Abstract
M.Phil. (Engineering Management)
The ISO quality management system represents a mechanism that can drive change in organisation as well as an entry tickets into certain markets for certain organisations. When implemented correctly and for the correct reasons, the quality management system has been proven to produce operational as well as financial improvements. Organisations have reportedly often struggled to access the benefits that the system offers despite achieving formal certification of the ISO quality management system. This study intends to determine the benefits that the quality management system has to offer to organisations that achieve certification as well as to determine the critical success factors organisation can implement in order to access these benefits. This will assist organisations to gain an understanding of what to expect from achieving formal certification and the steps that should be taken to guarantee benefits that are beyond achieving certification. The study utilises a single case study which was a single organisation certified quality management system and measures the benefits observed from implement this quality management system were assessed against those observed from reviewing literature. The case study was evaluated as best suited method to assist this study as it afforded the researcher in-depth and descriptive response on why organisation implement the ISO quality management system and don’t achieve benefits that are beyond achieving certification. The study found that the implementation of the quality management system does lead to benefits that are beyond certification, benefits which in this study are classified as primary, secondary and tertiary. It was found that the effort employed when adapting the system to suit the organisations' practices while adhering to ISO requirements is key to realising benefits coupled with the utilisation of the 21 identified critical success factors. This research suggests that realising benefits is linked to organisations being intentional about how they implement and maintain the QMS and that constantly reviewing practices for areas of non-conformances and to identify areas of improvements early assist the organisation get the best out of the system.