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Does it Take Too Long to Implement a Quality Management System

Does it Take Too Long to Implement a Quality Management System

Quality Management Standards (QMS)

How long will it take to implement a quality management system?

It’s based on your resource availability and capacity, it’s critical that timelines are created. It helps to ensure an appropriate budget is allocated and to monitor the important milestones.

How long will it take to implement a quality management system? 

Here are some rules of thumb.

A generic guideline based on the employee count & number of locations is as below:

  • 50 people or less: Smaller business? Play your cards right, and you’re looking at 6-8 months.
  • Under 500 employees: Get the right people on your team, and you’re doing it in under a year.
  • 500+: Larger means longer, yet you could finish in as few as 15 months.

Most small businesses can implement ISO in 3 months or less with Sync Resource. 

Start with a detailed gap analysis. Gap Analysis helps identify the gaps in policies, procedures, processes, a document review as compared to the standard requirement. Once you know where the difference is, we can figure out how to close the gap.

You can implement quality management by yourself but getting an expert to help you will absolutely speed up the process since the expert focuses on “how to.” While doing it yourself may seem economical, the time and resources used in the trial and error will cost the organization the next customer or contract.

An expert will help you understand the requirement and identify the best way to implement it without changing the core processes. The bottom line is with the right people, you can implement a quality management system quickly, effectively, and most important, correctly.

Become ISO 17025: 2017 accredited. Schedule a call with an ISO expert today! You can also reply to this email or call us now at 1.678.257.2242 for faster service.

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How the DOD Cyber Security Program Impacts Contractors

How the DOD Cyber Security Program Impacts Contractors

IT Management Standards, Quality Management Standards (QMS)

Military contractors are usually poised at the cutting edge of DOD cybersecurity programs. Their contributions help the US maintain the most impressive standing army in the world. Because of their position, they have always needed to have top-notch cybersecurity.

Before now, the US Government hasn’t had to put guidelines in place to enforce robust cybersecurity. That changed in June 2020, with the Cyber Security Maturity Model Certification (CMMC). According to the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment (OUSD(A&S)), the CMMC combined several security standards and industry best practices to reduce the risk of threats to contractor systems.

The implementation of this certification has changed the way contractors do business. In this article, we’ll look at the measures that the DOD has implemented to ensure governmental data safety when working with contractors. We’ll also delve into how contractors can figure out if they comply with current standards.

No Longer an Honor-Based System

In the past, contractors needed to sign a document that stated that they followed industry best-practices regarding their Cyber Security. Unfortunately, recent events have forced the government to reconsider its stance. In March 2019, NBC News reported that Iranian-backed hackers gained access to contractor systems, acquiring sensitive data on government-funded projects. Because of the potential fallout associated with sensitive information, the Pentagon decided to take action. The CMMC resulted from consultation, which was designed to ensure that contractors complied with the security standards the government has come to expect from its contractors.

The Cyber Security Obligations for Contractors

The DOD Cyber Security program focuses on one specific clause. The Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (“DFARS”) clause 252.204-70122, also known as the “7012 clause.” It has also been referred to as the Safeguarding Covered Defense Information and Cyber Incident Reporting clause. It’s an addition that puts the onus for identifying sensitive information on the contractor. Additionally, the contractor is responsible for ensuring the data they’ve deemed as sensitive remains secure.

Contractors need to be aware of the information they will receive. Typically, the 7012 clause deals with “covered defense information” (CDI). CDIs include unclassified controlled technical data and any information inside the controlled classified information registry. If interaction with a CDI is contained within the contract, the company needs to verify that its practices meet the demands of the DOD Cyber Security program recommendations.

