ISO 9000 Standards – Quality Management Principles

ISO 9000 Standards – Quality Management Principles
A quality management principle is defined by ISO/TC 176 as a comprehensive and fundamental rule or belief, for leading and operating an organization, aimed at continually improving performance over the long term by focusing on customers while addressing the needs of all other interested parties. Eight principles have emerged as fundamental to the management of quality.

All the requirements of ISO 9001:2008 are related to one or more of these principles. These principles provide the reasons for the requirements and are thus very important. The quality management principles can be listed as below:

1. Customer focus
Organizations depend on their customers and therefore should understand current and future customer needs, meet customer requirements and strive to exceed customer expectations.
The customer focus principle is reflected in ISO 9000 Standards through the requirements addressing:
a. Communication with the customer
b. Care for customer property
c. The determination of customer needs and expectations
d. Appointment of a management representative
e. Management commitment

2. Leadership
Leaders establish unity of purpose and direction for the organization. They should create and maintain the internal environment in which people can become fully involved in achieving the organization’s objectives.
The leadership principle is reflected in ISO 9000 Standards through the requirements addressing:
a. The setting of objectives and policies
b. Planning
c. Internal communication
d. Creating an effective work environment

3. Involvement of people
People at all levels are the essence of an organization and their full involvement enables their abilities to be used for the organization’s benefit.
The involvement of people principle is reflected in ISO 9000 Standards through the requirements addressing:
a. Participation in design reviews
b. Defining objectives, responsibilities and authority
c. Creating an environment in which people are motivated
d. Internal communication
e. Identifying competence needs

4. Process approach
A desired result is achieved more efficiently when related resources and activities are managed as a process.
The process approach principle is reflected in ISO 9000 Standards through the requirements addressing:
a. The identity of processes
b. Defining process inputs and outputs
c. Providing the infrastructure, information and resources for processes to
function

5. System approach to management
This principle is expressed as follows:
Identifying, understanding and managing interrelated processes as a system contributes to the organization’s effectiveness and efficiency in achieving its objectives.
The system approach principle is reflected in ISO 9001 through the requirements addressing:
a. Establishing, implementing and maintaining the management system
b. Interconnection, interrelation and sequence of processes
c. The links between processes
d. Establishing measurement processes

6. Continual improvement
This principle is expressed as follows:
Continual improvement of the organization’s overall performance should be a permanent objective of the organization.
The continual improvement principle is reflected in ISO 9000 Standards through the requirements addressing:
a. Improvement processes
b. Identifying improvements
c. Reviewing documents and processes for opportunities for improvement

7. Factual approach to decision making
This principle is expressed as follows:
Effective decisions are based on the analysis of data and information.
The factual approach principle is reflected in ISO 9000 Standards through the requirements addressing:
a. Reviews, measurements and monitoring to obtain facts
b. Control of measuring devices
c. Analysis to obtain facts from information
d. Records for documenting the facts
e. Approvals based on facts

8. Mutually beneficial supplier relationships
This principle is expressed as follows:
An organization and its suppliers are interdependent and a mutually beneficial relationship enhances the ability of both to create value.
The mutually beneficial supplier relationships principle is reflected in ISO 9000 Standardsthrough the requirements addressing:
a. Control of suppliers
b. Evaluation of suppliers
c. Analysis and review of supplier data