An effective quality management system is essential for any company that wants to remain competitive in today’s global market. A well-designed QMS can help you improve your products and services, increase efficiency, and reduce costs. Fortunately, we’ve compiled a list of the top 6 Quality Management systems that will help your business soar.

6 Best Quality Management System

  1. ISO 9001 – Best Quality Management System for all businesses
  2. ISO 27001 – Best Information Security Management System
  3. ISO 50001 – Best QMS for Energy Management System
  4. IATF 16949 – Best QMS Automotive Industry
  5. OHSMS 18001 – Best QMS Occupational Health and Safety Management System
  6. TL 9000 – Best Quality management system for ICT

1. ISO 9001 Best Quality Management System

PRICING: The regular cost for ISO 9001 is between £3,000 and £6,000, containing certification body audit fees in the UK.

ISO 9001 provides a framework for managing quality, with requirements for companies of all sizes across multiple industries, including automotive, electronics, chemical, and metal products. This QMS will help your business improve production efficiency while ensuring a consistent level of service or product quality through an established system of internal controls over processes or product designs.

KEY FEATURES:

  • Focus More on Quality
  • Improve Company Operations
  • Improve Your Products and Services
  • Improve Morale and Job Satisfaction
  • Boost Customer Satisfaction 

REASON TO USE:

  • Promotes efficiency and consistency 
  • Reduces risk and waste
  • Minimizes errors and defects 
  • Improves customer satisfaction

REASONS TO AVOID:

  • Clients will view your company as such that it produces products/services that meet the required standard
  • Certification takes Time
  • Certification takes many efforts
  • There is a Lot of Bureaucracy Involved
  • Certification Requires Greater Accountability
  • ISO 9001 Certification can be Too Expensive for Smaller Businesses 

2. ISO 27001 – Best QMS for Information Security Management System

PRICING: The prices depend on the size, branches and the type of data your ISMS cottages. Regularly, expect $40,000 during the audit trial process, $15,000 and above for the certification audit itself, and $10,000 per year for maintenance and surveillance audits.

ISO 27001 certification is a standard for managing information security risk, created by International Organization for Standardization (ISO). If you have employees handling sensitive data, it’s best to have an ISO 27001-compliant information security management system in place.

KEY FEATURES:

  • Risk analysis 
  • Top management commitment 

REASON TO USE:

  • It helps ensure your firm’s network is sufficiently protected against data loss and misuse.
  • It provides evidence of compliance with legal and industry standards.
  • It helps conserve your company from costly data breaches

REASON TO AVOID:

  • It takes up to 5-9 months to implement 
  • It’s pretty expensive for SMB
  • Subjective resistance

3. ISO 50001 – Best QMS for Energy Management System

PRICING: Price varies depending on the size and complexity of the organization, but implementation costs are typically around $50-100K USD.

ISO 50001 is an energy management system that will help your organization save money and reduce its carbon footprint. The standard covers all aspects of energy management, from energy efficiency to procurement and planning. 

KEY FEATURES:

  • Energy Management 
  • Resources Management 
  • Measurements, Analysis and Improvement of your business 

REASON TO USE:

  • Increase the efficiency of operations
  • Save money
  • Support compliance with local, national, and international standards
  • Because it’s standardized, anyone in an organization can be trained to use it—and it makes achieving ISO 50001 certification much easier
  • As one might expect, an ISO 50001-certified company pays less for electricity than non-certified companies

REASONS TO AVOID:

  • Extra costs attached to the maintenance of the entire system 

4. IATF 16949 – Best QMS for Automotive Industry

PRICING: Generally, getting your company up-to-date with these standards costs between $10,000 and $50,000.

This international standard is used as a base for many other industries. It has specific requirements on how business owners must audit and maintain an organization to become certified. If you’re involved in manufacturing, assembly or production, IATF 16949 may be right for you. The price of certification can vary depending on which organization you choose to go through. 