DOD Cyber Security Program Guidelines

Among the guidelines that the DOD suggests for contractors are:

  • Security Standards: At a minimum, contractors should implement the National Institute of Standards and Technology Special Publication 800-171 (“NIST SP 800-171”). This implementation includes putting together a system security plan and an action plan. Both of these plans must be approved by DOD personnel.
  • Rapid Incident Reporting: After an incident occurs, contractors have up to seventy-two (72) hours to submit a report. Reportable incidents have an expansive definition. All accounts must be made to the Defense Industrial Base (DIB) portal and require contractors to have a DOD-approved Medium Assurance Certificate. Because of how tiny the reporting window is, contractors should apply for this certificate in advance.
  • Cloud Computing Standards: The DOD Cyber Security program has its own recommendations for cloud-based solutions. If the business has its own in-house cloud solution, it must implement the NIST SP 800-171. For those using third-party cloud suppliers, the vendors must align with the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (“FedRAMP”) Moderate baseline. Vendors must also comply with all obligations related to forensic analysis, media preservation, malicious software, and incident reporting, and damage assessment.

Relying On Your Business Practices

Contractors already have their own standards for operation regarding their cybersecurity departments. However, it doesn’t hurt to have a fallback position. Sync Resource has an understanding of the NIST cybersecurity framework that both the CMMC and the standard DOD cyber security program obligations require. If you’d like a third-party audit of your systems or just advice on how to improve them, give us a call. We’ll be glad to ensure that you’re fully compliant with the DOD Cyber Security standards.

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What is TQM (Total Quality Management)?

What is TQM (Total Quality Management)?

General, Quality Management Standards (QMS)

What is TQM (Total Quality Management)?

Precisely what is TQM? Total Quality Management (TQM) is a management system that, ideally, leads to increased customer satisfaction. In this approach, everyone at an organization partakes in changing processes, services, and products to serve customers better.

To answer “What is TQM?” look at the main components of strategy as well as implementation and components.

Five Elements of Total Quality Management

Continual improvement is the goal of TQM. To that end, everything—strategy, communications, and data—is leveraged. Providing a partial picture of “What is TQM?” the following tenets are part of modern quality management systems:

Customer-centric organization

The measures of success for customer satisfaction comes directly from the consumer. In TQM, the customer has the final word about improving your strategy, communications, and data. 

Company-wide involvement 

Every employee works toward a common goal, giving the customer the best experience. This comes from a place of empowerment instilled by management as they use systems for continual improvements. 

System-centered processes  

Systems thinking means modeling a process as a series of steps with triggers and relationships. Inputs transform into outputs through careful steps carried out in sequence. In part, the answer to “What is TQM?” is the sum of these systems. 

Evidence-based directives  

Data guides the decisions of management who collect information for the sole purpose of gauging performance. Analysis and reporting of data is a constant and regular process that allows management to achieve consensus more quickly. 

Morale-boosting communications 

Your organization, under TQM, progressively and incrementally changes over time. Communications play a role in motivating and catalyzing these changes. 

If you want to harness the attributes of Total Quality Management, define these principles of “What is TQM?” for your specific organization. Through core values, beliefs, and practices, you can cultivate a continually improving organization.

TQM Checklist

Every business process is a series of actions that work toward customer satisfaction. And, every business has many processes for many departments. In general, you want to do three things when implementing what you’ve learned about “What is TQM?”:

  • Start with modeling your core business processes and collecting data on their results.
  • Look at each process—and its outcome—to test whether you need to improve quality in that area.
  • Sharpen core processes to be completed and repeated to achieve total quality.

And, when it comes to your commitment, cooperation, and culture, ensure the following:

  • Gain complete commitment from all employees of your company or organization. Participation must help improve performance.
  • Continually enrich your culture with a modern quality improvement manifesto and mission. Focus your mission on customer expectations and requirements.
  • Allow all procedures and policies to evolve by a regular and predictable mechanism. It takes analysis and evidence-based actions from management.

Finally, you’ll feed all these efforts that will carry your organization toward greater success.

  • Map out how commitments and procedures will work together to sustain a culture. Strive for purposeful improvement and empowered problem-solving.

Learning More about “What is TQM?”

