ISO 9001 based quality management systems and organisational performance: a systematic literature review

A Continuous Improvement Instrument for the evaluationof the ergonomics management system in the supply chain

Nowadays, organizations must comply with high-quality standards, health and safety regulations, and socially sustainable practices to succeed in a globalized world. Supply Chains (SC) enable them to satisfy their customers' needs for quality products just in time and at the best price. However, management systems (MS) need to be improved to identify, evaluate, and control ergonomic risks, which opens a research opportunity for Ergonomics Management Systems (EMS) as they apply to sustainable SCs. This study aims to design and validate an instrument to assess the EMS within a SC using a continuous improvement approach. The study used convenience sampling as experts were invited by e-mail, at congresses, and through a digital platform. A response rate of 6.2 % was obtained from the latter, and a total of 34 experts responded to the instrument. An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were also carried out for the constructs of PLAN, DO, CHECK, and ACT. Finally, factors and variables were reduced by 42.71 %, leaving a 46-item final version of the instrument. Most of the structural model fit indices for the sample demonstrated good values, and the reliability indices were acceptable, this confirming the overall reliability of the instrument. In conclusion, the instrument was validated for all proposed constructs, with the exception of the PLAN construct. Thus, the instrument was found to be relevant and fit for implementation in EMS.

Biosecurity in the workplace and a QMS during the COVID-19 pandemic: a survey for Peruvian goods companies

Objectives. This study analyzes the differences between goods companies with a Standard No. ISO 9001:2015 quality management system (QMS) and those without, in terms of implementation of biosecurity measures during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study shows whether having a QMS helped companies to implement the biosecurity measures required to continue operating during a pandemic. Methods. The sample was composed of 145 Peruvian goods companies. The empirical data were collected through a questionnaire sent to company presidents, general managers and department heads. The questionnaire focused on four biosecurity dimensions in the workplace: protocols, preventive actions, biosecurity processes and risk management. Results. The study found that companies with a QMS (Standard No. ISO 9001:2015) significantly differed from companies without in the implementation of three of the four biosecurity dimensions. Conclusions. This study is useful for academia and companies because it identifies the main differences between certified and non-certified companies, in terms of adoption of biosecurity measures. This study highlights the importance of a QMS to respond to hazardous situations like a global health crisis, but also provides useful information for the strategic decision-making process of companies.

What would QMS implementation really bring to a company?‐ Theoretical review on benefits and disadvantages researched in practice

Purpose

This study aims to provide information on particular combination of benefits or disadvantages with exact timing of their appearance in the company after its first certification, along with the information on the value range each benefit and disadvantage would take, as well as on the duration period of expected values.

Design/methodology/approach

Survey was conducted from October 2015 to January 2019 in 306 certified companies with respondent rate of 58.82%. A questionnaire, structured using literature review to identify all possible benefits and disadvantages of QMS, was used to determine the time of appearance, value range and duration of each identified benefit or disadvantage. Results were used to define indicators for fully applied QMS in each age of its maturity, then the indicators were verified using the records of two ISO certified companies.

Findings

There is a difference in the set of benefits and disadvantages in companies with fully implemented QMS and those that are using QMS only to maintain the certificate. In each age of QMS application a specific set of benefits and disadvantages can be expected as well as the volume range of each of them. These timely sets of benefits and disadvantages can be used as indicators to distinguish well-implemented QMS from those partially implemented.

Research limitations/implications

The sample consists of companies from Balkan area, therefore economy, politics and culture could have influenced results, predominantly regarding the value ranges of some benefits and disadvantages.

Practical implications

Companies which already have implemented or are about to implement QMS may use results of the research to plan its effects in years ahead, concerning costs and profit dynamics, as well as to prepare themselves for upcoming probable issues. Auditors can use results in addition to certification criteria to determine the level of QMS implementation and to forecast whether audited company would keep the certificate in the future.

Social implications

Supply chain management could use research findings in selection of chain members to support and speed up third party audits since the benefits and disadvantages of fully implemented QMS are known for each QMS age. This would further imply better structure of supply chains, which would consequently lead to lower production costs, higher quality and competitive prices at the market, which has beneficial implications on the whole society.

