Customer satisfaction and ISO 9001 improvement requirements in the supply chain

Expectations of manufacturing companies regarding future priorities of improvement actions taken by their suppliers

Purpose

The paper concerns supply chains. It aims to identify the essential improvement actions that manufacturing companies expect their suppliers to take in the future rather than selection requirements already used in the assessment process. Within those improvement actions, the goal is to determine whether the size and management methods used in assessing companies affect these future expectations.

Design/methodology/approach:

Hypotheses were developed regarding the expectations of manufacturing companies and the factors influencing these expectations. Data collected from 118 companies from the Polish automotive, metal and chemical sectors were used to verify them. For this purpose, the U-Mann Whitney test was applied.

Findings

Manufacturing companies expect their suppliers to improve: (1) products, (2) processes, (3) organization management, (4) communication and (5) relationship, with the most important thing for them is the improvement of products and processes. It was found that the expectations regarding the contributors are influenced by whether the manufacturing company is a large or small enterprise or it uses or not the Toyota Production System. Lean Management and the ISO 14,001 Environmental Management System do not translate into these expectations.

Originality/value

: The article gives a new look at shaping relations between suppliers and customers in supply chains. Unlike most of the research to date, it does not concern the requirements that suppliers should meet at a given moment but focuses on the improvement actions they should undertake in the future. This paper adds important detail to understanding cooperation in B2B relations.

Study of Augmented Reality Based Manufacturing for Further Integration of Quality Control 4.0: A Systematic Literature Review

Augmented Reality (AR) has gradually become a mainstream technology enabling Industry 4.0 and its maturity has also grown over time. AR has been applied to support different processes on the shop-floor level, such as assembly, maintenance, etc. As various processes in manufacturing require high quality and near-zero error rates to ensure the demands and safety of end-users, AR can also equip operators with immersive interfaces to enhance productivity, accuracy and autonomy in the quality sector. However, there is currently no systematic review paper about AR technology enhancing the quality sector. The purpose of this paper is to conduct a systematic literature review (SLR) to conclude about the emerging interest in using AR as an assisting technology for the quality sector in an industry 4.0 context. Five research questions (RQs), with a set of selection criteria, are predefined to support the objectives of this SLR. In addition, different research databases are used for the paper identification phase following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) methodology to find the answers for the predefined RQs. It is found that, in spite of staying behind the assembly and maintenance sector in terms of AR-based solutions, there is a tendency towards interest in developing and implementing AR-assisted quality applications. There are three main categories of current AR-based solutions for quality sector, which are AR-based apps as a virtual Lean tool, AR-assisted metrology and AR-based solutions for in-line quality control. In this SLR, an AR architecture layer framework has been improved to classify articles into different layers which are finally integrated into a systematic design and development methodology for the development of long-term AR-based solutions for the quality sector in the future.

ISO 9001 and the public service: an investigation of the effect of the QMS on the quality of public service organizations

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify the influence exerted by a quality management system (QMS) under ISO 9001: 2015 on the quality of public services organizations in Mexico.

Design/methodology/approach

The methodological design was quantitative, explanatory, observational and transversal, for which a sample of 461 public servants from the state of Guanajuato, Mexico was obtained. To test the hypotheses, a structural equation model (SEM) was developed through the statistical software Amos v.21. For the analysis of the data, software SPSS v.21 was used. Regarding the goodness and adjustment indices of the SEM (χ2 = 720.09, df = 320, CFI = 0.933, TLI = 0.926 and RMSEA = 0.05) which, therefore, proved to be acceptable.

Findings

According to the results obtained through the SEM model, the QMS under ISO 9001: 2015 is positively and significantly influenced tangible aspects (β1 = 0.79, p < 0.01), reliability (β2 = 0.90, p < 0.01), related to response quality (β3 = 0.93, p < 0.01), guarantees (β4 = 0.91, p < 0.01) and empathy (β5 = 0.88, p < 0.01) of the quality related to public services in Mexico. The study’s key contribution is that it discovered that implementing a QMS in accordance with the ISO 9001: 2015 standard has an impact on the quality of public services, with the most influential quality of response. Similarly, the assurance and dependability of service quality turned out to be important in providing public service quality.

