Quality Assurance

ISO

ISO 9001:2000 gives the requirements for quality management systems, is now firmly established as the globally implemented standard for providing assurance about the ability to satisfy quality requirements and to enhance customer satisfaction in supplier-customer relationships.

ISO 14001:2004 gives the requirements for environmental management systems, confirms its global relevance for organizations wishing to operate in an environmentally sustainable manner.

Sector Standards Automotive ISO/TS 16949:2002Automotive Education IWA 2:2007Education Food safety ISO 22000:2005Food safety Information security ISO/IEC 27001:2005Information security Health care IWA 1:2005Health care Local government IWA 4:2005Local government Medical devices ISO 13485:2003Medical devices Petroleum and gas ISO 29001:2003Petroleum and gas Ship recycling ISO 30000Ship recycling Supply chain security ISO 28000:2007Supply chain security

Total Quality Management TQM is a set of management practices throughout the organization, geared to ensure the organization consistently meets or exceeds customer requirements. TQM places strong focus on process measurement and controls as means of continuous improvement. Total Quality Management, TQM, is a method by which management and employees can become involved in the continuous improvement of the production of goods and services. It is a combination of quality and management tools aimed at increasing business and reducing losses due to wasteful practices.

Kaizen, or ‘Continuous Improvement’ is a policy of constantly introducing small incremental changes in a business in order to improve quality and/or efficiency. This approach assumes that employees are the best people to identify room for improvement, since they see the processes in action all the time. A firm that uses this approach therefore has to have a culture that encourages and rewards employees for their contribution to the process.