring and review paves the way for success of the QMS initiative. 1.4) Discuss organisational versus process approaches to the implementation of a QMS.   Two major approaches to implementation of QMS are the Organisational and the Process approaches. The organisational approach to QMS represents an organisation wide effort to produce and deliver quality products and services to its customers. All the four factors of production namely men , material, money and management contribute to the overall effort of achieving its goals and objectives. Based on the Agree-Say-Do-Improve (ISO 9001: 2008) cycle, it enables an organisation to obtain a clear perspective on what needs to be done and provides an understanding of the structure and requirements of the ISO standard. The first stage involves a clear understanding of what exactly