It is a sad fact of life, that in any free trade economy, that growing enterprises or at least those transitioning between sizes, either remain in a frustrating state of transition or fail. In a competitive market place, customers are no longer satisfied with anything but a first-class product or service. The successful businesses of the future will be those companies that believe that what is important to the customer is important to the company. They are the companies that will want to assure their customers of a true commitment to having a quality system and giving a quality service.

The main advantages to any company with this attitude are as follows:

• A Quality System is about how the business is managed. It gives confidence that the intended quality is being achieved and maintained.
• A Quality System can greatly improve performance, communications and productivity.
• The assurance to customers and potential new customers of a Certified Quality System is a very powerful marketing tool, providing evidence of your company’s attitudes and capabilities.
• Many private sector companies, as well as government departments and agencies, want this assurance from their suppliers.

Companies have already put in Quality Management Systems, using the current  ISO 9001 international standard, or are in the process of doing so. Unfortunately, due to misunderstanding the reason and spirit of the system, there are many times where the advantages are hardly noticeable, and the paperwork to maintain the system is too much.

We have found that if quality systems are put in place for reasons other than maintaining or improving the customer-serving processes and are not linked to strategic plans and objectives, there will be little long-term change and few if any advantages gained.

Often, people seeking certification for Quality Management Systems, do so in response to customer pressure. The real value to the business, will only be gained if the certification is sought with the right positive, long-term attitude.

A true quality system is for the sake of bringing together improved practices and procedures, which result from an ongoing policy of continuous improvement. This is done whilst never losing sight of the fact that what is important to the customer, is important to the company. The result of this will benefit the company for its long-term future because it is customer focused, which is where the future of business lies.