For more information about the goals, parts, and functions of TQM, here are some resources to help you become a Total Quality Management practitioner. Weigh these other answers to “What is TQM?”

To learn more about the evolution made possible by TQM, contact Sync Resource today for an individual consultation. See how we can improve and boost your customer satisfaction.

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What is Total Quality Management?

What is Total Quality Management?

Quality Management Standards (QMS)

Total quality management is a system for optimum business performance. Every employee involved is held responsible for maintaining the highest possible level of quality in processes, products, services, and management.

Enter Total Quality Management.

Total quality management is an ongoing process for detecting and eliminating errors within a company or organization. TQM acts as a guide or tramline to keep operations within tolerance.

Total Quality Management (TQM) is, establishing procedures and standards and continued measured performance. Employees are trained to reduce errors and improve their productivity via properly following internal guidelines and standards.

Who Created Total Quality Management?

Although Walter Shewhart invented Total Quality Management, the man who popularized the method, and who is considered the “Father” of TQM is a management consultant named William Deming. Among other things, Deming spent a lot of time improving Japanese manufacturing companies using his TQM system, oftentimes with outstanding results.

Many people compare TQM with the more known Six Sigma and while both are systems for improving internal company processes, TQM is more about reducing errors via internal processes and buildings while Six Sigma reducing defects in, mostly, products.

One of Deming’s main tenants in his TQM system is fact-based decision-making. A challenge in so many organizational and quality management systems is that they attempt to implement arbitrary or sometimes vague goals. TQM, on the other hand, focuses on creating accurate performance metrics that can be measured and monitored over time to ensure companies are improving what needs the things they need amelioration. The saying that “you manage what you measure” is true.

Why Does Total Quality Management Matter?

Total Quality Management is more important now than ever as manufacturing and company operations have become more complex. Teams work apart from one another and often even operating in different time-zones. so Productivity and company morale depend on clear and concise communication within the organization.  

Effective internal communication is yet another important part of total quality management.

TQM suggests that most problems that exist within companies are a matter of process errors rather than errors created by specific individuals. If your company has bad processes, who you hire or how good they are at their job will not matter. The person will still be likely to continue making the same sort of mistakes and struggling with the same challenges as their predecessors. The only solution is to treat the actual cause of problems within an organization: Flawed processes.

What is Different About Total Quality Management

Total quality management advocates that every single employee within a company is responsible for quality. TQM advocates that all process owners within a company must be dedicated to the overall quality of the products and or services being products.

Quality Must Be Measurable

For an executive to vaguely suggest that employees must “improve quality” does little to nothing in terms of actual results. To truly improve quality, TQM establishes metrics that can be clearly measured and constantly monitored. These metrics should be coupled with clear and concise goals that can be worked towards and achieved over time.

Quality is Long-Term and Continuous

Total Quality Management system is a constantly improving long-term goal. Creating high-quality products and or services with minimal errors does not happen overnight but through TQM.

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What Does QMS Stand For? 3 Quality Letters

What Does QMS Stand For? 3 Quality Letters

ISO 9001, Quality Management Standards (QMS), Uncategorized

What does QMS stand for? If you are looking for an answer to this question, you are definitely interested in making quality a focus in your organization.

Perhaps, you are planning to build a culture of quality, mentor ship, smooth communication, and have an overall well-structured organization. Or you are aiming to provide consistent quality services and products to your clients while minimizing costs, waste, and improving employee morale simultaneously.

If you have answered yes, then you can follow in the footsteps of the market giants like HFI, Vishay Dale Inc, and have a well-defined QMS implemented in your organization. But with all the different terms and certifications floating around in the industry, knowing what QMS stands for can be a bit challenging?

So, what does QMS stand for? Let’s get into the details.

What Does QMS Stand For? A Quick Understanding

Quality Management System (QMS) is a structured collection of policies, procedures, process, and their associated responsibilities, necessary for efficient planning and execution of the core business. A QMS works to improve specifically the areas that impact the organization’s ability to meet customer satisfaction.

