PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT

Performance Management

Performance Management

Introduction

ISO 9001 is the internationally recognised standard for the quality management of businesses. It applies to the processes that create and control the products and services an organisation supplies. It prescribes systematic control of activities to ensure that the needs and expectations of customers are met. It is designed and intended to apply to virtually any product or service, made by any process anywhere in the world. (Bamford, Robert; Deibler, William 2003, 65-78)

Assessment to ISO 9001

Once all the requirements of ISO 9001 have been met, it is time for an external audit. This should be carried out by a third party, accredited certification body. In the UK, the body should be accredited by UKAS (look for the 'crown and tick' logo). The chosen certification body will review the quality manuals and procedures. This process involves looking at the company's evaluation of quality and ascertains if targets set for the management programme are measurable and achievable. This is followed at a later date by a full on-site audit to ensure that working practices observe the procedures and stated objectives and that appropriate records are kept. After a successful audit, a certificate of registration to ISO 9001 will be issued. There will then be surveillance visits (usually once or twice a year) to ensure that the system continues to work. This is covered in more detail in ISOQAR's 'Audit Procedure' information sheet. ISOQAR has an enviable record for customer satisfaction for its certification services. A friendly approach and a dislike of bureaucracy has led to unprecedented growth through referrals from contented clients. ISOQAR only employs auditors that have empathy with this approach. They are also carefully allocated by their experience in the industry they are auditing. This results in a practical, meaningful audit, carried out in an air of mutual understanding. ISOQAR firmly believes that its audits should benefit the organisation that requests it, not be an intellectual exercise to 'please' the auditor. ISO 9001 is by far the world's most established quality framework, currently being used by around 897,000 organizations in 170 countries worldwide, and sets the standard not only for quality management systems, but management systems in general. It helps all kinds of organizations to succeed through improved customer satisfaction, staff motivation and continual improvement. (Bamford, Robert; Deibler, William 2003, 65-78)

Why this quality sytem might enhance performance mangement

Explanation

There are various ways in which your supplier can claim that its QMS meets the requirements of ISO 9001. These include:

'Supplier's declaration of conformity': A declaration by your supplier itself affirming that its QMS meets ISO 9001 requirements, usually supported by legally-binding signatures. This declaration can be based on your supplier's internal audit system, or on second party or third party audits;

Second party assessment: your supplier has been assessed directly by its customer (for example by you, or by another customer, whose reputation you respect) to check if its QMS meets ISO 9001 requirements and your own requirements - sometimes used in contractual “business-to-business” transactions; (Bamford, Robert; ...