A quality management principle is a comprehensive and fundamental rule or belief, for leading and operating an organization, aimed at continually improving performance over the long term by focusing on customers while addressing the needs of all other stakeholders.



There are eight principles of quality management on which the 2000 edition of ISO 9000 series of standards are based. In 2008 only ISO 9001 is revised. The principles are derived from the collective experience and knowledge of the international experts who participate in ISO Technical Committee ISO/TC 176, Quality management and quality assurance, which is responsible for developing and maintaining the ISO 9000 standards.

There are many different ways of applying these quality management principles. The nature of the organization and the specific challenges it faces will determine how to implement them. Many organizations will find it beneficial to set up quality management systems based on these principles.

There are eight basic principles of quality management:

Principle 1-Customer focus

Principle 2-Leadership

Principle 3-Involvement of people

Principle 4-Process approach

Principle 5-System approach to management

Principle 6-Continual improvement

Principle 7-Factual approach to decision making

Principle 8-Mutually beneficial supplier relationships

Principle 1-Customer focus

Organizations depend on their customers and therefore should understand current and future customer needs, should meet customer requirements and strive to exceed customer expectations.

Principle 2-Leadership

Leaders establish unity of purpose and direction of the organization. They should create and maintain the internal environment in which people can become fully involved in achieving the organization's objectives.

Principle 3-Involvement of people

People at all levels are the essence of an organization and their full involvement enables their abilities to be used for the organization's benefit.

Principle 4-Process approach

A desired result is achieved more efficiently when activities and related resources are managed as a process. A process can be defined as an activity that converts input into an output.

The Inputs of a process are the things that are transformed by the process in to the end product or service required by the customer of the process. Inputs can be tangible, e.g., written data, or intangible, e.g., verbal requests. Process Resources are all the things that a process must routinely have to be able to convert the inputs into outputs. Resources may be tangible, e.g., people, a PC, software, or intangible, e.g., skills and experience.

The Outputs of a process can be products or services and should conform to the specifications agreed in advance with the recipient, i.e., with the customer, internal or external. Outputs can also be tangible, e.g., product, or intangible, e.g., advice.

Process Control methods may be imposed either externally or internally, e.g., customer specifications, legislative requirements and copyright laws are all externally imposed, whereas internal quality checks and organizational procedures are derived from within the organization.

Principle 5-System approach to management

Identifying, understanding and managing interrelated processes as a system contributes to the organization's effectiveness and efficiency in achieving its objectives.

Processes are the fundamental building blocks of all organizations, and both process understanding and process improvement form the lifeblood of total quality organizations. Processes transform inputs, which can include actions, methods and operations, into outputs. They are the steps by which we add value, and it should be the aim of customer focused, total quality organizations, for these outputs to satisfy or exceed the needs and expectations of their customers.

Everything we do is a process, whether it is documented or not, and in each area or function of an organization there are many processes taking place. These processes interact with other processes throughout an organization, as outputs from one process form the inputs to another.

Principle 6-Continual improvement

Continual improvement of the organization's overall performance should be a permanent objective of the organization. Picture shows the difference between continuous and continual.

Principle 7-Factual approach to decision making

Effective decisions are based on the analysis of data and information.

Though principle requires factual approach to decision making, you can not get away with intuitive and gut feeling approach while making certain decisions.

Factual approach precedence when you need to take decisions regarding corrective action after a reported nonconformity and preventive actions after a potential nonconformity is envisaged.

Intuitive, gut feeling and confidence takes precedence in cases where risk is involved (remember basic economics says more risk, more gain).

Principle 8-Mutually beneficial supplier relationships

An organization and its suppliers are interdependent and a mutually beneficial relationship enhances the ability of both to create value.