Manage quality assurance systems

This standard is about managing quality assurance systems. You check systems to ensure that business processes consistently deliver products and services that meet customers' and other stakeholders' quality expectations and legal and regulatory requirements. You check that staff are competent and encourage them to take responsibility for achieving quality standards, motivating them to contribute to continuous improvement. You also detect, record and correct any shortfalls in quality and develop actions plans.

This standard is for all managers and leaders.

1. ensure that your organisation's quality standards can deliver the quality of products and services your customers expect
2. check that quality standards allow you to obtain any expected quality marks, awards or accreditation
3. confirm that quality standards are in line with your organisation's values, aims and objectives
4. establish systems, plans and resources to ensure quality standards are met and maintained
5. specify staff roles and responsibilities in meeting quality standards
6. check that staff are competent to fulfil their specified roles
7. identify and assess risks of shortfalls in the quality of processes, products and services
8. mitigate risks by taking preventative action in line with organisational procedures
9. encourage colleagues to take personal responsibility for achieving quality standards and to address or report any actual or potential shortfalls
10. obtain sufficient, valid information from your quality assurance system and other sources, including customers, to evaluate if processes, products and services are meeting the required standards
11. provide feedback to motivate colleagues to maintain quality standards and improve performance
12. detect and record any shortfall in the quality of processes, products and services
13. investigate the causes of shortfalls and take corrective action within the required timescales
14. report quality performance, including shortfalls and corrective actions taken, to stakeholders within agreed timescales
15. encourage customers and colleagues to identify and recommend improvements to your quality assurance system
16. develop plans to implement quality improvements which deliver significant benefits at reasonable cost and acceptable level of risk
17. agree quality action plans with decision makers
18. follow the legal, organisational, codes of practice and policies relevant to managing quality assurance systems

General knowledge and understanding

1.      how to keep up to date with current developments, tools and techniques in quality management, customers' and other stakeholders' quality expectations

2.      the value of quality marks, awards and accreditation to profile of an organisation and its brands

3.      how to ensure the quality standards to which you are working can deliver the quality of products and services your customers expect

4.      the importance of ensuring systems and plans are in place to ensure quality standards are met and maintained, and how to do so

5.      the importance of keeping employees up to date about their roles in meeting quality standards, and how to ensure they are competent to fulfil the roles

6.      the importance of encouraging employees to take personal responsibility for achieving quality standards and address or report any actual or potential shortfalls in the quality of processes, products and services

7.      the importance of obtaining sufficient, valid information to enable you to evaluate accurately whether processes, products and services are meeting the required standards, and how to do so

8.      the importance of providing feedback to motivate employees to maintain quality standards and continuously improve performance, and how to do so

9.      how to detect, record and report quality performance, including any shortfall in the quality of processes, products and services, and investigate the cause(s) and corrective action to taken

10.   the importance of encouraging customers and those involved in delivering products and services to identify and recommend quality improvements

11.   how to develop resourced plans to implement quality improvements which deliver significant benefits at reasonable cost and acceptable level of risk

Industry and sector specific knowledge and understanding

12.   the industry and sector requirements for quality assurance and current developments

13.   the legal, organisational, codes of practice and policies relevant to managing quality assurance

Context specific knowledge and understanding

14.   your customers' and other stakeholders' expectations regarding quality

15.   your organisation's values, aims and objectives, products and services

16.   your organisation's quality standards and the available resources to ensure these are met and maintained

17.   the sources of information (including your quality assurance system and customers), that enable you to evaluate whether processes, products and services are meeting the required organisational standards

18.   the relevant quality marks, awards or accreditation for your organisation, and how the quality standards to which you are working can obtain these

1. Assessing
2. Communicating
3. Decision-making
4. Evaluating
5. Influencing
6. Information management
7. Involving employees
8. Monitoring
9. Motivating
10. Obtaining feedback
11. Planning
12. Presenting information
13. Providing feedback
14. Questioning
15. Reporting
16. Setting objectives