Research limitations/implications

In this paper, the QMS was only evaluated as a variable that intervenes in the process of obtaining quality in public service under the ISO 9001 standard in its 2015 version. In this regard, the results’ trustworthiness is limited to the extent that the findings may be generalized in the state of Guanajuato, Mexico’s public service. As a result, the scientific community is left primarily focused on service quality to promote new future research.

Practical implications

The ISO 9001: 2015 standard’s QMS is one of the tools for success in both the commercial and government sectors. However, there are practical limitations, which focus on the time during which managers exercise their vision in the public sector: first, the dynamics that managers play in public policy; second, the length of time they have served in public office; and third, the interest of directors of public institutions to improve the quality of service provided by the government. Other practical consequences concern organizational culture and identity, public servant commitment, senior management or secretaries of government, as well as work and training.

Originality/value

The findings of this paper are important and valuable because they foster knowledge generation in the public sector through the ISO 9000 quality area. A model that permits the adoption and implementation of a QMS based on the ISO 9001: 2015 standard in public organizations that seek to provide quality in their services offered to the user is also presented to the literature. Similarly, the paper is important because there is currently insufficient research focusing on the variables examined in the context of public service in Mexico.

Direct and indirect impact of quality management on the integrated performance of medium-scale manufacturers

Purpose

Most studies on small and medium scale enterprises lump both small-scale and medium-scale businesses together as entirely similar phenomenon, thus creating an oversight of the degree of performance recorded by medium-scale businesses. In line with investigating medium-scale firms' performance, this study examines the role of quality management in the performance of medium-scale firms to evolve research-based recommendation for better performance.

Design/methodology/approach

Cross-sectional survey design and random sampling were employed. Analysis was based on 915 responses obtained via questionnaire copy distribution from employees within the supply chain, production, operations, and marketing/sales department of selected firms. Hypotheses testing was done using the structural equation model.

Findings

A positive significant relationship between quality management and operational performance, employee performance, and quality performance dimensions was identified. An insignificant relationship between quality management and financial and innovation performance dimensions was discovered. However, when mediated by employee focus and process management, significant relationships were observed among all performance dimensions.

Research limitations/implications

The study reveals that employee focus and process management have the greatest mediating impact on the relationship between quality management and the organisational performance of medium-scale manufacturing firms. This study charts the course for other studies to investigate the mediating role of quality management practices on the relationship between quality management and the organisational performance of medium-scale firms in other developing nations. The manufacturing sector has thirteen industries, but only six were captured in this study. This poses a limitation to the generalisation of the findings of this study. Further studies could strive for a representation of every manufacturing industry to aid generalisation purposes.

Practical implications

Managers of medium-scale manufacturing firms must understand that it might be impossible to get a one size fits all approach to improving performance dimensions. Managers are advised to choose one or two performance dimensions as the goal, then focus on achieving them. This will help clarify which path is best to get the desired results and maximise their quality management system.

Originality/value

This study examines the impact of quality management practices on an integrated performance model of medium-scale firms. The study also uniquely examines the mediating impact of exclusive quality management practices on the relationship between quality management and an integrated performance model.

Critical analysis of internal audit processes carried out by Brazilian companies

Purpose

The main objective of this study is to analyze internal audit processes performed by Brazilian companies considering ISO 19011:2018 guidelines.

Design/methodology/approach

The methodological strategy used was a survey conducted with professionals who assist audit processes of Brazilian companies from different segments. Eight main aspects presented by ISO 19011:2018 were evaluated, and data were analysed through fuzzy technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS). These aspects were ranked, and it was possible to identify those most critical.

Findings

Three aspects that are evidenced as critical in the study are as follows (1) to correctly establish the objectives to be achieved and the extension of internal audits program; (2) to correctly assess risks and opportunities that can affect internal audits implementation, defining actions for better results and (3) to monitor, critically analyze and improve the internal audit program.

Originality/value

This study has an exploratory character, and the information presented here can be useful for market professionals and researchers interested in the subject. No similar study was found in the literature.

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.