Moving Beyond Compliance
Historically, quality management focused heavily on compliance - ensuring that organisations met specific standards and avoided risks. While compliance remains essential, it is not the end goal. This year’s theme highlights a transformative shift: quality professionals are not merely box-checkers but performance drivers. Organisations that embrace quality management as a strategic force go beyond avoiding errors; they unlock pathways to innovation, resilience, and sustainable value.
In the face of dynamic global challenges, from rapid digitalisation to shifting customer expectations, managing quality is about cultivating a culture that doesn’t just meet standards but exceeds them. When quality is woven into organisational DNA, compliance happens naturally, enabling companies to pursue ambitious goals while maintaining high standards.
Navigating Complexity in a Dynamic World
Quality management must account for an increasingly interconnected and ever-evolving risk landscape. We face numerous complexities: maintaining operational resilience, adapting to technological advances, and meeting sustainability goals, all with finite resources. Resilience is critical, but it must be matched with agility and innovation.
As digital transformation accelerates, many organisations are exploring AI and other advanced technologies to improve performance. While these technologies present tremendous opportunities, they bring a new set of challenges. AI can optimise processes and predict trends, yet its integration requires a delicate balance: it must be rigorously monitored to avoid unintended outcomes.
Embracing Sustainability
Another significant dimension of this year’s theme is sustainability. Today’s quality management practices must address not only economic and operational needs but also environmental and social responsibilities.
The CQI emphasizes that organisations must deliver value in a way that respects the planet and society, aligning with the “three pillars” of sustainability: environmental, social, and economic. Quality management can be the linchpin of this effort, helping to develop sustainable products and processes that meet expectations.
Building a Culture of Continuous Improvement (CI)
True quality management goes beyond technical tools or procedures - it’s about developing an organisation-wide commitment to improvement and innovation. With quality at its core, an organisation can navigate uncertainty and maintain a competitive edge, empowered by the resilience that a culture of quality can provide.
Strategies for Excellence in Quality
As part of this year’s World Quality Week, CQI shares insights and best practices to help organisations transition from compliance-focused models to performance-driven strategies:
1. Embrace Innovation: Leveraging quality as a driver for innovation enables organisations to anticipate change and lead rather than follow.
2. Manage Risks Proactively: By integrating risk management into quality practices, organisations can ensure that new initiatives succeed without compromising standards.
3. Focus on Sustainability: By embedding sustainability in quality practices, organisations meet customer demands for responsible, sustainable products.
4. Promote a Learning Culture: Continuous improvement and learning enables teams to respond effectively to changing market conditions and customer needs.
Quality Management in the ASTeC/Technology at Daresbury Portfolio
The ASTeC and Technology at Daresbury Laboratory Portfolio has operated a Quality Management System (QMS) for a subset of its activities for a number of years.
Ian Lazarus, Technology at Daresbury Labs Division Head, reflected that:
“Technology at Daresbury has operated under the ISO9001:2015 quality management system and its predecessors for many years and my observation is that, like many things in life, we get the best out of it by internal motivation rather than external compulsion.
"When we see the quality system, alongside continuous improvement tools, as a route to better performance, our thinking moves beyond simply complying with procedures to maintain the status quo at a good standard, moving instead towards a culture of continually looking for opportunities to improve by doing things even better, cheaper or more efficiently.”
Peter McIntosh, Technical Division Head in ASTeC, followed up by saying:
“By embracing comprehensive Quality Management Systems, we at ASTeC ensure that our research and innovation meet the highest standards. This commitment helps us maintain the integrity and reliability of our scientific work, which is essential for advancing knowledge and technology.
"Quality management is key to reducing errors, streamlining our processes and adhering to international standards, thereby enhancing the credibility and reputation of our research. It also fosters a culture of continuous improvement, inspiring each of us to strive for excellence and innovation. This dedication is crucial for securing funding, building collaborations and achieving significant scientific breakthroughs that can make a real difference in society.”
As we celebrate World Quality Week 2024, let’s take this opportunity to champion quality not just as a function but as a dynamic force for progress. Quality management is not confined to compliance checklists. It can be a transformative tool that drives organisations to fulfil their potential, building resilience, promoting sustainability, and continually enhancing value for customers and society alike.
Dr W. E. Deming once said “A company cannot buy its way into quality.” Let’s commit to harnessing quality principles to move beyond compliance and deliver outstanding performance.
Further reading
Written by Kieran Cheetham, ASTeC & Technology at Daresbury Laboratory QMS Manager and STFC Continuous Improvement Lead
