The whole world is going through a major change. Political, social, economic, cultural and business environments are changing rapidly. Business challenges arise from these changes.

Each and every business today face some kind of challenges and these challenges can completely wipe out the business if they are not properly addressed. If you need to establish your company in the global village, then you really need to take quality certification seriously.

Internationally recognized quality certifications like ISO-9000, SEI-CMM, provide quality management system that has been successfully adopted by thousands of companies worldwide. Implementing these quality processes that are nothing but a sequence of steps performed for a given purpose, will not only control quality but also increase efficiency and effectiveness through improved communication. This will eventually lead to the achievement of customer satisfaction.

Quality plays a major role in the survival of any business today

Quality matters and how
Quality plays a major role in the survival of any business today. It is equally important in manufacuring, services or any other enterprise. Quality is about behaving in a way that reflects an individual's and an organization's understanding of the fundamental inter-connection between structure, process and outcome.

Companies that manage quality as a strategic business issue and constantly review and renew quality management practices, enjoy good rewards in the long run. Quality management practices play an important role in the success of a business.

It doesn't matter whether you are starting a new business or are an established company. Whether you are a manufacturing company or a small service provider. The standard procedures can be tailored to meet your business needs.

Quality is an organization-wide activity. The importance is on controlling the process and not the product. The emphasis is on preventing any defective product or process to reach out to the customer.

Constant monitoring
The management should periodically review existing processes to incorporate new changes and cross out outdated ways of doing business.
Managers should delegate responsibility and authority to lower levels by using participative management principles.

Employee empowerment and teamwork are essential factors for success. Centralized decision-making should give way to decentralized decision-making. Managers need to learn the importance of controlling the process and not the product or end-result.

Being the owner of the business, you should be personally committed, visible and involved in development of the quality protocol and continuous
improvement in the key processes during your business. Measurement analysis and continuous improvement should be the core of your strategies.

For any business to be successful, process control is important, not the people control. This also implies that your business will not become
dependent on any one individual but on the processes that will drive it. In such a scenario, fear is replaced with trust, openness and integrity. All problems are viewed as opportunities.

Quality management extends far beyond the philosophy and practices of quality control and quality assurance. It is a strategy concerned with the changing fundamental beliefs,values and culture of a business. By getting an external review done for attaining the quality certification, you can be assured of whether the processes that you are following withinyour business suit your business or not.

Anil Bakht is Chairman and MD of Eastern Software Systems

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