What is quality management?

Quality management focuses on systematically controlling and improving processes to deliver consistent quality. Organisations define processes, responsibilities, and performance indicators and monitor these continuously.

Through audits, data analysis, and improvement actions, deviations are detected and resolved in a timely manner. This ensures stable processes, higher customer satisfaction, and thus forms the basis for continuous improvement.

quality management

What are the components of quality and data management?

An integrated quality management system helps organisations to structurally manage quality, health, safety, and environment. It connects customer expectations, organisational objectives, and legal requirements with clear processes, distinct responsibilities, and reliable data.

Each sector uses its own international standard, with ISO9001 and ISO14001 being the most widely applied. However, Symbol also has expertise in the fields of IATF16949 (Automotive), ISO13485 (Medical), AQAP (Defence), and APQP4Wind (Energy).

quality management and data management

Quality Planning

Quality Planning (QP)

Focused on planning how the quality policy can be met and translated into measurable objectives and requirements.

Quality planning defines everything a company will do to ensure quality for the customer. Creating a quality management plan is the first step in the quality management process. It is essential to indicate to customers that their requirements and wishes will be met.

 

quality management and data management

Quality Control

Quality Control (QC)

Quality Control is focused on the detection of errors. It consists of inspections and checks applied to the production process. The goal is to ensure that only good products are delivered to the next process step or customer.

Quality control is focused on the product or service, with the aim of identifying and detecting defects. These are often planned inspections and checks that are usually carried out at the end of the production line or process.

 

quality management and data management

Quality Assurance

Quality Assurance (QA)

Quality Assurance is focused on prevention: preventing errors in products and services by taking measures during production preparation and performing checks during the process.

Quality Assurance is a way to prevent errors or defects in products and processes. This approach focuses on preventing defects rather than identifying them. Assuring quality relates to all activities of the design: development, production, maintenance, and service.

How do you assure quality in practice?

A quality management system only has value when quality, health, safety, and environment are an integral part of daily operations. Processes, responsibilities, risks, and work instructions must be clear and remain practically applicable for employees and managers.

Symbol supports organisations in setting up and improving integrated QHSE management systems. We practically organise processes, documents, risk analyses, audit structures, performance indicators, incident registrations, and improvement actions. When documentation is fragmented or outdated, digital tools, LeanForms, and AI support help to structure information, make it accessible, and keep it up to date.

Within CIMM Level 1, quality management is demonstrably assured when processes and risks are controlled, reliable data is structurally recorded, and deviations, incidents, audits, and performance are utilised to continuously improve quality, safety, health, and environmental performance.

QMS / QHSE system
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