Understanding Quality Management: Standards, Certification & TQM

Core Quality Management Concepts

Quality: Meeting customer requirements and expectations. A product or service possesses quality when it fulfills the requirements anticipated by its potential users.

Quality Management System (QMS): Involves developing a quality policy, an organized structure, and operating procedures to ensure products and services meet necessary requirements.

Standard: A public document created to regulate a specific activity, requiring approval from a legally recognized body. Compliance is generally not mandatory unless specified by official regulations.

Certification: A process where a third party provides written assurance that a product, process, or service conforms to specified requirements.

AENOR: The Spanish Association for Standardization and Certification.

Inspection: Aims to ensure project activities comply with all specifications, guidelines, and regulatory standards.

Control Agencies: Legal organizations responsible for adopting rules and regulations.

UNE: A Spanish standard developed by AENOR.

Evolution of Quality Management Systems

Early quality control focused on inspecting finished products. If a product failed inspection, it was rejected, leading to significant losses.

Quality-Based Controls

• Concerned with: Finished goods and services.
• Method: Inspections and checks.
• Goal: Identify and discard or correct nonconformities.
• Performed by: Quality control department.
• Reason: Mandated by management.

Total Quality Management (TQM)

• Concerned with: All activities, processes, and people.
• Method: Implemented globally across the organization.
• Goal: Prevent errors proactively.
• Performed by: Everyone in the company.
• Reason: Driven by a company-wide quality culture and commitment to continuous improvement.

Key Quality Organizations

AENOR: Responsibilities

• Developing Spanish technical standards (UNE) and participating in international bodies like ISO and CEN.
• Certifying products, services, and company management systems.
• Promoting a widespread quality culture.
• Distributing and selling standards (e.g., UNE, ISO); organizing related courses and seminars.