KEY FEATURES:

  • Customer-specific requirements 
  • Risk mitigation 
  • Product safety 
  • Reducing waste
  • Embedded software considerations 

REASON TO USE:

  • Increase business opportunities 
  • Risk Management
  • Operational efficiency 
  • Create a culture of continual improvement 
  • Improve the image and credibility of your business 

REASON TO AVOID:

  • Quite expensive 
  • Most automotive companies will need to train an internal lead auditor unless you plan to hire a third-party auditor.
  • It takes time to implement 

5. OHSMS 18001 – Best QMS Occupational Health and Safety Management System

PRICING: Generally, costs can range from a few thousand to tens of thousands.

OHSMS 18001 is a quality management system that focuses on occupational health and safety. It was developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), and businesses of any size can use it.

This QMS considers the human element in addition to processes, procedures, products and services. When developing an OHSMS 18001 solution for your business, you must consider your employees.

KEY FEATURES:

  • Hazard identification and risk assessment
  • Implementation of control measures to mitigate risks
  • Establishment of emergency preparedness and response procedures
  • Regular monitoring and review of the system.

REASON TO USE:

  • It can help improve their safety performance, 
  • Reduced costs related to accidents, injuries or illness
  • Increased productivity due to lower employee turnover rates

REASON TO AVOID:

  • One of the most significant issues is getting everyone on board with the new system and understanding how it works
  • Another common problem is figuring out the cost of implementing such a system. Not all businesses have the same budget, which can be challenging to calculate
  • One of the most significant issues is getting everyone on board with the new system and understanding how it works

6. TL 9000 Quality management system 

PRICING: Estimated cost of doing the implementation in-house yourself using an All-in-one documentation and training package is $997 while hiring a consultant will cost you $3,125

TL 9000 is a quality management system, specifically for Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) industry. The Quality Excellence developed it for the Suppliers of Telecommunications (QUEST) Forum in response to customer demands for a quality standard that goes beyond generic ISO 9001 requirements. The TL 9000 Quality Management System incorporates process and product metrics, providing telecom suppliers with a comprehensive approach to quality improvement.

KEY FEATURES:

  • A comprehensive approach that encompasses all aspects of a company’s operations, including its facilities, equipment, products and services
  • An independent certification process ensures compliance with regulatory bodies such as International Standards Organization (ISO) and the United States Pharmacopoeia (USP) standards.
  • Provides guidelines for best practices and compliance standards
  • Applies to diverse industries like aerospace, auto, food, heavy equipment, nuclear power plants, etc.
  • Complies with ISO 9001:2015 standard
  • Allows flexibility by ensuring implementation at the appropriate level (from company to enterprise)

REASON TO USE:

  • It helps manufacturers improve their performance by identifying possible issues before they arise
  • The cost is paid back in the improved efficiencies it delivers.
  • It provides a systematic approach to improving each customer’s satisfaction
  • It creates a culture and environment where people are committed to improving the process;
  • It focuses on continuous customer improvement and prevention of defects by monitoring and preventing;
  • It helps companies identify customers’ needs through surveys and measurement methods and prioritize customer satisfaction.

REASON TO AVOID:

  • High upfront cost 
  • Lack of flexibility 
  • It can cause more problems if not implemented properly

As a business owner, you are responsible for ensuring that your company operates according to industry standards, which will help improve your company’s reputation, attract new clients, and retain existing ones. The six quality management systems listed above are some of the best options available today; however, they will only work if you implement them correctly into your business plan.

References and Links:

  • https://the9000store.com/articles/iso-9000-cost/
  • https://www.nqa.com/en-gb/resources/blog/june-2017/guide-to-iatf-16949https://16949store.com/iatf-16949-standards/what-is-iatf-16949/
  • https://advisera.com/27001academy/what-is-iso-27001/
  • https://www.bsigroup.com/en-GB/iso-50001-energy-management/
  • https://www.nqa.com/en-gb/certification/standards/tl-9000
  • https://tl9000.org/about/tl9000/overview.html