Quality Management (QM)

Quality and quality management (QM) are terms, which are used across the supply chain in enterprises and industry. Although the term quality is quite widely used by practitioners and academics, there is no generally agreed definition of it, since different definitions of quality are appropriate under different circumstances (Helmold, 2023). In the quality management system (QMS) ISO 9001, quality is defined as the international standard that specifies requirements for a quality management system (QMS). Organizations use the standard to demonstrate the ability to consistently provide products and services that meet customer and regulatory requirements (ISO, 2023). ISO 9001 sets out the criteria for a quality management system and is the only standard in the family that can be certified to (although this is not a requirement). It can be used by any organization, large or small, regardless of its field of activity. In fact, there are over one million companies and organizations in over 170 countries certified to ISO 9001. This standard is based on a number of quality management principles including a strong customer focus, the motivation and implication of top management, the process approach, and continual improvement (Brugger-Gebhardt, 2016). These principles are explained in more detail in ISO’s quality management principles. Using ISO 9001 helps ensure that customers get consistent, good-quality products and services, which in turn brings many business benefits (ISO, 2023).