Quality management principles (QMP's)

The international standardization committee ISO/TC 176 (Quality management and quality assurance) has started to revise its well-known and popular Quality Management Principles.

Just now there are interesting questions:

• What is the purpose of the QMP's in general and in particular in the ISO 9000 standardization?
• What is the relevance of the existing QMP's of the TC 176?
• What are the other recognized references for QMP's?
• What are the necessary changes needed for the existing QMP's of the TC 176?
• How to get a concensus to the QMP's within the standardization committee?
• How to use the QMP's in different organizations for their quality management development?

The existing eight QMP's of the ISO/TC 176 are as follows:

• Customer focus
• Leadership
• Involvement of people
• Process approach
• System approach to management
• Continual improvement
• Factual approach to decision making
• Mutually beneficial supplier relationships

The detailed descriptions of the principles are in the ISO/TC 176 web site. These principles are already about 20 years old and therefore revision is needed especially because the world business environments have changed.

Also the recognized performance excellence models (Quality award criteria) have defined their principles for the quality management although they use different titles for them. Most important are the following:

Malcolm Baldrige - Core values and concepts:

• Visionary leadership
• Customer-driven excellence
• Organizational and personal learning
• Valuing employees and partners
• Agility
• Focus on the future
• Managing for innovation
• Management by fact
• Social responsibility
• Focus on results and creating value
• Systems perspective

EFQM - Fundamental concepts of excellence:

• Achieving balanced results
• Adding value for customers
• Leading with vision, inspiration & integrity
• Managing by processes
• Succeeding through people
• Nurturing creativity & innovation
• Building partnerships
• Taking responsibility for a sustainable future

Deming Application Prize – Total Quality Management (TQM) Principles:

• Distinctive performance improvement through the application of TQM:

                 - Challenging and customer-oriented business objectives and               strategies under the management leadership

                 - Proper implementation of TQM to achieve the business               objectives

                 - Outstanding results obtained for the business objectives

• TQM understanding and enthusiasm

                 - Aiming at long-term success through benefits to customers               and other interested parties

                 - Managing the organization putting 'quality' in its core

                 - Top management leadership, vision, strategies, and policies

                 - Participation of organization’s all members based on human               resource development

                 - Developing and applying effective quality management               methods

                 - Improving and transforming organization's constitution for               sustainable success

References to these principles may be found from their web pages: Deming Application Prize, The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, The EFQM Excellence Model.

What is the meaning of the QMP's?

At first, what is the general meaning of a principle? According to a general dictionary a principle is a fundamental truth or proposition that serves as the foundation for a system of belief or behavior or for a chain of reasoning. Quality management may be understood according the ISO 9000 vocabulary as "coordinated activities to direct and control an organization with regard to quality".

As an example the Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence define that their basic principles (core values and concepts) are embedded beliefs and behaviors found in high-performing organizations. They are the foundation for integrating key performance and operational requirements within a results-oriented framework that creates a basis for action and feedback.

The quality management principles provide a conceptual foundation for the further development of the ISO 9000 standards.