With the four-phase model to the lived QM system

Globalized competition with increasing cost pressure presents companies with special challenges: They have to react ever more flexibly and quickly to customers and markets. Numerous studies1 prove that a functioning quality management (QM) system, which takes into account changes in technology, markets and business models, is a real competitive advantage. The QM system must keep pace with the development of the company in order to achieve success. Agile quality management2 should enable proactive action and support all areas of the company. In any case, one aspect is crucial for success: the acceptance of those who are to apply the system in their daily work. This only works if the added value for the user is recognizable. However, acceptance is not a foregone conclusion, but for 71 % of the companies surveyed in a study the greatest challenge3 in the context of their quality management.

ConSense GmbH has more than 15 years of project experience and knows the challenges associated with the introduction of quality management systems, their further development and adaptation to constantly changing market situations. Based on this, the company has developed the QM Lifecycle. The four-phase model supports companies in determining their position in the QM lifecycle in order to identify and define fields of action and to derive suitable measures from them. It thus facilitates organizational controllability, helps in adapting to innovations and in dealing appropriately with challenges in each of the four phases:

Phase 1: FORMS - Establishment and introduction of a management system
The first phase comprises the introduction of a management system, i.e. the establishment and shaping of the system, or the preparation of an existing system for initial certification. It includes the planning and design according to the process-oriented approach, i.e. the process recording, the modelling of the processes as well as the creation of process maps. The focus here is on the processes, as these describe the common workflow across departments and functions.

The experts at ConSense GmbH recommend starting with the planning of the business processes, as these serve as a means to implement the company's goals and support the strategic orientation of the company. In addition, the basic structures for an integrated management system should be considered in the planning from the beginning in order to equip the system for future requirements. For example, for the integration of data protection management according to the GDPR, which has many parallels with quality management, which is why close cooperation between the two areas is desirable and makes sense.4

2nd phase: STABILISING - making new things a habit
The second phase serves to stabilise the system. The new should become routine. At this point, it is important that the employees repeatedly experience the benefits of the system. User-friendly operation and quick and easy retrieval of information are the basis for interest and use. Acceptance can be further increased through internal marketing for the system, which generates demand through real added value. The prerequisite for this is a high relevance of the information offered, which successfully facilitates the work of the employees.

In this stabilisation phase, it is important to provide continuous support for the system in order to ensure that it is always up to date and to focus on the benefits for all those involved.

3rd phase: OPTIMIZE - Realize continuous improvement
For lasting success, the management system must constantly adapt to new requirements and circumstances. This third phase serves the purpose of further development and continuous improvement and is thus entirely characterized by self-assessment. It offers the company the opportunity to react to changes in the markets, to re-evaluate its own performance, to set improvement targets and to train its own skills.

Areas for improvement are prioritized and selected projects are implemented in a focused manner. The overriding goal of the optimization phase is always the profitability of the organization and a convincing customer benefit in order to remain successful in the market in the long term. In this context, a manifesto on "Customer Service 4.0"5 describes a framework for action for companies that want to improve customer experiences, optimize existing services and offer new services in the course of the digital transformation.

4.phase: EXPAND - introduce new locations, rules or methods
Once a company has established a structured management system in the course of the optimization phase and the CIP is well integrated into the daily work routine, new requirements can be tackled that require extensions to the system. This can be the integration of further locations, the mapping of additional standards or the introduction of new tasks and methods. The system grows and becomes more complex. The new areas of the system must first be introduced, built up, shaped and integrated back into the daily work routine.

Evolution of the QM system, accompanied by professional support
The experience of ConSense experts proves that careful planning of the introduction and further development of a management system pays off. The more foresightedly it is prepared and built up, the more effective and profitable the result. Continuous improvement ensures future-oriented further development and evolution of the management system. With the development of the QM lifecycle, companies now have a supportive organisational tool with which a living management system can be built up that involves all employees and thus achieves acceptance.

Since many organizations have difficulties in determining the development stage of their management system - a prerequisite for proactively identifying and defining fields of action and measures - ConSense GmbH now offers professional and practical consulting with ConSense Management Consulting (CMC). This is based on the experience of 15 years of project work, is independent of the tool - i.e. regardless of whether it is a solution from ConSense or others - and addresses the individual circumstances of the organization in a targeted manner. The result is a living management system that convinces through transparency and acceptance - and through the knowledge of the specific fields of action of the four phases of the QM lifecycle ensures a continuous improvement process and thus a real advantage in globalized competition.