Other Quality Management Systems

There are many different management system frameworks that can be used for integrating PSM and ESH. All the concepts presented in this book can be applied to other systems or templates, and the frameworks of different Quality Management systems can even be combined. For example, some one might wish to use the basic elements of ISO 9004 plus a management of change element as their template. 

No single Quality Management system is the best choice for all applications all have their advantages and disadvantages, and are generally based on the same concepts. 

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The ISO 9000 series of standards has been used for illustrative purposes throughout this book. However, all the leading Quality Management systems have similar structures so you will find the concepts familiar regardless of which system your company has adopted. Chapter 9 summarizes the principal differences and similarities between ISO 9000 and other commonly used Quality Management systems. 

The ISO 9000 series has been chosen because it is the most widely used Quality Management system and is a recognized international standard. The use of ISO 9000 in this book is not an endorsement of ISO 9000 over other systems. Rather, it is a practical decision based on the need to select one system to consistently illustrate the ideas contained in the book. 

Once you have identified all the PSM and ESH programs and elements within your organization, you can develop a chart that shows the potential synergies with your Quality Management program. One axis of this table will be the programs and elements you identified and listed in Exhibit 2-7. The other axis will be the requirements of your Quality Management system. 

Take advantage of corporate experience with other Quality Management projects when preparing your cost estimate. This will provide actual costs to use as a basis for estimating the costs for developing management systems and programs. 

These data on improvement will be critical for justifying the full project. If the results are insufficient, there is a possibility that the full project will not be authorized. However, it is unreasonable to expect that the full benefits of integration will be achieved during the life of the pilot project. Some benefits are gained only as the staff become familiar with the new systems. You may be able to use experience of other quality management projects to forecast the full impact of integration. 

The guidelines also stress that the perfunctory execution of any quality system will not guarantee the production of data of adequate quality. The correct procedures for feedback, remedial action and staff motivation must also be documented and acted upon. In other words, there must be a genuine commitment to quality within a laboratory for an internal quality control programme to succeed, i.e. the IQC must be part of a complete quality management system. 

In order for a laboratory to achieve lehabihty and demonstrate its competence, it needs to proceed with some basic steps, starting with the preparation and implementation of a quality management system. Other steps are as follows... 

A usual practice for laboratories is to include in the scope of their accreditation a selection of methods they use. The standard provides for certain rules to be followed in reports including results from other methods as well in any relevant declarations. However, the management issues addressed in the quality management system, following ISO/IEC 17025, cover the overall operation of the laboratory. 

During the last two decades the term quality has become one of the most stressed words in the field of food and food production. The facts behind this are, on the one hand, the traditionally different meanings of the word quality and, on the other hand, the advanced importance of quality and quality management systems as tools for an economical and safe production of food. Quality originates from the Latin language meaning as much as property or characteristic . In relation to food it originally was used as a synonym for freshness and unspoilt . 

Beside the ISO standards there are some other standards which are set up by different organisations and sometimes it is really a problem to fulfil the requirements of the different partners in the food market. Not least because of this situation it is not possible here to go in more details. For further information on quality systems and quality management systems see the specific standards as well as the respective literature. 

Another interesting development is the use of the concept of internal control systems for application in other certification systems that work with smallholders such as Fairtrade and Utz Kapeh certifications. There is also interest in further developing the concept for wider application as a generic management system or total quality management system able to meet additional demands placed on the producer group, such as requirements for food safety systems (Pyburn 2004). 

Top management plans and develops the processes needed for product realization. Planning of product realization is consistent with the requirements of the other processes of the quality management system (see 4.1). In planning product realization, the following elements are determined appropriate ... 

The data generated as a result of monitoring and measurement and from other relevant sources are analyzed to demonstrate the suitability and effectiveness of the quality management system and for continual improvement. 

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