Originality/value

For each age of QMS maturity, starting from the first year of certification, expected combination of benefits and disadvantages along with its expected value range and duration are defined. A set of indicators with their expected values.

Project management performance of construction projects in Jordan: a comparative study of ISO 9001-certified and non-certified companies

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the differences between the certified and non-certified ISO 9001 construction companies in terms of construction projects' performance in Jordan.

Design/methodology/approach

Questionnaires were distributed to certified and non-certified construction organizations. These entities consist of contractor's consultants and owner representative organizations. In total, 86 valid responses were returned. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) using descriptive statistic tests, namely, multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and analysis of variance (ANOVA).

Findings

The results clearly showed the positive effects of ISO 9001 certification on construction projects' performance in project management performance and project success. ISO-certified organizations have higher mean score in project management leadership, staff, policies, project life cycle and key performance indicators (KPIs) but not in partnership. Moreover, an ISO-certified organization shows higher project success.

Originality/value

Due to the dearth of research conducted in this area, this research highlights the management procedures, which impact the leading entities' performance in the construction field within Jordan.

An evaluation of documentation requirements for ISO 9001 compliance in scrum projects

Purpose

Quality management standards (e.g. ISO 9001) lead to process conformance in the realization of quality goods and services; however, they can be rather document intensive. This paper investigates documentation practices used for aligning “light-weight” Scrum methods with ISO 9001 in a leading healthcare software firm.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors investigated how “light-weight” Scrum approaches fit with organizational documentation practices for ISO 9001 compliance in one leading healthcare software development firm. Three investigative rounds were conducted with software professionals having different Scrum roles to understand their challenges in maintaining process documentation with Scrum methods.

Findings

ISO standards stipulate certain mandatory documentation as evidence that certain pre-defined processes are followed in the build-up of quality goods and services. However, this may result in “heavy-weight” document driven approaches that interfere with “light-weight” Scrum methods. Case study findings reveal tensions faced by software professionals in maintaining the ISO 9001 documentation. That is, while some level of documentation is considered useful, software professionals consider certain other documentation tasks to be excessive and cumbersome. Further, many operational documents were written retrospectively for administrative compliance, leading to reduced, incomplete and ambiguous descriptions.

Practical implications

The study provides much value for practitioners in adapting their documentation with ongoing operational processes. Further, the critique on current ISO 9001 implementations in Agile environments has implications for future documentation practice.

Originality/value

The empirically drawn findings showcase some of the challenges in maintaining ISO 9001 documentation within Scrum projects. The study has contributed to both theory and practice in relation to the co-existence of ISO drawn standards with Agile approaches used for software development.

Linking ISO 9000 certification to firm performance and financial crisis: a matched sample longitudinal analysis

Purpose

This is a longitudinal study exploring the effect of ISO 9000 certification on firm's financial performance in the pre-crisis period and the 2008 financial crisis period.

Design/methodology/approach

The empirical analysis is based on a 22-year dataset with balance sheet data from 136 Greek listed firms covering the period 1992–2013. A matching technique is applied to properly estimate potential differences in the impact of ISO 9000 on firm's financial performance between the groups of certified and matched non-certified (control) firms in the entire period but, most importantly, in pre-crisis vs crisis periods, using the difference-in-differences econometric approach.

Findings

The findings indicate that certified firms exhibit significantly higher financial performance relative to the matched non-certified group in both the pre-crisis and crisis periods, which tends to persist for several years post-certification. The financial crisis has a negative and statistically significant effect on firm performance in both the certified and matched non-certified groups, which nevertheless did not differ significantly between them. Controlling for sectoral and technological differences did not harm the higher performance of certified firms relative to the matched control peers. The results remain in the same direction when the authors test the ISO 9000 effect in the sub-group of certified firms that obtained the certification at the firm-level.

Originality/value

The study is original in its sample design and hypothesis testing. The matched sample created from a sufficiently long and continuous time dataset enabled the authors to properly estimate firm performance differences of ISO 9000 between pre-crisis and crisis periods. Of additional value is the testing of sectoral/technological differences and the distinction between firm-level and plant-level certification.