What Are the Different Types of Quality Management System (QMS)? | PLEX

Supply Chain Management (SCM)

Supply Chain Management is the handling of the flow of goods and services from manufacturing through to the consumer. This process is important for organizations that have a network of suppliers. Supply Chain Management is important because it plays a significant role in customer satisfaction, helping businesses deliver higher quality products and services. It can also help reduce operating costs and increase the scale of profitability.

There are six key components of Supply Chain Management:

• Planning: Considering whether you manufacture or buy domestically or internationally
• Sourcing: Identifying, evaluating, and building relationships with your suppliers
• Demand/Inventory: Managing your inventory and manufacturing schedules to meet customer demand
• Production: Ensuring the efficiency and quality of production
• Warehouse & Transportation: Ensuring products are stored and delivered effectively
• Return of Goods: Ensuring an effective returns process to increase customer satisfaction

By incorporating these six components into your organization you can provide effective Supply Chain Management and quality control.

Statistical Process Control (SPC)

Statistical Process Control (SPC) is an industry-standard methodology for measuring and controlling quality in manufacturing. Data in the form of Product or Process measurements is collected in real-time and added to a graph to pre-determine control limits. These control limits are determined by the capability of the manufacturing process and are used as an indication of normal operations. If data falls outside the control limits, this identifies that an assignable cause is likely the source of production variation, and something within the manufacturing process needs changing in order to fix the issue before defects occur.

The benefits of using SPC as a form of quality control are:

• Reduction of waste
• Improved productivity
• Reduced costs
• Instant reaction to process changes
• Real-time decision making on the plant floor

Failure Mode & Effect Analysis (FMEA)

Failure mode & effect analysis is a common analysis tool used for identifying possible failures in a design or a manufacturing or assembly process. “Failure modes” mean the ways, or modes, in which something might fail, especially if it could directly impact the customer. “Effect analysis” involves studying the consequences of those failures in order to take preventative action.

Failures are prioritized according to how serious the consequences will be, how frequently they occur, and how easily they are detected. The purpose of the FMEA is to help eliminate the risk of failures, starting with the ones that are most damaging to businesses. FMEA also documents current knowledge and actions about the risk of failure, helping businesses foster a culture of continuous improvement.

Organizations should look to use FMEA if:

• A process, product, or service is being designed or redesigned, after quality function deployment (QFD)
• An existing process, product, or service is being applied in a new way
• There’s an expectation to develop control plans for a new or modified process
• Improvement goals are planned for an existing process, product, or service
• Failures of an existing process, product, or service need to be analyzed

Organizations should use FMEA periodically throughout the life of processes, products, and services to ensure certain quality standards and levels of customer satisfaction are continuously met.

Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP)

Advanced product quality planning is used by organizations to assure quality and performance through planning. It’s a structured process aimed at ensuring customer satisfaction with products and services. APQP provides a framework that’s a standardized set of quality requirements for suppliers to follow when designing a product, with the primary goal of facilitating communication and collaboration between engineering activities. APQP translates the needs of customers into technical specifications for new products.

The advantages of using APQP software include:

• Directing resources by separating the vital from the trivial
• Early identification of change
• Avoiding late changes by anticipating failure and taking preventative action
• On-time quality products at the lowest cost
• Multiple options for mitigating risks
• Improved collaboration between design of the product and process
• Improved design for manufacturing and assembly
• Lower cost solutions identified earlier in the process

Types of Quality Management System Standards

The different types of quality management systems vary depending on the industries they are being used in and the role that is required of them. The ISO family of quality standards are the most common types of quality management system used in many industries. There are certain accreditations and standards which are more applicable to specific industries, and the most common management systems used across the different industries are:

• All industries: ISO 9001
• Automotive: IATF 16949
• Medical device: ISO 13485
• Food: ISO 22000
• Services: ISO 2000000
• IT: ISO 27001
• Aerospace: AS 9100D

If you would like more information on the types of quality management system used in different industries and the end-end benefits they can bring to your organization, you can find more information on our quality management system by industry page.

How to Combine the Types of Quality Management to Create a Cohesive System

The different types of quality management standards require a ‘system’ for them to maintain all the above quality components cohesively. A modern quality management system involves an efficient digital format that stores different ‘modules’ so that companies can meet and maintain those important quality standards and accreditations. The modules included in a software-based quality management system include:

• Document control: all the quality documents, policies, and procedures which get used by employees to document, organize and track internal processes.
• Equipment and asset management: manage the equipment and assets that are tightly connected to producing or moving goods and delivering quality service to customers.
• CAPA management: it’s ideal that corrective and preventative actions (CAPA) are included in the quality management system. Tracking and implementing CAPA is critical to continuous quality improvement.
• Internal audits: a good quality management system maintains version control and audit trails of all documents and interactions. Auditors use this information to monitor processes and actions that are implemented on a daily basis.
• Integrated dashboard and analytics: digital quality management systems automatically aggregate and compile quality data in a way that can be easily displayed and tracked. This can be used to predict quality over time and improve internal processes.

This article has covered the different methods of quality control, ISO standards between industries, and how to use these to create a cohesive quality management system. If you would like more information on quality management systems, you can read our comprehensive QMS guide for manufacturers.