The easiest way to understand QMS is to break down and take a closer look at the name. “Quality” refers to the degree of fineness of any product or service, whereas “Management” refers to the orchestrated activities to run and control any organization. Lastly, “System” is a network of interacting or interrelated elements essential for smooth operations. When looking for an answer to “what does QMS stand for”, you will usually come across the term ISO 9001:2015. ISO 9001:2015 is the world’s most widely recognized quality management system framework.

15 reasons why you should have ISO 9001:2015

Companies with ISO 9001:2015 quality management system enjoy the following benefits:

  1. An enhanced positive company image
  2. A well-defined procedure system
  3. A simplified organizational structure and chain of authority
  4. Articulation of responsibilities of every personnel and department
  5. An engaged, evolved, motivated, and conflict-free workforce
  6. Clarification of corrections and preventions of defects
  7. Cutting down of costs, wastes, and saving of valuable resources
  8. A smooth flow of communication within the company
  9. Increased accountability and transparency in records and data maintenance
  10. Boosted continual improvement
  11. Clear status of existing business performance
  12. Consistent delivery of quality services and products
  13. Improved customer satisfaction and business profits
  14. Better industry competitiveness
  15. Access to global markets

How Can You Get Quality Management System Certification?

Identify The Gap

If you have decided to get a certified quality management system, then we advise you to check for the proper establishment of the foundations of QMS, i.e., the 3P’s (policies, procedures, and processes) in your organization. You can have your internal executive management do this, or you may hire outside sources that specialize in gap identification. Either way, you need to review your current documentation, policies, and procedures. The areas that do not meet the standard should be highlighted and reported.

Implement Changes

After identifying the gaps, you need to make all the required changes, have them monitored, and evaluated for improvement. To assist in change management, you can use the templates provided by QMS. Align your documents, practices, and systems following the ISO 9001:2015 defined standards, and then apply for certification.

Get Certified

An auditor usually visits your organization to check that the compliance of all documented policies and procedures is in place. This auditor ensures the successful implementation of all the necessary changes. Upon satisfaction, the auditor issues and awards your company the certification you applied for.

After you get the desired certification, the year-round re-certification cycle starts. On the anniversary of your certification, you have to confirm your continued compliance and consistency in the quality management system to validate your certification. At this point, you have the answer to the question, “What does QMS stand for”. But more importantly, you now understand the importance of QMS too.

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Does it Take Too Long to Implement a Quality Management System?

Does it Take Too Long to Implement a Quality Management System?

Quality Management Standards (QMS)

No matter where the requirement for certification to ISO standard is coming from the biggest challenge is to understand how long will it take to implement a QMS?

Based on your resource availability and capacity, it is critical that timelines are created.  Not only will it help to ensure an appropriate budget is allocated but also to monitor the important milestones.

How long you will take to implement a quality management system? Here are some rules of thumb.

A generic guideline based on the employee count & number of locations is as below:

  • 50 people or less: Smaller business? Play your cards right and you’re looking at 6-8 months.
  • Under 500 employees: Get the right people on your team and you’re doing in under a year.
  • 500+: Larger means longer, but you could be finished in as few as 15 months.

Most small businesses can implement ISO in 3 months or less with Sync Resource. 

Start with a detailed gap assessment. Gap Analysis helps to identify the gaps in policies, procedures, processes, a document review as compared to the standard requirement. Once you know where the difference is, you can figure out how to close the gap.

You can implement quality management by yourself but getting an expert to help you will absolutely speed up the process since the expert focuses on “how to”. While doing it yourself may seem economical, the time and resources you use in your trial and error will cost your organization the next customer or contract.

An expert helps you understand the requirement and identify the best way to implement without changing the core processes. The bottom line is with the right people, you can implement a quality management system quickly, effectively and most important correctly.

 

Book A Call With An Expert Now