A quality management system (QMS) is a set of policies, processes and procedures required for planning and execution (production/development/service) in the core business area of an organization. (i.e. areas that can impact the organization’s ability to meet customer requirements.) ISO 9001 is an example of a Quality Management System.

A QMS integrates the various internal processes within the organization and intends to provide a process approach for project execution. A process based QMS enables the organizations to identify, measure, control and improve the various core business processes that will ultimately lead to improved business performance.

The concept of Quality Management is quite simple, it seeks to:

• recognize interested party requirements including Licenses to Trade, guidelines, customer requirements, and the chosen management system standard(s)
• ensure that all requirements have been met
• confirm that employees receive applicable training in the quality system requirements
• determine processes, their interaction, inputs and outputs
• produce records or evidence that system requirements have been met
• measure, monitor and report the performance of the QMS
• plan changes to the QMS and take actions to address risks and opportunities as a result of changes
• perform internal audit to analyze the QMS and correct nonconformities
• continually improve the QMS

Easier to say than to do it!
@/Arpro Erp, Quality Module can contribute to reach this goal.
A solution perfectly integrated with the production system and the business management program, from which it draws data from the master data, provides some support functions:

• Non-Conformity and Claims
• Non-Conformity Analysis
• Reports of Control
• Audits, Customer Satisfaction, Suppliers, Quality Manual as document managers
• Instruments and equipments
• Corporate Functions
• Non-Conformity Type and Causes

The first steps to follow are to define all the master data in terms of quality, that is to say the corporate functions, non-conformity types and causes.
At the same time and if necessary, it occurs to catalog and describe the various instruments and equipments available in the various departments, also organizing the plans for maintenance and calibrations (from the main menu select “Quality” + “Instruments and Equipments” + …).

Start scheduling staff training activities after auditing by including these documents in the planned section of the program (from the main menu select “Quality” + “Audits”).
The central element of the whole organization is the “Quality Manual”, a document that states the company’s intentions for operating the processes within the quality management system. It can include policies for all areas of the business that affect your ability to make high quality products and meet your customers’ and ISO’s requirements.
It is therefore necessary to define all the contexts and procedures, saving these documents in the dedicated section of the program (from the main menu select “Quality” + “Quality Manual”).

As far as the data acquisition phases are concerned, the organization of the various documents relating to “Customer Satisfaction” must be defined, a specific document area in the program (from the main menu select “Quality” + “Customer Satisfaction”).
All these quality management documents must therefore be organized, as well as created, perhaps inspired by some existing templates on the web but also considering your specific needs. We can provide different templates to the different areas of expertise, however, we recommend contacting qualified personnel in the consulting area.

Then it is necessary to start collecting a data archive with the non-conformities found, the subsequent solutions adopted, all the data related. In some ways it is statistical, easily analyzed through a graphical tool, to highlight where the anomalies happen more frequently.

The causes of nonconformities aren’t unlimited and therefore determinable. Common causes for deficiencies to arise include:

• poor communication (or miscommunication)
• poor documentation (or lack of documentation)
• poor or limited training of personnel
• poor motivation of personnel
• poor quality materials (or lack of appropriate materials)
• poor quality tools and equipment (or lack of appropriate tools and equipment)
• poor or dysfunctional operating environment

The non-conformities and the corresponding analyzes and corrective treatments are managed in a specific section of the program (from the main menu select “Quality” + “Non-Conformity and Claims”).
The control reports are an integral part of the quality control, divided by year, and memorize the data of the checks carried out in the specific contexts in special sheets (from the main menu select “Quality” + “Control Reports”).

Monitoring and measuring customer satisfaction is one of the important aspects of the quality system, as well as having to be the key element in general in doing business.
This approach would typically include defined responsibilities for logging and tracking complaints, clearing technical issues, determining problem causes and actions to address them. Specific examples of complaints must be sampled.

The link between the customer complaint process and corrective action also requires special scrutiny. Determine appropriate methods for monitoring and measuring customer satisfaction by:

• using customer satisfaction surveys;
• providing methods for receiving and dealing with customer feedback;
• providing suitable processes to monitoring trends in customer data.

There is no specific standard manual that can guide exactly in the processes to be followed, instead it is necessary, on the basis of its own activity, to find better quality standards to reduce the incidence of these problems.
It is therefore necessary to create a set of survey documents, suitable for your activity, where the business owner uses for the purpose of writing down the customer feedback assessments, in order to reveal customer expectations and improve customer retention.
They consist out of a set of questions related to motivation and buying experience. After collecting responses, the survey data is included into a report that highlights the company’s overall customer relationships.

