ISO 9001
section 0.1 states: “The adoption of a quality management system should be a
strategic decision of an organization.”
While ISO 9001 is the most widely adopted quality management system
(QMS) standard in the world, many companies attach little or no importance to a well-designed
QMS.
A recent article: Stauffer, R, Owens, D. “Lasting Impression:
Quality management’s positive impact on the economy” Quality Progress, November
2012 makes the economic case for a QMS implementation, asking the
question: “Does quality have a payoff?”
The authors reference the study “The Contribution of Quality
Management to the UK Economy”, jointly commissioned by the Chartered Management
Institute (CMI) and the Chartered Quality Institute (CQI).
The study, researched and written by the Center for Economic
and Business Research (CEBR), conducted a review of relevant business and
economic literature, developed 18 case studies from various business and public
service sectors, and surveyed 120 organizations. From the literature research it concluded
that an effective QMS resulted in:
·
Upward pressure on stock prices while
unsuccessful quality management systems had the opposite effect.
·
Enhanced customer and employee satisfaction and
retention.
·
Reduced costs.
·
Improvement in key financial performance metrics.
·
Greater focus on customer satisfaction.
From the organizations surveyed the CEBR found:
·
On average costs were reduced by 4.8%.
·
More than 93% agreed that the QMS was a
significant contributor to success.
·
95% agreed that the QMS contributes to customer
retention and satisfaction.
·
83% thought that the QMS provides consistent
improvement and therefore higher productivity
·
83% agreed that without an effective QMS they
could not justify pricing to customers.
The study examined key economic indicators in the UK for
2011. The study determined that an
effective QMS:
·
Contributed ₤86 billion ($135 billion) to GDP.
·
Contributed ₤8.4 billion ($13.1 billion) in
corporate tax receipts.
·
Caused employment to be 1.43 million higher
(4.94%) than it would otherwise have been.
The article makes a strong case for a well-designed
QMS. The results are likely transferrable
to the US economy with similar results.
The benefits of an effective QMS take time to appear. They do not happen overnight. Commitment, involvement, and leadership from
senior management are keys to success.
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