Types of quality management systems: Here’s what’s right for you

What is a quality management system?

A quality management system is a collection of processes, policies, procedures, documentation and resources which combine to ensure that a company’s products or services meet customer requirements and expectations.

The quality management system came into being with the rise of industrial production as means of ensuring predictable outcomes with larger volumes and more specialisation. In order to deliver a quality product, a system rather than one human needed to be put in place to ensure quality across the production line or value chain.

Today, specialisation, speed and volume have all increased, and having a quality management system in place to reduce defects and delays and increase customer satisfaction is more important than ever. The span and breadth of quality has also changed in recent years, with more companies including a focus on environmental quality, privacy and other pressing issues as well as ‘production’.

Today, quality management also involves the coordination of people and collaboration just as much as the coordination of capital and materials, which has led to dedicated quality softwares and automation.

If you are thinking about implementing a quality management system or achieving a certain level of quality compliance, you will likely be looking at one of the types of quality management systems below.