@/Arpro Erp, Quality Module provides the platform to connect the various external documents, integrating data management with the production system and company accounting.
For the rest, the considerations made for the previous section regarding the management of the window Toolbar (CRM) are valid.

All the quality procedures can help you and your suppliers create a systems approach to customer satisfaction.
The standard obligates a registered organization to create a QMS (Quality Management System) based on continual improvement rather than conformance to requirements, procedures and surveys.
Taking this into consideration, working with the suppliers to encourage them to think in terms of continual improvement. This will help them shift away from the traditional approach and move toward organizational development, monitoring and improvement.

It is therefore necessary to create a set of support documents, suitable for your activity, oriented to the control of the quality processes, quality and guaranteed provenance of the materials, performances, respect of average processing times.
Suppliers are therefore involved in the process of organization and efficiency of the entire system, aimed at customer satisfaction.
For the rest, the considerations made for the previous section regarding the management of the window Toolbar (CRM) are valid.

The Quality Manual is the first level of documentation in a Quality Management System. Some organizations may combine the Quality Manual and Procedures into one manual, and refer to it as a quality manual.

The quality manual has multiple functions:

1. It fully describes the scope of QMS;
2. it completely explains each and every requirement of the ISO Standard;
3. it contains complete detail and explanation of exclusions;
4. it contains references for the quality procedures used to describe all the QMS processes;
5. a flow chart represents the series and interaction of your key business processes;
6. the organization’s quality policies which shows that the organization is strictly committed to quality

The primary use of the quality manual is as follows:

1. to communicate management’s expectations for quality to the organization;
2. to reveal the organization conformity with ISO requirements;
3. to serve as a measure for compliance to management’s expectations for internal audits, ISO registrar audits, customer audits.

@/Arpro Erp, Quality Module provides the platform to connect the various external documents, integrating data management with the production system and company accounting.
For the rest, the considerations made for the previous section regarding the management of the window Toolbar (CRM) are valid.

Calibration ensures that your equipment performs within approved tolerances and delivers on safety and quality. Incorrect measurements compromise not only your reputation, but also safety and quality. The calibration of measuring and control equipment by an accredited supplier means that measurements are verified and traceable, thereby fulfilling quality system requirements as given, for example, in the ISO standards.
You should ensure that such devices are available to guarantee continuity of in-process measurement capabilities. All test equipment must be calibrated either:

1. at regular, planned intervals
2. or prior to use

Monitoring and measuring equipment must be:

1. calibrated or verified at specified intervals or prior to use, based on recognized standards;
2. adjusted or re-adjusted as necessary in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions;
3. identified to enable calibration status to be determined;
4. safeguarded from adjustment, which would invalidate measurement results;
5. protected from damage or deterioration during handling, maintenance or storage

Each instrument should be traceable through its own calibration record which contains:

1. identification number;
2. manufacturer and model;
3. frequency of calibration;
4. reference standards used;
5. Validation certificates and calibration findings;
6. details of actions be taken in case of unsatisfactory results.

@/Arpro Erp, Quality Module provides the platform to connect the various documents about the maintenance and calibrations data, integrating data management with the production system and company accounting.
For the rest, the considerations made for the previous section regarding the management of the window Toolbar (CRM) are valid.

With an increasing concern of maintain the ISO Certification, it is necessary to provides a monthly maintenance plan for organizations to ensure compliance to the ISO Standard without the fear of being suspended.
The maintenance of the equipment is therefore particularly important, it must be managed to guarantee the quality standards imposed by the ISO procedures.

Thanks to this simple module, it is possible to record and maintain the entire equipment inventory of a company. After you plan, identify, communicate and assign maintenance, calibration and control tasks, with work orders and assignments.
It also allows you to quickly identify the location and status of equipment, maintain historical information and traceability and produce statistical information necessary for the analyses of Repeatability and Reproducibility.

@/Arpro Erp, Quality Module provides the platform to connect the various documents about the maintenance plans data, integrating data management with the production system and company accounting.
For the rest, the considerations made for the previous section regarding the management of the window Toolbar (CRM) are valid.

It manages the master data of company functions, to be managed in the context of non-compliance (from the main menu select “Quality” + “Non-Conformity and Claims”).
For each it is necessary to insert a description, an acronym and eventually a note.

It manages the master data of non-conformity type, used in the context of non-compliance movements.
For each it is necessary to insert a description and eventually a note.

It manages the master data of non-conformity cause, used in the context of non-compliance movements.
For each it is necessary to insert a description and eventually a note.