What constitutes a modern quality management system?

Aven though the transition period from ISO 9001:2008 to ISO 9001:2015 is still more than two years away, the conversion of the QM system to the new revision of the most important management standard is one of the central QM topics. Many companies and organizations are currently analyzing what the requirements are for their own QMS and how they can best be served. Based on this analysis, the requirements for a modern quality management system arise. We at Communardo have dedicated ourselves to the topic

We approached this task using a classic tool from usability research - the method of optimizing digital and analog products for the needs of the respective target group. Using hypothetical, but as close to reality as possible, representatives of the stakeholders of a QMS, so-called personas - employees, process owners and quality managers - we have investigated which demands exist in addition to the requirements of the ISO. The data basis for this analysis is formed by findings from many customer projects in which we have implemented QM and process management systems together with companies, as well as our own experience. Communardo itself has been certified according to ISO 9001 since 2011 and is currently expanding our management system for recertification according to ISO 9001:2015.

Persona Friedrich Lehmann, head of department and process manager: Mr. Lehmann wants to

• spend little effort on certifications in order to have more time for actual process work and day-to-day business.
• Document process knowledge in the QMS and further develop the process there.
• Provide process knowledge to all relevant stakeholders simply, quickly and transparently.
• have an overview of all measures and process statuses.
• Coordinate activities flexibly and implement them in a structured manner.
• Be able to evaluate and process feedback.

The various claims Persona Susanne Schneider, employee: Ms. Schneider wants to

• quickly find the processes that are important to you.
• access templates and forms directly.
• be informed immediately about changes and updates relevant to you.
• bring in own experiences and feedback.
• Initiate improvements and collaborate on processes relevant to you.
• Find case studies on processes.
• Find a contact person.

Persona Hendrik Mayer, QM Manager: Mr. Mayer will

• can make access to the QM system easy.
• be able to present processes in a uniform and structured manner in accordance with ISO 9001:2015.
• achieve the greatest possible acceptance of the system.
• encourage all employees to participate in the processes.
• Record changes in a comprehensible manner and in line with corporate culture.
• Manage tasks centrally and keep track of risks.
• Information can direct.
• Document audits.
• Be able to prepare QM information in a manual for distribution to customers.

In this analysis, one quickly sees that ultimately all central aspects of the 2015 revision are based on practical use cases: Knowledge management, risk management, the relevance of process management, the broader distribution of responsibility in the company, the new context of the organization added in the revision and the fundamentally increased flexibility, also with regard to the technical implementation are demands of the various stakeholders. In addition, however, there are further requirements for the QMS. In order to meet these, company-specific measures arise that can basically be divided into an organizational-strategic and a technical block.

Organizational and technical consequences
At the organizational level, a collaborative working atmosphere must be created in which employees and process owners can exchange ideas and develop processes together. Strategic decisions are not made "in secret", but are put on a broad basis. Information is made available transparently and knowledge is shared. The QMS becomes "social".

On the technical level, a QM system must be provided that optimally supports these working methods and management methods. The following central requirements result from this:

• The system must be easy to use, yet audit-proof.
• Flexible and individual adaptation with regard to industry and company-specific aspects must be possible.
• Process descriptions can be displayed in a meaningful way.
• Information can be structured clearly and uniformly.
• It must be possible to generate a manual from the system.

Which technical solution comes into question?
With regard to the framework conditions, an enterprise wiki is the obvious system. Here, the collaborative "social" idea of cooperation is strongly in the foreground. Furthermore, information can be mapped in a structured way and the handling of the system is comparatively simple. However, use cases such as release processes, information control and manual exports make demands that often go beyond normal wiki functions. Furthermore, the question arises as to whether the wiki is flexible enough to also address company-specific aspects.

We solved this challenge using Atlassian Confluence. The professional wiki

"On an organizational level, a collaborative work atmosphere needs to be created."

software not only impresses with its lightweight design and outstanding manufacturer support. With the help of an extensive add-on ecosystem - similar to the Appstore under iOS or Android - the range of functions can be comprehensively expanded. In addition to mapping the QMS, other use cases such as news portals, social intranets or IT documentation can also be served by the system.

With Communardo SocialQMS we have developed a solution that combines learnings and experiences from many customer projects with the requirements of ISO 9001:2015. Templates, configured release workflows, concepts for personalization and content structuring using metadata and an automated process map form a strong foundation for building a living QMS in a few weeks.

A clear, personalized dashboard guarantees a quick entry into the process world of your company. Comment function, share button: Extensive social features promote interaction between users. Feedback can be easily exchanged, so the content is always up-to-date.