What Are the Pillars of a Quality Management System?

What are the pillars of a quality management system and how do they work together?

A quality management system (QMS) is a set of processes, procedures, and policies intended to ensure that an organization meets customer and regulatory requirements. But various belief systems regarding the pillars of a quality management system exist.

While some people believe there are only 3 pillars of a quality management system, other articles have talked about as many as 8! Keep reading to learn more about the characteristics of quality management and how these pillars compare to one another.

Characteristics of Quality Management System in Cannabis

A quality management system for the cannabis space should include all elements of an organization’s production and service process, from customer feedback to staff training. Quality management systems should also:

• Measure performance and assess customer requirements

• Collect data on the quality of all operations

• Monitor activities involved in producing a product or delivering a service

• Ensure that procedures are followed

• Identify areas for improvement

• Provide a framework for continual improvement

Pillars of Quality Management Systems

Several pillar options for quality management systems exist. However, it’s important to understand that not every operation will need beyond three pillars to be effective. Ultimately, this all depends on the organization’s objectives and what processes are necessary to meet those objectives.

Here are some of the more common pillars for quality management systems:

Quality Assurance

Quality assurance is a process that ensures products or services meet customer expectations. It involves activities such as creating standards, analyzing performance data, auditing operations, and providing feedback on results.

Quality Control

Quality control focuses on preventing defects and ensuring that work is done right the first time. It involves activities such as inspecting raw materials, testing production samples, assessing conformance to standards, and rejecting nonconforming materials.

Quality Improvement

Quality improvement goes beyond quality control by actively striving to do better in all aspects of the organization. This includes activities such as benchmarking, process mapping, root cause analysis, and employee training.

Continuous Improvement

Continuous improvement focuses on making incremental improvements to existing processes and systems over time. This involves activities such as identifying weaknesses in the system, setting goals for improvement, and monitoring progress toward those goals.

Customer Focus

Customer focus puts the customer experience at the center of all operations. This includes activities such as gathering customer feedback, understanding customer needs, and creating systems that ensure customer satisfaction.

Knowledge Management

Knowledge management involves collecting, organizing, and leveraging knowledge to make better decisions. This includes activities such as data collection and analysis, developing skills and expertise among staff, and creating an environment of continuous learning.

Risk Management

Risk management focuses on identifying, assessing, and managing potential risks within the organization. This includes activities such as conducting risk assessments, developing mitigation plans, and implementing control measures.

The pillars of a quality management system can vary depending on the needs of an organization. However, these are some of the most common pillars that are used to ensure quality and efficiency. Understanding these pillars and how they can be applied in an organization is critical for a successful quality management system.

3 Pillars of Quality Management System

The three primary pillars of a quality management system are a document management system, a learning management system, and an electronic trial master file.

A document management system is a software application used to store, manage, and track documents. It can also be used to create workflow processes and control access rights.

Equally important to know is that a learning management system is a platform that offers online training courses or tutorials with the goal of helping employees stay current on best practices, processes, or procedures.

Then, there’s an electronic trial master file to help with the legal and regulatory aspects of the quality management system. This file stores all the documents related to a trial, such as source documents, protocols, and informed consent forms. It also helps keep track of essential information, such as adverse events, changes to the protocol, or Corrective and Preventive Actions (CAPAs).

4 Pillars of Quality Management System

If you’re considering a cannabis quality management system with four pillars, the framework could include quality planning, quality control, quality assurance, and quality improvement. These pillars ensure that the system is comprehensive and effective.

Quality Planning

Quality planning for cannabis businesses focuses on identifying the processes, procedures, resources, and tools needed to meet customer requirements. For this pillar, you’ll need to apply the appropriate standards and regulations that apply to your industry.

Quality Assurance

Quality assurance for cannabis companies looks at how processes are designed and managed to ensure quality throughout the organization. It includes activities such as setting customer requirements, verifying compliance with standards, and establishing metrics for measuring performance.

Quality Control

Quality control emphasizes preventing defects and ensuring that work is done right the first time. For this pillar, you’ll need to conduct defect reviews, investigate nonconformities, and track corrective action plans.

Quality Assurance

Quality assurance involves activities such as auditing operations and providing feedback on results. It’s used to ensure compliance with standards, identify areas of improvement, and provide guidance for corrective action.

Quality Improvement

Quality improvement seeks to make incremental improvements to processes and systems over time. This pillar includes activities such as analyzing data, identifying trends, and making changes to the system in order to optimize performance.

5 Pillars of Quality Management System

Pillar 1: Process Integration.

Integrating processes across the organization is critical for efficient and effective operations. This requires collaboration between departments and teams to ensure that activities are properly coordinated, data is shared appropriately, and tasks are completed in a timely manner.

Pillar 2: System Flexibility and Extensibility.

Your QMS should be flexible and extensible enough to accommodate changes in your business. This includes being able to scale up or down as needed, integrate with existing systems, and offer new features or capabilities.

Pillar 3: Centralized Monitoring and Management.

Having centralized monitoring and management capabilities allow you to quickly assess, monitor, and adjust processes in real time. This helps ensure that the system is running smoothly, processes are being followed, and customer requirements are met.

Pillar 4: Compliance Enablement.

Compliance is essential for various industries, including but not limited to cannabis. Thus, a quality management system should be able to support compliance with regulations and standards.

Pillar 5: Culture of Quality & Compliance.

Having a culture of quality and compliance means that everyone in the organization is committed to meeting customer requirements. This means that staff is trained on the processes and procedures of the quality management system, understands their role in helping to maintain quality standards, and is held accountable for any deviations from those standards.

These five pillars provide a comprehensive framework for setting up an effective quality management system that meets customer requirements and ensures compliance with regulations. It’s important to note, however, that each of these pillars must be supported by the right tools and personnel in order for the system to be successful.

Closing on Quality Management System Pillars

The pillars of a quality management system provide the framework for creating an effective, efficient, and compliant process. Quality planning, assurance, control, improvement, and compliance enablement are all key components for success.

With the right tools and personnel in place, organizations can ensure that their quality management system meets customer requirements and respects industry standards. Ultimately, having an effective quality management system in place can help organizations improve their operations and create a stronger competitive edge.

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