Whether your company’s vision is maximizing profits, excellence or sustainability, the underlying thread must be an effective management system. Effective management systems have become even more relevant in this era of globalization, as businesses face increased competition and venture into international markets.

An effective management system ensures that the goals set by an organization are systematically achieved. A universally recognized tool which provides the framework for such a system is the international standard known as the ISO 9001:2008 Quality management systems – Requirements. It has been referred to as business common sense.

The operating principle promoted in this standard is the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) methodology. PDCA is an integrative four-step continuous improvement process.

Businesses keen on implementing an effective management system are therefore required to:

Plan
Planning is continual and should take place at least at two levels: long-term (strategic) and short-term (operational). A key point to be made here is that of alignment. The short-term objectives must be aligned to the long-term goals. These goals must be linked to the company’s mission and vision. In that way as the company achieves its objectives, it is also moving closer to the realization of its vision. Planning at the operational level must take into consideration the needs of the customer, measurable objectives, processes involved and their interactions, resources, acceptance criteria and the responsible personnel.

Do
Doing is working according to the plan. It is about staff at different levels with different skill sets controlling processes while guided by policies and procedures. It includes checks of the processes and their outputs against the acceptance criteria.

Check
Checking should capture information in at least four areas: (1) performance of processes; (2) suitability of products/services; (3) satisfaction of customers; and (4) the effectiveness of the management system.

Act
Acting involves taking actions to improve. Actions include analyzing data to determine trends, reviewing the status of objectives, taking corrective action to avoid recurrence of errors and taking preventive action to avoid occurrence of errors in the first place.

So how effective is your company’s management system? Indicators of an effective management system include the achievement of company objectives; increased satisfaction of internal and external customers; and improved operational effectiveness and efficiency. Can your company attest to these indicators? If not, then it is time to familiarize yourself with requirements of this management system standard if you are to realize your company’s vision.